OSPECTRAL9
1
T h e m a n i s d r e s s e d e n t i r e l y i n d e n i m . T h e o u t f i t i s m a r g i n a l l y m o r e d e c e n t t h a n i f h e w a s s i m p l y n a k e d . T h e r e a r e p a t c h e s a n d f r a y s o n t h e p a n t s , a n d p o c k e t s i n p l a c e s y o u c a n ’ t i m a g i n e a n y o n e w o u l d w a n t t o s t o r e a n y t h i n g . T h e u p p e r i s a v e s t , a l s o f r a y e d , a n d o p e n i t r e v e a l s a h e a l t h y , h a i r y t o r s o . H e h o l d s a m i c r o p h o n e a n d a c l o t h h a n d k e r c h i e f . T h e m i c r o p h o n e i s a t t a c h e d t o a s i z e a b l e a m p l i f i e r . T h e c l o t h h a n d k e r c h i e f i s m a y b e f o r s w e a t , b u t p r o b a b l y f o r d e c o r a t i o n . A s m a l l a n d u n i m p r e s s i v e s t e r e o w a i t s d u t i f u l l y o n t h e f l o o r b e t w e e n h i s l e g s . T h e t r a i n i n p e a k h o u r i s n o p l a c e f o r a d e n i m b a n d i t a n d h i s b i g a m p . T h e f a c e s o n t h e c r a m p e d p a s s e n g e r s , m o i s t w i t h p e r s p i r a t i o n , r e f l e c t t h i s . T h e m a n t a p s t h e m i c r o p h o n e a n d a n n o u n c e s p o l i t e l y : E x c u s e m e l a d i e s a n d g e n t l e m e n , I a m g o i n g t o s i n g y o u a s o n g . S o r r y f o r t h e i n c o n v e n i e n c e . H e p r e s s e s p l a y o n t h e s t e r e o . A s t h e m u s i c b e g i n s h e a s s e s s e s t h e r e a c t i o n o f h i s p u b l i c a n d s i n g s t o t h e m a n y w a y . A w o m a n , s i t t i n g w i t h h e r n o s e a l m o s t l e v e l t o h i s g r o i n , s t a r e s d e s p e r a t e l y a t a n y t h i n g e l s e . A m a n f r o w n s a n d c o u g h s . N o b o d y l o o k s t h e e n t e r t a i n e r i n t h e e y e , e x c e p t f o r a b a b y , w h o d o e s n ’ t k n o w b e t t e r . T h e s o n g h a s t h r e e u n s e t t l i n g f e a t u r e s : T h e m a n c a n n o t s i n g . T h e m a n d o e s n o t k n o w a l l t h e w o r d s t o t h e s o n g . P a n - p i p e s . T h e i n c o n v e n i e n c e l a s t s t w o h e a r t f e l t m i n u t e s a n d s e v e n t e e n s e c o n d s . W i t h a s y n c h r o n i c i t y u n m a t c h e d t o t h e s c e n e , t h e t r a i n s t o p s a t t h e p r e c i s e m o m e n t t h e s o n g e n d s . P a s s e n g e r s s l i n k o f f , r e l i e v e d , g u i l t y . T h e w o m a n w i t h t h e n o s e w o u l d l i k e t o s l i n k o f f b u t s h e i s t h r e e s t o p s f r o m h o m e . T h e b u s k e r i s s e a r c h i n g t h e t r a i n f o r e y e c o n t a c t . H e c l u t c h e s a s o r r y - l o o k i n g h a t ( n o t d e n i m ) , a n d b o r e s q u i t e u n i n t e n t i o n a l l y i n t o t h e w o m a n ’ s b r a i n , r i g h t o n i n t h e r e , w i t h h i s e y e s . T h e w o m a n i s w e i g h i n g u p t h e d i s c o m f o r t o f w a l k i n g t h r e e s t o p s h o m e a g a i n s t t h e d i s c o m f o r t o f d i s r e g a r d i n g t h i s b u s k e r a n d h i s i n e v i t a b l e d e n i m g r o i n a n y l o n g e r . T h e r e i s n o m o n e y i n t h e h a t . H e h a s n ’ t e v e n p l a n t e d a f e w e n c o u r a g i n g c o i n s t o g e t t h i n g s s t a r t e d . T h e w o m a n t h i n k s o f h e r p u r s e . I n h e r p u r s e , s h e k n o w s , t h e r e i s a t e n d o l l a r n o t e a n d n o c o i n s . T h i s m a n h a s h u m i l i a t e d h i m s e l f p u b l i c l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o h u m i l i a t e h i m s e l f , h a t o u t s t r e t c h e d t o a n u n w i l l i n g a u d i e n c e . T h i s m a n n e e d s a d o l l a r o r t w o . H e n e e d s t o g e t b y , j u s t l i k e a n y o n e . J u s t l i k e a l l t h e s e s c o w l i n g p a s s e n g e r s . T h i s m a n i s d o i n g h i s b e s t . T h e w o m a n s h i f t s h e r w e i g h t . H e r h e a r t b u r n s f o r t h i s m a n . T h e d o o r s c l o s e a s n e w p a s s e n g e r s n e s t l e s i l e n t l y i n t o e a c h o t h e r ’ s l a p s a n d a r m p i t s . B o d i e s s h i f t a r o u n d h e r a n d t h e b u s k e r i s l o s t i n t o t h e m , s a n d w i c h e d s o m e w h e r e b e t w e e n a n u n i n t e r e s t e d s h o p p e r a n d a n e v e n l e s s i n t e r e s t e d s u i t . S h e c l o s e s h e r e y e s a n d d e c i d e s h i s b e s t i s n o t q u i t e e n o u g h f o r a t e n n e r . 1 4 7
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Transcript of OSPECTRAL9
The
man
is d
res s
ed e
ntire
ly in
de n
im. T
he o
utfit
is m
argi
nally
mo r
e de
cent
than
if h
e w
as
sim
ply
nake
d.Th
ere
are
patc
hes
and
frays
on
t he
pant
s, a
nd p
o cke
ts in
pla
ces
you
can’
t im
agin
e an
yone
w
ould
wan
t to
stor
e an
ythi
ng. T
h e u
pper
is a
ves
t, al
so fr
ayed
, an d
ope
n it
reve
als
a he
alth
y,
hairy
tors
o.H
e ho
lds
a m
icro
phon
e an
d a
clo t
h ha
ndke
rchi
ef. T
he m
icro
phon
e is
atta
ched
to a
siz
eabl
e am
plifi
er. T
he c
loth
han
dker
chie
f is
may
be fo
r sw
eat,
but p
roba
bly
for d
ecor
atio
n. A
sm
all a
nd u
nim
pres
sive
ste
reo
wai
ts d
utifu
lly o
n th
e flo
or b
etw
e en
his
legs
.Th
e tra
in in
pea
k ho
ur is
no
plac
e fo
r a d
enim
ba n
dit a
nd h
is b
ig a
mp.
The
face
s on
the
cram
ped
pass
enge
rs, m
oist
with
per
spira
tion,
ref le
ct th
is.
The
man
taps
the
mic
roph
one
and
anno
unce
s po
litel
y: E
xcus
e m
e la
dies
and
gen
tlem
en, I
am
goi
ng to
sin
g yo
u a
s ong
. Sor
ry fo
r the
in
conv
enie
nce.
He
pres
ses
play
on
the
ster
eo. A
s th
e m
usic
beg
ins
he a
sses
ses
the
reac
tion
of h
is p
ublic
an
d si
ngs
to th
em a
nyw
ay.
A w
oman
, sitt
ing
with
her
nos
e a l
mos
t lev
el to
his
gro
in, s
tare
s de
sper
atel
y at
any
thin
g el
se.
A m
an fr
owns
an d
cou
ghs.
Nob
ody
look
s th
e en
terta
iner
in t h
e ey
e, e
xcep
t for
a b
aby,
who
doe
sn’t
know
bet
ter.
The
song
has
thre
e un
settl
ing
feat
ures
:Th
e m
an c
anno
t sin
g.Th
e m
an d
oes
n ot k
now
all
the
wor
ds to
the
song
.P
an-p
ipes
.Th
e in
conv
enie
n ce
last
s tw
o he
a rtfe
lt m
inut
es a
n d s
even
teen
sec
onds
. W
ith a
syn
chro
n ici
ty u
nmat
ched
to th
e sc
ene,
the
train
sto
ps a
t th e
pre
cise
mom
e nt t
he
song
end
s.Pa
ssen
gers
slin
k of
f, re
lieve
d, g
u ilty
. The
wom
an w
ith th
e no
se w
ould
like
to s
link
off b
ut
she
is th
ree
stop
s fro
m h
ome.
The
busk
er is
se a
rchi
ng th
e tra
in fo
r eye
con
tact
. He
clut
ches
a s
orry
-look
ing
hat (
not
deni
m),
and
bore
s qu
ite u
nint
ent io
nally
into
the
wom
an’s
bra
in, r
i ght
on
in th
ere,
with
his
ey
es.
The
wom
an is
wei
ghin
g up
the
d isc
omfo
rt of
wal
k ing
thre
e st
ops
hom
e ag
ains
t th e
di
scom
fort
of d
isre
gard
ing
this
bu s
ker a
nd h
is in
e vita
ble
deni
m g
roin
any
long
er.
Ther
e is
no
mon
ey in
the
hat.
He
hasn
’t ev
en p
lant
ed a
few
enc
o ura
ging
coi
ns to
get
thin
gs
star
ted.
The
wom
an th
ink s
of h
er p
urse
. In
her p
urse
, she
kno
ws,
ther
e is
a te
n do
llar n
ote
and
no
coin
s.Th
is m
an h
as h
u mili
ated
him
self
publ
icly
and
con
tinue
s to
hum
iliat
e hi
mse
lf, h
at
outs
tretc
hed
to a
n un
will
ing
audi
ence
.Th
is m
an n
eeds
a d
olla
r or t
wo.
He
need
s to
get
by,
just
like
any
o ne.
Jus
t lik
e al
l the
se
scow
ling
pass
enge
rs.
This
man
is d
oin g
his
bes
t.Th
e w
oman
shi
ft s h
er w
eigh
t. H
e r h
eart
burn
s fo
r thi
s m
an.
The
door
s cl
ose
as n
ew p
asse
nger
s ne
stle
sile
ntly
into
eac
h ot
her’s
laps
and
arm
pits
. B
odie
s sh
ift a
rou n
d he
r and
the
b usk
er is
lost
int o
them
, san
dwic
hed
som
ewhe
re b
etw
een
an u
nint
eres
ted
shop
per a
nd a
n ev
en le
ss in
tere
s ted
sui
t. Sh
e cl
oses
her
eye
s an
d de
cide
s hi
s be
st is
not
qui
te e
noug
h fo
r a te
nner
.
147
