Electra’s Introduction


Electra looked amazing when I saw her again. They gave me a carrier that the show used to transport sylph guests. It was wooden and open, like a tiny gazebo or a very roomy birdfeeder.

I carried it into the sylph make-up room and placed it on the table.

Joy told me to look at a particular spot and close my eyes. She whistled for me to open them. I was looking right where my sylph stood.

She was in the same dress, but she had been made-up and her hair was done. For a second, I thought she looked like Electrifer, Electra’s game icon.

Then I noticed that she had put on the jewelry we’d bought the day before. And high heeled shoes. And… Had we bought stockings? She looked better than Electrifer.

I guess I stood there for a… A moment or two. Joy shouted at the production assistant leading me around the building. “Poke him! The wheel’s stuck!”

I blinked a few times. “Sorry, I was…”

“Poleaxed,” Joy said proudly.

“Yeah,” I said. “Can I, uh…”

“Conrad! Are you wearing a suit?”

“Yes. I’ll be with you for the interview.”

“Thank the great and merciful Lord,” Electra said. “How’d Mark force you to do that?”

“He said you needed me,” I admitted.

“Aw,” Joy said. “And me without my insulin. Well, go!”

Electra ran to the gazebo. I made sure she was seated on the little couch in the center and lifted it. It was a little bigger than her usual carrier, but not unwieldy.

However, everyone seemed to be staring at us. “I’m going to trip or drop this,” I said softly.

“If you do,” she shouted back, “I… I will forgive you.”

“Oh, you play dirty,” I muttered.

They led us to the Green Room where guests waited to appear.

Just about every one of the TV personalities associated with the show came by to welcome the new member of the team. About half of them went straight to Electra, half came up to me with a hand outstretched.

Finally they herded me to the talking-pit set. Mindy Lassiter stood to greet us, Electra first, then pointed me into a chair. The carrier went onto a little table between Mindy and I.

We’d been introduced before we walked on, so they started straight in on the conversation.

It was strange, being out there in front of the camera. I was so aware of all the things I might do to embarrass Electra and Mindy and everyone who was working to create a spot for Electra.

You know, you could probably go for days, maybe weeks without thinking of sneezing, and even if you do, not fear blowing an ounce of snot across the room. But when it’s really important that you DON’T do that, it looms large in your mind.

And besides feeling weird, several people have assured me it was the very first televised introduction of a sylph where Mindy did not ask about the day Electra sylphed.

I mean that was an easy question to ask, and it always filled up air time. But it was all the same. Everything’s big, denial, anger, feeling betrayed by someone who found you or didn’t find you… This time she skipped all that.

The first thing they asked about was Electra’s science fair project. Evidently Amelia had shared the findings with GUA, they used it for all the sylph interviews.

“There’s a microphone in the carrier,” Mindy said.

“Oh! I see it!” Electra replied. Mindy found it fascinating that a sylph had conducted a science fair project.

She asked how Electra and I met, and Electra took us back to fifth grade.

Mindy also knew about the upcoming graduation and asked for details on that.



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Index

62. Get Up America (N)

64. Electra's Theme