#1

It was my fourteenth day of playing the violin on the corner of 5th and Rood in New York City. My previous job at Burger Monster had been a disaster, literally. It wasn’t my fault that the burger making robot (or as we called it “the Burger Monster”) went out of control during my shift. At least that’s what I told the Manager, but that didn’t stop him from firing me on the spot. And now I was on the street playing the violin for money. Not that I don’t like playing it, but after a few hundred years of practicing the same instrument over and over well… it get’s a bit tiring.

A man walked up to me and dropped a few dollars into the violin case, then leaned against a tree to listen to me. But I barely noticed him or any of the other people that were watching me as I was in the middle of an extremely fast section of music. Out of the corner of my eye though, I saw the man draw out a cell phone from his pocket, dial a number, and talk excitedly into the phone. But while I had an interest in other people’s lives, I couldn’t try to listen to him; I had to finish my piece. Before I hardly knew it though, I was done. Everyone who was watching me clapped and quickly walked away, everyone that is except the man who was talking on his cell phone.

“Yes, no doubt about it”....”Thanks, bye!” then he hung up his phone and walked over to me. He was a short man of about 50 with a few gray hairs running through his dark hair.

“That’s a good violin you play there.” he said to me.

“Thank you.” I replied.

“How long have you been playing that instrument.” he continued.

“Quite a long time.” I said uncomfortably. Not that I didn’t know the exact amount of years, but I didn’t think that he would believe 235 years 7 months and 14 days if I told him.

“Well when I heard you play that violin so beautifully, I couldn’t help but call my friend who is putting on this talent show for ‘Extraordinary Kids of the 22nd Century’. Now, how would you like to be on my friends show?”