Several years earlier, James Yensid had travelled across the continent to find hidden talent in the smaller district cities and towns. One of the places he visited was a small country town in Agriah. He went into a club where they were holding a local talent contest. He was sitting by himself at a small table. He watched various acts perform. They included singing, dancing, comedy, and even magic acts. However, none seemed to stand out to him.
James had just ordered his fourth drink when a mysterious female wearing a fancy hat joined him. It was the Hat Lady. She had been following his vehicle since Carrington.
‘Here to spot talent?’ she asked him.
‘Yeah, how did you guess?’ replied James. ‘It must be this fine suit,’ he added as he tugged on the lapels as he raised his eyebrows up and down.
‘No, there is a large vehicle outside with your face on it,’ replied the Hat Lady.
‘Hahaha, yes, of course,’ chuckled James. ‘Let me guess, you’re going to perform in a bit and want to persuade me to stay and watch.’
‘No, I have much more to offer you than that,’ she replied.
James looked at her, grinned, and said, ‘Well, you are quite attractive. We could….’
‘And again, no,’ replied the Hat Lady, sounding more annoyed.
‘Umm, so,’ replied James, sounding confused.
‘You’re onto a good thing with your entertainment company,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘But you’re not exactly capable of splitting atoms.’
James stared at her blankly.
‘You have landed yourself in a position where you could change the world,’ explained the Hat Lady.
‘I would much rather put a few smiles on faces while making a quick buck,’ replied James.
‘You could make much more than a quick buck,’ replied the Hat Lady. ‘You could become the richest Linap in Sapey.’
‘Now, that’s a con,’ said James as he was about to get up. ‘No one could ever come close to the wealth of Locum Alset.’
‘You could if you had his brainpower,’ replied the Hat Lady as she pulled out a vial containing a blue liquid.
‘What’s that?’ asked James.
‘It’s the secret to the Alset family’s intelligence,’ she said as she pulled out a card that identified her as an Alset employee.
‘I don’t believe this,’ said James as he shook his head and started to get up again.
‘You much rather believe that everyone in his family became geniuses overnight when they weren’t before,’ said the Hat Lady as she grabbed his hand.
‘Prove this thing works,’ said James as he sat back down.
‘I’ve taken it,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Go on, test my intelligence.’
‘Well… um… how am I supposed to do that?’ asked James in frustration.
‘Pick a topic. Ask a question,’ sighed the Hat Lady.
‘Pound Ball,’ shouted James.
‘I mean a real topic. Like science, history, or mathematics,’ said the Hat Lady as she frowned a little.
‘Topic, science,’ said James as he rubbed his hands together.
‘Oh goody,’ replied the Hat Lady in a smug tone.
‘How many tanks of fuel do I need to get home?’ asked James as he slapped his hand on the table.
‘I assume you mean driving from here to the centre of the Capital City in your colourful vehicle outside?’ asked the Hat Lady.
‘We’ll stop for breaks along the way,’ said James.
‘Based on the quality of the roads A2, A12, and CW1. Your vehicle’s fuel consumption per kilometre, tank size, additional vehicle load, and expected traffic conditions closer to the Capital. I would estimate you would use somewhere between two and two-thirds and two and three-quarters of a tank,’ said the Hat Lady as she grinned and nodded her head.
‘Wrong,’ said James firmly as he slammed his fist down hard. ‘We are going by the A2, A7, C24, C12, and finally C10. That is the shortest distance to the Capital City.’
The Hat Lady could see one of James’ assistants in the reflection in the window. He was holding up a map and a piece of string.
‘Those roads are awful,’ said the Hat Lady as she diverted her eyes back to James. ‘They’ll take almost twice as long and burn far more fuel. You need to get on the new road connecting West and the Capital. You can drive at the optimum speed for fuel consumption, and you won’t ruin your tyres.’
‘I bet they don’t have a nice place we can stop for donuts,’ said James as he gestured to his assistant to sit down.
‘Are you happy with that answer, or do you want to ask another question?’ asked the Hat Lady, sounding a little frustrated.
‘I’m pretty annoyed, actually,’ said James. ‘We’ve wasted days travelling around the continent on these so-called “shortcuts”. The vehicle constantly needs washing from the dirt. The towns we stop over at are awful. They don’t even have….’
‘So, are you interested in trying this serum?’ interrupted the Hat Lady.
‘Sure, why not!’ replied James as he glared across at his assistant. ‘I’ll know if my staff are duping me.’
‘Wonderful, I’ll be at the inn in a couple of hours. I’ll give you a shot then,’ said the Hat Lady as she smiled.
‘Oh, oh yeah!’ exclaimed James in joy.
‘Behave, or I’ll slap you,’ said the Hat Lady.
James put his hands up and shrugged his shoulders.
‘If you want to see and hear some real talent,’ said the Hat Lady as she got up. ‘Head over to the small bar three streets down. There’s a girl named Saliyah. She sings like an angel.’
James watched the Hat Lady walk out of the club. He then rushed over to his assistant.
‘Let’s see if she knows as much about talent as she does fuel consumption,’ said James as he rubbed his assistant’s shoulder.
Not long afterwards, James and his assistant entered the bar. There was hardly anyone inside. James walked up to the bartender.
‘Tell me, pal, what’s tonight’s special?’ asked James.
‘For you, coloured water,’ chuckled the bartender.
‘I’ll just have a plain glass of water then,’ said James.
‘No, we have to colour it,’ chuckled the bartender. ‘It’s to cover the filth.’
‘Okay, coloured water it’ll be,’ said James as he gestured to his assistant to pay him.
James sat at a small table a few metres away from the small performance stage.
Meanwhile, at the back, outside the bar, the manager was confronting Saliyah.
‘You’re wearing the same clothes again,’ said the manager angrily.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Saliyah. ‘On this wage I can’t afford to buy new clothes.’
‘Geez, you look like trash, and you still want a pay rise,’ said the manager angrily as he held up his fist. ‘I have a good mind to punch you.’
‘Leave her alone,’ said the Hat Lady as she appeared out of nowhere. ‘She needs to perform now.’
‘Mind your own business,’ said the manager as he turned towards the Hat Lady.
The Hat Lady grabbed his arm and slit his throat with a small knife.
He clutched his neck as he desperately gasped for air as blood poured from his throat.
Saliyah shrieked in shock.
The manager dropped to the ground. The Hat Lady released her grip on him. The knife shapeshifted back into a pen. The blood disappeared, and the wound vanished. However, the manager still seemed to think he was dying.
‘Calm down, you’re fine,’ said the Hat Lady as she looked down at him. ‘Just don’t be so mean. It’s completely unnecessary.’
‘That was awesome!’ shrieked Saliyah in excitement. ‘You have to teach me that trick.’
‘Sure, someday,’ said the Hat Lady in a rapid tone. ‘Now you need to get on stage. James Yensid is in attendance.’
Saliyah screamed and ran into the bar.
James was still sitting inside. He was picking bits out of his water. Saliyah hopped on stage. Without a microphone, she began singing.
James looked up in amazement as he heard the most amazing voice. Saliyah belted out three more songs, and James was convinced he had found the next greatest star.
After she finished her next song, James leapt out of his seat and shouted, ‘You’re amazing. How would you like to become the world’s greatest star?’
Saliyah shrieked, ‘Yes,’ in response.
‘Tomorrow morning, we hit the road,’ said James as he held Saliyah’s shoulders. ‘We’re heading to the Capital City.’
James swaggered over to the Hat Lady, who was standing at the entrance.
‘Juice me up, baby,’ he said to her as they walked out the door together. ‘I need to be in top form. Saliyah and Yensid Media are taking the world by storm.’
‘Maybe a little something for him would be nice,’ said the Hat Lady as she pointed to the manager, who was now curled up on the ground in a foetal position while sucking his thumb.
‘Give this sad guy a handful of coins,’ called out James to his assistant. ‘A very small handful.’
James locked arms with the Hat Lady, and they headed off to the inn.
The next day, Saliyah, James, and his team headed off to the Capital City. Over the next couple of weeks, Saliyah recorded her songs in the Yensid Media Studios. A few weeks later, they were broadcast all across Sapey. A song was played on the hour every hour. The popularity of her songs soared. James arranged live concerts in every large city across the continent. Every single concert was packed out. Demand for tickets was so high that some of the concerts needed to be relocated to the Pound Ball stadiums.
James was making a huge profit from Saliyah’s concerts, but he wanted more. He called Saliyah to tell her he wanted her to attend the Pound Ball convention. James sent over a car to pick Saliyah up from her new apartment. Saliyah got in the car. James and Jeff were waiting inside to brief her on their plan.
‘You are looking gorgeous as ever,’ said James as he looked across at Saliyah.
‘Have I got this right?’ asked Saliyah. ‘I’m just a regular attendee at this Pound Ball event.’
‘Absolutely,’ replied James. ‘You’re there because of your love of the great game.’
‘To make sure nobody recognises you, I’ve got this Pound Ball hoodie for you to wear,’ said Jeff.
‘Ew, it’s ugly,’ remarked Saliyah. ‘What’s this really about?’
‘We want to merge the activities of our two businesses,’ said James. ‘Pound Ball stadiums are perfect venues for concerts. Concerts are the perfect complementary entertainment to the games. It’s a win-win.’
‘Duh, just book me for the halftime shows,’ said Saliyah as she rolled her eyes. ‘I can’t see why I need to go to this event. Besides, shouldn’t you be showing me off and not trying to hide me in ugly merchandise?’
Jeff shook his head in disapproval of her comment.
‘It’s more than that,’ said James. ‘We want the fans to be invested in both you and the game. We want you to date a star player.’
Saliyah frowned.
‘We’ll let you choose which one you like,’ said James. ‘It’ll be your golden chance to perform in front of all the biggest crowds. Your fame will be unmatched.’
‘Well, I suppose everything comes at some cost,’ sighed Saliyah. ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’
Their car arrived at the event. They were driven to the back of the venue to avoid the crowds. Saliyah put on the hoodie, and the three of them entered through the backdoor.
‘Every team has their best players advertising their team in some way,’ said Jeff. ‘I recommend cavorting with players from the top teams. We have star players from the Chiefs, Generals, Priests, Engineers, and Miners.’
‘Oh my, that guy over there modelling the uniform is so handsome!’ gasped Saliyah. ‘I’ll date him in a heartbeat.’
‘Um, his name is Ryan. He plays for the Scarecrows,’ gulped Jeff. ‘They aren’t exactly contenders.’
Saliyah ran over to Ryan.
‘This is perfect,’ said James as he and Jeff watched Saliyah and Ryan chatting. ‘Megastar singer falls in love with rugged but talented underdog. It writes itself.’
‘The Scarecrows aren’t good,’ said Jeff. ‘Their home stadium isn’t big.’
‘They don’t need to be good,’ said James confidently. ‘They just need to win, and they need to win because of him. He’s incredibly tall, has very long arms, and has huge hands. He’s already a top player on the team. He just needs to be the top player in the league. Their small home stadium doesn’t matter. We’ll make money on the road games. Just make sure that they play away in every playoff game.’
‘Alright, I’ll fix it,’ said Jeff as he waved his hands in the air.
Jeff walked over to the owner of the Scarecrows. They appeared to have quite an animated conversation. Meanwhile, Ryan had picked up Saliyah and had run off with her.
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my 
