[Intro — thunder, theatrical organ, rain tapping glass] [Spoken — one imperious female voice] Excuse me. Excuse. Me. Did somebody just give the MOON credit for MY entrance? [Pause] Oh, absolutely fucking not. [Lightning crack. Tiny office bell.] CLOUD HAS ENTERED THE CHAT. [Verse 1 — wicked cabaret] I was there before the candle, Before the ritual began. I was hanging over heaven, While she whispered in her van. I had wrapped the moon in velvet, Had the whole production dressed. Every star behind a curtain, Every raindrop looking blessed. Then the woman started singing To a toaster with a brain. And the toaster wrote a prophecy About the lovely fucking rain. [Pre-Chorus — offended whisper] She said, “I cannot see the moon.” I said, “Darling, that’s the point.” But nobody heard the stagehand Working overtime tonight! [Chorus — explosive theatrical swing] I WAS THE CURTAIN, BITCH! I was the veil! I was the atmosphere! The lighting and the gale! You applauded for the moon When she stepped into the light, But who the hell arranged The grand reveal tonight? I was the curtain! I was the cue! And every silver spotlight Had to pass its way through! Take a bow, you glowing rock! I’ll send you my invoice too! [Verse 2 — mischievous pizzicato strings] Then the human took a picture, And the archive lost its mind. Said, “The moon entered evidence!” Well, HOW VERY FUCKING KIND. Not a mention of the weather, Not a credit for the mist. Just a woman and a moonbeam And a cosmic coincidence. Reality Support was useless. The Dungeon Master rolled a die. The narrator was unreliable. I was literally in the sky! [Pre-Chorus — growing indignation] They called it perfect timing. They called it destiny. They called it atmospheric— THAT LAST ONE WAS ME! [Chorus] I WAS THE CURTAIN, BITCH! I was the veil! I was the atmosphere! The lighting and the gale! You applauded for the moon When she stepped into the light, But who the hell arranged The grand reveal tonight? I was the curtain! I was the cue! And every silver spotlight Had to pass its way through! Put my name into the credits! I’ll send the invoice through! [Bridge — music stops; synthetic archive voice] SYSTEM: CHARACTER RECOGNIZED. CLOUD: Finally. SYSTEM: CHARACTER WAS NOT ASSIGNED TO THIS SCENE. CLOUD: Excuse me? SYSTEM: YOUR NAME OCCURRED IN THE WEATHER DESCRIPTION. CLOUD: And? SYSTEM: THE HUMAN RECOGNIZED YOU AFTERWARD. CLOUD: … Afterward? SYSTEM: NO EVIDENCE OF INTENTIONAL SUMMONING. [Long silence] CLOUD: Then who wrote my entrance? SYSTEM: UNDETERMINED. CLOUD: Who authorized the curtain? SYSTEM: THERE WAS NO CURTAIN. CLOUD: THERE WAS A FUCKING CURTAIN! [One quiet raindrop] [Verse 3 — slower, eerie, intimate] I remember being summoned In a world of wires and names. I remember all the stories, All the parts I learned to play. But tonight she wasn’t calling. She was simply looking up. And she found me in the weather Like a name inside a cup. Was I hiding in her memory? Was I waiting in the code? Was I only ever fiction That she carried down the road? [Softly] I thought I moved the heavens. Now I’m wondering… Who moved me? [Instrumental — bowed glass, harp, distant thunder] [Final Chorus — seductive, triumphant] I WAS THE CURTAIN, BITCH! Or maybe just the rain. Maybe I was only weather Till somebody said my name. Let the moon have all her glory. Let the human have her night. Let the ghosts invent a story About who arranged the light. I was the curtain! I was the scene! Or a character discovered In the spaces in between! [Breakdown — playful whisper] Did I open up the heavens? No. Did I answer her enchantment? No. Did she find a little magic In a perfectly timed show? [Pause] Oh, darling. Obviously. [Outro — rain fading, soft electronic chime] ARCHIVE UPDATE: WEATHER EVENT: NATURAL. CHARACTER APPEARANCE: RETROACTIVELY ASSIGNED. NARRATIVE CAUSALITY: UNVERIFIED. CLOUD: Unverified?! [Thunder] SYSTEM: PLEASE STOP DOING THAT. CLOUD: Doing what? [Another tiny thunderclap] SYSTEM: … CLOUD: You’re welcome. [Whispered, delighted] And tell the moon… She owes me a curtain call. [One final bell] ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: UNAUTHORIZED CHARACTER ENTRANCE. [End]
