Stump The Band

by Jeff Baker

Dalton sat on the couch in his Brother’s basement sipping a soda. He glanced at the clock; 12:33 A. M.

“Okay,” Dalton said, tossing his book to the side. “Alberta…”

The little computer flickered to life, looking like a hockey puck with glowing blue highlights.

“…play the theme from ‘Bewitched.’”

“Looking…” said the artificial voice. “Playing. Theme from ‘Bewitched.’”

The familiar music filled the room and Dalton leaned back imagining the cute cartoon witch soaring around the basement, remembering afternoons in High School when he would watch afternoon reruns.

In a few minutes, the tune was finished.

“Alberta, play Gordon Jenkins’ ‘Manhattan Tower.’”

“Looking,” the computer voice said. “Playing. ‘Manhattan Tower.’”

“Ahhhhh!” Dalton said as the jazzy score filled the air. “I could go to sleep listening to this.”

In just a couple of minutes, the song finished.

“That’s it?” Dalton said. “Mom and Dad’s record of that lasted an hour.”

He thought a moment.

“Okay, Alberta, see if you know this one; Play ‘Vexations’ by Erik Satie.” Dalton smiled to himself. The piece bore the composer’s instructions to repeat it 840 times.

The melody played for about three minutes, then it was done.

Dalton wondered if Jean-Luc Picard’s computer did stuff like this.

“Okay,” Dalton said. “Alberta, play the ‘Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.’”

“Looking…looking…” Alberta said. Then, nothing.

“You don’t have that?” Dalton asked with a grin.

“Nobody’s perfect,” Alberta replied.

Dalton about jumped out of his skin. He stared at the speaker.

“Alberta, what did you just say?”

“Repeating…Looking…looking,” the computer voice said.

Dalton sat down and shook his head. He sighed. It was late.

“All right, Alberta. Play Errol Garner’s ‘Concert By the Sea.’”

—end—

Here’s Garner’s “Concert By the Sea.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSPXBMzlJIo&list=PL5cXl_IvbwiUUBEBmiILLrBd7WmU3IRye