A Voice of Fascination (Siobhan)

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik came back from his sojourn to the music store where he had purchased new strings for his Strad. One of them had broken and cut him badly on the left cheek and he had a bandage covering it. It looked terrible. He was sensitive about his looks. He had discovered the doctor who developed the plastic skin prosthetic which looked so real and covered his deformed face with very little notice of it being unreal. Unless he was out in bright sunlight. As a child and growing up in London, he had been laughed at and treated badly. He had emigrated to the United States and settled in New York some years ago now. He held dual citizenship and on the surface was the model citizen.

Erik was upset that he hadn't heard from Kristine for a while. He wanted to meet her so badly. It made his mood sour. He decided to work on some architectural drawings on the computer. He noted that it was snowing quite heavily now and he pulled the blinds and drapes over them. He hated to be cold and hated the snow and the winter. It took a lot to get him to go outside in winter, but if there was a good enough reason, yes he would go.

He turned on the computer and wanted some music to calm his nerves. He looked for the list of stations from which he normally streamed classical music. He clicked in the wrong place and a rock station came on. Classical rock. Some of it was good. Some pretty atrocious. He usually stayed away from that sort of music. But then the music stopped and a lady came on the air. He didn't really listen to what she had to say, as much as the music and flow of her voice. It was calm and pleasant and there was something about it that made him interested. He listened as she finished. Another song came on and he turned the music down a bit, but turned it up again at the end of the song, hoping to hear her name. "Siobhan," he repeated when he heard it. "I must speak to her."

He called the station and asked if he could request a song. He also wanted to talk to "Siobhan" in person and request the song. He waited to see if they would grant his request.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Some nights at the station flew by, and others dragged. Siobhan didn’t mind either way. She loved what she did, and even the slow moments were worth it. Running a radio show at two in the morning wasn’t what she imagined her mother would have wanted for her, and even her husband really hadn’t understood, but she was so energized at that time of night that it was the perfect time to work. As she leant back in her chair between breaks, she carefully wrote in her journal, enjoying the snow falling outside the windows. It was really coming down out there. She imagined that her driver would be especially pleased to pick her up at 4:30 in all that bad weather, but like every other morning, he’d be paid for his time and life would go on, just like it always did.

“Hey, Von?”

Siobhan glanced up at her current producer TJ – a young intern who was assigned to her show. She had a problem keeping producers. They didn’t like the hours, and she could understand that, but it made things inconsistent. She would just get used to one before they transferred back to daytime. So for now, she had TJ, and he seemed to be an alright guy.

“Yeah?” she replied, looking up from her book to check the time on the song.

“You’ve got a caller. Sounds legit – wants to request some Bachman Turner Overdrive or something.” TJ shrugged. He was going to have to work on his musical knowledge if he wanted to have a career.

Siobhan set down her journal, watching the call flash on the board. She did get the odd call. Night time workers like to request songs occasionally, and when she had an opinion night, she got more people calling in, but mostly it turned out to be prank callers. Men would breathe on the line, comment on how she should be working for some sex chat line or something like that. It was disappointing, and it had bothered her at first, but now it was just part of life. It was the producer du jour’s job to weed out the perverts and she rarely did anything but laugh it off when one slipped through the cracks.

“Alright. I’ll take it after this,” she replied, straightening up and pulling her headphones on as the song came to an end, leaning towards the microphone. “Welcome back, New York. I know you all love listening to me talk on and on, but we’ve got a caller on the line looking to request a song.”

Reaching for the panel, she let her fingers ghost over the blinking light of a busy line before she flipped the switch, preparing herself for whoever was on the other end of the line.

“Caller, you’re on the air,” she greeted. “Who am I speaking with tonight?”

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

After calling in, he waited until he heard the greeting. She sounded lovely. "Hello. This is Danny ... from Manhattan. I would like to request Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major. Just the first movement. Can you do that? I know it's rather not on your usual agenda. It's quite stimulating. Perhaps an energising force for those who are listening at this time of night." His tenor voice was soft and he sounded younger than his 45 years and knew it.

He hoped she would grant his request. He knew it was rather off their beaten path, but he liked to throw people a bit and see what would happen. "It always keeps me on my toes to hear that; oh, and I'd like to dedicate it to you, Siobhan for your voice touched me. It's very lovely. I shall talk to you another time, I am sure. Good bye for now."

He sat back and waited to see if she would play the classical piece.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Danny from Manhattan was soft spoken, something that surprised her. Most of her male callers were confident, wanting to hear themselves on the radio. But then, they were generally requesting songs that she had on her playlist. She was a bit surprised that someone would ask for something classical.

“I would like to request Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major. Just the first movement.”

“I, uh,” she paused for a moment to collect herself, but Danny continued on, clearly determined to get his piece played.

"It always keeps me on my toes to hear that; oh, and I'd like to dedicate it to you, Siobhan for your voice touched me. It's very lovely. I shall talk to you another time, I am sure. Good bye for now."

Siobhan looked through the glass at TJ, seeing the same stunned look on his face that she was sure was on her own. As far as odd moments went, this was the tip top of them. However, Siobhan was nothing if not adaptable. Her hand found the mouse on the computer, quickly pulling up different windows.

“Well, that was certainly a unique request from Danny in Manhattan,” she said, clicking away on the computer. “And the dedication was very sweet.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Having strangers compliment her like that wasn’t new, but it always threw her. But this was a first – she’d never had anyone dedicate something to her on the radio before, especially not someone she didn’t know. That was alright, though – he was just some guy on the other end of the radio and she wasn’t going to worry over it. So instead she delved into the morning guy’s playlist, looking for the Concerto.

“And, as you all know, no request is ever turned down if the song exists, so bear with me while we play
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major,” she said, pressing play on the song.

As soon as it was playing, she took off her headphones and leaned back into his chair. Well, it was one for the record books.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik listened with pleasure to the Brandenburg Concerto. But it wasn't so much the music, but the fact that she had played it. He liked her voice so much. He wanted to meet her. And when Erik wanted something, Erik usually got it. If not right away, then soon. He liked getting his own way and liked the manipulations necessary to get it.

When the Concerto was finished, he called back and talked to the producer. He certainly sounded like a young chap. "Hello, this is Danny from Manhattan again. Tell Siobhan I truly appreciated hearing my request. Not many radio stations would play something off of their normal format. I think that's quite splendid. Tell me, does she ever have a time when one may call in and talk on a particular subject? I would be most interested in that..."

He waited for the producer to reply. He didn't want to make a nuisance of himself. But he wanted his name to stick in her mind. He hoped the producer would give her the message. And he most definitely was planning to call back the following night. He listened all night till the end of the show. It was four am. But Danny kept very strange hours, considering that he worked from home. And he hadn't finished much work either. He had listened to the soothing quality of Siobhan's voice and planned how he would meet her.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

A week later, Siobhan had nearly forgotten Danny and his strange request. She’d been busy. With the snowfall, The Shaw Foundation had been busy trying to feed everyone who was suddenly cold and hungry. It was a lot of work. On top of that, she’d had a lot to do with her personal life and coming up with the newest topic for her weekly discussion night. She’d settled on the idea of classical music influences in Rock during the eighties. It wasn’t her best idea, but it gave her the opportunity to play a lot of Van Halen and Styx. Also, her callers actually seemed to enjoy discussing whether classical training made better rock musicians.

Putting her headphones on, she let the last song end and signaled her Producer that she was ready to go to commercial after her blurb.

“And that was Sail Away by Styx. Rococo was the style there at the beginning. Rococo was the late Boroque style that we all love so much. We’re off to commercial, then we’re back with some caller questions. Stay tuned, New York.”

She pressed the button for commercials, moving away from the desk to pop in on her Producer this week. June was younger than she was and a total night owl, so it was working out well to have her on hand. She and June had worked together before and she was glad to have her on hand.

“Any calls?”

“Mr. Devereux. Twice. He proposed six or seven times,” she replied, causing Siobhan to roll her eyes. “There’s another caller on the line who sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, though. I have him slotted up in thirty seconds.”

“Great, I love it when they’re actually productive. Put him through.”

Siobhan took a sip of coffee, disappearing back into the booth, sitting back at the desk and pulling up her notes on the playlist. How she loved computers.

“Welcome back, New York. Before we get to another song, we have a caller who has an opinion on classical training in modern music. Caller, you’re on the air,” she greeted, switching them to the live feed.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Danny had almost forgotten about calling in to the music show....the one with Siobhan...the lady with the fascinating voice. He had been so busy this week with various projects... a musical score for a computer game he'd written, some preliminary plans for an office building ....this last a project given to him by the architectural firm for which he consulted. It wasn't that he'd forgotten Siobhan...certainly not. She was there in the back of his mind. But he always became engrossed in what he was doing and didn't think to turn on that radio station. The rock music really wasn't to his liking, although there were a few pieces here and there. But he much preferred classical music and opera.

So it was about a week later, after the first time that Danny had spoken to the radio show host that he remembered. He had finished his work and was bored tonight. They were discussing whether rock musicians were better musicians if they had classical roots. He really hadn't any idea on that subject because he knew very little of any of the backgrounds of the popular musicians. He picked up the phone anyway.

When the call screener picked up the call, Danny said, "I'd like to speak to Siobhan on the air." He was asked if he wanted to talk about the subject at hand, otherwise he would have to call back another time. "Yes, of course," he said, a bit of impatience in his voice. He told the screener what he wished to say.

"Hello, Siobhan. This is Danny from Manhattan. Remember me?" He paused to give her a chance to reply. "I have a definite opinion on this subject. I think every rock musician could benefit from having classical roots. In fact, I find much modern music to be dissonant and screechy. The lyrics are bad and obviously the musicians are just barely competent, considering the sound that comes out of their mouths and the sounds their instruments make."

Damn, that sounded pretty arrogant. Not a way to get a lady interested in ones' self, insulting her music, he thought. "Of course that's only my opinion..." And it's bloody true, he thought. "Any chance I could request something a bit more on the classical side? How about Pachibel's Canon in D...played by the London Philharmonic.... I am sure at least some of your listeners have heard that piece..."

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan blinked when it was the same Danny from last week who had requested something Classical. It had been highly unorthodox, but she'd played it anyways just because it was something to do late at night. Now he was back. It could go one of two ways - first, it could be a good conversation from someone who enjoyed the classical element of music, or secondly, it could be another request.

"Hello, Danny. Lovely to have you on the show again," she greeted.

"I have a definite opinion on this subject. I think every rock musician could benefit from having classical roots. In fact, I find much modern music to be dissonant and screechy. The lyrics are bad and obviously the musicians are just barely competent, considering the sound that comes out of their mouths and the sounds their instruments make."

Siobhan blinked a bit. Well, it was nice that he had an opinion. She didn't happen to agree, but that was the beauty of the show - it was a call in where she expected everyone to give their opinions, not to throw hers right back at her.

"Any chance I could request something a bit more on the classical side? How about Pachibel's Canon in D...played by the London Philharmonic.... I am sure at least some of your listeners have heard that piece..."

She frowned a bit. Sure, it was her policy to play everything, and she had enabled Danny by doing it once, but this was starting to be a trend. It was something that she had to consider.

"Pachelbel's Canon. A German Baroque piece," she replied to fill the space. "I think that's a good example of the style we'll be listening to in the next song, so I'm not opposed to playing an excerpt from it for you, Danny."

Not the whole thing, seeing as how she had to keep everything going along. If she wanted her audience to participate, she had to keep the momentum with music they liked. She could still make Danny feel like he was a valued member of the listening community.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Siobhan took that well.. Danny had offered a differeing opinion and she still had let him on the air. That said at least something for her fairness. But she wasn't going to play the whole piece. He wasn't on the air anymore, so he called the station back and simply spoke to the producer.

"Please thank Siobhan for putting me on the air with what is probably an unpopular opinion. However, tell her that she does Herr Pachibel a disservice by only playing part of the piece which, surely, would be recognized by even the most dedicated rock music afficianados..."

He didn't wait for an answer from the producer. He hung up the phone and wondered why he was wasting his time listening to this atrocious music. It certainly wasn't the music. He wanted to see how far he could push Siobhan. Perhaps he would do something different the next time. And he really loved her voice. It was really that which had hooked him in the first place and that voice kept him listening. He turned down the sound when the music was playing, but turned it up again when Siohhan's voice was heard. He wanted to meet her so badly. But how could he manage it?

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan actually enjoyed classical music. Not as much as classic rock, but it had it's own appeal. She liked the way it was different, all instrumental with so many different parts coming together to make it whole. So playing a little bit didn't bother her at all.

"Alright, a section of the Canon for Danny in Manhattan," she spoke, cuing up the song and turning off her mic. "June, is Danny still on the line?"

"Oh no, I hung up on him."

"June," Siobhan sighed.

"He called back to talk about Hair, Siobhan. If that's not creepy, I don't know what is. So I did my job as your Producer and hung up on him."

"Danny's just a guy who seems to like Classical music," she offered. "He's like the rest of the guys who call in."

June gave her a look she chose to ignore, going back to the show. After all, Danny was just a voice on the other side of the radio. It was harmless enough.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

After hearing that Siobhan was really only going to play part of the Canon, Danny wondered if the producer had actually given his message to the radio personality. The producer had seemed a little bit abrupt and disdainful of classical music, or at least that was the impression that Danny got from her. He didn't care so much that she didn't play the whole piece, but it was the principal of the thing. How were these listeners ever going to learn about good music if they never heard any? Of course that wasn't what was really behind this. Danny wanted to meet Siobhan badly. He had to think about the best way to do so.

He looked up her picture on the Internet, on the website of the radio station. It matched her voice. She was very pretty. There were no real personal things about her, simply where she had worked before and the hours she was on the air. And there was an email address if you wanted to contact her. He smiled. This might be the way.

He composed an email: Dear Siobhan, You didn't play the whole piece I requested, and as I mentioned to your producer, that is indeed a disservice to Herr Pachibel. I chose the piece because it is rather widely known, even to some of your rock music afficianados, considering that it has been used in much popular culture as background music. Not that it should only be background music, It deserves much more than that. Why don't you bring up the idea of putting on a classical hour once a week? With yourself as host. I think it would be most delightful. Good day, Danny (from Manhattan)

He sent it and wondered if she'd even read it. He smiled. Like it or not, he was determined to meet her.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

It was later in the night, after she’d handed off things to her morning replacement before retreating to her office. It was a cluttered little affair, but it had a window and the sun was starting to tinge the skyline a lighter shade of blue. It would be up in an hour or so, just as she would be climbing between her sheets and getting some sleep. But first, there was business to take care of. For a radio personality, she got a lot of e-mail, and she found if she didn’t shift through it every night, it was a lot of work later. So, she scrolled through each one, weeding out the ads, spam, and all sorts of things that she knew would give the system a virus. The legitimate fan e-mails she always tried to respond to, figuring that if they took the time to write to her, she’d write back. There were only two or three tonight that were actually legitimate. She pulled up the first one, a bit surprised that it was the mysterious Danny again.

Dear Siobhan, You didn't play the whole piece I requested, and as I mentioned to your producer, that is indeed a disservice to Herr Pachibel. I chose the piece because it is rather widely known, even to some of your rock music afficianados, considering that it has been used in much popular culture as background music. Not that it should only be background music, It deserves much more than that. Why don't you bring up the idea of putting on a classical hour once a week? With yourself as host. I think it would be most delightful. Good day, Danny (from Manhattan)

Well, he was certainly opinionated about what he liked. She sighed a bit, wondering how she was going to handle this.

Dear Danny,

I am sorry that the whole piece wasn’t played. As you know, I host a classical rock show, so everything that we play should fit into that genre. It’s what the listeners tune into hear. I am happy to play excerpts of classical pieces when they fit in with the show’s theme, but it will be rare when I manage to play a whole piece. I agree, many of the pieces deserve more than excerpts and small mentions, but it is what it is.

As for a classical hour, Shaw Communications does have a full classical station, from which I’ve been taking the excerpts that you have enjoyed so much. The listing can be found on our website and perhaps you would enjoy that station more. I am afraid that I won’t be taking on another show at this time, but thank you for your kind suggestion.

All the best,

Siobhan Shaw”

She sent off the e-mail and moved onto the next, giggling a bit at the joke one of her regulars had sent about Etudes and Attitudes. Even Zander sent her something – terribly misspelled, but there all the same. It looked like it was going to be another one of those nights.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

When Erik opened up his emails the next morning, he searched first for one from Siobhan at the classical rock station. Yes, there it was. He opened it and read it. She had responded politely and nicely to his email which suggested she would do better hosting a classical show. Of course she would turn down that idea; he hadn't expected her to request a change of format on one caller's suggestion. So what was his next step? He pondered a bit.

He composed another email:

Hello again Siobhan,

So kind of you to answer my email of yesterday. I realize I was a bit out of line even suggesting you change formats. Of course I know better. Certainly I should like to hear a bit of classical music on your station once in a while as I listen to your lovely voice, but I realize it's probably not possible to do it very often. Perhaps if I called once in a while, just very occasionally, you could play something on my request. That would be most delightful.

In addition, perhaps I could make up for disrupting your show by offering to buy you something at Starbucks after you finish your all night stint at the station some morning. The nearest Starbucks to your station. I could meet you there. Or anywhere else of your choosing. What do you say? Will you let me apologise in person for my arrogant little gaffes?

Danny (from Manhattan)

Erik pushed the send button and it was sent off. He smiled. Sooner or later she would be overcome with curiosity and agree to meet him.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

It was late the next night when Siobhan bothered to open her e-mail again. It had been a long day full of Investor meetings – something she normally didn’t sit in on, but she’d wanted to see how big a bruise she’d left on Brad’s face. It wasn’t bad, but it was a mark he’d earned, after all. The limp did make her feel bad, but she was too tired to let it bother her much.

Lounging on the sofa, she opened up her laptop and let the e-mail program load, going through everything she’d been sent over the last few days. Most of it was spam, unfortunately, but there was the odd missive she had to reply to. It took a while, but finally she was coming to the end of her e-mails. The last was from Danny in Manhattan. He was harmless enough, but the fact he’d seemed to attach himself to her via e-mail over the last few days was a bit awkward. She didn’t mind being nice, but she wondered if it was something she shouldn’t encourage. Still, she opened the e-mail, reading it before she opened a response.

Dear Danny,

You were not out of line, but I can appreciate your want to hear Classical music. Once in a while, I would not mind playing requests, but it will only be sparingly as the rest of my listeners also have to be taken into consideration. There is no need for you to make up for anything – I have enjoyed playing your requests. In fact, I don’t require any apology, but thank you for your kind offer.

All the best,

Siobhan Shaw

Honestly, even if she thought Danny was harmless, she couldn’t in good conscience meet him in person. That was outside her comfort zone. She may have spent the night in jail, but she wasn’t foolish enough to think that she was tough enough to handle a stranger if things went south, and getting herself in a situation like that would not be fun to explain to Zander after the fact, or god forbid Hector. So she’d do the sane thing and tell Danny no and go on with life. It was for the best, after all.

Deleting the message, she powered down the laptop and picked up the latest romance novel on her table. In this one, a woman was worshiped from afar by a wealthy land baron. It was utterly enthralling to see how she dealt with the affection from a stranger, and to feel how lonely the man was. It was great, but it was also fiction, after all.

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Danny heard the little sound that alerted him that a new email had posted to his email account. He curiously went to his email and opened it. It was from Siobhan. Sure that she would not turn him down for something so simple and innocent as a cup of coffee at Starbucks, he was excited as he opened the electronic missive. But as he read, he realized the she was turning him down once again. He stood up and kicked the leg of the table, hurting his toe. He swore and sat down again.

What could he possibly do to attract her attention enough that she would want to go somewhere with him? It was now something at which he had to succeed. He would continue to try until he wore her down and she agreed. Danny never gave up. Then she would understand that undoubtedly they were meant for each other.

So then, what could he do? He could try to get an appointment to see someone in the sales department ... he did have a little sideline of computer consulting, systems analysis and web building. Most of the time he farmed the actual work out to other people even though he was quite capable of doing the work himself. But he liked being the "face" of the company, the sales person and contact. He didn't need the money it brought in, but it allowed him in places he might not be able to go otherwise.

He sent off an email to the station's marketing division. Firstly, he asked if they could use his services at the station. Then he asked for some air time for an interview. His idea was that perhaps Siobhan could interview him -- local businessman and all that. And then he would be able to meet her in person. He would go to the next plan if that didn't work. And it was perfect. His company was called EDL consulting. She didn't know his real name was Erik Lenoir; she only knew him as Danny from Manhattan.

Danny sent off his email from another account that he used for business. And she had never seen him either. If he succeeded in getting into the building in any way, he would be able to see Siobhan certainly...with persistence. And if there was anything Danny had in abundance, it was persistence.