Source: Pexels, modified
George The Bold called me. At that time I was busking at a crossroads in City Garden. Several tourists and families were seen hanging around the park with masks on their faces. The Covid-19 pandemic had kept people busy protecting themselves by wearing masks and keeping their distance. Luckily, a few people still stopped by and tossed coins in my hat. Not bad, that's enough to buy a cup of coffee. In the Rising Star game on Hive, coffee could restore your energy. You could also buy Coffee Cups as supplies if your energy was drained and might be returned immediately.
George brought the good news. He was one of the best old man among buskers. He invited me to play at his little pub, The Sun Also Rise Pub, on the corner of Park Avenue. "You can play as long as you can," he said. "It's a work day. We need to entertain employees who are tired of working all day."
My heart was jumping. This was a good chance. But it also made me nervous. Playing in a pub under the gazes of dozens of people would make you feel intimidated. This was different from busking on the streets: you could play freely and people rarely crowded to watch you for long.
But this was a challenge and a way to make my dream of becoming a star a reality. This was the way for later I would start a band. Maybe rock. Or jazz. There's Joe the drummer and Smith the keyboard player I could work with. Maybe I could recruit other musicians, those who were now illegal buskers in Home Town like me.
Source: Gezer Amorim from Pexels
I went home and took a rest a few hours. I needed to recover my energy. My energy was only a few percent left. I needed at least eight hours to recover my strength to reach 100 percent. That's the rules in this game.
When the sun went down, I arrived in front of The Sun Also Rise Pub. George The Bold had sent me an Open Mic Night card. It said "You're going to be nervous as hell but it's the first step on the ladder to mega stardom !!". George was right. This was the first step to become a mega stardom.
Inside the pub, George approached me. "Give them the best," he said, patting me on the shoulder.
I saw the crowd. Some got drunk. Some were laughing or chatting about something.
"Good evening everyone. I'll bring you some songs. Hope you guys like it," I said. People didn't seem to care much. That's what makes me nervous. But the show might go on.
I opened the show that night with songs from Juxta (
Some audience applauded. Some cheered. I was happy. Maybe they were drunk or really liked my show. What was clear that they were my fans now. But their loyalty was only 12 hours. If I didn't play again in that period, I would lose them. They might have forgotten me and gone, leaving me alone at the stage.
However, my energy started to weaken. I got off the stage. "You found a discarded pizza which has refilled your energy!" a mysterious message came to my cellphone. I walked backstage and voila! I found a slice of pizza. This was enough to restore my energy. I took a glass of water to clear my throat before returning to the stage.
On the stage, I played several songs again that I remember from Radio Rising Star: Funky Face by Trenton Lundy (
However, I couldn't possibly play any longer. My energy was running out. But I was delighted when George whispered: "You faced your fears and got a good reception from a few people in the pub! You got 48 Starbits." I smiled happily.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Source: Ruslan Alekso from Pexels
Mimpi Menjadi Bintang (Bagian 3): Gugup di Panggung Open Mic Night
George The Bold meneleponku. Saat itu aku sedang mengamen di persimpangan jalan di City Garden. Beberapa turis dan keluarga tampak berkeliaran di taman dengan masker di wajah. Pandemi Covid-19 membuat orang sibuk melindungi diri dengan memakai masker dan menjaga jarak. Untunglah, beberapa masih mampir dan melempar koin ke topiku. Lumayan, itu cukup untuk membeli secangkir kopi. Dalam Rising Star game di Hive ini, kopi dapat memulihkan energimu. Kau juga dapat membeli Coffee Cups sebagai persediaan bila energimu terkuras dan harus segera dikembalikan.
George menyampaikan kabar gembira. Dia salah satu orang tua terbaik di kalangan pengamen. Dia mengundangku bermain di pub kecilnya, The Sun Also Rise Pub, di sudut jalan Park Avenue. "Kau boleh bermain selama kau bisa," katanya. "Ini hari kerja. Kami perlu menghibur karyawan yang sudah bosan dan lelah bekerja seharian."
Hatiku melonjak-lonjak. Ini kesempatan baik. Tapi juga membuatku gugup. Bermain di sebuah pub di bawah tatapan puluhan orang akan membuatmu merasa terintimidasi. Ini berbeda dari mengamen di jalanan. Kau bisa tak peduli pada siapa yang mendengar nyanyianmu dan orang juga jarang berkerumun menontonmu lama-lama.
Tapi ini tantangan dan jalan untuk mewujudkan impianku menjadi bintang. Ini jalan untuk nanti aku mendirikan sebuah grup band. Mungkin rock. Grup rock. Ada Joe si jago drum dan Smith si pemain keyboard yang bisa kuajak. Mungkin aku bisa merekrut para musisi lain, mereka yang kini sedang menjadi pengamen ilegal di Home Town seperti aku.
Aku pulang dan istirahat bebeberapa jam. Aku butuh memulihkan energi. Energiku tinggal beberapa persen. Aku butuh setidaknya delapan jam agar kekuatanku mencapai 100 persen. Begitulah aturan main di game ini.
Ketika matahari tenggelam, aku sudah tiba di depan The Sun Also Rise Pub. George The Bold telah mengirim sebuah kartu Open Mic Night kepadaku. Di situ tertulis "Kau akan gugup sekali, tetapi ini adalah langkah pertama di tangga menuju mega bintang!!". George benar. Ini langkah pertama untuk menjadi musisi sungguhan.
Di dalam pub, George mendekatiku. "Beri mereka yang terbaik," kata dia seraya menepuk pundakku.
Aku melihat kerumunan orang. Beberapa mulai mabuk. Beberapa sedang tertawa-tawa atau berbincang entah tentang apa.
"Selamat malam semuanya. Saya akan membawakan beberapa lagu untuk kalian. Semoga kalian menyukainya," kataku di depan mik. Orang-orang sepertinya tak terlalu peduli. Itu yang membuaku gugup. Tapi pertunjukan harus tetap berjalan.
Aku membuka pertunjukan malam itu dengan lagu-lagu Juxta (
Beberapa penonton bertepuk tangan. Aku senang. Mungkin mereka mabuk atau memang senang pada permainanku. Yang jelas, mereka kini menjadi penggemarku. Tapi kesetiaan mereka cuma 12 jam. Bila aku tak bermain gitar lagi dalam periode itu, aku akan kehilangan mereka. Mereka mungkin sudah lupa pada permainanku dan pulang, meninggalkanku sendiri di depan mik.
Tapi, energiku mulai melemah. Aku turun panggung. "You found a discarded pizza which has refilled your energy!" begitu pesan yang masuk ke ponselku. Aku berjalan ke belakang panggung dan menemukan sepotong pizza. Ini cukup untuk memulihkan energiku. Aku menenggak segelas air untuk membersihkan kerongkonganku sebelum kembali ke panggung.
Di panggung, aku mainkan lagi beberapa lagu yang kuingat dari Radio Rising Star: Funky Face oleh Trenton Lundy (
Namun, aku tak mungkin bermain lebih lama lagi. Energiku semakin habis. Tapi aku senang ketika George berbisik : "Kau menghadapi ketakutanmu dan mendapat sambutan yang baik dari beberapa orang di pub! Kau mendapat 48 Starbits." Aku tersenyum senang.
BERSAMBUNG...
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