Cheval Chapter One

Cheval

Chapter One

I still couldn't believe my boss approved my proposal and allowed me to do an exposé on the equestrian production of "Cheval". It was exactly the break I needed to finally get my name known, I mean, as long as I didn't mess up the article completely. My boss would never give me another chance like this again if I messed it up but I wasn't going to let that intimidate me into passing it along.. I had begged and pleaded with Mark to let me take on this assignment and I would rather die than write anything less than sensational. 

    "I'm counting on you girl," his exceptionally round eyes seemed even wider as he glared at me in warning. "Don't screw this up or you'll be writing nothing more exciting than the penguin migration in Antarctica, ya hear me?" 

    "Yes, sir!" I knew he was mostly kidding about the penguin migration articles because Mark liked me well enough, he scouted me specifically for this job but I also knew he took his job seriously and would have no problem putting me on the cutting block if I let him down. I wouldn't let him down, I vowed. 

    "Well, here's your ticket and by God, do not lose it," he grumbled as he finally pulled the ticket out of his back pocket. "The damn thing cost an arm and a leg," with a final warning glare he walked away from my cubicle and back to his office. 

I stared at the ticket and let out a low whistle, an arm and a leg was right! The ticket was for the VIP seating which included dinner before the show, snacks during intermission and a tour of the stables after the show which I was told was where I would me interviewing the man who was responsible for the creation of Cheval, Louis Gallo. I checked the time on the ticket and then glanced at my own watch. I had nearly four hours before the start of the show which would give me plenty of time to head home, shower and get ready before it began. Within ten minutes I was packed up and ready to head out the door. 

***

This was always the part that stumped me, what to wear...? Did I want to go with straight business attire or the casual and friendly journalist look. I had done my research on Louis Gallo and everything pointed to him being friendly and easy-going but I didn't want to leave a bad first impression. I finally decided that business attire would seem too formal and might make him feel uncomfortable answering my questions so I opted for casual. The finished product were dark jeans tucked into a stylish version of brown riding boots with a scoop necked, cream colored, long-sleeved shirt. I loosely braided my long, brown hair back and chose a long silver chained necklace with a silver feather at the end. 

I took another look in the mirror and decided I looked professional yet casual at the same time. A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed I was running right on time and if I left now, I might even get a good parking spot!

***

I didn't get a good parking spot. In fact, by the time I got there, the amount of people that came early had reached such a level that I almost couldn't find the VIP section. Before I went in I made sure to grab a couple photos from the outside. 

The main tent was massive; four huge tiers held the entire structure up and made it look rather primal in it's simplicity but I knew better. When I found out I had the assignment, I immediately began researching as many facts about Cheval as I could find in order to be as prepared as I could be. In doing so I knew the entire setup of the tents took a series of steps that were meticulously planned out over eleven days. 

It started with the finding a location and discussing practicalities to allow for less complications. The first question was "how the people going to get in and out of the structure" and once that was figured out the rest came easily enough. Within the first three days 40 people would erect the four-103 foot masts and sew 2,000 pounds of canvas together for it to be stretched over a quarter square mile. That was just for starters. It would take 20 people to rebuild the stage and set up the bleachers that would sit 2,000 people. It was only at that point that the inside work could begin--lights, sounds, rigging, all of it needed to be built from the ground  up, literally. The ground stage would built by leveling the dirt and adding rock dust, embedding the a water holding tank and finally pouring over it all with sand. By the time the horses arrive and everything is finished on day eleven nothing is left but to wash the tent and make sure all is in order for rehearsals.

When I felt I had enough acceptable photos for my article, I put away my camera and headed straight for the VIP tent. As plain as it looked on the outside, it did not give the inside justice. It was tastefully lavish; black iron chandeliers hung from the rafters which accented the white tent very nicely. There weren't actual candles in the candle holders but rather candle look-a-likes that flickered in their subtle, mechanical way that mimicked a fake flame. After the attendant checked my ticket and handed me a VIP pass, I was ushered all the way inside. There were a dozen or so tables with red table clothes which gave the whole interior a very Gothic, Victorian feel that managed to seem elegant rather than gaudy. Soft music flowed through the discreetly placed speakers and added a sense of serenity. If this was the soundtrack to the show I was about to see, then I gave the composer silent applause and would seriously need to consider buy the CD. 

In the center was a buffet table laden with delicate finger foods such as sandwiches, pot stickers, barbecued meat and vegetables on kabobs and various fruits. Unwittingly my stomach growled but I ignored it in lieu of checking out the rest of the tent. Off to the side was the gift shop which I knew was about to earn a very big purchase from me. It had everything from CDs, DVDs, stuffed animals, the normal stuff you would expect to found in a gift shop and I made a mental note of things I wanted for myself and friends. I would wait to buy anything until the intermission however to save myself from having to carry the items with me the whole time. On the other side there was a minibar and although I was suppose to be "working", I decided a glass of wine wouldn't hurt anyone and I wasn't about to pass up the full experience of this once-in-a-lifetime event. I carried my wine over to the buffet table and grabbed one of everything.

Although I had been first, considering I arrived nearly an hour before showtime, by the time I sat down at a table, a handful of other people had made their way inside the tent and were taking it all in. Not wanting to waste a moment, I reached inside my purse and pulled out my notepad so I could make notes about everything I saw and heard. Event thought seventy-five percent of what I wrote down wouldn't make it in to the article you just never knew what would be relative in the journalism world. 

I slowly ate as I watched my surroundings; a family of five were sitting a few tables away. The youngest couldn't be more than 8 years old but already her father had bought her a stuffed horse and she was in seventh heaven. The other two children, early teens I would have guessed, switched between looking uncomfortable with their surroundings and looking completely bored. Another couple were sitting at the bar, quietly chatting amongst each other and I felt my eyes travelling to them often. The woman wore an elegant black dress with a white shawl which matched his black and white suited attire. I glanced at everyone else in the room and noticed almost everyone was dressed to the nines. I self-consciously glanced at my attire. Did I misjudge my outfit? No one was staring at me so I couldn't have stood out too much so maybe I was ok. 

It wasn't long before it was announced we could go in and begin taking our seats. I waited until I was one of the last people before I stood up and made my way to the tent flap that would bring me to the main tent. The main tent looked so massive from the outside but seemed so small when you were actually inside of it. Over half the tent was filled by the massive stage which left about a third of the tent for the bleachers. Because I was VIP, I was ushered to a seat in the front row and because I was alone I was lucky enough to get near the middle of the row. While the rest of the people from the non-VIP tent were brought in and seated, I continued to write down my observations of the stage. I jotted quickly in my journalist shorthand which would need to be transcribed later when I got home, a job I did not enjoy.

Any preconceived notion that I would make notes throughout the show were completely dashed as the lights went out and the show began. Not that I would have written anything anyway even if the lights had been on full blast because I was too busy being completely swept up into the dazzling sight before me....

To Be Continued......

Please feel free to leave comments in the section below but again I remind you to be somewhat gentle in your assessment of my unprofessional writing...Thank you!