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Fill in the Blanks

by Box Of Birds

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about

Fill in the Blanks

“A vace, a face, which is which? Each single moment is an illusion.”

The chilly autumn air was new, and Alejandro was not used to it. He was visiting his pen pal, Andrew, in the United States from Ecuador. It was his first time in America. So much was different: the streets, the shops, the people, the language. It was safe to say that he was culture shocked.

But Andrew was sweet about it. When he’d see the tension build in Alejandro’s forehead, without hesitation he’d say in Spanish, “Oh… yeah, I bet this seems weird. In America, we…” fill in the blanks with whatever weird American cultural peculiarity.

And one evening, they stumbled upon such a peculiarity. They had left the house to go to the park to play futbol. But instead of finding the open soccer field, they found a carnival. They saw rows of open cars with games and huge spinning, dazzling rides with blinking lights. Music played over a portable intercom. The smell of fried dough and sweet caramel apples lingered in the air.

“Lo siento, amigo.” Andrew said. “No soccer today.”

But Alejandro was mesmerized. Something about this flamboyant display reminded him of parties back in Ecuador. However, it also felt exotic and completely American.

Alejandro had heard about activities like this for children. One of his best friends back in Ecuador told him about it when he returned after visiting America. He spoke of mini golf and batting cages and go-cart rides. It’s one of the reasons Alejandro had been so excited to visit Andrew.

In Ecuador, Alejandro’s parents and the rest of his family were protective of him. He couldn’t stay out after dark. He couldn’t play with his friends without checking in with his parents hourly. In Ecuador, sweatshops often hoisted kids whose parents didn’t keep close eyes on them. A couple of his classmates over the years suddenly stopped showing up to class. Everyone knew where they were. Unfortunately, though, they were powerless to stop it.

“Can we go?” Alejandro asked shyly. Andrew dug in his pockets and pulled out a wrinkled dollar bill.

“Well, I only have one dollar. Let’s check out the prices. Maybe we can do one ride.”

They were in luck! One ticket costed 50 cents. They purchased two and wandered into the carnival. To the right, children were flinging pretend frogs into fishbowls. To the left was a giant ship on a pendulum. Passengers screamed as it swung back and forth. All along the border of the soccer field were other colorful cars. Their walls were lined with prizes of stuffed animals and blow up swords.

They walked up to the line for the swinging ship. “Dang, costs three tickets.”

They walked up to the floating swings, the spinning teacups, and the ferris wheel. But each had signs naming the price of three tickets.

“Sorry, Alejandro. Looks like we don’t have enough.”
“What about that?” Alejandro pointed to a tall, rectangular boxcar at the end of the soccer field. Distorted clown faces were painted across it. It gave Andrew the creeps, but he shrugged and started walking toward it.

“That’s a funhouse.” Andrew explained. “It’s not really a ride. It’s more like an experience.”

As they approached, they heard eerie carnival music coming from behind the beaded doorway. They climbed the aluminum steps to the entrance. A sign read, “Entry: 1 ticket”.

“Are you sure you want to go in here? We can check around to see if we can afford any other rides?” But Alejandro was seduced by the weirdness of it all.

“No, let’s go!.”

Andrew parted the beaded curtain and Alejandro followed behind him. A crusty carney sat on a wooden stool smoking a cigarette. He hotboxed the narrow entryway.

“Tickets!” He coughed. Andrew and Alejandro choked, dropping their tickets to the bucket on his lap.

“Be careful.” The carney laughed. “Not all who come in ever get out.”

“Que?” But Andrew had already started walking through the second beaded curtain. Alejandro picked up his pace to follow closely.

When the curtain closed behind them, the light from the day outside was completely blocked out. The smoke from the entryway was cleared too.

They found themselves staring down a narrow hallway, dimly lit by a single blinking fluorescent bar above them. It’s walls were painted solid red. The metal floor underneath them clanked with each footstep. However, they could barely hear the clanks over the deafening carnival music. It played from somewhere deep within the funhouse.

They reached the end of the narrow hallway and turned left. The hallway opened up to a room with large, swinging padded poles. Andrew started pushing his way through them, accidentally knocking one into Alejandro. Alejandro, not expecting the blow, fell to the ground. He hit his head on additional padded polls before hitting the ground.

He would have been more aware of the pain had he not been in a sudden state of shock. When he looked up, Andrew was gone. Alejandro pushed his way through the rest of the polls until he saw light coming from an open doorway.

He quickly walked, stumbling through the door as he yelled, “Andres! Where did you go?!”.

As soon as his body crossed the threshold of the doorway, the loud music silenced. The steel door behind him slammed shut. It’s sound reverberated through the bare room for a few seconds.

Alejandro desperately tried yelling out again. The room he stood in was not like the other rooms of the funhouse thus far. The floor was still aluminum, but the walls looked like normal drywall, painted a dull cream color.

Three fluorescent bars of light hung bare across the ceiling. Among the bars was a speaker. A metal desk sat against the left wall. On the far wall was a narrow door.

“I must have accidentally come through the wrong door.” Alejandro thought. “This is probably an office for the carneys.” He turned around to leave through the door he’d just entered, but when he tried at the handle, it wouldn’t turn.

Alejandro‘s breath became fast and shallow. His vision narrowed. He pulled out his temporary Tracfone. No service. He banged on the door. He pulled and pushed at it with all of his weight. It wouldn’t budge. He yelled out again for Andrew.

He quickly walked to the desk and began rifling through the drawers. Maybe there would be a key inside, he thought. Maybe he’d find a tool to pry the door back open.

Suddenly, static came over the speaker. A man’s voice said, “Welcome, Alejandro. Relax. No need to worry.” The voice was deep and gravelly. Alejandro couldn’t barely make out the words.

“Wait here. One of our associates will be with you shortly.”

Alejandro walked to the narrow door at the far end of the room. He tried twisting the handle. He was filled with adrenaline as the door pushed open easily. Without thinking, he ran through the door which lead to another narrow hallway.

Just as he was getting his bearings in the new, dark space, the ground gave out from under him. A door in the floor hinged open. He scraped his knees against the aluminum as he fell. He landed hard on a dirt floor.

Alejandro struggled to catch his breath. He lifted his head slowly. The space around him was dim, lightened only be a hanging bulb further out in the room. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the silhouette of bars surrounding him. He jumped to his feet. He ran to the bars shaking them to see if he could break free of the cage. Just as his panic started to set in, a man entered from behind the hanging bulb.

“Relax, Alejandro. Relax.” The man said calmly in Spanish.

Alejandro, tense with anger and fear, began backing up slowly in the cage.

“What is going on? Where am I? Who are you?”

The man was short. He seemed like he was in his early 60s. He had grey hair along the sides of his head, but was balding on top. He wore a grey suit and a clean white button-up shirt underneath.

“I told you to stay where you were. It would have been a lot easier for you.”

“What do you want?”

The man was silent. He shook his head, walking slowly toward Alejandro. He took out a pair of gloves from his back pocket and put them on.

“What do you want?!” This time, Alejandro was screaming.

“This can go two ways.” The man said. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. If you’re quiet, we can do this the easy way. If you cooperate, we can do this the easy way. But if you’re going to be a problem for me, it will be hard for you.” He pulled out a syringe from his back pocket, waving it in front of him under the hanging bulb.

Alejandro fell silent. His fear took over his anger.

The man unlocked the cage, handcuffed Alejandro, and placed a bag over his head. They walked down some stairs. They turned a few times. Alejandro was made to sit in a chair for a long time (he couldn’t be sure how long). Then he was moved again. Finally, the man led him to a damp smelling room. He pulled the bag off of Alejandro’s head.

The man nudged him towards a long table surrounded by other children sitting in wooden chairs. He sat down at an empty chair at the end.

Meanwhile, Andrew was getting worried. He didn’t notice Alejandro’s absence until he was halfway through the room of mirrors. He tried retracing his steps, thinking Alejandro was still in a previous room. When his backtrack was unsuccessful, he wondered if maybe Alejandro had somehow gotten ahead of him. He ran through the rooms all the way to the end and exited out onto the soccer field. He looked around the field. No Alejandro.

Just then, Andrew thought he faintly heard his name. He looked around. Still nothing. He heard it again a few moments later. This time he was sure he heard it. He was sure it was Alejandro’s voice. He quickly began pacing around the perimeter of the boxcar. He didn’t know how to help Alejandro or even from which direction the sound came.

Then silence. He figured Alejandro must still be in the funhouse. Andrew stood by the back exit. When another kid left, he snuck through the door. He followed the hallways and rooms back to the first room with the padded poles. Then he saw it: a thin sliver of light coming from a door he hadn’t seen before.

When he crossed the threshold of the door, the carnival music silenced and the door slammed behind him. Instinctively, he approached the door on the far side of the room, went through it, and began to jog down the narrow hallway. He must have stepped over the trap door, because he reached the end of the hallway. It led to a dark, narrow staircase. He quietly tiptoed down it.

The bottom of the staircase led to a dim hallway lined with doors. Suddenly, one of the knobs turned. Andrew ducked behind the edge of the staircase into a shadow. The man, not spotting him, walked into another door.

Andrew walked up to the door the man had exited. He put his ear up to the door. He heard the voices of young boys speaking Spanish. Without another thought, he turned the knob and went through the door.

“Alejandro!” exclaimed Andrew. Alejandro looked up, fear still in his eyes.

“Andrew! Look, we’ve got to get out of here. These men are trying to sell us as sweatshop workers.”

Just then, the handle turned. Andrew ducked down underneath the table. The man walked into the room. He was on the phone, pacing as he talked. He grabbed one of the boys by the arm and dragged him out of the room.
Andrew hopped out from under the table and said, “I remember how I got down here. We need to move quickly and quietly.” Alejandro hesitated, then stood up looking around to the other boys.

They both ran out the door, and up the stairs. But when they reached the narrow hallway, they realized they couldn’t go back the way they had come. Instead, they followed the hallway in the other direction. It ended at one last door.

The door led to the room of mirrors. Andrew began running in the direction of the exit, but Alejandro paused. He turned, staring at his various distorted reflections.

“Wow! America is weird.”

They exited onto the soccer field, the sun setting in the distance.

lyrics

Another time, another place
Each single moment is a still frame
My brain fills in the blanks
My brain fills in the blanks
Seems like we’re moving

A vace, a face, which is which
Each single moment is an illusion
My brain fills in the blanks
My brain fills in the blanks
Seems like we’re something

Another drop, another sip
Each single moment is a reaction
My brain fills in the blanks
My brain fills in the blanks
Feels like we’re drowning
My body’s water too

credits

released October 3, 2018
Recorded, mixed, and produced by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios Allston, MA
Assistant: Matt Hipp
Mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA
Assistant Mastering Engineer: Maria Rice

Box of Birds is:
Steph Durwin: Acoustic guitar and lead vocals
Charlie Gargano: Electric guitar and harmony vocals
Erik Caldarone: Bass
Benny Grotto: Drums, mandolin, and dulcimer

Additional instruments:
Chris “Gooch” Bloniarz on Banjo/Mandolin
Gang Vocals and Fun: Murdock Manor House Party Crew

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Box Of Birds Boston, Massachusetts

Box of Birds is a melodic, lyrical, and heartfelt folk/rock/punk band. The band consists of lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and miscellaneous instrumentalist, Steph Durwin, and lead guitarist and background vocalist, Charlie Gargano. New EP "Come Out Clean" out now! ... more

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