Stuck In The 60s

Chapter Eight

       "Ladies and gentlemen," came a voice. Where was I? I looked around, and everywhere I turned, there were screaming girls, holding up big posters, hopping up and down. I suppose I was in another dream.

       The voice finished. "The Beatles!" The crowd roared. I heard the two words, and started instantly screaming, too.

       I knew those five famous words. Those words were spoken by Ed Sullivan on his 60s television show, 'The Ed Sullivan Show'. I must have been an audience member on the episode where the Beatles performed. This was their first American performance.

       "It's been a hard day's night, and I've been workin' like a dog," the four boys sang. I started jumping, screeching, flapping my hands. I was witnessing their famous performance at the Ed Sullivan Show appearance.

       I stared at their every move. John bending his knees as he played the guitar, Ringo shaking his head to the beat, George and Paul occasionally reaching over to each other, sharing one microphone. They all did these things so perfectly. I let out a little 'eek', and countinued screeching.

      George played the ending guitar riff on his Cherry Red 12-String Rickenbacker guitar, and the four men did their famous bow in unison. The crowd went wild, and so did I. I clapped, I hopped, I screamed, I cried of joy. I couldn't control myself.

      I had to go meet them. There was no stopping me. I ran out of my seat, and ducked underneath the wall of police men standing near the stage. They ran after me.

     I pulled myself up onto the big stage, and sprinted towards my idols. I had gotten to the point where I was only about five feet from them, and I started hyperventalating. Sweat ran down my face. My normally rosy cheeks were the color of a cherry on an ice cream sundae,  and before I could say anything, anything at all, I felt hands grab my arms. My shaking head turned to see whom had grabbed me, and, just as I'd figured, it was four security guards. They dragged my off the stage, away from my beloved Beatles, and I shrieked in misery. I flaunted my arms, and kicked my legs, as if I were a four year old child.

    The four security guards pulled me backstage. I was sure surprised that they were security guards, they all looked so scrawny. They all strangely wore ski masks. I decided it was so their faces wouldn't get hurt, if they had to pull a screaming fan like me away.

    Suddenly, all four men pulled off their masks in unison and revealed their faces.

    I put my hands to my cheeks. "The Monkees!" I screamed. In this dream, I must have forgotten that the Monkees were completely unheard of in 1964, the year this event took place.

    "We have come to save you!" Peter said. I gave him a confused look.

    "Save me?" I said, "From what?"

    He never got to finish. I shot up in my bed, and sighed, sadly, knowing that what had just happened was not real. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.

    But then, I thought positively. "We're so close to completing the transportation device." I told myself cheerily. "I'll be able to revisit the Beatles playing on the Ed Sullivan Show whenever I want to, after it's finished. I can drop in on the Monkees, anytime. Hell," I said, "I could live in the 60s." I smiled. I'd never, ever have to hear today's shitty music again. I could not have felt better about building a complex, complicated contraption that I hadn't the slightest clue on how to build. 

      I pictured building it  with my four other friends. Ben and Julian would, of course, know what to do. Tariq would most likely be playing with the different parts of the thing. Janel and I would probably try and figure it out together. "Poor Ben and Julian!" I laughed.

   In the end though, we'd have a perfect, working contraption. "Imagine," I told myself, "Being able to witness every Beatles concert. Every Monkees concert. And," I said slowly, "if I'm smart enough, I could even befriend both bands." I thought of Mike Nesmith. "Maybe, even more." I laughed. Ridiculous. The chances of befriending my two favorite bands were literally one in a million. With all the fans, they wouldn't want to be getting closer to me, they'd try and run away. But, I told myself another famous quote. "Anything's possible, once you put your mind to it."