Ambrose stirred in his bed, his body turning and tumbling in a slow, sluggish motion. His limbs were heavy, weighed down by the aching reality of his life. On Sundays like this, his boredom built up to such a level that he thought it could almost break through his skin.
He dragged himself out of bed, feeling the coldness of the air around him. It was a grey morning, and rain was lightly dripping down the window. He stepped outside his small home, the rain crashing against his face like tiny pellets. He stumbled to his mailbox, not noticing the magical details of the morning, and pulled out a newspaper.
Back inside he made himself a cup of coffee before collapsing onto the sofa. As he scanned the ads, he realized that the rain had muddled some of them up, leaving him with partially unreadable bits. Still, most of it was legible enough for Ambrose to understand the message, and he enjoyed how it was like a game to figure out what the missing parts could be:
"Eleonore, 19y, blonde, slim, [blurred]ur wildest desir[blurred]pert in roleplaying!"
"Do you need a student loan? We provide all k[blurred]s of [blurred] financially. CALL US TODAY!"
"Mr Twister [blurred]ther writers to make a cameo in their own stori[blurred] flirt with him. Wouldn't it be amazing to [blurred]ck and forth and cre[blurred]f meta-story?"
"Garden Maintenance. Exp[blurred]nce in maintenance wo[blurred] large diversity of trees, plants and flow[blurred] your beautiful lawn."
"Has anyone seen my cat? She is black wit[blurred]uld be greatly appreciated!"
One ad in particular caught his interest: "Looking for an amateur s[blurred]r to provide entertainment free of charge [blurred]ouse party to celebrate the birthday of my friend Ally [blurred]tact crazypony182@tmail.com"
Ambrose had an incredible passion for singing. He was always eager to join in with songs on the radio, and when he was by himself, he often found himself humming his favorite tunes and singing out loud, as if he was in a karaoke bar after a few drinks.
He often dreamt of singing on a stage, but his crippling shyness had always stopped him from pursuing this dream. This ad seemed to present an offer to perform for a small group of people, which he thought could be a good chance to push past his introverted nature as a first step, before eventually taking the stage in front of larger audiences.
He replied to the ad, and a few days later he received an answer from a girl called Penelope. The party was the following night at 8 in Ally's house. Ambrose replied to confirm his presence, and the next day he mustered up all the courage he had to show up at the door.
Penelope answered the door with her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun and a hesitant but welcoming expression. Ambrose could feel his heart fluttering as he introduced himself to her. She stepped aside to let him in, and he was immediately taken aback by the vibrant atmosphere of the room.
Four girls were seated around a circular table in the corner of the room, all dressed up in their finest attire, each holding a glass of wine and chatting away animatedly. Penelope gestured for Ambrose to move closer and meet the others.
"Hey ladies," Penelope announced "it looks like our entertainment for tonight has arrived. Let's take a moment to get acquainted before we get to the exciting bit, shall we?" She sounded quite eager to hear him sing, he really hoped he wouldn't disappoint her.
One by one, he was introduced to the girls: The first was birthday-girl Ally, a brown-haired beauty with bright blue eyes and plenty of freckles. She wore her hair in a long braid and looked very gentle and likeable. The second was Samantha, a tall, statuesque woman with long red hair and a laugh that filled the room. She was confident but not at all arrogant. Next came Sarah, a sweet-looking girl with curly black hair and doe-like brown eyes, who appeared to be almost as shy as himself. Her face was weather-beaten, but her youthful spirit still shone through.
Then there was Grace, a stunning blonde with a wicked smirk and piercing green eyes. He wondered what it would be like to wake up next to her every morning. Her tanned skin looked smooth to the touch; he wanted to run his fingers across her shoulders, down her sides and along her arms... Finally, we had Penelope herself, who had a mischievous glint in her eye that Ambrose couldn't help but find alluring.
Ambrose's heart raced as he took in the sight of the women. He had never been in the company of such a group of beautiful and confident women before. He felt his cheeks flush and his palms grow sweaty, but he tried his best to appear confident and composed. Grace whispered something in Ally's ear and they both giggled.
"Well Ambrose," Penelope went on, as she moved towards the makeshift dancefloor with a large stereo set next to it. "I imagine you didn't come here to exchange small talk with us, so I suggest we move on to your little show. Perhaps you brought some music to accompany your performance?"
