DON’T LOOK UP

BY: VALERY MACENA

A little girl skips to her couch. In her arm, a cloth doll is wrapped in her arms. She’s so excited! Her papa recently just bought the newest and grandest C4D tela…venison? Version? Vision? Vision! Her papa just bought a new tel-a-vision. And she could not be more eager to use it. It’s 9 a.m. right now and “Tom and Jerry” airs at 9:30! She can finally join in on her classmates' conversations about the Saturday cartoons. She turns on the tel-a-vision and the first channel is showcasing an advertisement for a toy. “Well,” she thought, looking at the clock, “I have a bit of time before 9:30. If the toy is cool, I can ask Papa to get it for me at Christmas!” She settles down and watches.

On her screen, there is a very handsome man sitting down on a couch. He is dressed in a dapper navy-blue suit, and he has this overall friendly air about him. He’s smiling and just about the opposite of the man next to him. The man next to him looks to be around his late 60s and is dressed in a gray jumpsuit with a black turtleneck peaking out. He is relaxed on the couch, but it is obvious to anyone with half a brain that he does not want to be here. When she thinks about it, the outfit kinda looks like her papa’s uniform. She wonders if they work at the same place.

“Welcome, and good morning, Florida!” says the man in the blue suit with a dashing smile. “I’m your host, Chris Scott, and here I am joined by a special guest none other than Alexander Lewis.” The man in the gray tracksuit grunts, “Call me Lewis.”

Chris Scott’s smile strains.

“Now, now, no need to be so hostile Alexander. We are here to present groundbreaking news!” Lewis cringes at the use of his first name. Chris turns to the camera with an artificial look of sorrow. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the news reports of the monsters flying, driving people insane. We’ve all heard it, the beast flies through the sky seizing any helpless victim who was too unlucky enough to catch a glimpse of them. Poor souls.” Chris shakes his head in false mourning.

Lewis looks disgusted by this act.

“These aerial creatures, who we named Sirens, are known to fly in flocks of ten to thirty screeching an angelic tune. They even tend to rip off roofs to make sure that their songs are heard. Anyone who does lookup is taken, and weeks later, they are found driven to insanity. Fortunately, we have designed something to help-”

“As you know, most of the casualties are children who cannot help but look for the

‘angels’ singing in the sky.” Chris interrupts Lewis. Lewis looks ready to kill. “But fear not, dear listener! I, Chris Scott, present to you the Look-Away-Doll!”

An assistant comes on screen and hands Chris a cloth doll not unlike the girl’s own, but much creeper. The doll on screen, introduced as Maddy, has beady, lifeless red eyes, red hair, and a red dress on. Chris is weirded out by the toy but must go on.

“Behold, a feat of modern technology! This doll has sensors to detect when any of those nasty sirens are nearby. Developed by our friends at Labyrinth Inc. this toy is designed to warn your little tater-tot when to not look up and get swooped away. Buy now for the cheap price of 19.99 and keep your children safe”!

Chris’ eyes are filled with greed and he’s practically salivating at the thought of all the money he’ll get from selling this toy for those stupid children and those stupid parents. “Really,” he mused, “how hard is it to not look up when you hear songs from the sky? It’s simple, you hear a song coming from the heavens and you assume it's the kidnapping monsters and keep your eyes glued to the ground until they pass.”

It wasn’t as if Chris was complaining, he got to leech of money from the parents of these foolish brats. The parents got a safe child, he got their money, a win-win situation if you ask him.

Just then, the doll in his hand’s eyes start flashing and in a soft voice it repeats “Don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t

KARINA WALSH

look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up,”

Chris turns to Lewis with a scowl disfiguring his handsome face. “ I thought this thing didn’t malfunction,” he spat into Lewis’ face

Lewis, with his eyes glued to the floor calmly states, “It doesn't.”

Just then, you can hear metals, cement, and steel being torn apart. A beautiful song is heard from far up above. It is everything good in life. It is the first beam of morning, it is the laugh of a newborn, it is the culmination of all your hedonistic wants and dreams. It is eating candy on summer break knowing you have ice cream waiting for you. It is the relief of stepping into a warm bath on a cold winter morning. It is the euphoria of waking up and realizing you have no school. It is the joy of being with your friends, you are setting aside time for them, then setting aside time for you, and knowing that you matter and you are loved. It is the bliss of the false promise of actions without consequences.

Chris looks up.

And knows in his heart that he will never regret it.

The girl blinks and he is gone.

The show is buffering, and it keeps on buffering until it fades to static. The last thing the girl sees is Lewis with his eyes glued to the floor, a grim look on his face, now knowing that the doll doesn’t work.

She turns off the TV, no longer interested in Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny, and sits there in shock.

In her arms, her doll starts saying “Don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up,”

The roof has been ripped off without her realizing it. “don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, “don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up,”

She is bathed in a glowing light. “don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up,”

Never has she felt more complete in her life. “don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up,”

She is whole “don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up,”

She knows what she must do.

“don’t look up, don’t look up, doN’T LOOK UP, DON’T LOOK UP, DON’T LOOK UP, DON’T LOOK UP, DON’T LOOK UP, DON’T LOOK UP,