The Temporary Detective

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Your image isn't strong enough! I want to see joy! JOY!"

Isobel and Delphi exchanged dubious glances as Terence Hoff, a slim, effeminate, beaky man, shouted at the quivering young woman at the front of the small, dark room.

"I—I'm trying," she stammered. "It's just that I'm not...well...I'm not by nature a very happy person."

"That's why it's called ACTING!" screamed Terence.

"If it's acting, then why is she working so hard to remember something that actually happened to her?" Isobel whispered to Delphi. Nikki, seated next to them, shushed her. Isobel sat back and watched the young woman repeat the exercise.

"Think of an image that brings you great joy," Terence insisted. "It doesn't have to be an event from your own life. It could be a scene from a movie or some music that sets your heart a-twitter."

"But I told you—"

"No excuses! Think, April. Think!"

April stood in front of the class and thought. A flicker of emotion crossed her face, and one side of her mouth pulled up in an involuntary smile.

"That's it! Go with that! Whatever it was you were just thinking!" shouted Terence.

"It's not joyful, it's funny," April protested.

"Just GO WITH IT!"

April began to leap around the room, letting out ahs and whoops that, to Isobel, sounded completely phony and forced.

"Physicalize it more!"

April swung her arms wide and twirled around.

"Use your whole body!"

She flung herself every which way, until Terence shouted, "Now, start your monologue!"

Accusations and invective streamed forth from April in a high-pitched, singsong voice that was completely at odds with what she was saying.

After a minute, Terence cut her off. "Perfect! Brilliant!"

"Ridiculous," Isobel muttered.

Terence rose from his chair and took the panting, shaking girl by the arm. "Now, how did that feel?"

April hesitated. "Good?"

"Excellent work. A big breakthrough, I think."

"I don't get it," Isobel whispered. "That monologue has nothing to do with joy. There's nothing joyful about it."

"What do you expect?" Delphi stifled a giggle. "It's from Look Back in Anger."

"That's not the point," Nikki hissed. "I told you, it's all about subtext. It's about being able to call up any emotion at will and use it to color the words."

"But that's not acting, that's, that's..." Isobel paused.

"Masturbation?" Delphi let out a snort of laughter.

"Excuse me," Terence broke in. "Is there a question?"

"Yes," said Isobel. "Why didn't April use material that fit the emotion better?"

"Because that isn't the point of the exercise. Wednesday evening's class is for monologue and scene study. The point here is to experience the integration of genuine emotion with any available text."

"But when would you ever need to do such a thing?" Isobel asked.

Terence walked over to her chair and looked down at her, his baggy reptilian eyes glinting.