Coming from Ms. Roxie’s Halloween Blog Train post, we now enter my stop on the trip.

It is so delightful to see you through the two-way mirror. The fear in your eyes spurs me on. You want so badly to leave, to escape from my grasp, but, alas, you are mine. At least until you utter the right word, random as it is.

Hamilton Locked on Repeat

Your Safeword is embedded in the musical Hamilton, so I put it on a continuous loop. Because I love Hamilton, it’s fine. But you hate musicals and wish for nothing else but for me to turn it off and you beg me to “TURN IT OFF!!!,” over and over again.

I laugh.

“When you find the word,” I hiss. “When you find the right word.”

Which means you have to listen to every word, over and over again. Perhaps until you are singing the entire show, hoping to get the right word by saying every one of them. What I know will happen, because it does with everyone, is the Hamilton soundtrack becomes an earworm, songs that never stop playing in your head, ones that threaten to drive you crazy.

Songs that are locked in your memory forever.

Unless you are like me and can’t get enough of it.

The Magical Locks

I have a moment of pity for you, being alone in there, but just for a moment.

I enter the white, padded room and laugh hearing how loud I have the music turned up. I walk around you, seeing your hands locked behind your back. I decided to forego the straitjacket or the zip ties. I just love the clang of metal chains so have you bound much as a prisoner would be.

Hands behind your back. Feet shackled. Blindfolded. Only your mouth is free so you can sing that safeword for me. The moment it flies out of your mouth, the locks magically unlock and you will be free!

How Much Longer?

But for now, you are still locked in this No-Escape Room.

I brought a glass of liquid yummy with me and bent the straw so I could give you nourishment. Who knows how long you will be here.

You beg for a hint. You tell me it will take months to learn the whole soundtrack, so I, in my pity, tell you it is in “The Battle of Yorktown.” I still play the whole soundtrack, though, just to drive you crazy. And because I love it so much.

“The Code Word is…”

You catch it on the 3rd go-round of the soundtrack, after I gave you the glaring hint, your ears listening hard for the safeword. When you realize “The code word is ‘Rochambeau,'” you all but scream, “ROCHAMBEAU!” and the locks, including the cell you have been sitting in vanish.

You and I are now under a lovely oak tree on a blanket with a glorious picnic lunch in front of us. You rest your head on my lap and I change the music from Hamilton to Billie Eilish.

You are released.

Next up in the Blog Train is Ms. Riley!