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“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m looking for a friend. Guess I stumbled into your finale. My humblest apologies,” a throaty, feminine voice said over the sound system.

Claps, cheers, and whistles boomed through the theater.

Frozen in place, he turned and focused on the figure strolling across the stage.

Carrying a microphone in one hand, a petite blonde sashayed in sequins.

With her wide grin and shoulders-back stride, she exuded cool confidence and star power. He’d witnessed the same self-possession during his few encounters with major celebrities in LA. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. His Lady Liberty, aka Dani, ghosted him before the rousing finale. In her place, sitcom TV darling, Kara Kensington, appeared. I’m hallucinating . He grew up watching her show. The twenty-two-minute, weekly broadcasts revolved around Kara as a pair of twins getting into and out of scrapes. Each episode ended with a feel-good message. As a kid, he was mesmerized and dabbled in fan fiction scriptwriting. In a way, she sparked his career. Why was she here? She couldn’t be the real, living-breathing star, could she? Light bounced off Kara’s sparkly dress and golden tresses, adding a fuzzy aura to her outline and enhancing the dream-like quality.

“I heard you playing and singing, darling. You’re pretty good. What do you think? Can we give these nice people a show?” She widened her eyes ever so slightly without dropping her megawatt smile.

The audience roared with laughter.