A Fractured Voice

The Christmas pageant in Kindersley Saskatchewan when I was 14 is historically the first recorded occurrence in the Canadian  prairies of the karaoke. There was a paucity of singers in our class to match the celebration of the visitors to the Holy Family by the all and sundry but carols of the angels , shepherds and kings were part of the pageant and we practiced our parts. I was designated as the king who brought myrrh to the Holy child and I accompanied my gift with a gloomy rendition of the bitter perfume. A few days before the performance a strange thing happened to me and I emitted croaking sounds rather than the bitter but sweet  sounds that I had hitherto produced. My voice had decided to change! It was unclear if this was temporary or not so we continued to wing it as my costume was good and my action was suitably gloom-ridden. The day of the pageant the teacher made a decision. Lorraine Collins, an angel, would position behind me and sing but I would make all the mouth movements to the audience of my myrrh verse and the joint verses as well. Lorraine had a high piping voice, joyous and angelic, but un-boy-like and certainly not  anticipating sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, as I mouthed dying with my gloomy demeanor and her joyous rendition. I gave up karaoke after that.