Three...two...one.
We are on air.
Cameras blink from all directions as the twenty six celebrities huddle together inside the entrance hall of the house that will be their home for the next few months. Each of them drags a suitcase containing all their possessions for this time; some are glittering and colourful, while others are tattered with decades of use. One or two are the size of a small wardrobe.
The house stretches in front of them, a huge renovated mansion with just about enough room for all twenty six. Huge windows offer views over the surrounding countryside, or they would do if the panes of glass were not streaked with silvery raindrops. It is a miserable day. Several of the celebrities appear the worse for wear, battered by the rain and the fierce autumnal wind in the short walk from their taxis to the door. Inside it is at least warm and dry. Cameras whirr from every corner and from strategic positions around the rooms. There is one perched on top of the TV, watching the watchers, and closer inspection will later reveal that the set will broadcast nothing from the outside world. Next to it sits a popular games consolate and a pathetic pile of games.
There are cameras in the fruit bowl, inside a clear vase in the entrance hall, perched on top of the wardrobes in the dormitory-style bedrooms. In the gardens the eyes of statues wink orange. Only the bathrooms are unmonitored.
In front of them now is a big screen showing the eponymous smiley-face logo. The last instruction they received upon arriving was to watch it and wait. It is a long wait and some are getting fidgety, eager to explore or to sit down.
In a studio hundreds of miles away, right in the beating heart of the city, the producers look at one another and nod.
The screen explodes into life, bouncing their own images back at them. It is accompanied by a female voice, high and energetic, the sort of voice that industriously paints its fingernails every morning. "Good morning housemates!"
A few celebrities mutter greetings.
"Welcome to the house! We would like you to make yourself at home. You'll find the fridge fully stocked with a range of items and throughout the house there are many different entertainments for you to try!" Mumbling, away from the microphone, and then the cheery voice is back. "We will be starting to provide some entertainment of our own soon, but today is all about you settling into your new home with your new housemates. Feel free to explore the house and the gardens, though I should warn you that we have our own little precautions to stop you going too far. That's all for now! If you have any questions...work out the answers yourselves!"
Back in the studio, Kalea leans away from the microphone and gives her fellow producers a lip-gloss grin and a thumbs-up.
The chaos has begun.
TASK:
- Explore! Yes, it's that simple.
- Word Limit: 1,750
- Deadline: 10PM GMT Tuesday 28th October. Please note the switch in time zone (and blame Earth's eccentric orbit).
YOU ARE READING
Author Games: On Air
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