“How does work?” Jak asked.
Doc had assumed the role of master of ceremonies. “You pick out a song, and I will program the machine to play the backing for it. And the words come up on the screen, there.” He pointed with the ferrule of his swordstick. “And you sing along to the music. Elementary, my dear Lauren.”
Mildred indicated number forty-seven. “‘Amazing Grace.’ You know that one, Jak?”
“I know it, too, Jakki,” Issie said with a giggle. “You and me sing together.”
“Suffering succotash! All right.”
Doc flourished his index finger over the green button, ready to trigger the machine. Issie took one of a pair of microphones for herself and handed another one to Jak.
“Ready, steady and go, Jakki, go,” she crowed.
Doc pressed the button.
Immediately there was a loud crackling from the karaoke machine, and an insistent hip-hop backbeat started up, heavy on the drums, with an amplified bass throbbing in the foreground. It was only just possible to hear any resemblance to the old frontier hymn, ‘Amazing Grace.’
Everyone was taken by surprise, except Issie, who began to sing along with the bouncing ball in her high-pitched, little voice. Confused, Jak finally joined in on the third line, already half a line behind the geisha girl. They eventually got together as the song drew toward its close.
There was a round of applause when they finished, and the girl drew Jak to her and kissed him, long and slow, on the mouth. Hideyoshi tutted with disapproval at such forward behavior.
Krysty was persuaded to go next and gave an enchanting performance of ‘We’ve Only Just Begun,’ the old Carpenters hit from forty years before skydark.
“Would anyone mind if I was to take the next spot?” Doc asked eagerly.
“What’re you going to give us?” Mildred asked. ” ‘Silver Threads among the Gold’?”
“No. In my time at the tail end of the ninetiesthe 1990sI developed a fondness for the harmonious singing of a pair of brothers. Donald and Philip Everly. Voices like angels. I see that there is one of their best songs, ‘All I Have to Do Is Dream,’ here on the machine. Could you perhaps start that for me, my dear Issie?”
A shimmering chord of unearthly beauty led into the slow ballad.
Considering that Doc and singing went together like cheese and chalk, the old-timer didn’t make a bad fist of the lovely song, eventually finishing at more or less the same time as the karaoke backing.
There was more applause.
Ryan looked around and saw that Yashimoto had come in, accompanying Lord Mashashige, who had a slender middle-aged woman on his arm, a lady that Ryan believed might be an older sister of the shogun.
“You want to join in?” Doc called, flourishing the microphone at the samurai.
“It would be difficult, Dr. Tanner,” the shogun replied, “but we enjoyed your song. Is Cawdor-san or Dix-san going to entertain us?”
J.B. pushed his battered fedora to the back of his head, pursing his mouth. “Kinder for all if I pass on that one. Thanks, anyway.”
Ryan grinned. “There’s things I’m good at. Things I’m not. Put singing into the latter box.”
“I’ll have a go,” Mildred said, joining Doc and peering at the list of possible titles.
The woman with Mashashige hissed something to him and pulled at his arm. But the shogun frowned and whispered something back, his whole body showing his sudden anger.
“There’s a problem here?” Mildred asked. “Don’t want to upset anyone.”
Mashashige shook his head. “My sister forgets herself. Forgets you are the guests of the lord shogun and must be treated with all respect.”
Mildred sniffed. “If you’re sure. Then I’ll give a shot at some heavy metal. ‘Lightning on the Highway.’ Let’s go.”
The machine hissed and crackled into life again.
There was a howl of guitar feedback that made everyone jump, then a driving beat with a saxophone wailing away in the background to the hard-driving tune.
Mildred started to softly clap her hands together, eyes closed, head shaking from side to side, her beaded plaits tinkling against one another.
Krysty picked up the beat, starting to clap along with her friend, followed by Issie and Jak. Ryan, Doc and J.B. also lent their support to Mildred, who was beginning to cook.