The Voice Catcher

by Marcie Jean Thorpe

The lights were so bright the audience around her were just a blur. Her heart beat so loudly it sounded like somebody stamping on the stage floor beside her. The TV cameras lit up and the producer whispered "Go!" It was time to sing for her chance to become the "England's Gifted" junior champion 2018.

Ellie had the voice of an angel. Well that's what her mum, her gran, all her teachers, and basically anyone who'd ever heard her sing, said. She'd sung as soon as she could talk and dazzled people with her beautiful voice ever since. So when an advert appeared calling for gifted kids to enter the new TV talent show, she signed up immediately. Now it was the moment to sing in front of an audience of hundreds, not to mention millions of people watching on TV. And the judges' panel.

Ellie took a deep breath, but as she opened her mouth she felt the oddest scraping sensation in her throat just as a strange, shadowy shape rushed past her into the audience. With a sack slung over their back, the mysterious figure fled through the stage door. She started to sing, but a hideous, ear-splitting screech replaced her usual sweet, silky tones. The audience gasped, some sniggered, the judges looked horrified as they held up their "No talent" signs. Devastated, Ellie would've put it down to nerves, but the next contestant, and the next, in fact all of the show's contestants, could do no more than shriek.

Back in her hotel room, Ellie saw the news headlines. Madame Goo-Goo's concert had been cancelled as she lost her voice. Famous opera singer Isabella Cavalini had flounced off stage when she failed to produce a sound. Across London, famous singers had been robbed of their voices. Talk turned to a sinister, sack-carrying figure being seen at each incident. They'd been named The Voice Catcher.

Voice Catcher headlines filled every newspaper the next day. Everyone was talking about who they could be? A nationwide search began!

Meanwhile, across London in Windsor Castle, guests gathered for Prince Harry and his beautiful bride's wedding. Crowds filled the streets, the world's TV cameras were positioned to capture the event. Only a small group of people weren't quite so excited. The Queen's singing coaches! They'd been training her to sing for years but their work wasn't paying off. Her voice sounded worse than nails scratching a chalkboard! No amount of coaching was going to improve it. They'd tried to persuade her to mime. "Don't sing with the TV cameras on," they'd said, "the whole world will hear it." But she was determined to sing. As the congregation stood for the first hymn, those who knew her discreetly covered their ears. But instead of the usual screeching, she sang like an angel. Like a combination of the world's best voices. It was strange. All the TV cameras captured the Queen handing a dark sack to a shadowy figure who then fled the wedding.