Journey

 

The process...

The Steel Pan was born out of a yearning for expression in a village with no voice. She was molded, pounded and bent into a harsh young woman by the hands of her maker, but the sound that escaped from her lungs was enough to mesmerize a wayward youth. "Sweet pan!" the adoring sailors would exclaim, as her music sashays down the city streets at dusk. The aristocrats and almost-but-never-will-be aristocrats cringed at the sound of her melodious voice. Uncouth! The vice of vagabonds and bandits! The whore of the town!

It was only when the young sons of respectable families began creeping out into the night to indulge in their torrid affairs with her, that the older, distinguished gentlemen began to take notice. "Let us refine her! She will do well entertaining us in our private gatherings." Pan learned etiquette. She was married off to money. Her rough, callous skin was smoothed out and buffed. She was now appealing...acceptable to engage the masses. She left behind her first love whose steady hands fashioned her in the darkness of backyards and garages. Her sweet voice was broadcasted and televised to the world and she became a cultural caricature.

Alas, with the Pan's journey toward the rich man's acceptance, what happens to the voiceless village when their one form of expression is enticed away from them?