Free That Old Black Magic by Mary Jane Clark

actresses had already been in. Piper figured she was probably the first one being seen after lunch.
    The door at the side of the room opened. A middle-aged woman with a pencil stuck behind her ear walked toward the table to look at the sign-in sheet and glanced up at her. “Piper? Come on in. We’re all ready for you.”
    The audition room wasn’t much larger than the waiting area. A young male sat behind a table with a script open in front of him. Piper walked over to the X on the floor, stood on it, and smoothed her short skirt while the casting director took her place behind a video camera set up on a tripod.
    â€œPiper, this is Sam Micks. He’s going to be reading with you. Do you have any questions before we start?” asked the casting director.
    â€œNo. I think I’m all set,” answered Piper.
    â€œOkay, state your name and height, and whenever you’re ready.”
    Piper took a deep breath and exhaled as the video camera began to roll. “Piper Donovan. Five foot eight.”
    After a few moments, she locked eyes with Sam. She’d never even seen him before, but right now she’d make him the most fascinating man she’d ever beheld. She had to convince the people who watched this tape that she was looking at Channing Tatum.
    Piper had the first line. “Oh, excuse me.”
    â€œNo, excuse me, ” said Sam.
    â€œIt’s so mobbed, and I’m afraid the float will leave without me.”
    â€œI doubt they’d be dumb enough to do that.”
    â€œWell, you’d be surprised,” she said.
    â€œYou should try making them wait,” said Sam.
    â€œThat wouldn’t be fair,” Piper said, trying to look a bit confused.
    â€œWell, maybe not to them, but it isn’t fair to me if you leave me already.”
    â€œI really have to go.” Piper turned toward the door in the small casting office as she imagined herself stepping up to one of the colorful parade floats.
    â€œAt least tell me your name.”
    Piper tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder as she glanced back at Sam with a glint in her eye. “I’m Amy.”
    â€œYou look more like a Leigh Ann to me.”
    Piper gave him a slightly bemused look as she continued toward the door.
    â€œThat was great,” said the casting director as she clicked off the camera. “I’ll get the tape to the director right away. And would you be available tomorrow and Sunday?”
    â€œSunday, too?”
    â€œYes,” said the casting director. “We’re shooting the tomb scene on Sunday.”
    â€œTomb scene?”
    â€œYeah, there’s a scene where Amy is buried alive. You’re not claustrophobic, are you?”
    P iper didn’t consider herself superstitious, but she was unnerved by the idea of shooting a scene while trapped in a tomb. Imagining herself being laid in a coffin made her chest tighten. She did recognize, though, why the director wanted to take advantage of New Orleans’s legendary burial places for the movie. They were fascinating and dramatic.
    She looked out the taxi window at the picturesque Creole cottages and brick Spanish Colonial houses on the way back to the bakery. Piper could understand why New Orleans was an attractive location for filming. The culturally rich neighborhoods and diverse locations, from bayou to big city, provided vivid backdrops. There were willing extras of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities available, as well as state-of-the-art sound stages and plenty of skilled crew members. Piper also knew that Louisiana offered attractive tax incentives to the film industry to bring its business to New Orleans. The city was working hard to earn the moniker “Hollywood of the South.”
    She should be excited about the opportunity to book some work here. Though she didn’t have the part yet, Piper knew that the audition had gone very well. She also knew that that didn’t mean a thing. Her