A voice in the square

An original literary non-fiction-style account of watching auditions for a ceremonial town crier.

The first candidate rang a bell so vigorously that a toddler dropped his biscuit. Several shoppers turned, looked briefly at the red coat and continued towards the fruit stalls. A few stayed. They stood at the edge of the marked space, holding their bags against their legs. One man lifted his phone, recorded the opening call and lowered it again before the announcement had finished.

The second candidate had a quieter voice. She asked whether people near the fountain could hear her. A woman moved closer, and two children pointed out that the fountain was still running. The candidate laughed and waited while a steward found its switch. During the sudden silence, someone at the back asked her to repeat a name. She did so, slowly. People who had begun walking away stopped again.

By the third audition, the little crowd had developed opinions. A stallholder called that the speaker was facing the wrong direction. An elderly spectator disagreed: he could hear every word from where he stood. They changed places and listened to the next sentence. Afterwards they nodded to each other, apparently satisfied that both had been telling the truth.

When the steward invited comments, the answers were practical. Could a person with a pushchair see the crier? Would the bell be rung before every announcement? Someone asked whether the successful candidate would also read notices in the smaller square. The red coat lay on a chair by then. Nobody suggested that the coat could answer any of those questions.

What do you learn about the spectators' responses to the auditions?