What Is Tempo’s Alphabet?
“Go on … tell them.”
Tempo’s Alphabet is a speech translator for a boy with an unusual speech impediment.
Tempo. A funny name for a boy but fitting in this absurd case.
He is now a 13-year-old boy in the seventh grade. But he was born with a very unusual speech impediment. He jokingly calls it, “The gift from a curse.”
Caused unnaturally. By an everyday item; a YouTube video. Yes. It’s true. This is how the YouTube video was discovered …
Tempo’s mother, Frances, is a woman with borderline average IQ, whose own mother badly wanted for her to be born gifted. Frances’ insecurity about her IQ led her to search for a way to make sure her soon-to-be born son would become a genius.
“Insecurity is a heck of thing … isn’t it? I don’t blame her.”
When Frances confided her concern to another expectant mother in her yoga class, this person recommended she watch a YouTube influencer’s video channel. This influencer was named Seraphina Dreamweaver, a self-proclaimed "YouTube witch” with only 3 followers. Seraphina, in her most popular video (which had a total of 5 views) offered a “spell” that promised to raise your baby’s IQ through the “magical powers” of music and through a chanted spell called “Do. Re. Mi.”
Frances faithfully chanted Dreamweaver’s spell, while she listened to her favorite song on Ms. Dreamweaver’s Magic Spells playlist in a loop for the remainder of her pregnancy … and waited. After Tempo was born, Frances noticed that he didn't cry or make any sound for many months. But then it happened. One day Tempo’s father Truman, a failed musician, strummed his guitar while Tempo was in the room.
Upon hearing the guitar notes, Tempo opened his mouth and repeated word for word, or note-by-note, to the shock & horror of his parents.
Tempo remembers being inside Frances’ womb, listening to the sound of the music. But somehow Frances cast Seraphina Dreamweaver’s spell incorrectly, and rather than raising Tempo’s IQ the spell caused an unintended effect. Instead, Tempo could only speak musical notes— C, D, E, F, G, A and B. The fundamental scale in music. Also known in solfege: Do. Re. Mi. Fa. Sol. La. Si.
The spell caused one other side effect; psychic telepathy. Frances could hear Tempo’s thoughts, in a normal speaking voice, in her head. Likewise, Tempo was able to hear Frances’ thoughts. But Tempo could not communicate with the rest of the world. All anyone else could hear were a jumble of musical notes whenever Tempo opened his mouth to speak.
Until Tempo’s Alphabet was created, Tempo was forbidden to talk to anyone.
“Just tell them how to use it … I’ll show them in the game.”
Polybius Square vs. Tempo’s Alphabet
As you can see, the Polybius square and Tempo's Alphabet share some similarities, primarily the checkerboard grid containing the English alphabet and row numbers.
The significant difference is the dimension; the Polybius square is a 5×5 grid. Tempo’s Alphabet is a 7×4 grid. That was by design. Rather than stuffing two letters into one cell like the Polybius, (for example I,J), Tempo’s Alphabet has two extra columns to include “! & ?” Each alphabet letter has its own cell, and including the exclamation point & question mark, it also allows Tempo to add emotion to his speech— like everyone else!
It's a wacky backstory. And you may find it hard to believe. But that's how it all happened.
“You can’t make this stuff up.”
