The audience muttered uncertainly as soon as the old woman took the stage. She barely looked like a show-stopper at eighty, wearing a simple floral dress and approaching the microphone with caution. Simon Cowell appeared disinterested before she even began, despite the judges’ courteous smiles.

She identified herself as Margaret, a former educator. She put her hands together and said sweetly, “I just love to entertain.”

The music started, a slow, rambling melody, something delicate and gentle. With a sigh, Simon grabbed his buzzer. The red light flashed above him as he slammed the X without hesitation. There was a moan from the crowd. He even gave a little yawn and extended his arms.

Then—it came.

A heavy, pulsing beat broke through the slow melody. The stage seemed to tremble with the force of a bass drop. Margaret removed her shawl to show off a glittering jumpsuit covered in sequins.

The audience let out a gasp.

Margaret didn’t just move; she bounded into action, her body popping and locking like a professional street dancer as she hit each beat precisely. She executed a perfect spin before landing a freeze so precise that even experienced breakdancers would have been impressed.

Simon’s gaze expanded. His hand froze in midair, still resting close to the buzzer. Leaning forward, he stared in complete shock. The crowd burst into cheers and screams, with people jumping out of their seats.

Open-mouthed, one of the other judges turned to Simon. “Do you see this?”

Margaret wasn’t finished. Her silver hair whipped around in a blur as she shifted into a headspin that defied gravity. Then, like a real hip-hop icon, she flipped onto her feet and posed with her hands crossed in front of her as the last beat dropped.

There was silence for a while. Then the whole room blew up.

The man who had pressed his buzzer without thinking, Simon Cowell, got to his feet. His hands were clapping almost uncontrollably, and his mouth was open. He gave a disbelieving shake of his head.

Margaret took the microphone with a sly smile. “Simon, are you still tired?”

The audience went crazy. With wild applause, the other judges stood up. With a startled chuckle, the once-boring Simon finally said, “I don’t know what just happened—but that was unbelievable.”

Margaret gave a wink. “Just getting warmed up, sweetheart.”