Unfiltered Story #279599

(I’m attending a summer camp for high school students at a university. We’re staying in an empty dorm that has an old piano in the first floor common area. One day at an assembly, a counselor asks if there are any issues to address, and a girl raises her hand.)

Counselor: “Yes, [Girl]?”

Girl: “I think we need to talk about the early morning pianist.”

(This girl is a foreign exchange student who speaks English very well but has a strong accent. She pronounces the ia in “pianist” as a single vowel sound closest to e and leaves off the t entirely, making it sound like a very different word.)

*stunned silence from everyone*

Counselor: “The early morning WHAT?”

Girl: “Pianist. You know, like this-”

(She moves her hands toward her lap to, as she later explained, mime playing a piano. The counselor assumes otherwise.)

Counselor: “Okay, okay, stop! We don’t need a demonstration! So, this is a very serious issue, and I’d like you to discuss exactly what you witnessed with me and the camp director before we go any further.”

Girl: “Uh… I don’t think it’s that serious. I just don’t want to wake up hearing it every day at six in the morning. My room is right over the piano, you know.”

Counselor: “Over the p- Oh my god, are you saying ‘pianist’?!”

Girl: “Yes, of course. What did you think I was saying?”

(The entire camp lost it laughing at that point, and we had to explain what was so funny to the poor girl. Once she understood, she blushed as red as a tomato and started repeating the word “pianist” over and over with very precise enunciation. In case anyone is wondering, the early morning pianist promised not to play so early anymore, once she stopped laughing.)