The Minstrel's Path
Part 21
by Kim McFarland

It was another dark night in the Gorgs' castle. Cantus and Murray entered through the hole in the kitchen. The fire was burning low, casting little light. Life would be easier if they could come during the day, Murray thought. Easier, but short.

After assuring themselves that the Gorgs were sound asleep they climbed up to a shelf, making as little noise as possible. When they reached the plateau Cantus started forward, but Murray held out a hand. "Wait."

Cantus stopped. "What is it?"

Murray walked forward as carefully as if avoiding sawmoss sprouts, then lifted a large boxy knickknack that was shadowing much of the shelf and moved it out of the way. He looked at the shelf, then said, "They've been here."

"What do you see?" Cantus asked.

Murray squatted down. "Footprints. Not ours. Good thing the Gorgs don't dust that often."

Cantus crouched and examined the shelf. He could not see the footprints in this dim, wavery light, but he believed Murray. "Then let's see what they found."

Carefully they pulled the loose stone out of the wall. Behind it was an empty hollow. The music box was gone.

The other Minstrels, waiting just on the other side of the hole in the Gorgs' wall, picked up on Cantus's mood immediately. Normally he was calm and reflective; now he was cheerful. Balsam asked, "Did they find it?"

"They found it," Cantus affirmed.

"So, what do we do now?" Brool asked.

"We pay them a visit."

Normally the Minstrels arrived whenever they arrived, be it morning, afternoon, or evening. However, this time Cantus wanted to make a proper entrance. As soon as the Ditzies became active, lighting the caves, he raised his pipe, and they began their processional. Plants stirred around them as they walked.

When they reached the Great Hall they found Fraggles, still wearing nightshirts and pajamas, enthralled by the music. Cantus sang,
"Music grows in the rose,
Rock and rain and the blowin' snowstorm.
Everything seems to sing
Everywhere I go."

Murray joined him in the refrain.

"I say one, two, play me do.
Let me sound as sweet as you.
Play me wide, play me long,
Let me be your song."

Cantus played a soft solo on his pipe. Flowers bloomed, responding to the music as they would to lifegiving light. The colony's Fraggles stared, hardly able to believe what they were seeing and hearing.

"Lay me down on the ground,
Song comes singin' from the midnight places.
Raise me high in the sky,
Song comes driftin' through.
I say one, two, play me do.
Let me sound as sweet as you.
Play me wide, play me long,
Let me be your song.

"Play me high, play me low,
Play me where the wild wind's blowin',
Play me wide, play me long,
Play me for your song.
I say one, two, play me do.
Let me sound as sweet as you.
Play me wide, play me long,
Let me be your song."

One Fraggle with wet hair from an early swim could not contain her curiosity. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cantus, and we are the Minstrels. We wander this boundless rock of ours finding Fraggles in distant caves. When we are near, they sing a Fraggle medley. We are near. We are here." Looking around to include all of the Fraggles in the cave, he said, "It's your turn to sing the medley."

The wet Fraggle said eagerly, "A medley? You mean a race? Oh, I bet I'd come in first!"

Cantus replied. "And so you will. One Fraggle must be first to sing. You are the medley leader. What is your name?"

"Oh, Red Fraggle. And I'm great at leading! So, what are the rules?"

"There are no rules, and those are the rules."

Cantus had gone on to explain that every Fraggle had a song, and all of the songs sung together would make the Fraggle Medley. Red had gotten stuck on the question of what her song was. Cantus, of course, had let her tangle with that problem herself. He was testing her.

Murray didn't think much of her chances. He said, "Hey, boss, you sure know how to pick your medley leaders."

"I don't pick them. They pick themselves," Cantus replied calmly as he polished the Magic Pipe.

"Yeah, but this one—we could be here for days!"

"She'll find her song, in time."

Murray had his doubts about that. "In time for tomorrow's medley?"

"She has a long way to go, though the journey is short. The medley will not start without her." He sauntered off, ending the conversation.

Murray turned back to Brio and Balsam, who had been listening. "Did he answer my question?"

Balsam nodded. Brio shook her head.

"That's what I thought," Murray said. Cantus was in his 'mysterious sage' mode, and laying it on particularly thick. When he got like this, the rest of the Minstrels took their cues from him and watched to see what would happen.

The day wore on. Fraggles were humming and singing, some by themselves, others in couples or groups. They had a talent for singing together, Cantus saw. All Fraggles did, to some degree. These did it as easily and naturally, though, as if it was an everyday event. This pleased him.

Later in the day some of the Fraggles came over to where the Minstrels were playing softly. One of them was Red. She tried to cheat by getting the Magic Pipe to play her song. Of course that was not possible; she would not have a song until she made it. But Cantus could not fault her for trying. She, at least, was determined, and with determination great things could be accomplished.

Afterward Cantus said to Murray, "Did you notice what music he asked for?"

"Yeah, I kinda figured she'd...what, he?"

"The small light green one. The first thing he asked to hear was not his own tune, but Doozer music. When has a Fraggle ever asked for Doozer music?" Cantus nodded to himself, very pleased.

All day Red tried to find her song. Rather, she tried to find out how to find her song. Others had theirs; why was it so tough for her?

By that night she had had no success. She knew where the song would be: in the Magic Pipe, which Cantus had said knew every song. And she had to get that song, otherwise they wouldn't be able to sing the Medley, and she would have failed in front of everybody!

With the minimal and very unwilling assistance of her best friend, Mokey, she crept into the Minstrels' camp while they were asleep and got the pipe. She tried to play her song, but only heard a dissonant squawk.

The Magic Pipe would not play for her. It knew that it had been stolen by someone with no right to its music. It cried out to Cantus in the language they shared, and tried to flee. Its assailant would not release it until it burned its mark into her hand.

Cantus did not discover the theft until morning. He looked around the Minstrel's camp, a disturbed expression on his face. None of the Minstrels would have moved it. The other Fraggles had been curious about the pipe, as people always were on first seeing it, but this was the first time it had been taken from him.

He had an idea who had done it, and why.

At First Light the Fraggles gathered around the Minstrels in the Great Hall, eager to begin the Fraggle Medley. The last two to arrive were Red and Mokey. Red looked anxious, and Mokey was dragging her. Seeing them, Murray said, "Hey, the leader's here. Let's get this medley moving."

Cantus announced, "The medley cannot begin."

Surprised, Murray asked, "What's wrong, boss?"

Cantus told them, "My Magic Pipe is missing. Somebody took it."

The Fraggles gasped in shock. Why would anyone steal something so wonderful?

Murray moaned, "Days! We'll be here for days!"

Cantus raised his left hand. A zigzag glowed in his palm. "Whoever took the pipe will bear this mark." He paused, giving them all a chance to see, then continued, "This mark is the pipe's magic way of saying 'uh-uh!'"

Gobo said, "Who would be dumb enough to take that pipe?"

Red said, "Yeah. What a stupid thing to do!"

Looking around, Cantus said, "Does anybody know anything about it?"

Mokey said, "Please, what if the Fraggle who, uh, took the pipe really didn't mean any harm, and it was all just a big misunderstanding?"

Red added, "Yeah, it could happen to anyone!"

Firmly Cantus said, "It could not happen to anyone. There was no misunderstanding."

Gobo asked, "Mokey, do you know who took that pipe?"

"Oh, well, uh...yes, I did, sort of," she said.

The other Fraggles were shocked by her confession. Red called out over the babble, "Wait a moment! Listen to me!" When they did not pay attention she raised her hand, revealing a zigzag matching Cantus's, and shouted, "Look!"

Cantus said, "So, it was you."

Surprised, Red said, "You mean you knew?"

"You were the one who didn't know."

Ashamed, Red confessed, "Yeah, well, I borrowed the pipe so it would play me my song. But then everything went wrong and the pipe dragged me out to the Gorgs' garden. And...that's where it is now."

Reproachfully Cantus said, "You know you should never have taken that pipe. That pipe is magic, and magic is very powerful. Now we must find my pipe."

Cantus walked to the tunnel leading to the Gorgs' garden, and Red followed behind him, feeling very small and ashamed of herself. Mokey, Gobo, and Wembley had tried to come and help, but Cantus had stopped them with a single wave of his hand.

When they arrived Junior Gorg was working in the radish patch. Red nervously said, "I dropped it over there," and pointed to the end of the garden's low stone border.

"You must go over there and get it."

"But-but the Gorg will kill me!" she protested.

Cantus looked over. Junior was busy, his back to them. Cantus said, "Says who?"

"But...but..." Red stammered. Cantus pointed into the garden. Red whimpered and started forward.

She had barely begin to search for the pipe when Junior turned and spotted her red sweater against the grassy ground. He raised his rake and said, "Oh-ho! Oh, I'll get you this time, little Fwaggle!"

"No!" Red cried.

Cantus saw that Red was paralyzed with terror. He said, "Pipe, play Gorg music."

The pipe began playing a tune that, while deep and slow, had an infectious bounciness to it. Junior, taken by surprise, forgot about hunting Fraggles and began to dance. Startled by the unexpected reprieve, Red looked around, and found the source of the music. She picked it up and fled back to the safety of Fraggle Rock.

As soon as she and Cantus were underground she gave the pipe back to him. "I'm—I'm really sorry. If I knew what would happen I never would have touched it, honest."

"Come, they are waiting for us in the Great Hall," he said in a kind tone.

She was forgiven. She still felt foolish, but at least she made good on her mistake without getting killed!

When they returned to the Great Hall Red told Gobo, "Boy, you should have seen the pipe make that Gorg dance!"

Cantus said, "It played his song. And now, Red Fraggle, you will sing for us your song."

"But—I don't have my song. It's in the pipe."

Cantus replied, "Your song is inside you. Without you, the pipe would be silent. Now sing."

"But I don't have a song!"

Cantus looked heavenward in exasperation and muttered, "I fear I'm losing my implacable calm."

"I've never had a song," she said, looking at the ground.

He exclaimed, "You've always had a song! All Fraggles have songs! Now just listen."

There was silence in the Great Hall as Red looked down again. What song? She had no song. Her mind was empty.

Then, in the silence of her head, she heard something. It was a little tune she'd heard before, she did not know where. It might have been there forever, or she might have heard it long ago, or she might have hummed it herself only days ago without thinking about it. Now it shyly presented itself. She whispered, "Wait a minute, I heard something!" She listened for a moment longer, then noticed her left hand. The zigzag had faded. "Look at my hand!"

Mokey looked at it. "Oh, Red!"

Nodding, Cantus said, "Now, sing."

"Sure!" She sang the tune she had heard in her head. As she sang it, she hoped it was right.

Cantus was nodding. Murray began strumming softly on his guitar. Mokey said, "That's it, Red! Go on."

More confidently now, Red continued singing to the end. Mokey said, "Beautiful!"

"That's my song. I heard it! I sang it!" Red said excitedly.

"About time, too," Murray remarked.

Cantus looked around. "All right, everyone, let the medley begin. Red."

Red sang her song. Then Cantus welcomed Mokey, Gobo, and Wembley to the song one by one. Although their individual songs were different, they blended together to make a unified whole. Soon all the Fraggles in the colony had joined the song. Even Boober sang from the safety of his tiny cavelet.

"Our melody, come and sing it with me,
It's a song where you know you belong.
Our melody, come and sing it with me,
'Cause you know we belong to the song..."

When the Minstrels left, playing their tune, the Fraggles watched them go, hoping they would be back soon.

Murray, strumming his guitar, asked Cantus, "So, what do you think, boss?"

Cantus understood the implied question. "I think that this is a colony with great potential."

"Lot of growing to do, though."

"Yes. Isn't it wonderful?"

Cantus began playing the pipe, ending the conversation. He was playing the Gorg's song, but with the fast, enegetic pace of Doozer music. Murray chuckled and shook his head. They'd be seeing more of this place, that was for sure.

Fraggle Rock, the song Our Melody, the episode The Minstrels (heavily excerpted here), and all characters are copyright © The Jim Henson Company and are used without permission but with much respect and affection. The overall story is copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.