The Minstrel's Path
Part 25
by Kim McFarland

It was a dark and stormy night, but that was elsewhere in the world. Here, in the Gorgs' garden, it was a pleasant spring morning.

The Minstrels surfaced and listened. Junior Gorg was in the garden, tilling the soil with a rakelike harrow in preparation for planting. He was facing away from them. They went around the garden wall quietly and quickly, before he turned and spotted them. Before they reached their destination Cantus paused and unthreaded his Magic Pipe from his backpack. He glanced at the others. They understood; he wanted to make a proper entrance. They readied their instruments.

Junior Gorg looked up when he heard the soft tune. Fraggle music. He had been hearing it more and more lately. He glanced around. The Fraggles were nowhere to be seen. Oh well. It was still pleasant to know that they were somewhere nearby.

The Minstrels walked to the Trash Heap, playing their tune. Philo and Gunge forebore to interrupt with their usual introductory patter; Marjory liked their music, and, well, it was nice to listen to. Marjory rose and regarded them. When they finished playing Cantus declared, "I am in the presence of the wise Trash Heap. "

Philo and Gunge looked at each other. Indignantly Gunge said, "Hey, you're steppin' on our lines."

"Never mind that," Marjory said. Addressing the Minstrels, she said, "Where have you been?"

Cantus told her, "We have been traveling the Rock, uniting it with music."

"You should have been here! Such wonderful things have happened, I can't begin to tell you! Junior Gorg was crowned King."

That soon? "Is he a good king?"

She chuckled. "He is no king at all. He abolished the monarchy, saying that the world was fine as it is and doesn't need to be ruled. He threw away his crown. In front of five Fraggle witnesses."

Cantus digested that quietly. From what he had seen, the Gorgs had been clinging to the empty trappings of power for generations. Both he and the Marjory had seen the possibility of change in Junior. Neither would have imagined that he would break with Gorgic tradition completely. Cantus said, "What led him to do this?"

She answered, "He ate a magical Nirvana Tree leaf. It shrank him to your size, and for a little while he walked in the footsteps of a Fraggle. He made friends among the Fraggles, and he found out that they have names. Do you believe he never knew that? He had never realized that Fraggles are people! And he even came to me for advice." She sat back, very pleased.

Impressed, Cantus said, "There have been many changes since we were here last."

"And that's not all. The Fraggles had a singing contest, and a Fraggle sang with a Doozer. That was the first time a Doozer has ever joined in Fraggle events. By the end, everyone was singing together, even Junior. Oh, it was beautiful!"

"I wish I had been here," Cantus said quietly.

Murray looked at Cantus. These were the very things that Cantus had been working for all his life, unity among the different people of the world. At least part of it had been accomplished through song. And it had happened without him. He laid a hand on Cantus's back and whispered, "Boss?"

Cantus looked up. Murray asked, "You okay?"

Cantus smiled. "I am very okay. Murray, we may not have been there to see these wonders, but what matters is that they happened, and the world is a better place because of that. The lesson has been learned!"

"These lessons must not be forgotten," the Trash Heap said in a very serious tone.

"Yes," Cantus said, nodding thoughtfully.

Murray had thought that Cantus would be upset by the news that the Fraggles here had not needed him to teach them. He found out how wrong he was during their processional. Cantus's manner was euphoric, even a little giddy. It was all Murray could do to keep a straight face as he sang.

Cantus shouted, "Hail, Fraggles!"

In unison they called back, "Hail, Cantus!"

Mokey eagerly said, "Ooh, Fraggledom welcomes Cantus, our mystical Minstrel who travels the rock uniting us with music!"

"Yeah!" Red exclaimed.

Cantus raised a hand and said solemnly, "I stand welcomed."

Gobo and Wembley ran into the Great Hall. Gobo began, "Cantus! The most amazing thing just happened in Outer Space! Well, I went out there, and the Silly Creature couldn't see me!"

Cantus replied, "Outer Space is not my concern. But it is yours."

"Well, I know! So don't you think this is really great? You see-"

"Yes, and I do see, and so will you."

Gobo looked puzzled. Red burst in, "Cantus, do you have a great new song for us this time?"

"I do."

Boober moaned, "Oh, not another great new song. They're always so thrilling. I'm sure it's bad for the digestion."

Red had just given Cantus an idea. He announced for all to hear, "This great new song is even greater than our usual great new song. In fact, it is the greatest!" The assembled Fraggles exclaimed in wonder. "It is…The Song of Songs."

"How thrilling," Mokey breathed.

Boober muttered, "Bye-bye, digestion," and slouched away.

Gobo was not ready to give up his point. "I just want to ask you, though, why couldn't the Silly Creature see me? Is it blind or am I invisible?"

Cantus answered, "Invisibility is in the eye of the beholder. The answer is The Song of Songs."

Eagerly Red asked, "But tell us, how does The Song of Songs go?"

"If you listen, you will hear your part. For you are all part of the song! And the song is all part of you."

Mokey said to Red, "He's right! I do hear my part!" She started humming.

Red responded, "Hey, so do I!' She began singing with Mokey.

Gobo said, "I don't wanna hear my part. I want to go back to Outer Space!"

Red had tuned him out. "Hey! When can we sing The Song of Songs?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Wembley enthused.

Cantus declared, "We will sing The Song of Songs when we hear The Honk of Honks!"

"The Honk of Honks?" Red repeated, puzzled.

"The Honk of Honks. And one of you must honk it!"

Gobo said, "Yeah, one of you can honk The Honk of Honks. I'm going back to Outer Space." He turned to leave.

"And that one is Gobo!"

Gobo stopped, then turned back. "What?"

Wembley, thrilled, said, "Gobo, did you hear that? You, of all the Fraggles in the Rock, get to honk The Honk of Honks! Wow! Wow! Wow!"

"But…why me?"

Cantus answered, "Because you are you."

Red griped, "Gobo has all the luck."

Cantus turned to her and shook his head. "Well, yes…" He nodded. "…and no."

"Well, what is The Honk of Honks, anyway?" Gobo asked.

"It's bigger than all of us because it is all of us. So go now and find The Honk of Honks! The Song of Songs begins after the third snack. You have until then." He walked away, leaving them with that puzzle.

Boober chose that moment to enter the hall, wearing his apron and carrying a tray of cookies, and cheerfully announce, "Snack time!" Thrilling songs intimidated him, but he was at home with food. Everyone hurried over for some.

Across the hall, Cantus saw Gobo leave the hall, tail lashing. He followed him at a distance, munching a lemon swirl.

Gobo led him through a rising tunnel. The limestone gave way to strange straight rocks, all the same size, with white lines between them, and thick metal poles running horizontally across the space, at just the right height for an incautious Fraggle to bang his head on. The geometry was Doozer-ish, he thought as he waited, hearing Gobo's voice coming faintly through a tunnel in the flat wall.

Gobo came through the tunnel and nearly walked into Cantus. "Oh, I can't believe it! Cantus! The most amazing thing just happened."

Cantus shook his head and raised a hand, stopping Gobo. "The most amazing thing is The Song of Songs. But it will not start without The Honk of Honks, remember? Now you know what you must do, so do it! Now!" He walked off before Gobo could protest.

Of course Gobo would be frustrated, Cantus knew. Gobo was brave, intelligent, and adventurous. But he was also young, and often did not look past the surface to the true meaning. He had to learn to see with more than his eyes, and the only way to learn that was to do it. Cantus knew that from long experience.

When Cantus returned to the Great Hall, Gobo following reluctantly behind, the cave was full of Fraggles practicing their part of The Song of Songs. Wembley saw him first. "Hail, Cantus!" he cheerfully exclaimed.

"Hail, Wembley."

"Hail, Gobo!"

"Hi, Wembley," Gobo muttered.

Red asked, "Hey, Gobo, have you found The Honk of Honks yet?"

Mokey, Wembley, and Red were all listening eagerly. Gobo paused, then admitted, "No, I haven't even looked yet."

"What?" Wembley said.

Red rolled her eyes. "Well, get going, Gobo! What're you waiting for?"

Boober bounced into the hall with another tray. "Second snack!"

Wembley said, "Oh, hail Boober! Hail snacks! He went over to Gobo and said, "Gobo, you better hurry! One more snack and then it's time to sing The Song of Songs."

Annoyed, Gobo started off, saying, "All right, all right! The Honk of Honks can't be that difficult to find."

Cantus was standing in front of the stone Fraggle Horn. He said, "Not if you see when you look."

Gobo exclaimed, "The Fraggle Horn! Of course!" He went around to the mouthpiece, drew in a big breath, and blew. The sound echoed through the Great Hall and the passages beyond. Gobo said to Cantus, "That's it, right?"

Murray, shaking his head, said, "Wrong."

Cantus elucidated, "Right and wrong."

"Huh?!"
"That's part of it, but not all of it."

"What?!"

Red said, "You heard him, Gobo. That's part of it, but not all of it. Go find the rest!"

Gobo asked Cantus, "But where do I look?"

"Wherever there is something to find."

Cantus sauntered away, leaving Gobo with one more piece of the puzzle.

Gobo went up the tunnel that led to the Gorgs' Garden. When he returned he had a strange, battered, curly thing like a bent pipe that flared at one end. He attached it to the Fraggle Horn. Murray remarked, "You're sure this is it, are you? Because if you're wrong you're wastin' our time."

Cantus said, "No time is wasted time."

"Right. I forgot."

Gobo said, "Oh, don't worry. One Honk of Honks, comin' right up!"

He blew into the mouthpiece. The two horns made different sounds which somehow harmonized. But it wasn't enough. The Minstrels listened, shaking their heads.

"Well?" Gobo asked Cantus.

"It's part of it, but not all of it. You see, we're all part of everything, and everything is a part of us."

Cantus left again. The Minstrels watched as Gobo tried to figure out Cantus's riddle, despite the distraction Wembley provided.

Boober, who had just finished distributing his latest offering, said, "Third snack is over!"

"Oh boy!" Mokey said.

Wembley, who had been rehearsing his part while standing on his hands, turned rightside up and cried, "Ooh, that means it's time for The Song of Songs!" He was vibrating with excitement.

Cantus said, "Correction: it's time for The Honk of Honks."

Red said, "But where's Gobo?"

Gobo hustled into the hall, carrying some strange things. "Here I am! And I've definitely got it all this time!"

Everybody watched as Gobo fitted a funnel-like device he had borrowed from the Doozers to a pink, Gorg-sized hair curler, then attached them both to the curved pipe. When he finished he said to Cantus, "There! Ready?"

"If you are."

Gobo took a deep breath, then blew hard. The chord, ranging from the deep bellow of the Fraggle horn to the squeak of the curler, was impressive. But it was still incomplete.

Gobo said, "Well? Aren't you going to start The Song of Songs?"

With a show of regret Cantus said, "We would if we could, but we can't, so we shan't."

Shocked, Gobo said, "What?"

"That wasn't The Honk of Honks."

"It wasn't?!"

Cantus raised his voice. "Sorry, everyone, The Song of Songs is canceled."

All the Fraggles exclaimed in dismay. Gobo said, "Hey, now, wait a minute!"

Cantus told him, "You did what you did. It might have been all; it wasn't enough."

"Hey! But—but wait!"

Cantus turned away. Gobo's friends tried to comfort him, but Gobo was still angry at himself for failing. When he said, "Isn't there anything I can do?" Cantus looked back.

"You could have done everything. You did something. And now…there's nothing."

Gobo wandered despondently out of the Great Hall. He had failed. He had disappointed everyone. He didn't want to look anyone else in the face now. He walked back up the tunnel to Outer Space, muttering, "There's nothing like blowin' it to make you feel like you blew it. I've let everyone down. And there's nothing I can do about it." He looked up, started to see Canus waiting silently. "Cantus."

Cantus had anticipated he would come this way. He said quietly, "What's done is done. What is, is. What was, was. What will be, will be."

"What're you talking about?"

Cantus pointed. "You. What you haven't done."

"But I did everything I could."

"In that case, let's talk about something different which might be the same."

Gobo let out a breath and began walking. "I don't feel like it."

Cantus walked with him. "You did when you first came this morning. What was it you were so excited about?"

Gobo turned away. "Oh…it's not important now."

"Everything is important. Either than, or nothing is. I prefer the former."

"Well, it was just—I was excited because the Silly Creature couldn't see me."

Cantus nodded. "Ah, yes. The Silly Creature is one of those."

"Those what?"

"Those who can't see, see?"

"No…"

"Takes one to know one."

"But why couldn't it see me?"

Gently Cantus said, "Listen. I'm going to make this simple. Has the Silly Creature ever touched you?"

"Oh, no, I'm much too fast for it."

It, Cantus noted. As if the Silly Creature was a thing, not a person. Of course 'it' couldn't see Gobo; neither was real to the other yet. He asked, "Have you ever touched the Silly Creature?"

"No. Why should I?"

"'Cause you need to. You must let the Silly Creature touch you, and you must touch him. Once touched, he will see, and so will you."

"But, why?" Gobo asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Why not? And remember, you don't need your hand to touch just as you don't need your eyes to see."

"But-"

Cantus said softly and earnestly, "Do it for me. Do it for yourself. Do it for everyone."

"Okay. If you say so!"

Cantus walked off. He couldn't have made it any clearer. Gobo would figure it out. He had to. He couldn't come this far only to fall short. He must take the final step!

Cantus returned to the Great Hall. It was filled with Fraggles. They all looked at him with pleading eyes. He answered their unspoken question: "What is done may yet be undone, and what is yet undone may be done," and walked over to the modified Fraggle Horn to wait.

They did not have to wait long. Soon Cantus ran into the great hall holding a small, colorful thing in his hands and shouting, "Cantus! I finally got it all-" He stopped, startled, when he saw that the hall was full of Fraggles, all looking expectantly at him.

Cantus saw the alien object in Gobo's hands. He had done it! Cantus said, "We've been waiting for you. The Song of Songs is about to begin."

"But…well…I mean…well, how did you know?"

Murray quipped, "He's not wise for nothin', you know?"

Cantus told Gobo, "And now it is time to honk The Honk of Honks."

Gobo hurried over to the Fraggle Horn and attached the party squeaker Doc had given him to the Fraggle Horn. He said, "Ready?"

Cantus answered, "Ready!"

Gobo drew in a breath, then blew as hard as he could. The chord made by the horn composed of artifacts from the Trash Heap, Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and Outer Space vibrated through the rock. Mighty waves of sound reached outward, to the Doozers' building site, into the Gorgs' garden, and even as far as Doc's workshop, linking them all with music.

Fraggle Rock, The Honk of Honks (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.