You're over my head
I'm out of my mind
Thinkin' I was born
In the wrong time
You're one of a kind
Livin' in a world gone plastic
Baby, you're so classic
Although there was still a notable chill in the autumn air, the mid-morning sun was shining like the brightest of summer days on the Calatonia Wharf.
It was a mile long structure stretching alongside the city's main shoreline, about a thirty minute walk from the New Moon Theatre. Though mainly used as a shipping and loading dock during the winter and spring months, the wharf was a major attraction during the summer and autumn, with all manner of markets, food stalls and carnival games for families to enjoy.
Though of course, it's main claim to fame was the annual Autumn Festival, which the Fletcher Foundation had been hosting there for the better part of two decades. And it was on the large wooden stage at the end of the wharf where the New Moon Troupe and a few of the crew members and hired performers from the Fletcher Foundation had gathered to hear Buster and Mike's plans for this year's performance.
"Good morning, everybody... OH!" Buster tensed back as the microphone feedback pierced everyone's ears like a knife, taking a few steps away from the nearby speaker.
"Geez, Moon, what are ya doin' with that?!" Mike snapped, while similar complaints and murmurings came from others in the small crowd.
"Yeah, my bad. Sorry about that, guys..." Buster tapped the microphone a few times with his finger while he tried his best to calm down the chattering group. "Alright, now if I could have a little quiet, please!"
Everyone gradually stopped talking while Caleb folded out a table for Buster to stand up on, gently helping the koala up onto it. "Right... go ahead, Mr. Moon."
"Ah... thanks, Caleb. Anyway, um..." Buster cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone again, while the rest of the cast and crew all turned their attention back to him.
"Well to start, I'd just like to say it's a real pleasure to see so many new and familiar faces standing here today." Buster began. "Y'know, to have our companies working side-by-side on this endeavour, you could say we're bringing together two great generations from our city's wonderful history of entertainment. And I really am honoured to be able to play a part in this collaboration with you all."
This prompted a few nods and murmurs of approval from the cast and crew, before Buster turned over to the flip chart that Suki had set up behind him. The front page featured a slightly messy but very vibrant drawing made with coloured Sharpie - courtesy of Rosita's piglets - and it brandished a distinct logo in the centre: 100 YEARS OF CALATONIA.
"As I'm sure you all know, this year's festival also coincides with the Calatonia Centennial celebration, so Ms. Fletcher is counting on all of us to give our community a show to remember! Suki, if you would..."
Suki nodded as she turned the page, revealing various drawings of the newer performers.
"So, for the first six days of the festival, we're going to be handing the reins over to our new friends from the Fletcher Foundation. Personally, I was really impressed by all of your auditions the other day, so I'm sure you guys'll be able to raise our audience's expectations!" Buster's encouraging words prompted a few cheers and flattered muttering from the new recruits, before Suki flipped the next page to reveal a drawing of their main troupe. "And on the final day, for one night only on the Calatonia Wharf, we'll be ending the Autumn Festival with a very special show performed by the terrific cast of the New Moon Theatre!"
There were awed murmurings and cheers from the entire crowd, the New Moon Troupe's being especially loud, as Suki flicked through various concept art of the sets and outfits they had already designed.
"This show will use a spectacular odyssey of song and dance to explore Calatonia's proud history, through the hopeful eyes of a pig from Schnitzeldorf who made his way to our great city a long time ago..."
Gunter immediately shot up. "Hey, that sounds like me, no...?"
"Indeed it does, Gunter!" Buster laughed. "And I can't think of anybody better to tell that story than you, buddy!"
"Alright!" Gunter did a dramatic fist pump as Johnny patted him on the back. "Ja, this is going to be, like, totally amazing!"
"Oh, you really deserve it, sweetie..." Rosita said warmly as she held onto his arm, before they looked back over to Buster again.
"Now, each of our cast will be performing their own thrilling musical number, chronicling a different era of Calatonian History." Buster then gestured down towards his tiny co-director. "Of course, Mike here will be opening the show with a bang, with an accompanying performance from our resident dance-floor diva, Nooshy!"
"Ah-ha, yeah!" Nooshy called out, taking a theatrical bow for the applause and congratulations she was receiving from her cast-mates. "I'll get workin' on my choreography right away, Mr. Moon!"
"Well, whatever you come up with, Nooshy, I'm sure it's gonna be great!" Buster nodded, before silently beckoning another figure from the small crowd. "Oh yeah, and while we're here, I'm also pleased to point out that we're joined today by a very special guest. Let's give a nice big hand to Miss Audrey Fletcher, everybody!"
With some gentle prodding from Becky, Audrey took a few steps forward and gave a shy, silent wave as the others gave her a small but sincere round of applause. Buster then lowered the microphone to Mike's level, letting the mouse take over the speech for a moment as he focused on Audrey.
"Yeah, take a good look, folks. We're gonna turn this scruffy little gorilla into a star, just like her Mom is, and there ain't no better way to do it than singin' one of her Mom's all time greats!" Mike's words prompted a few awed mutters from the crowd, though he took on a slightly quieter, more critical tone as he kept eye contact with the teenager. "Ya got a lotta legacy to live up to here, kid."
Audrey nodded nervously, before taking a step back as Buster lifted the microphone away from Mike and continued.
"And speaking of honouring legacies, Mike, I'm very proud to announce that one of our numbers will be paying homage to the Swan In Wolf's Clothing herself, Stephanie Frangipane, performed by none other than her very own daughter, Porsha!"
The young wolf had only just shown up a minute or two prior - having been attending to an errand on Ms. Crawly's behalf earlier that morning - but had been giddy with anticipation since she arrived. And she nearly shrieked with excitement when Buster finally called her out. "Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh, I can't believe this is really happening, Uncle Buster!"
"Oh I bet you can't, kiddo!" Buster laughed, making Porsha blush a bit as Ash took her hand. "Now, most of our other set-pieces are kind of a work in progress, but we certainly have a lot of great ideas for them. And, by the personal recommendation of our good friend Caleb Clark here, we'll be wrapping up the show with a special solo number, performed by the standout star of our cast, Meena!"
The young elephant gasped, her face lighting up with joy. "Do you really mean it, Mr. Moon?!"
"Of course!" Buster put the microphone down for a moment, speaking in an encouraging, fatherly tone to his second-youngest troupe member. "If anybody's gonna blow Ms. Fletcher away, Meena, it's gonna be you!"
Meena was still slightly breathless when her fellow troupe members all pulled her into a hug, nearly crying tears of joy as she tightened her own embrace around them all. "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tell my family about this!"
"Finally got a reason to get Alfonso here too, eh mate...?" Nooshy's remark made Meena's face go deep scarlet, though the elephant quickly nodded with a wide, excited grin.
"Alright folks, we got just short of a month to get this show on the road." Buster nodded to Suki, prompting his girlfriend to close the flip-chart. "The set crew are all set to go, and rehearsals begin first thing tomorrow!"
The rest of the performers and set crew then dispersed, heading off towards their various stations.
"Wait, hang on a minute, I've gotta... I've gotta get to... oh, bloody hell!" Nooshy nearly shrieked as she found herself being taken away by the staff stampede, right before she bumped into a slightly shorter figure and they both fell tumbling to the floor. "Ouch!"
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Tim stammered as he clambered to his feet and helped Nooshy back up, though he nearly let her fall back down again when he realised who she was.
"Eh, no worries, mate. I'm Nooshy..." She gave a small smile, which quickly contorted into a more concerned and confused expression when she saw the blank, ghost-white look on the serval's face. "Uh... y'alright there...?"
"What...? Oh, um... y-yeah, I'm fine." Tim stammered as he extended a hand for her to shake, Ash and Porsha both watching the scene unfold from a few feet away. "I'm Tim, I do the sounds. I mean, I don't do the sounds, obviously, but I make... no, I make sure they, um... I make sure it all works, I suppose. That's pretty much it, though."
"Oh yeah, great to meet you." Nooshy grabbed his hand with both of hers and enthusiastically shook it, making Tim freeze up even more. "Don't put yourself down, though. Y'know, you really are a big part of the process, mate. Can't have a show without the sound, now can we?"
Tim was slightly flattered by her remark, though it only made him even more nervous. "Well yeah, I um... I guess not..."
"He thinks you're pretty, Noosh!" Porsha called playfully, making Tim's eyes bulge to their widest point.
"What, no! No I don't!" He quickly objected, though he immediately started backtracking. "Well yeah, I'm not saying you're not pretty, because you're really pretty, but it's not like -"
"He's got a picture of you on his computer!" Ash added.
"That's just a poster! It's from the show you did, because you were really good, and I... I um... oh no..." Tim gripped the fur on his head, nearly pulling it out as he quickly took off again.
"I'm sure you can tell, but Tim doesn't have much experience talking to girls..." Caleb snarked playfully as he stood beside Nooshy.
"Really? Wow, never would have guessed." Nooshy said with a chuckle. "I think he's quite the charmer."
Over at the table, Buster was handing out sheets to each of the cast members. "Now, Mike and I have come up with a list of songs for you guys to pick for your performances. Ms. Fletcher's gonna come by the Theatre a week today to see our first run-through, so it goes without saying, but you really need to give it everything you've got!"
"You can count on us, Buster." Rosita nodded confidently, right before Caspar jumped into her arms and let his mother carry him away, the rest of her children following behind her.
"Um, excuse me... Mr. Moon?" A soft, timid voice caught Buster's attention as he turned to see Audrey standing there, rubbing her arm nervously as she struggled to keep eye contact with him.
"Ah, Miss Fletcher..." Suki gave a small smile, gently crouching a little to reach the teen gorilla's eyeline. "What can we do for you...?"
"Oh no no, please, Miss Fletcher's my Mum, I'm..." Audrey cut herself off for a moment. "Hang on, is Miss and Ms. two different things, or do they just... um... right, whatever, but no. Just Audrey's fine for me..."
"Oh okay, sure..." Buster sat on the edge of the table, a kind, understanding look on his face. "So what can we help you with, Audrey?"
"Um... thing is, I know how you said this was a list of songs, but it looks like you've only put one down for me..." Audrey pointed to the song title written under her name - If I Can't Have You. "It says I'm doing a duet for it too..."
"Well yeah, it is your first performance, Audrey, so we thought we'd keep things nice and simple for you." Buster stood up to put himself closer to her eyeline. "And Caleb thought you could do with a scene partner to show you the ropes."
"Wait, so she is doing a duet..?" Suki then looked to Audrey. "Does it say who your partner is, sweetie?"
Audrey gulped, then squinted at the sheet in her hands. "Yeah, it says here I'm paired with, um... J-Johnny? But I'm not really sure who that is...?"
"Oh that's me, I'm Johnny!" The older gorilla said, startling Audrey a little as he stood beside her. Johnny could sense that she wasn't that comfortable - though he wasn't sure whether it was him specifically or just the generally unfamiliar environment that was putting her off - but he remained cordial enough to try putting her more at ease. "I um... I really like your shirt, by the way..."
"Oh yeah... um, thanks..." Audrey gave a small smile as she opened her hoodie a bit, revealing a vibrant red T-Shirt with the Out Of This World logo emblazoned on it. "Yeah I was thinking of maybe asking that Rosita lady to sign it for me, but I think she's a bit um..."
"Oh yeah, mate. You just ask her and she'll do it for you, no problem!" Johnny considered patting Audrey on the back when he said this, though given her demeanour he couldn't help feeling it would have scared the life out of the younger gorilla. "Well anyway, I know it can be a lot doing your first show, but I can help you through it, Miss Fletcher."
"Right, um... yeah, great, wonderful, yeah, I'll just um..." Audrey cleared her throat, rolling up her sheet as she shuffled slightly further away. "Right, I need to go back to Caleb. I think Tim's run off again..."
"Great. We'll see you tomorrow, kid!" Buster called with a wave as Audrey quickly took off, letting out a nostalgic chuckle. "Y'know, she kinda reminds me of you when you first came here, Johnny..."
"Hmm... maybe..." Johnny didn't seem so sure, though he quickly regained a more enthusiastic tone as he back down at his koala mentor. "Still, I bet it feels great to finally get to do a big show where you didn't have to lie to anyone, Mr. Moon!"
"Ah yes, Johnny, great indeed!" Buster laughed heartily, gently holding onto Suki's hand as she placed it on his shoulder. "And I really can't wait to get started."
It was mid-afternoon when the troupe returned to the Theatre. Most of them were exhausted after a day of exploring the wharf and being introduced to their new collaborators from the Fletcher Foundation, though Porsha at least still had enough energy to occupy the piglets.
"Hey Porsha, you really gotta try this stuff we got from the prank stall today!" Zoey pulled out a small tube - the words Silly Beans emblazoned on it in big, vibrant letters - and emptied a few of the bright red sweets onto Porsha's hand.
"Prank stall? Alright, well if I get poisoned by this, you kids aren't gonna be in my will!" Porsha snarked before she swallowed the candies all in one go, coughing a few times as her voice suddenly became a lot more strained and croaky. "Ouch... oh my gosh, I sound so weird!"
"They're voice changers! They make you sound funny!" Zoey giggles as the rest of the piglets all latched onto Porsha and pulled her down to her knees, prompting the wolf to hunch over slightly and put a hand over her right eye.
"Okay okay okay, guys, check this out. Who am I...?" Porsha started shaking slightly as she emphasised her croaky voice even more. "Good morning, Mr. Moon! Have you seen my glass eye?!"
Not even adults present couldn't resist bursting into laughter at this impression, and even Ms. Crawly herself found it quite amusing as she made her way down from Buster's office. Though Porsha quickly straightened up when she realised the old lizard was watching her.
"Sorry! Oh... ahem..." Porsha cleared her throat and sat back up, now talking in her normal voice again as the last effects of the Silly Beans having finally worn off. "Yeah, uh... sorry, Ms. Crawly. Ya know we love ya!"
"Oh it's fine, deary... and you were such a big help with the invitations this morning, I think we can -"
"Invitations...?" Ash shot up, though the others were just as curious. "What invitations?"
"Oh yeah..." Eddie pulled himself up off of his big green recliner and approached, not having budged from his comfortable spot since he arrived that morning. "Porsha was helping Ms. Crawly with the early invites for the show, first thing. I woulda helped out too, but y'know... I had other stuff to do..."
"Aw, that's so nice of you to do, sunshine..." Rosita held Porsha's hand, gently pulling the young wolf out of the massive pile of piglets she was buried under. "So, early invites... that's all our families, right?"
"Yep." Porsha smiled proudly as she pulled out the list of names that she and Ms. Crawly had spent over an hour listing that morning. "Had to go door by door delivering 'em myself, too! Almost missed your little presentation at the wharf, Uncle Buster..."
"Well the good news is that you didn't, and now that's one less thing for us to do, Porsha." Buster chuckled as he let her hand him the sheet, curiosity looking through the names. "Wow... this is a pretty impressive list here, kiddo... and they've all accepted too?"
"Uh-huh! Norman, Johnny's Dad and his guys, Ash's parents, Meena's family, they all said yeah!" Porsha was practically jumping with excitement. "I didn't have a number for Nooshy or Gunter's families, so you guys are just gonna have to call 'em yourselves. Oh, and I hope it's okay, but I also gave Aunt Suki's family some seats in the VIP's too."
"Oh it's no trouble at all, kiddo. More the merrier is what I... oh..." Buster's eyes suddenly widened as he spotted one particular name on the sheet, which Suki quickly noticed.
"Buster... honey, are you okay?"
"Uh... yeah... yeah, all good..." Buster still seemed nearly catatonic as he passed Eddie the checklist and continued walking on, propping himself up on a nearby pillar. "Hoo, boy..."
Eddie looked through the sheet, stifling a hollow, foreboding laugh as he saw the name that had prompted Buster's reaction. "Oh man, Porsha, you invited Bernie...?!"
"Who...?" Suki took the list from Eddie and read through it herself, while the others continued murmuring amongst themselves.
"Well yeah, I invited her..." Porsha nervously wrung her hands together. "Is that like a bad thing or something...?"
"Aw kid, you got no idea the can of worms you just cracked open..." Eddie exhaled as he seemed to stare off into space. "You guys thought my Nana was mean, just wait til you meet Bernie Moon."
This only further piqued the rest of the Moon Troupe's interest, though Meena was the first to ask the question on all of their minds. "Who's Bernie Moon...?"
Buster cleared his throat, the look of dread still etched onto his face as he turned back to the group. He hesitated for another moment or two, anxiously wringing his hands together, before taking a deep inhale as he finally came out with it.
"She's my mother."
