Chapter 15
Now through the mountains they walked. It was cold and snowy, and the sky was unusually dark. A thick forest covered the side of the mountain and here they walked, unsure of where they were heading. The old man had mentioned obstacles, but thus far, they had run into no such obstacles.
"If it's another Bridge." Tomo said, disgusted.
He and Chichiri hadn't noticed that their powers were switched. None of the others wanted to point it out. For it meant that they would have to go back to the castle to get at the old man again. They were unusually silent during their trek through the mountains.
Hotohori was beginning to miss Kristin a lot. He was starting to see her face where ever he turned, and almost kissed Tomo for thinking he was her. Silently weeping inside, Hotohori ordered them to stop and camp for the night, in which the moon had risen high in the sky, amid many sparkly stars.
"My dear Kristin-sama," he said aloud, walking off by himself into the woods. "How I miss you so! When I thinkn of you, this song comes into my head." For of course, Hotohori knew music. And with this, he pulled out a flute, a wooden one, not like Katie's high-pitched one, and began to play Kristin's theme.
All the others were rather confused as to where the music was coming from. But Hotohori didn't care. All he wanted to do was play his music and sooth his aching heart.
Just then, as he finished her song, he thought he heard his own theme music playing back to him upon the sweet sounds of the oboe.
Kristin!
He played a few notes out into the air, and waited.
She played back to him.
Hotohori?
Yes, my love, I am here! I can hear you!
My dear, where art thou?
In the mountains. We are steadily growing nearer to where you lay, but.
But what?
Obstacles. There are obstacles - traps - that the Lone Wolf Warrior has set up to ensure we do not get to you.
And the others? Are they well?
But of course . . . though you may not want to mention to Makiko that Miboshi's arm . . . is missing.
What?! Why is his arm missing?
Dragon wolf bit it off.
Oh, my dear! What are we going to flu?
Dear, you were a bit flat on that note. I just heard you say Flu instead of Do.
Sorry.
Tell me . . . where exactly are you so that I know that I draw near?
In a cave, but that's all I can say. It's the only place I've seen, as I lay here in my cage, waiting for your rescue.
We won't be long, sweet heart. I promise . . .
"Will you cut it out with that racket?" came a low voice from behind Hotohori. It was Nakago. "If you're going to play something play the whole darn song."
"I'm talking with Kristin!" Hotohori said, and put his flute back up to his lips.
Nakago stared in bewilderment, and went back to the others, muttering, "He's finally starting to loose it. First Tomo . . . now his flute."
I don't have long my darling, Kristin played. The Long Wolf Warrior hates it when I play. He will be back in any time soon -- and suddenly, an awful note rang out, and Hotohori got discouraged.
Kristin?! he played. Kristin!
Hotohori sighed. He did not go back to the others. Rather, he put his face in his arms, and tried not to cry.
Meanwhile, Kristin was ready to scream.
"Oh, Andrew, how could you!"
"I know what you're doing," the Lone Wolf Warrior snarled. "I may not have understood any of it, but by the way you were playing . . . you've been talking to that Hotohori! Which means that he is in the mountains! He has to be that close in order for your musical sound waves to reach one another. I am sure they have just entered the mountains . . . pretty soon, my sweet, they will be facing obstacles that will make them scream and wet their pants!"
"Nakago doesn't wet his pants!" Martha cried.
All the girls were alert and awake, growling at the Lone Wolf Warrior standing over them.
"Alright, enough of this," the Lone Wolf Warrior said. "It's time for all of you to go back to sleep. Nothing's going on yet."
"We can't sleep now," Caitlin said. "We've been sleeping throughout the entire story! It's time we have our say!"
"Yeah!" the other girls choursed in.
"Too bad!" the Lone Wolf Warrior shouted, and turned and left the cave. There was nothing else for the girls to do but grumble and talk about the Lone Wolf Warrior.
Somewhere else near by, Katie and Phil, walked hand in hand.
Back in the cave, Kristin put her oboe to her lips, and started to play, HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP! over and over again. (that's high c# to g# over and over again in quarter notes.)
With that sound, Hotohori jumped to his feet and began playing rapidly, I'm coming, Kristin-sama! Please, just endure a little longer!
He cringed at the thought of anything happening to her.
Katie and Phil could hear Kristin's playing, and intrigued, decided to join in, disturbing the sound waves
I love you you love me, they started playing, we're a happy family with a hug and kiss (miss uots doesn't k now the words) won't you say you love me too?
And then:
We are Phil. La la la la la.
You can call us Bill. La la la la la.
We want to eat. La la la la la.
Smell our feet. La la la la la.
Damsels in Distress. La la la la la.
Full of happiness. La la la la la.
Andrew is our bud. La la la la la.
Let's go play in mud. La la la la la.
So we are Phil. La la la la la.
Later we can chill. La la la la LIIII!
"Oh, you were flat on that note, Katie," Phil said.
"Sorry, Philly-willy."
Hotohori was doubling over in pain. The others came running over as they heard him gave out a cry.
"What's wrong?" Chichiri asked.
"Phil's theme," Hotohori gasped, "it kills . . .!"
Nakago's eyes grew wide. "I know how that feels."
"Quick," Chichiri said, bending over and holding Hotohori tight, "get us some aspirin, Tasuki!"
"How?!"
"Pull it out of my hat!"
Tasuki reached in and pulled out aspirin. Soon, Hotohori was sleeping in peace.
"He has to be taken to the nut hospital," Nakago sneered, almost laughing. "He was talking to his flute as though it were Kristin."
"Hey," Tasuki shouted, "don't you be making fun of the EMPEROR OF KONAN!"
"Talking to his . . .?" Chichiri thought, then sat up, startled. "Why, he must have been communicating with Kristin through their instruments! That's why we kept hearing him only playing portions of notes. Don't you understand?"
"Hmm," Nakago said.
"I think I preferred it when he was going crazy," Mitsukake said. A bop to the head from Tasuki.
"Let's let him rest," Chichiri said. "Then we'll figure out what to do tomorrow."
"Something's different about you," Miboshi said to Chichiri.
"Huh? I feel fine," Chichiri said.
"Looks like we all could use some sleep, no da?" Tomo said. "Everyone's acting crazy, no da. Let's just get some shut eye, and then we'll set out first thing tomorrow morning, no da."
Tomo and Chichiri went to sleep. No one wanted to say anything.
Meanwhile, the Damsels . . . well, they were actually awake this time.
Now through the mountains they walked. It was cold and snowy, and the sky was unusually dark. A thick forest covered the side of the mountain and here they walked, unsure of where they were heading. The old man had mentioned obstacles, but thus far, they had run into no such obstacles.
"If it's another Bridge." Tomo said, disgusted.
He and Chichiri hadn't noticed that their powers were switched. None of the others wanted to point it out. For it meant that they would have to go back to the castle to get at the old man again. They were unusually silent during their trek through the mountains.
Hotohori was beginning to miss Kristin a lot. He was starting to see her face where ever he turned, and almost kissed Tomo for thinking he was her. Silently weeping inside, Hotohori ordered them to stop and camp for the night, in which the moon had risen high in the sky, amid many sparkly stars.
"My dear Kristin-sama," he said aloud, walking off by himself into the woods. "How I miss you so! When I thinkn of you, this song comes into my head." For of course, Hotohori knew music. And with this, he pulled out a flute, a wooden one, not like Katie's high-pitched one, and began to play Kristin's theme.
All the others were rather confused as to where the music was coming from. But Hotohori didn't care. All he wanted to do was play his music and sooth his aching heart.
Just then, as he finished her song, he thought he heard his own theme music playing back to him upon the sweet sounds of the oboe.
Kristin!
He played a few notes out into the air, and waited.
She played back to him.
Hotohori?
Yes, my love, I am here! I can hear you!
My dear, where art thou?
In the mountains. We are steadily growing nearer to where you lay, but.
But what?
Obstacles. There are obstacles - traps - that the Lone Wolf Warrior has set up to ensure we do not get to you.
And the others? Are they well?
But of course . . . though you may not want to mention to Makiko that Miboshi's arm . . . is missing.
What?! Why is his arm missing?
Dragon wolf bit it off.
Oh, my dear! What are we going to flu?
Dear, you were a bit flat on that note. I just heard you say Flu instead of Do.
Sorry.
Tell me . . . where exactly are you so that I know that I draw near?
In a cave, but that's all I can say. It's the only place I've seen, as I lay here in my cage, waiting for your rescue.
We won't be long, sweet heart. I promise . . .
"Will you cut it out with that racket?" came a low voice from behind Hotohori. It was Nakago. "If you're going to play something play the whole darn song."
"I'm talking with Kristin!" Hotohori said, and put his flute back up to his lips.
Nakago stared in bewilderment, and went back to the others, muttering, "He's finally starting to loose it. First Tomo . . . now his flute."
I don't have long my darling, Kristin played. The Long Wolf Warrior hates it when I play. He will be back in any time soon -- and suddenly, an awful note rang out, and Hotohori got discouraged.
Kristin?! he played. Kristin!
Hotohori sighed. He did not go back to the others. Rather, he put his face in his arms, and tried not to cry.
Meanwhile, Kristin was ready to scream.
"Oh, Andrew, how could you!"
"I know what you're doing," the Lone Wolf Warrior snarled. "I may not have understood any of it, but by the way you were playing . . . you've been talking to that Hotohori! Which means that he is in the mountains! He has to be that close in order for your musical sound waves to reach one another. I am sure they have just entered the mountains . . . pretty soon, my sweet, they will be facing obstacles that will make them scream and wet their pants!"
"Nakago doesn't wet his pants!" Martha cried.
All the girls were alert and awake, growling at the Lone Wolf Warrior standing over them.
"Alright, enough of this," the Lone Wolf Warrior said. "It's time for all of you to go back to sleep. Nothing's going on yet."
"We can't sleep now," Caitlin said. "We've been sleeping throughout the entire story! It's time we have our say!"
"Yeah!" the other girls choursed in.
"Too bad!" the Lone Wolf Warrior shouted, and turned and left the cave. There was nothing else for the girls to do but grumble and talk about the Lone Wolf Warrior.
Somewhere else near by, Katie and Phil, walked hand in hand.
Back in the cave, Kristin put her oboe to her lips, and started to play, HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP! over and over again. (that's high c# to g# over and over again in quarter notes.)
With that sound, Hotohori jumped to his feet and began playing rapidly, I'm coming, Kristin-sama! Please, just endure a little longer!
He cringed at the thought of anything happening to her.
Katie and Phil could hear Kristin's playing, and intrigued, decided to join in, disturbing the sound waves
I love you you love me, they started playing, we're a happy family with a hug and kiss (miss uots doesn't k now the words) won't you say you love me too?
And then:
We are Phil. La la la la la.
You can call us Bill. La la la la la.
We want to eat. La la la la la.
Smell our feet. La la la la la.
Damsels in Distress. La la la la la.
Full of happiness. La la la la la.
Andrew is our bud. La la la la la.
Let's go play in mud. La la la la la.
So we are Phil. La la la la la.
Later we can chill. La la la la LIIII!
"Oh, you were flat on that note, Katie," Phil said.
"Sorry, Philly-willy."
Hotohori was doubling over in pain. The others came running over as they heard him gave out a cry.
"What's wrong?" Chichiri asked.
"Phil's theme," Hotohori gasped, "it kills . . .!"
Nakago's eyes grew wide. "I know how that feels."
"Quick," Chichiri said, bending over and holding Hotohori tight, "get us some aspirin, Tasuki!"
"How?!"
"Pull it out of my hat!"
Tasuki reached in and pulled out aspirin. Soon, Hotohori was sleeping in peace.
"He has to be taken to the nut hospital," Nakago sneered, almost laughing. "He was talking to his flute as though it were Kristin."
"Hey," Tasuki shouted, "don't you be making fun of the EMPEROR OF KONAN!"
"Talking to his . . .?" Chichiri thought, then sat up, startled. "Why, he must have been communicating with Kristin through their instruments! That's why we kept hearing him only playing portions of notes. Don't you understand?"
"Hmm," Nakago said.
"I think I preferred it when he was going crazy," Mitsukake said. A bop to the head from Tasuki.
"Let's let him rest," Chichiri said. "Then we'll figure out what to do tomorrow."
"Something's different about you," Miboshi said to Chichiri.
"Huh? I feel fine," Chichiri said.
"Looks like we all could use some sleep, no da?" Tomo said. "Everyone's acting crazy, no da. Let's just get some shut eye, and then we'll set out first thing tomorrow morning, no da."
Tomo and Chichiri went to sleep. No one wanted to say anything.
Meanwhile, the Damsels . . . well, they were actually awake this time.