A Wandering Heart
Part 13: Veggie Monster
by Kim McFarland

Janken sat at a console, looking at the three monitors. They showed different views of the same scene: a mostly-empty stage, with people wandering about. They were figuring out blocking, scenery shifts, and suchlike.

Janken had nothing to do yet. He had arrived early so he could familiarize himself with the equipment before the rehearsal. While the actors were rehearsing onstage he would be practicing on this console, so that when the real performance came around he'd know the show well enough to handle the cameras without stopping to think about how.

Every so often it hit him how funny it was that he, a cave-living aborigine, wound up working electronics. After being trapped on the surface by a rockslide, he had proved himself a fast learner, and he had wanted to learn everything about Outer Space so he could teach the Fraggles back home. He had soon realized that the world was much too big, and that nobody could ever know everything. Even if anyone's mind could hold it all, one lifetime was not enough to learn it all in.

Janken had decided early on that it was at least as important to understand the culture of the surface world's inhabitants. The more you learned about people, the easier they were to talk to and work with, as they had learned from the Doozers and Gorgs. But that too was much more of a task than he had expected due to its size and complexity. Trying to understand everything about the Silly Creatures of Outer Space was like trying to drink a waterfall! so he had decided to simplify his task and become part of this world for now. He would walk in the Silly Creatures' shoes so that, if the need arose, he could act as a go-between.

To that end he had been studying in a university. People learned various jobs here. Janken, being a Fraggle, had gravitated toward musical theater because it reminded him of home. He did not want to be onstage; he was certain that he'd be as awful an actor as he would have been a storyteller. But he liked working behind the scenes, and that way he could still be a part of it. He'd discovered a knack for lighting and camera work. They were a way to focus the audience's attention, to tell people where to look, just as a storyteller chooses which details of a story to emphasize.

He watched the people messing about onstage for a little longer. It would be a while before they began the real rehearsal. He took out a book for one of his other classes and began reading.

Some time later Janken heard someone approach, and looked up. It was one of the people he'd seen scurrying about onstage. He was about the same size as Janken, and orange-skinned. Janken was startled to realize that, except for his eyes and ears, he almost looked like a Fraggle. He said, "Hi."

"Hi," Janken replied.

"They told me that a new student would be working the cameras and lights for this show. That's you?"

"Yeah. I'm Janken."

"Hi, Janken." The orange guy grinned, and Janken was startled to feel his heart flutter. He had a nice smile. He continued, "I'm going to be stage managing this gig. The director likes to keep things simple as far as blocking goes, so the lighting and camera work shouldn't be tricky."

Janken said, "That's good. This is my first full show."

"This is everyone's except mine, I guess."

"Oh, you've done this before?"

"Huh? Yeah. I've been doing it for years off and on."

"Oh? Nice."

The orange guy looked at the monitors, then said, "I'd better get back. Good meeting you, Janken." He turned to go.

Janken said, "Wait, I didn't catch your name."

He glanced back over his shoulder and gave Janken an odd look. "Huh?"

"Your name. You didn't tell me what it is."

Now he seemed genuinely surprised. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Janken said.

He laughed. "Wow, you must live under a rock or something. I'm Scooter."

Janken paused, then said in a flat tone of voice, "Yes, as a matter of fact I have lived most of my life under a rock," and turned back to the monitors.

The rehearsal lasted for a few hours, during which Janken played with the cameras, getting a feel for them. By the end he was manipulating and switching between them without thinking about it; it came naturally after a little practice. He would wait to mess around with the lights until it wouldn't distract the people onstage.

They broke for lunch, and Janken left the theater as well. Sometimes he packed a sandwich or some fruits and vegetables. Not today; there was a stand by the campus that he liked to visit. He rode his bicycle over to the tentlike construction that appeared on this corner twice a week. The people here sold fruits and vegetables. Janken could smell how fresh they were, probably locally grown, and they didn't taste of pesticides, so he bought from them whenever he could.

He selected some carrots, apples, oranges, peaches, and cucumbers. As he paid for them he said, "Do you know if you've got any radishes coming?"

"I don't know. If we do I'll save you a bunch."

"Thanks!" He ate one of the carrots, then put the bag into his bicycle basket and rode off.

A few minutes later he arrived at an office building off campus. He locked his bike to the rack, took the sack, then went in. "Hi, guys."

"Hi, Jan," one of the Monsters who worked there replied. "How's it going?"

"It's going fine. Could I check the hole?"

"Sure, I'll let you in."

The Monster led him into the back and unlocked the storeroom. Janken went in. There, behind a crate, was another door. They had put it over the hole leading into the Fraggle caves to prevent anything else from getting into their storeroom. The door would stop an animal, but a person who knew how to open it, or was reasonably clever, could get through. He took the handle and lifted, and it slid upward easily.

He crawled through the narrow passage and emerged into an open chamber. The air was clean and free of dust, and the ground and walls were dotted with soft pads of moss and decorated by cave ferns and flowers. He went down the passage that led to the nearby Fraggle colony. It was completely blocked by rubble too big to move, as it had been for the past two years.

Janken had not expected otherwise, but he still checked every week. He was no longer so homesick that the sight of the closed tunnel upset him. He was comfortable enough living on the surface, and with Doc's help he kept in regular contact with his family by postcard. But, still, he checked at least once a week to see if the way back had opened.

He went back to the open room, sat on a comfortable patch of moss, and began munching on a cucumber.

That afternoon he returned to the theater. The actors and director were onstage, discussing the first scene they would tackle. Scooter was off to the side, listening and occasionally jotting notes down on a clipboard. Janken thought, he's probably some big man on campus; that must be why he expects everyone to know who he is. It's a shame he's stuck up, he thought, because he's good-looking.

Good grief, where had that come from? Janken smiled ruefully at himself. As usual, he was attracted to the wrong guys. Oh well, it would pass. Scooter was only a Silly Creature, after all.

They ran through the first few scenes, working out staging and blocking as they went. Janken made some notes on his copy of the script. He wouldn't be able to make decisions on camera angles and lighting until they had a better idea of what they were doing onstage, he knew, but he was getting more familiar with the material.

By evening everyone had had enough, and after taking some time for discussion the rest of the crew left for the evening. Janken was shutting down the console when Scooter walked over. Janken glanced up, then asked, "Do you have notes for me?"

"No, it's too early for that. Um, I think we started off on the wrong foot back there. What say we do a retake?"

Janken cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry if I insulted you. I was just joking around. I'm so used to being recognized, and treated funny because of it. I thought you were pulling my leg." He put his hands in his jacket pockets and smiled sheepishly.

He sounded sincere, Janken thought. He'd meet him halfway. "I guess I haven't gotten around much. Where would I have heard of you?"

Scooter shrugged. "Never mind. It's kinda nice not to be recognized for once. What do you say we forget it?"

"Sure," Janken replied.

"So... where're you from? I can't place your accent."

"I'm from around here. I picked this up from my parents," Janken said. He didn't make a habit of telling people he was a Fraggle; it only begged more questions. People didn't really want to hear his life story in response to a casual question anyway.

"Oh. Say, want to grab a bite?"

Janken glanced at the clock on the console. "Thanks, but I have to get going."

"Oh, meeting a girl?" Scooter said with a smile.

"Nah. I work in the evenings."

They started toward the exit. Scooter said, "Night job? That's tough."

"Not really. I like it. When I finish the shelving I can study or read."

"Oh," Scooter said, nodding.

Janken's bicycle was leaning against the wall by the exit. Scooter held the door while Janken walked it out. Janken put the bag in the basket. He said, "Besides, if I had a date it wouldn't be with a girl."

Scooter said, "Oh... okay. See you tomorrow."

"See you," Janken said, swung his leg over the bike, and pedaled off.

Janken was pleased and a little relieved. Scooter had been surprised, but only momentarily, and it hadn't bothered him. He might be worth getting to know after all.

Fraggle Rock and all characters except Janken and Scooter are copyright © The Jim Henson Company. Scooter is copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All copyrighted properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.