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It was the prime of afternoon and most of the Neopian
population was still in Neoschool. Outside the air was crisp and cool, but inside
the classroom it was stuffy and anticipation bounced from wall to wall. The
bell would ring anytime and the anxious students would be free to rush from
their stiff seats to the comfort of their Neohomes.
"One more thing," a green Zafara at the front
of the room said to her class. "We still need someone to direct this year's
class play. If any of your owners are interested, please have them call me."
No sooner had she finished her sentence than
the bell rang and the pets sprang from their seats.
"Alright, you guys get out of here!" the Zafara
exclaimed good naturedly as her class streamed through the door. "I'll see you
all tomorrow!"
"Did you hear what Miss Dill said?" a baby Gelert
asked the rainbow Tonu beside her. The two had escaped the mass of students
and were making their way home.
"Yah, I heard her," Ramoose said. "She said,
'I'll see you all tomorrow!' And unfortunately, she will."
"No, not that," Puppy_Trix (the baby Gelert)
said, shaking her head. "Miss Dill said she still needs someone to direct this
year's class play."
"Oh," Ramoose said. "So?"
"Don't you remember what Trini said? She was
considering getting into acting."
Just a few weeks before their Faellie, Trini,
had gotten a job at the furniture shop. The job hadn't exactly worked out, to
say the least, and after having been fired the Faellie had shown interest in
show biz.
"Hmmm," Ramoose mumbled. "Maybe she'd be interested
in directing then. We should tell her about it."
"Well… is that really a good idea?" Puppy asked.
"You know how she can be."
Ramoose shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not like we'd
have big parts in it, anyway."
"Speak for yourself," Puppy retorted. "But I
guess we should tell her."
"Yeah," Ramoose agreed. "We should."
**********
"How was school today?" their owner, SeaZ0ne, asked when they arrived home
that afternoon.
"Fine," Puppy said. "We finished The Lost
Kau today. It was great."
"Did they find it?" Trini asked, flying into
the family room where they were assembled.
"Find what?" Ramoose asked.
"The Kau."
"I don't want to spoil the ending," Puppy said.
"Oh, yeah, they found it," Ramoose said.
"Ramoose!" Puppy exclaimed.
"What?" the Tonu said. "Trini asked."
"Of course they found it," Trini said. "Everyone
loves a happy ending."
SeaZ0ne rolled her eyes. "So how's the play coming
along?"
"Well, Miss Dill needs a director for it," Puppy
said.
"A director?" the Faellie repeated, her large
ears keying in on the word.
"You know, someone to direct the play," Ramoose
explained.
"I know what a director is, Ramoose," Trini
said. "When do I start?"
"You're interested?" Puppy asked.
"Interested? This could be my big break!" Trini
exclaimed. "I can make this play a masterpiece! I'll be discovered!"
"Slow down," SeaZ0ne said. "You don't have any
theatrical experience."
"You have to start somewhere," Trini declared.
"Trini'd be a great director," Ramoose said
faithfully.
"Alright, well, we can go see Miss Dill about
it tomorrow before school," SeaZ0ne said. "I'm sure she'll have an opinion on
it."
**********
"That's wonderful news!" Miss Dill exclaimed the next morning. "I'm so relieved;
I was beginning to think we'd never find someone."
"Well, I'm happy we could help," SeaZ0ne said,
shaking Miss Dill's paw.
"Oh, you did, you did. I'm sure Trini will make
a great director."
"Do you have a copy of the script?" Trini asked.
"I want to see what I have to work with."
"Yes, of course," the Zafara said, rummaging
around in her desk. "Just a moment. Have it right… here," she pulled a stack
of papers out and handed it to Trini. "We have high hopes for this year's production."
"When do auditions begin?" Trini asked.
"Well, we were planning n today after school,"
the Zafara said. "Does that work for you?"
"You bet," Trini said. "See you then."
"Sorry about that," SeaZ0ne said once the Faellie
had left the room. "She tends to get wrapped up in her role."
"A true actress," Miss Dill said in admiration.
"Ummm. Right. See you later then," SeaZ0ne said
as she exited the room. "Good luck!"
**********
"I don't know who wrote this," Trini said, scratching out a line and scribbling
something in the margin, "but they sure did drag the story out."
SeaZ0ne laughed. "I'm sure it isn't as easy to
write as it is to read."
"Hmph," Trini grunted. "A Kougra is taken in
and raised by a Fire Faerie. The genius. Well, I've got to go to auditions now.
Anyone could play these parts in their sleep, so I don't see much point, but
I do have responsibilities to keep."
"If you don't like the material, you could always
quit," SeaZ0ne reminded her.
"I am not a quitter," Trini said stubbornly,
closing the script and picking up a pair of star-shaped glasses. "Besides, I
was born to be a star."
"Well, you can't mess with fate," SeaZ0ne said.
"I'm off!" Trini exclaimed. "Let's see what
these pets can do!"
**********
"This is Jester, here to audition for the role of Jopper," Miss Dill said,
leading an orange Kougra into the room before exiting again.
"Okay," Trini said. "Show me what you've got.
Get acting."
"My name is Jopper," the Kougra said dramatically,
"and I was just a cub when-"
"Okay, that's good," Trini interrupted.
"What did I do wrong?" He asked in confusion.
"Nothing. It was perfect," Trini said. "You
got the part." Before the stunned Kougra could say anything Trini hollered,
"Next!"
"I-I'm Karo…"
"I'm Lance…"
"I'm Coop…"
"NEXT! NEXT! NEXT!"
"Gosh, none of these pets can act," Trini mumbled
to herself. "I'm getting desperate.
"Here's Puppy_Trix auditioning for the part
of Pewter, the Fire Faerie."
"Hey, Trini! How's it going? Enjoying life as
a star?" Puppy asked.
"Don't get me started," Trini groaned. "You've
got the part."
"Huh?" Puppy said.
"You're dependable, I know I can count on you,"
Trini explained. "Your classmates… they can't act."
"Um, thank you?" Puppy said.
"Uh-huh. Next!"
Two hours and countless auditions later, Trini
lay on the floor in exhaustion. "This is going to be a disaster," she muttered.
**********
"Okay, I expect you pets to be on your best behavior," Miss Dill said at rehearsals
the next day. "After all, we've only got two days to rehearse."
"What?" Trini said. "Two days?"
"That's right. Two days," Miss Dill repeated.
"The final performance is on Friday."
"Friday? And today's Wednesday…" Trini counted
off the days on her paw. "That leaves us two days to rehearse."
"That's what I said. Anyway, I'll just be next
door if you need me," Miss Dill said. "I have a ton of papers to grade." And
with that she left Trini alone in the classroom with the twenty stars of her
'masterpiece'.
"Okay," Trini sighed. "Laydi and Jexter I want
you two to play out the scene where Kemp (Laydi) and Jopper (Jexter) buy ice
cream and discuss their futures. Laydi, you should be worried because Jopper
wants to forget about an education and go live with the faeries in Faerieland.
Jexter, you should be trying to convince Kemp that it's a good idea. Understand?"
The Uni and Kougra nodded.
"Good. Action!" Trini called.
"Jopper, you're making a huge mistake."
"Only if you consider the best decision I've
ever made a huge mistake."
"But to throw away your education?"
"CUT!" Trini hollered. "That was awful! You
two sound like a couple of…of…oh, it was just terrible! Try again. This time
with more emotion."
"Jopper... you're making a huge mistake."
"CUT!" Trini exclaimed, interrupting the Uni.
"You're acting! Don't! Feel the material!"
"Okay," Laydi nodded.
"Jopper, why are you doing this?" She burst
out. "You're making a big mistake!"
"CUT!"
"Now what?" Laydi groaned.
"You're not ACTING!"
"YOU TOLD ME NOT TO!" The Uni yelled back in
frustration.
"I can't do this right now," Trini said. "New
scene. Puppy, you're Pewter, the Fire Faerie. You're telling Jopper how proud
you are of him. Take your lines slow and make them meaningful. Action!"
"Jopper, you know how proud I am of you, right?
You've turned out to be a fine Kougra-"
"Cut! Can...you...hear...yourself…Puppy? You're…talking…so…slow…"
"You told me to go slow," Puppy said calmly.
"Not that slow," Trini clarified.
The rest of the afternoon was spent bouncing
from scene to scene, while Trini tried to piece the play together. Rather unsuccessfully,
I might add. It was a good thing the pets had already memorized their lines,
because little was accomplished in the long length of time they rehearsed.
**********
"I'm going to bed," Trini said immediately after she arrived home that night.
"How was the rehearsal?" SeaZ0ne asked from
the kitchen.
"Stressful," Trini groaned before retreating
to her room.
Puppy and Ramoose, who had come in after the
Faellie, met SeaZ0ne in the kitchen.
"Why'd we tell Trini?" Puppy asked regretfully.
"Was it really that bad?" SeaZ0ne asked.
Ramoose shrugged. "Trini's a strict director.
I'm glad I'm just in charge of pulling the curtain.
"The rest of the pets are calling her a tyrant,"
Puppy said.
"Oh, boy," SeaZ0ne said. "She's being the usual
Trini, then?"
"You got it."
**********
The next day the cast of 'Jopper's Jaunt', as the play was titled, met once
again after school. It was, in fact, their last day to rehearse and the distraught
pets ran around in a frenzy anxiously tearing the room apart in search of their
costumes.
"Everyone, STOP!" Trini shouted. The room suddenly
became dead quiet, scattered with frozen figures of pets. "We'll run through
the entire play in ten minutes. Count them, ten," Trini announced.
"Be in costume and ready to go. Okay, get ready."
The room unfroze and the pets began their search
once more.
"Um, Trini?" Puppy asked timidly. She stood
before the Faellie wearing a long auburn wig and silky red dress.
"Oh," Trini said, grimacing. "You look awful."
Puppy frowned. "Gee, thanks. But I really need
to talk to you. Do you think we're going to be ready by tomor-"
"Look at these wings," Trini went on, pulling
at a flimsy flap taped onto the back of the Gelert's dress. It fell off and
Trini said, "We really need better costumes."
"Well, if you would leave my wings alone,"
Puppy said. "But really, Trini, if you need help…"
"I'm doing just fine," Trini said. "Now who's
in charge of costumes?"
"Trini, it's not important," Puppy said.
"Well, we can't have a one-winged faerie now
can we?"
"Oh, boy," Puppy said, walking away. "Faeries
save us."
The final rehearsal went considerably better
than the first, but Trini had an opinion on everything. One pet talked
too soft, another shouted. Where she should have been focused on just having
it run smoothly she was focused on the little, less important aspects.
Puppy knew something had to be done if the play
and Trini's ego were to be salvaged. (Trini was even more unbearable when something
didn't go her way. She blamed it on the weather before she blamed herself.)
So, Puppy figured, drastic times called for drastic measures and she spread
the word for everyone to meet before school the next morning. Everyone except
Trini.
**********
"Five minutes till show time!" Miss Dill called. It was Friday evening and
it was now or never. Either the play would be a huge success or a gigantic disaster.
Puppy had secretly taken things into her own paws that morning, but didn't feel
like she had made much of a difference.
The cast was lining up behind the curtain, getting
on their marks and everyone was a basket of nerves. On the other side of the
curtain a sea of chairs was filled with owners, eager to see their pets perform.
"Okay, Trini," Miss Dill said. "You're up. Go
give a little introduction." She gave the Faellie a gentle push through the
curtain and onto the stage.
"Heh," Trini said wringing her paws in front
of the crowd. "Well, thank you all for coming to this production. There will
be no refunds," there was a murmur of laughter and Trini went on. "I was… lucky,"
she grimaced, "…enough to be hired as director. Miss Pickle has a great class.
So let's hear it for them! Ramoose it's curtain time!" With that, Trini flew
off stage and took her seat in the front row beside SeaZ0ne while Ramoose pulled
the curtain and the play began.
It got off to a rocky start, with a few pets
forgetting their lines, but while it was not overly dramatic it was still well
done and to the point. The whole time Trini sat slouched in her chair, her face
scrunched up. SeaZ0ne kept giving her funny looks, but when the play ended Trini
heaved a sigh of relief and was the first to stand up and applaud. Things could
have gone much worse.
"Good job!" SeaZ0ne said, patting the Faellie
on the back. "You managed to pull it off!"
"Of course I did," Trini said, wiping the sweat
off her forehead. "Did you ever doubt me?"
SeaZ0ne laughed. Trini would always be Trini.
Director or not.
**********
Backstage Miss Dill smiled gratefully at Puppy. "Thanks for saving us."
"I didn't," Puppy said. "Trini would have done fine without me."
THE END
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the story! I'm always open to Neomails
so please feel free to give me a holler!
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