by S.J. Drew
understand,” she replied.
The ghosts bowed to Ami, who returned the gesture. Ami thanked them again, in Japanese, and they vanished.
“You did very well, Isa-chan,” Ami said.
“Is that thing gone?” Maryann asked.
“It is imprisoned again, and hopefully will not soon be freed.”
“Well, I don't know about anyone else,” Leah said, “but I could really use a shower.”
“I second that,” Nora said. “I wouldn't have worn this dress if I had known what was going to happen.”
Ami smiled. “I believe an evening of relaxation would benefit us all.”
They started to walk back to the cabin. The air seemed clearer than before and Blue Lake did not seem so dark.
“I wish we could just have a nice, uneventful vacation,” Nora sighed.
“Yes, but it's us,” Leah said.
“At least we've got all day tomorrow,” Maryann said.
“I guess that's something,” she replied grudgingly. “It's better than having our entire vacation ruined by a giant evil lake monster thing.”
“If I understand my great-grandmother and my great-aunts, there's always a giant evil lake monster thing,” Isabella said.
“Not exactly,” Ami responded. “But there are obligations.”
“Lucky us,” Leah sighed.
“You are lucky,” the old woman said. “You have people who can help you. That goes a long way in a world like this.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Isabella said.
The others quickly thanked her too.
“Now, do any of you know how to play Go?” Ami asked.
“Oh, I know,” Maryann said.
“And so the little old master sets up another newbie for the fall,” Leah said in a low voice.
Nora and Isabella smiled.
The rest of their vacation was uneventful and relaxing, and within two days, they were on the road again.
The Lyrics:
Turn on that spotlight
Time to take the stage
To give them such a show
It will be all the rage
The center of attention
To be in the limelight
But when attention strays
I feel the painful slight
Refrain: I try not to dwell
I try to let it go
But you can't help it
It's about me, you know
Don't look over there
Pay attention only to me
Nothing else even matters
Why is that so hard to see
Give me your adoration
Don't even begin to pause
I live for your praise
I need your applause
Refrain
I have nothing else in life
So many things are empty
I am the green-eyed monster
Totally consumed by envy
Track 4 - Don't Quoth Me
The Interview:
Kelly: This next song, “Don't Quoth Me,” feels like a throwback to a 1960s protest song, only with a modern edge.
Bryan: And in your interview in “Forever Rock” magazine, you even hinted you might have a song like this.
Lee: What can we say? Sometimes we're consistent.
Kelly: So why a protest song?
Lee: Why not?
Bryan: We mean, what are you protesting against? From the lyrics, it sounds like you're protesting against people putting words in your mouth.
Lenore: Yes...funny that...
Anna: No one likes to be talked about. No one likes hearing someone is saying bad things about them.
Belle: We think words are very important, obviously, since we write songs. We also think people are sometimes careless with what they say, and sometimes they're deliberately cruel.
Bryan: So is the inspiration a bad review or some kind of troll?
Lenore: No, not specifically.
Kelly: Or maybe some kind of fight within the band?
Anna: You know, not all bands have members that fight each other all the time. We actually get along really well. But we have said things we don't mean, and sometimes we don't say what we mean either. We've worked it out, but that whole he-said/she-said type of stuff just causes too many problems. This is a song about honesty, if you want to look at it that way, and frustration. Words really are so important and most people are, as Belle said, too careless. Look at the influence bullies can have even when they aren't violent. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but it's not true that words won't hurt me.
Belle: In many mythologies, words have actual power. If I yell “Kelly” and you hear it, you're probably going to stop what you're doing and look around, right?
Kelly: Yes.
Lee: Well, isn't that some kind of power? And that's just your name.
Lenore: Even outside of that aspect, words can destroy someone's reputation; wreck their career prospects, or their marriage. Words give people ideas, sometimes the right ones, sometimes the wrong ones, and sometimes dangerous ones.
Bryan: That's a lot of meaning. Did you really think of all that when you wrote the song?
Anna: Not exactly just like that, but that's what we were going for when we did finally write it. Words are powerful, and should be respected and handled with care. The wrong words can really hurt someone, but the right words could save someone from a lot of trouble.
The Inside Story:
The band called Nevermore and the Ravens had just finished up the final set of the second evening of the Cascade of Music Festival. The festival took place near a national park in the Cascades in Oregon. The master of ceremonies had to read off some announcements, so the band took advantage of the break to get some fresh air. They went behind the stage and away from the crowds.
"I think that went well," Maryann said. "Of course it's so hard to tell from our perspective."
The four young women were dressed in identical, Victorian-fashion inspired costumes. They had black blouses with black corsets on the outside, black long skirts that had been cut into short skirts, purple and gray striped tights, and very high, vintage inspired boots. They even had identical black wigs that were pulled into tight buns with black feather accessories.
"I'm sure we were awesome," Leah said. "Now if that MC would hurry the heck up, we can get out of here and get to a nice soft bed."
"The wind just shifted," Isabella said, looking around.
"So it begins," Leah sighed.
"What begins?" Maryann asked.
"That's what we're about to find out," Nora said. "Hey, do you hear something?"
Several small things burst from the bushes. The band found themselves surrounded by two dozen short, green creatures. They were about six to eight inches tall, wiry, with long faces, long pointed ears, and bright purple eyes. They had long, dark green hair and all were wearing very simple clothes made out of leaves. They were so alike in form and dress the band couldn't determine if they were male or female. They were muttering to each other in high-pitched voices using a language none of the band could understand.
"What are they?" Leah asked.
"I think they're probably fairies of some kind," Isabella said. "But that really doesn't tell us anything. That's like saying that's a tree of some kind."
"So I'm learning," she replied wryly.
"They look sort of like tiny goblins, maybe," Maryann said. "Or brownies? Or imps. Maybe imps. Why are they staring at us like that?"
The little creatures were having an animated discussion with a lot of pointing and some were pulling at their dirty green hair. Finally four of them leaped all the way up to the band's heads and tugged on their hair and pulled off their wigs.
"Hey!" Leah snapped.
The creatures dropped the wigs immediately and started pointing at Maryann.
"Those are hard to keep clean," she said, picking up the wigs. "Honestly, what is with these things?"
> "No idea," Isabella answered. "I can't understand a thing they're saying."
Another two dozen creatures scurried out of the bushes.
"There sure are a lot of them," Nora said. "And they are really wound up. Are they dangerous?"
"Any creature can be dangerous," she said, "but I don't know what these are so I can't tell for sure."
A dozen more appeared.
"But now I'm getting nervous."
Suddenly the mob charged the band. The imp-like creatures managed to get underneath Maryann's feet, causing her to lose her balance and fall over backwards. She landed on the mob and instead of being crushed they caught her and started to run very quickly.
"Hey! Stop it!" she yelled. "Heeeelp!!"
The creatures tripped the rest of the band at the same time and did not catch them, so they fell awkwardly to the ground and had to scramble to their feet and make up the distance. For being so short, the creatures ran very fast. The band watched them run up to a ring of mushrooms and vanish.
"Why does this always happen to her?" Leah sighed as Isabella set to work on opening the door.
"Because she's Maryann. I'm starting to think we shouldn't do any more outdoor gigs," Nora said.
"Why does this always happen to me?" Maryann lamented as she felt herself enter Fairyland. "At least I'm wearing tights today." As Maryann was jostled along the forest floor, she noted that the creatures were not leaving any sort of path. "Oh, I hope they can find me," she thought.
They were still jabbering to each other in a language she didn't understand. They took a sharp turn into a hidden hollow and she could see dozens of mushroom houses near the huge trees. Finally they set her down on a tree stump and then backed away and were silent.
"Um," she said.
Suddenly something flew down from the trees and landed in front of her. It was another one of the creatures, but it had apparently functional bat-shaped wings and its skin was completely dark blue. It was also wearing a very simple leaf
