5.
The World Theater, Pentagon Park, Terrace High
In a stunned, if not utterly terrified, silence, the audience, regardless of the species, looked at the stage, or what was left of it. The curtain descended over the battlefield the stage had been turned into, with pieces of…things scattered all around, small craters and a disquieting big blotch at the center. There was a potent odor of cordite and ozone in the air.
Once the curtain had completely descended, Delusional Steve walked onto the stage, rubbing his paw in a confident way. The curtain barely muffled the noises and curses from the cleaning crew.
“Well, now that Jasper (Cheshire rest his soul) and Jinx showed us how to
not catch a mouse, shall we get ready for the closing events. Incidentally, our two main events, which are sure to leave in your hearts the best impression of this long, funny day. So, please, those of you who have not been crisped by the last blast that is, give a heartfelt one to the star of the next event: The magnificent, the beautiful, the only and one charming
DUHH-KESSSSS!”
The male canine part of the public filled the air with genuine enthusiasm as the elegant Saluki walked up the steps, waving a paw and throwing kisses.
Then, paws clasped against her tummy, with a perfect look of humility, she bowed and said, “Thank you very much for attending at this late hour. I assure you, this will be worth the wait and your patience…”
---
“Listen at her! If I didn’t fear staining my costume…” Allegra glared at the dog making a show of appearing grateful and humble, while at the same time suggesting that hers was the true grand finale, and that the rest before barely counted.
The mobile stage was ready, at last, and right on time. Soon as Duchess’ show was over, the pieces would be assembled to create a single, large stage where
Shadows of our Masters could be easily performed.
“Nevermind her,” Fox said. “This is for charity, not to prove anything. What matters is that the tickets were sold out in the end. See? They placed extra chairs.”
The blue cat nodded. “I see how you tamed King: You always have the right word.”
Fox blushed and didn’t add anything to that.
“Guys, remember,” the brown-furred female rat said, as she kept a brazier fit for her ablaze, “I can only work with the lights. And only because there was no time to train a crew. So it’s not cheating, I guess.” She looked at her rabbit housemate. “But magic is not about showing off.”
“Sorry, Chocolate,” Shadow said. “But I promised I’d spend more time studying the arcane arts with you. And you know how unnerving is that stuff to me.”
“It’s for your own good, you know it. You can’t share your space with a magic wielder without knowing the basis for self-defense. Of course, just in case. You know I wouldn’t ever hurt you.”
Shadow facepawlmed. “Please don’t let Jasmine hear that, or I’ll stay single forever.”
---
“…This show is a video I shot and assembled with the help of my Dad in the space of months. The title is ‘Ariana’, a song originally by Alphaville. It will be integrated with live special effects. I hope you can appreciate it.” Duchess retreated, bowing one last time. She blew one last kiss, and flashed a quick grin to her rivals.
---
“Which means that her Dad did all the job. It will be endless shots of her playing cute in some exotic settings. Blah!” Allegra grimaced.
“Isn’t her owner a professional movie Director?” Itsuki asked, feeling a little worried.
“Yeah. So what?”
---
The public applauded.
The curtain lifted…revealing a theater screen –large as life, and curved to offer an even better experience.
---
“An IMAX screen?” Lester’s jaw dropped. “I have a bad feelings about this, guys.”
“I am feeling excited,” Dallas added. “Is it bad?”
He wasn’t the only one. With such a beast, even the vacation home slides would look awesome.
Itsuki said nothing, but promptly handed Fox a kit consisting of a white cloth, a katana, a towel, paper, envelope and quill. Fox kindly declined.
---
And then came the 3…2…1…
The first shot was of the
A Running Dog Production logo –of course, a silhouette of Duchess running in the desert dunes, wind and sand blowing all around.
Then those sounds effect mixed in a single blowing sound as the dog stopped and the camera turned up to shoot at the shining sun. Drums rolled before the electric guitar joined as the camera went back down, this time showing a pick-up driving along Interstate 66, leaving a dust trail behind it.
A short pause in the music. Close-up on Karo the Border Collie, straw hat on his head, sitting in the back of the car with an old radio beside him.
Karo smiled to the public as he sang,
Driving down the streets, listening to the radio
What do you get? (
Ariana, answered Boris and Yeltsin from the side of the road)
The scene changed to the interior of a ‘60s diner, and this time Karo was sitting at a table, every other animal in the room hidden behind a newspaper.
Reading the papers and the news they scream
Haven't you heard? (
Ariana go the dogs, lowering the newspapers).
Change to a shady, dirty alley stretch, where Karo, wearing a leather jacket, was leaning against a wall. Duchess walked elegantly by him, leaving behind an alley transformed in a place of beauty.
She rules the business, she's such a restless genuine juvenile
Everyone knows, wherever she goes
She got chic, she got class, she got style! Duchess threw a kiss at the screen, and a heart filled the screen, preparing to the…
…change scene: Times Square, New York City, where a magnificent pet parade was filling the street, confetti flying all around. The parading dogs were wearing an armband with a red ‘A’ inside a pink heart. And as one they were singing,
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire, fire
Standing on her Cadillac’s backseat, Duchess was throwing rose petals all around as if they were magically appearing from her paws. On went the chorus all around,
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire!
On the screen, a flock of bright blue hummingbird flew in formation against the camera, whistling a merry jingle like so many winged flutes…
And they
literally came out of the screen! –or, rather, from behind its sides. The public ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed as the birds kept singing the jingle, flying over the audience, with Karo playing the electric guitar on the stage and gaining thus his own round of applauses.
Then, the jingle tuning down, the birds disappeared back behind the screen.
Change scene: A group of cats, all dressed up like a cross between hipsters and gangsters, danced in formation all around the strutting Saluki, as they sang in a low tone,
aumamaumaumamamaumammaumamaummamaumamaumamaumama!
Change scene to Babylon Gardens’ main street, where Duchess and Karo were pedalying on a tandem bicycle, with her on the rear and saluting her fans, swooning one after the other, hearts bubbling around them.
Karo, pedaling on the front, was singing,
We're goin' nutz for Ariana
We're goin' ca-razy for herrr!
Everything glows, wherever she goes
She got love from her neck to her toes.
At the close-ups of Duchess’ collarless neck, her wagging tail and legs, as one the female canines with a mate and/or a pup covered the eyes of their beloved ones!
All the casanovas, even zombies agree – 9-0 9-0 9-0 went up the signboard held by rotting zombie hands sticking out from graveyard mounds.
With the hummingbirds and the beasts from the sea (
Ahhh! went the dolphins as they jumped out of the water and dove as if swooning, with hummingbirds flying in a heart-shaped formation)
And now Karo was wearing an elegant tuxedo and holding a mike in his paw as he danced on the stage of the Dolby Theatre, with a Duchess-shaped enormous Oscar statuette behind him.
Ariana's a real sensation
When will she be on the, when will she be on the screeeeeen!
Change on a group of dogs and cats, all dressed up like a working crew. They were busy working on some metal structure -welding, hammering, sawing, running all around.
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire, fire
And when Karo, in overalls and hard hat, pressed a ‘T’-lever detonator, the camera zoomed out as the explosion lit up the writing ARIANA that now replaced Hollywood’s famous landmark.
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire!
Change scene to an enthusiast crowd filling a baseball stadium to capacity, everyone applauding and cheering.
Karo in his sports attire stood on the diamond. He threw the ball, as the public chanted,
One, two
One, two, three, four
And Duchess hit the ball, creating a puff of dust shaped as a ‘N.1!’ The ball took off for the sky, leaving a trail of stars behind, and the stadium sang,
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire, fire
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire
And when the ball exploded high in the sky, like a little sun, a renewed, roaring cheer came from the public, with Karo dressed as a cheerleader giving the cue:
G-O
Ariana, go, let's go
G-O
Go, go, Ariana
G-O
Ariana, go, let's go
Let's go, let's go, Ariana, ARIANA!
Duchess now posed like a statue over a pedestal, proudly holding a billowing American flag, in the Gardens’ Main Square. A chorus of trumpets filled the air. Everypet around sang as the camera zoomed out to take in a veritable circus, with clowns, acrobats and even big feral cats, all performing around her,
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire, fire
Arianamaniacs rule the world, haven't you heard?
Arianamania sets the scenes on fire!
And the camera zoomed in one last time to frame Duchess smiling with sparkling teeth.
Arianamaniacs
When the curtain came down, the animal part of the audience just went wild! The humans looked more or less…puzzled, but applauded politely. At least, the youngest ones’s applauses was more heartfelt.
Duchess and Karo got up the stage and bowed holding paws, then waving. More rounds of applauses saluted them.
---
“I should sue her!” Drake muttered. “It isn’t fair, she had…well, everything and all the time in the world! And then she comes and picks on us as if we were a bunch of…peones!”
Chocolate’s eyes shone with eerie blue arcane energies. “Forget what I said, guys: I’m
so gonna magick her a lesson she won’t forget!”