There's more to it than meets the eye.
Exhausted, found out at the last possible moment that they switched me from having Mondays and Tuesdays off to Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Expect chapter-posting-frequency to reflect this.
Now . . . good night.
zzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzz . . .
EDIT:
Gonna be a long chapter because -- well, you'll see.
CHAPTER THREE:
The Race Begins
The three dashed from the thread, and music began. They sang:
"We're leaving RAF Falls to find the wishing star!
We're heading off to see a dream come true!
It's waiting right up there!
The answer to our prayer."
Saffa sang:
"A wish for free --"
Underseen sang:
"That you might be a --"
Then the three of them sang together:
"Multibillionaire!
That's why we're off to seek our destiny together!"
Underseen sang:
"It's one for all --"
Saffa sang:
"All for one --"
Abby sang:
"Times three!"
Then the three sang:
"Who cares about the stuff we lack?
We're on our way and we won't be back!"
Saffa sang:
"Until we find that star!"
Abby added, through song:
"Gee, it looks kinda far."
Underseen noted, though song:
"Too bad we don't have a car."
Then the three sang:
"Oh, what the hay?
We're on our way!
To find the wishing star!
We're leaving RAF, dolls,
To find the wishing star!
And when we do,
our troubles will be through!
It's just around the bend,
Where the mountains end.
We're packing our load,
We're hitting the road,
Let's sing it together again.
Hey, hey, we want to be the first
To touch the wishing star!
We're going for miles.
We're leaving town today!"
Underseen sang:
"We're takin' a stand!"
Saffa sang:
"We're makin' a vow!"
Abby sang:
"This is the place!"
Then the three sang:
"The moment is now!
For Cloaky, Jess, and Horse, tots.
We're giving all we got!"
Abby sang:
"We're coming, so ready or not!"
Then the three sang:
"Today's the day!
We're on our way
To find the wishing star!"
Then the other RAFians began to stir, and slosh through the snow toward the trio.
Yarin sang:
"Hey, what's up?
What's all the noise?"
Touquie sang:
"Two girls and a boy."
Blue sang:
"They've gathered 'round
In the thread square."
Touquie sang:
"They say there's something
Way out there."
Noelle sang:
<Something weird
and something strange.>
Foxglade, Hunter, and Goom sang:
"Something beyond the
farthest mountain range!"
Yarin sang:
"What are you saying?"
Sakki said;
"What do you mean?"
Rotiart, Terenia, Touquie, Blue, Estrid, foxglade, Hunter, and Goom sang:
"It's something no one's ever seen!"
FuBar sang:
"What's the story?
What's the buzz?"
Underseen sang:
"We're about to leave
And that's because --"
Abby sang:
"We're on our way
To the wishing star."
Yarin sang, as Sakki echoed him:
"The wishing star?"
SuperNate queried:
"What's that?"
Faerie asked:
"Haven't you heard?"
SuperNate replied:
"There's no such thing,
That's too absurd!"
Shorty asked:
"What's the story?
What's the dish?"
Saffa sang:
"Touch the star and
You get one wish."
Yarin sang, asking for clarification:
"You get one wish
If you touch the star?"
Shorty sang:
"Where's it at?
Is it way out far?"
Abby sang:
"It could well be,
But we just don't know."
Underseen sang;
"We'll soon find out
Because we're going to go --"
Then the trio sang:
"To the wishing star!"
The RAFians sang:
"To the wishing star!
It's something weird
And so bizzare!
It fell down from
somewhere very far."
Then the trio sang solo:
"The wishing star,
Oh yes, we are
On our way.
So we'll say "bon sware".
Ciao, you guys, and au revoir.
Now, we're off to the wishing star."
Yarin sang:
"They'll be as rich as a king or czar!"
Abby sang, as the other RAFians (except Saffa and Underseen -- and Cloak and Esty, who were absent) sang the same thing as a chorus:
"I looked up in the sky last night,
And all the stars were shining bright.
I wished I may and I wished I might
Just have the wish I wished last night.
Then right before my eyes,
I saw a light above in the skies.
The wishing star lit up the night.
Then exploded really bright.
It fell to earth and it
Came on down
In a great big piece
That hit the ground.
Then some kid said to me,
'Whoever gets there first, you see.
Just touch the star, that's all you do.
Then you get you're wish come true.'"
'
Yarin sang, realizing the loophole:
"Wait, now.
Let me get this straight, now.
You mean, whoever gets there first
Can have a wish all to himself?"
Fubar sang:
"I have to go now,
'Coz I know now,
Upon the first to touch the star --
That wish belongs to me!"
Shorty sang:
"I have to run now,
Before they're done now,
So I can get a big headstart
And beat the others to the punch!"
Aloth, who had been spying, sang:
"I can't be slow now!"
Foxglade, Hunter, and Goom sang:
"We've got to go now!"
Noelle sang:
<And I've got to get there first
Because -->
The RAFians cried:
"That wish belongs to me!"
But Yorick, who discovered this on his own, sang:
"It all belongs to me!"
Yarin sang:
"We're on our way to the wishing star,
It could be near or it could be far."
The trio sang:
"But we're going to get their first, you see.
The one who gets there first will be
In a super wagon, wrapped up in a sled
It's like a sleigh, look out world,
We're on our way."
The RAFians sang:
"We're on the road, nothing can stop us now
Over field and plow."
Yorick sang, as he trampled a mime:
"Outta the way, you stupid mime!"
Foxglade, Parker, Hunter, Agent X, Goom, and Phoenix noted:
"He gets trampled all the time."
The trio sang:
"Over hill and gale,
Through the snowy trails."
Shorty sang, as he bounced by pogostick through the trees:
"Through the trees is mighty quick.
You can go by pogostick."
The trio sang:
"Onward, through the snowy drifts.
Onward, towards the mountain cliffs."
Yorick sang:
"The one that finds that wishing star
Will be soon eating caviar."
Yarin sang:
"That person is going to be
No one except for me."
FuBar sang:
"This is definately
Going to be
My golden opportunity!"
The RAFians sang:
"I got to get that wish, you see!
That wish belongs to me!
No, no! The star belongs to me!
No, no! The star belongs to me!
To me! To me! To me! To me!"
The trio sang, with Sakkin and Yarin echoing them:
"I got to get to the wishing star!"
Shorty sang:
"I hope it's near and not too far!"
The RAFians sang:
"Gotta be the first to the wishing star!"
The trio sang:
"I've got to get to the wishing star!"
Yorick, bumping into the horde of RAFians, sang loudly:
"Out of the way, whoever you are!"
The RAFians sang:
"I've got to get to the wishing star!
Wishing, wishing, wishing, wishing
Wishing, wishing, wishing, wishing
The wishing . . .
The wishing . . .
Star!"
Saffa noted, in retrospect, "Maybe we should have kept this our little secret."
With a final flourish, the RAFians sang:
"The wishing star!"
