Private The Beginnings of a Great Show

With a few people raising their hands, Jae actually felt better about keeping his hand down. He hoped to slide by without a singing part, even if it disappointed Mr. Edwin. That last part. . . did not make Jae feel good, but it was for the best. He'll make up for it by doing his best to help the others.

Jae pondered what musical or story they could put on. Myths and fables were the first thing he thought of, then dismissed as on the island as many myths were often your next-door neighbor or your classmate. He did recall a fairy tale of his youth. "Um, what about the Unmanerly Tiger? It's a story about a mean tiger who, after being trapped in a pit is saved by a priest. The tiger wants to eat the priest but the priest says that is no way to behave after the priest had saved the tiger.

"So they ask the spirits in a tree, then a rock, and then finally a toad. The tree and the rock decide the tiger is behaving in a most unbecoming manner, but the toad asks to see the trap. While the toad distracts the tiger, the priest is able to escape and the toad hides in a rock while also calling out the tiger's bad behavior.

"The tiger gets so mad that he kills himself attempting to reach the toad and a passing hunter comes across the tiger's body and sells the fur." A pause, "Um, I'm sure we could adapt it a little but that's the basic story."

Jessica was quick to turn away from Lizzy and stop paying attention to her entirely once she heard that they would be choosing their next performance.

"The ending is a bit of a downer..." Jessica murmured, considering. "I feel like people kinda want the warm fuzzies around the holidays, you know?"

Sela still wasn't caught up on popular stories around the world or on Manta Carlos. People couldn't be eaten for their memories, nor could library books. They were restricted to eating books they bought or eating them.

Regardless, they never had a particular focus on stories associated with certain holidays. They learned about Santa Clause and Krampus, Jesus and the Easter Bunny, St. Valentine and Cupid, as well as other figures considered real and not. The Unmanly Tiger was especially not one they heard in relation to any holiday.

"Is it okay to change the story's ending ..? Or combine stories everyone likes. I think... I also think a play with religious themes might not target everyone. Demons or... people who dislike religion... might assume the story has a religious message because of the priest... and then might leave. Or not come... I don't know." Their body shrunk a few inches in size as they spoke. If not for the echo in their voice, they would have gotten noticeably quieter too.

Jae winced, as Jessica had a point there. His story suggestion wasn't the happiest of tales. Sela also questioned if they could change the ending. Though, their comment about the priest was also fair. Jae was ready to suggest they pick a different story, when Mr. Edwin spoke and not only praise him for his suggestion but also suggested how they could adapt it.

"That would be interesting," Jae said, excited about the changes, even though the suggestion of a synth flower was a bit morbid. "We could make our scenery based on actual places around the island."

Jessica was leaning over a chair in front of her as she spoke up again.

"Maybe it could be more of a redemption story? Like, y'know, the tiger makes his mistakes but he's not bad."

She tapped her fingernails against the backrest of the chair before adding: "Also, the story seems kinda short. So either it might need some padding, or...we could do, like, three short plays or something."