beings."
"That's good," Isabella said.
"You really are a lot of trouble. I have enough trouble. So, thanks for trying to help. You are going to collect fans and money?"
"And maybe even awards," Maryann said.
"But probably just debt and heartache," Leah added.
"Maybe you are not complete after all. But you'll have to figure out that on your own. I'm going home now to get to work. I've got to catch them all," it said, and disappeared.
They stared at the spot for a minute.
"Of all the things, that's what it picked?" Nora sighed.
"Hey, at least it's not after us. This seems harmless enough. I hope," Leah said.
"Then let's get to the hotel. I'm exhausted. And apparently I'm really a raven." They clambered into the van and Isabella took the wheel.
"I'm a stupid pigeon," Leah said. "And Isabella's Tails."
"She's a kitsune," Maryann sighed. "And just because the collector's magic gave us those shapes doesn't mean that's what we really are. Just how its spell works."
"Except you're totally a phoenix," Leah said. "I even get how Isabella's a kitsune. I mean, since I met her grandmother. But why am I a pigeon and Nora's a raven?"
Isabella blinked in surprise. "Really, Leah, you don't know? That's Sunday School stuff. Even I know that stuff. Nora?"
They looked at her with confused expressions.
"Genesis. Noah's ark."
"Oh, of course," Nora said. "Noah sent out birds to find out if the waters had receded. The first was a raven that came back with a branch. The second was a dove and when it didn't come back, Noah knew there was dry land. You really think that's it?"
"Well, it's only my best guess. Also, since ravens are great mimics, that might be why you could still talk and Leah couldn't," Isabella said. "And ravens are magical birds in a lot of folklore."
"So you weren't a stupid pigeon," Nora said, "just a dumb one."
"Hey! That's the same thing!"
Isabella sniggered. "That isn't nice, Nora."
"Oh, oh wait, you mean dumb as in can't talk," Leah said. "Wait, you're making puns? Mean puns, but puns? We are all clearly way, way too tired."
"Don't worry, we're almost there," Isabella said.
"Is it going to get any weirder than this?" Leah asked. "I mean, I keep thinking this can't get weirder, and for awhile it wasn't, but now this? I was turned into a bird today."
"I don't know," she answered. "None of us do."
"Well, okay then. I guess."
They were silent until they got to the hotel. After checking in and hastily unloading the van they were grateful to get to sleep and put the weirdness of the day behind them.
The Lyrics:
The quick brown fox
Jumps over the dog that is lazy
Maybe that's not a good idea
But that fox is a bit crazy.
Look at what she came up with
That's really kind of looney
But you can't expect anything else
From that weird and wild kitsune.
Refrain: Look out, here she comes
Always thinkin' outside the box
Such a strange and clever solution
Because she's crazy like a fox.
Sometimes the plans don't make sense
And the final outcome is hazy
Don't fret; the plan will come together
Even if that fox is kind of crazy.
You make everything complex
She says it's just not that hard
Her thoughts are unconventional
But she's a cunning renard.
Refrain:
Her mind is nimble and quick
She does everything with glee
Maybe that's not advisable
But that fox is kind of crazy.
You really should know better
But you can't help but be smitten
By her oddness and her brilliance
She's such a charming vixen.
Refrain x2:
Track 11 - Bridge to Nowhere
The Interview:
Nico: This next track is a soft-keyed break-up song.
Lee: Yep.
Jana: Well, since there isn't much to say about this, let's discuss your music videos. Some of your videos are kind of old-school, especially this one.
Lenore: If by "old-school" you mean that it utilizes linear storytelling.
Nico: That's old-school.
Anna: Yes, but it's also something that isn't common anymore. Everything old is new again, right?
Nico: Or not.
Belle: Honestly, since we starting making videos before we made it big, we didn't have high production values, which is probably painfully obvious. But it was easier and cheaper to make a linear video, at least at the time.
Jana: But now you don't have the excuse of a lack of budget.
Lenore: True, and sometimes we try to push the boundaries of the art of music videoes, but our fans got used to our "old-school" videos, so we still like to make those.
Anna: This song just seemed to call for something kind of old-school.
Nico: It really is. This is the four of you in a van and you cross a bridge and cross back again. So you literally went nowhere.
Lee: You would have preferred some kind video featuring two people fighting over a relationship that isn't going anywhere?
Jana: That's still kind of linear.
Lee: Even if it ended with the set on fire?
Jana: Yeah, but that would have been cool.
Lee: Note to band, add more pyrotechnics to videos.
Belle: Duly noted.
The Story:
A green cargo van was navigating the narrow road as the rain poured down.
"We really need to stop doing shows out in the middle of nowhere," Nora commented.
"We're not successful enough to pick and chose," Maryann reminded her.
"Yeah, but I'm afraid we're going to get lost," she said. Lightning flashed in front of them. "Or wipe out."
"I've got it," Isabella said grimly, clutching the steering wheel. Her gray eyes flicked to the GPS unit stuck to the windshield. "This thing keeps losing the satellites though. Nora, can you find someplace to pull over?"
Nora tried to oblige. "No good. My phone can't find the network. Anyone else?"
Leah and Maryann also tried, but had no better luck.
Suddenly Isabella hit the brakes, although she was careful not to send the van into a skid. The van came to a safe stop in front of a large tree that was blocking both lanes of the road. The band stared at it for a minute.
"Now what?" Maryann asked.
"I don't know. This is the main road," Isabella said. She pulled the global positioning system unit off of the window and tried to find an alternative route. She frowned.
"What? No satellites?" Nora asked.
"Well, there's that. I don't think it's updated in awhile. But it says there's this road here and I don't remember passing a road."
"Well, it is dark and raining," Maryann said. "Maybe we didn't see the sign."
"I don't remember this road showing up on the route before."
"You probably didn't notice," she replied. "Does it look like we can get past this tree?"
"I think so." She replaced the unit. "Please keep trying to get some other map." She turned the van around and continued driving. After about half an hour and still no luck getting any sort of network on the phones or GPS, they abruptly came to a very small town. All they could see in the dark was a truck stop that appeared to be closed, a gas station that appeared to be closed, and a local motel called the "Motel San Francisco" that appeared to be open, although there were no cars in the parking lot.
"This feels like a horror movie," Maryann said.
"You don't watch horror movies," Leah countered. "Anyway, we haven't popped a tire."
As if on cue, the rear passenger
tire suddenly blew out.
Maryann glared at her. "Who jinxed us?"
"Yeah, yeah, that one was my fault."
Isabella pulled the van into the motel parking lot. "What do we do?" she asked. "I have no idea where we are right now. It's past midnight, I'm tired, this storm doesn't seem to be letting up, and I really don't want to fight with changing the tire in this weather."
"I guess we're stuck," Nora replied. "Hopefully the storm will pass and we can try to get an early start to make up for lost time."
"This place is creepy," Maryann said.
"Of course it is," Leah replied. "If our lives had a soundtrack, right now it would be low-pitched and ominious. But I'm not saying I have a better idea. Let's just get rooms and get through the night. I don't think we even have to worry about someone breaking in and stealing the instruments. No one would be out in this weather."
They agreed on this point. Isabella parked the van at the entrance and all four ran inside, although their dash did not keep them dry.
A very old man was stationed behind the desk in the lobby. The lobby was small and dimly lit. It looked as though it was built and decorated sometime in the 1950s and never updated. "Terrible night," he said with a faint rural accent. He peered at them through thick glasses. "Got lost?"
"Yeah," Maryann said. "Can we get rooms? Two doubles, please."
He got up slowly and seemed to creak more than the chair he had been sitting in. He ran their band credit card through a positively ancient card reader and gave them actual keys. "Now, young ladies," he said, "Check out is eleven sharp. You won't be staying any longer?" His tone of voice did not suggest he was hoping they would stay longer and hence give him more business; instead, he seemed to almost be warning them against staying.
"Not if we can figure out how to get back on the road," Nora answered. "Thanks."
They took their keys and split into pairs; Maryann and Leah in one room and Nora and Isabella in the neighboring room. However, unlike a hotel, there was no adjoining door. In their separate rooms, both