Chapter Eighteen: The Song of the Tigris People

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height


The lights turned down to tell the audience the show was about to begin. 

A symbol of what appeared to be the sun came up over the horizon. A light illuminated this set piece first and then there were more lights lighting up several other background set pieces. Sam was very impressed with the set designs, he had never witnessed a live performance before, not at a professional level like this. 

The suns set piece stopped its ascent as an actor walked out on to the stage.

It was Varnaulk followed by a group of Virillian dancers. Music began to play.

"In the beginning this world was ravaged by destructive conflict as two great forces clashed."

Another group of dancers came out to the stage dressed up as ugly furry creatures which the Virillian dancers danced around. The furry creatures pretended to scratch at them to act out a battle with some form of interpretive dance.

Varnaulk spoke as a spotlight appeared on him.

"We of the sophisticated Underling society valiantly defended our world against the onslaught of the ferocious Beasty!" He stated.

The music changed and Sam recognized it as the song that he had composed earlier that day. Sam was becoming excited, he almost enjoyed the play but he was still worried about his friends who he could not see in any of the seats. The music picked up speed and so did the dancers and the actors in the monster costumes doing their warrior dance. 

Varnaulk began to sing.

"A Sorcerer stumbled upon our mound

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

And he found us in the underground

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone

The Sun burnt by day and the Blue Star burnt at night

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

And a Beasty Tyrant Queen oppressed us with fright

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone."

"Oh sorcerer, oh sorcerer, we are yours to command

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

To fight the beasty for our own land

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone

He said I'll give you the strength with the power to beat

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

That Beasty Tyrant Queen who is not sweet

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone."


"No longer burned by the night's Blue Star

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

We marched on the surface and we spread out far

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone

That Tyrant Queen, her eyes turned red

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

She summoned her army to kill us dead

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone."

The Actress playing the Beasty Queen stepped forward and the spotlight shone on her and the actor in the Sorcerer costume.

"Oh Master, oh sorcerer here sits that Queen

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

He fought that Beasty and she was mean

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone

The Sorcerer she countered with her vicious pawn

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

He destroyed that witch her miserable spawn

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone."

A prop model of a small and deformed creature popped up through the floor between the Sorcerer and the Beasty Queen which appeared to catch fire and burst into smoke before disappearing again.

A musical interlude began and it appeared that the actors in the monstrous Beasty costumes on stage had accosted the Virillian underling actors and held there mouths shut. The audience believed this to be a part of the show. But Varnaulk did not notice this happening behind him with the spot light on him, the Beasty Queen and the Sorcerer. Varnaulk continued to sing.


"We underlings of the underground

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

We're now in charge you may have found

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone

The Tyrant Queen lurks within her halls

A Hey Heave Hoe to that Boggy ole Bone

Beasty rebels can only hide behind their walls

A Sorcerer saved us from that Boggy ole Bone."


As Varnaulk finished he looked around and realized that he was the only one now singing. The dancers and the choir had their mouths held shut by the costumed actors. This was when the actor playing the Sorcerer ran towards him to hold him down.

Sam was thinking that the music and performances were okay at first, But he now felt that things were getting really interesting. Sam was distracted briefly by his Uncle who had jumped out of his seat and shook himself off. He had felt an ice cold sensation down his spine.

The actress playing the Beasty Queen walked towards the spotlight as the actor playing the Sorceror moved Varnaulk to the back of the stage. Andrew looked towards the actress, he could feel there was something wrong about her. He was about to demand who it was on the stage in the costume behind the mask but before he could issue any commands the actress pulled a shiny gold circular object from a bag she was carrying.

She placed the golden wheel in the air and it floated slightly higher than where she had placed it, the wheel began to rotate slowly at first gradually picking up speed. The rooms temperature increased, it became very warm and Andrew no longer felt the ice cold feeling.

The theatre felt very peaceful but nobody was able to move. It seemed they were all captivated by the spinning of the golden wheel.

Sam stared at this golden wheel, there was something about it. He felt a feeling similar to that of when he first saw the pendant that his Uncle gave to him. Sam looked down at the pendant beneath his shirt, it was glowing. 

A harmonious melody began to play from the wheel. Sam recognized that it sounded like the song that he had programmed into the machine earlier. But the sound was so heavenly it was just so beautiful he thought, superior in every way.

The music picked up speed, the golden wheel shone brilliantly, then the actress began to sing.

"Our King descends from the woods above

He hails from a place of light and of love

And he had love for all of us below

The Tigris wear a silvery coat

Two young sisters played by a pond so blue

He hails from a place of light and of love

There they were cursed by the Jealous Illinliu

The Tigris wear a silvery coat."

"What can he do, oh what can be done?

He hails from a place of light and of love

To save these young and the curse undone

The Tigris wear a silvery coat

To come to their aid he must take a new form

He hails from a place of light and of love

A coat of fur it becomes his norm

The Tigris wear a silvery coat."

Varnaulk struggled and broke free from the actor in the Sorcerer costume briefly to yell.

"She sings the song of the Beasts in my theater! stop her!" But the actor in the Sorcerer costume grabbed him again and shut him up. Many in the audience wondered what was going on but continued to believe it was all a part of the show.

The music continued to play and it was very enchanting.


"Through battles fierce, Through stormy seas

He hails from a place of light and of love

Til victory comes and all's appeased

The Tigris wear a silvery coat

One sister saved, now she follows with song

He hails from a place of light and of love

She sings to her sister with hope she'll join along

The Tigris wear a silvery coat."

"As as thousand and thousands years did pass

He hails from a place of light and of love

The woods above he watched through his glass

The Tigris wear a silvery coat

A sickness had begun to take hold

He hails from a place of light and of love

The trees they had withered and grown old

The Tigris wear a silvery coat."

"Into the future he looked for a cure

He hails from a place of light and of love

His heir he saw, a Prince so strong and pure

The Tigris wear a silvery coat

A time of great celebration had begun

He hails from a place of light and of love

The Illinliu's curse can now be undone

The Tigris wear a silvery coat."


The music had a peculiar effect on Reegan which seemed to undo the mind control. He recalled something familiar about this tale in the song.

It was then that the actress threw off her Beasty tyrant queen mask and revealed her true face to the audience. Sam thought that she looked like a cross between a young woman and a kitten with a white face, her eyes were kind but big and blue.

Andrew pulled out his sceptre and pointed it towards the golden spinning wheel, he muttered some kind of spell which had an effect on it that slowed down its song and weakened its hold on the audience.

"A Tigris on the stage how did this happen?" One member of the audience yelled.

Sam could see that many in the audience were afraid as some screamed and others ran out of the room.

"Please great warriors come to me! Help me save my people from enslavement under the oppression of the Grotesques!" She pleaded.

It was apparent to Sam that she was afraid but also very courageous for what she had done. She stood there hoping for a reply when soldiers entered the room and opened fire on the golden wheel.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net