THE SPECTACULAR ADVENTURES OF THE FIRST CREW
CHAPTER THE FIFTH
Preparations for the play were begun. Every night, the actors practiced their lines, rehearsed their dances, and went over their songs. Every night, the Royal Orchestra practiced the challenging songs they were to play, whether formally or informally. And every night, after the actors had journeyed home for a night of well-deserved rest, the faithful Backstage Crew remained. Set construction was moving at a rapid pace. They measured, stacked, nailed, and caulked far into the night for the first week, with not a single other thought in their minds.
But trouble was storming its way into the stronghold that was The First Crew.
Shorty and T were all that remained of the First Crew, as such. T had been pardoned by the good Royal Drama Teacher, but this was a very precarious situation until the Quarterly Scrolls were distributed to the land. So, as the two embarked on another journey together to the Backstage, the future looked most uncertain. But things would not improve from there.
Besides Shorty and T, there were others faithful to the shield and sword. There were of course the First Lights, and the First Sound, true from last year, whose stories will be chronicled henceforth; there was a new Prop Mistress who would certainly keep chaos away from the Backstage; and key other individuals who shall play a larger part as the Production draws near. These were the pure hearted who guarded the Backstage. And, lest you forget, the Royal Orchestra was kept safe by Jag and Piano, and the Stage itself by Mustang. Rockstar had been missing for some time, and there were search parties sent forth to look for her.
The wicked Queen Lucy summoned three Royal Carpenters to assist the Crew in building the formidable sets. But one was certainly allied with Lucy. Shorty and T were glad for the help, as were the other newer Crew members that had been assembled from the ranks of the most loyal of Drama Land's citizens. But they could not know what lay ahead. One Royal Carpenter's intentions were evil. As a large piece of set was being finished, he requested that a Crew member help him move it. As one of the reinstated Crew from the very first production rushed to help, he sent her away. He summoned his small son to do the job instead. Though his son was in Crew, he was not hardened by time and experience, and he knew nothing about the Backstage protocol. He was asked for his assistance only because he was male.
This infuriated the Crew, predominantly female, but capable and experienced. It infuriated Shorty and T most of all. The prejudice continued. The female crew were treated like nothing more than beginners in the Backstage, and the younger, new Crew were elevated to the highest positions, if only because they chanced to have a Y chromosome. When one looks at it in this way, one can see how insignificant certain individuals truly are in Backstage. Shorty and T themselves were reduced to simply measuring the lumber that was to be cut. Each day they were asked to do less and less. It hurt their pride and set their hearts ablaze. They were unable to concentrate, for they were consumed by rage. The treatment was grossly unfair. Shorty was at a breaking point, and how she refrained from showing the Royal Carpenter the full extent of a hammer's capabilities is not yet known. She made it known verbally though, how she felt. T showed none of her own anger. Once she got started into someone, she would not be able to be stopped, and she knew if this happened her pardon would be void. These same feelings were echoed throughout the noble Crew. Something had to be done. Quickly.
But what?
FARE THEE WELL, MY FRIENDS, AND RALLY BEHIND...
THE FIRST CREW!!!
