‘Do I have to share my table with a Pig?’ said the Opera Singer.
‘Pig is one of the guest artists,’ said Cate. ‘He was featured in Who magazine for his belly dancing.’
‘Tell them about me,’ said Parrot. ‘And my perch-gymnastics.’
Uh oh, thought Duck. Here we go again. No-one understands us like Cate does.
‘Can you understand these farm animals?’ asked the Opera Singer.
‘Yes,’ said Cate.
‘Well, ask Pig to please use a napkin when he’s dining with US,’ sniffed the singer.
At 2 o’clock sharp, everyone gathered in the Performance Carriage.
A tall, bald headed man in a grey suit with purple braces and a yellow bow tie was waiting for them.
‘Good afternoon Artists. I’m Albert. Welcome to the Arts Train Tour. You are part of a wonderful experiment. This is the first time that so many different artists have been gathered. Our first performance this evening in OuterTarn will be a treat for our country audience.’
‘Is the stage big enough for all our equipment? Will there be enough electricity for the guitars and microphones?’ demanded the lead singer.
‘Well,’ said Albert. ‘You will be performing in a wool shed.’
‘Just like home,’ said Sheep.
‘Electricity will be supplied by a generator. And I believe dressing rooms have been created.’
‘Created?’ said the Opera Singer. ‘Albert, what d’you mean?’
Albert spoke fast. ‘Some bed sheets have been strung up to create cubicles. Spotlights have been provided by the kangaroo-shooters, and I have been promised that there will be no nails, tacks or broken beer bottles on the stage.’
‘Stage? In a wool shed?’ exclaimed one of the Rappers.
‘Yes. The locals have regular bush dances.’ Albert checked his list. ‘I have the running order here.’
‘Running order?’ asked Duck.
‘That’s the list of who goes on when,’ said Cate.
‘Good.’ Albert smiled at Cate. ‘We have an interpreter. I wondered how I was going to communicate with the Animal Artists.’
The Rappers started rapping.
‘Fire away,
We ain’t got all day.
We’re here to play.
So have your say.
Yo!’
‘Yo,’ echoed Parrot. Duck giggled.
‘I introduce the artists. First act gets everyone rocking with the Rock Band and Pig’s belly dance. Followed by the Graffiti Artists Demo accompanied by Aida chorus hits by the Animal Choir. Then other Opera highlights by our distinguished...’
‘Thank you. Thank you.’ The Opera singers bowed.
‘Then interval. Tea, scones, sausage rolls and cordial will be served. Second Act opens with our Rappers followed by perch gymnastics and multicoloured ribbon callisthenics by Parrot and Duck. We finish with a bush dance, with music provided by our rock band.’
Duck and Parrot grinned. They had been working hard on their act.
‘I love a good barn dance,’ said Horse.
‘If you’re my partner, don’t step on my hoofs,’ said Cow.
‘You change partners quickly in a barn dance.’ Cate led them back to their yellow carriage with the blue spots.
Above their carriage, thunder rolled and a torrent of rain poured down.
‘Do you want to roll in the mud, Pig?’ giggled Parrot.
Pig snorted.
‘Hope the performance isn’t washed out.’ Cate worried as the rain got heavier.
Chapter 3
Outer Tarn
‘OuterTarn in one minute!’ called Albert. ‘Get ready. Everyone grab an umbrella!’
Duck didn’t need one of Albert’s rainbow umbrellas. Sometimes it was great to be a duck.
As the train stopped, he took a flying leap off the step and landed SPLOSH in a puddle of red, muddy water.
The wet Welcome Committee was on the country platform carrying a ‘Welcome Arts Train Tour’ banner.
‘Sorry about the rain but we need it,’ said a farmer. ‘Let’s get you to the woolshed.’
Waving their umbrellas, the Rappers were in high spirits.
‘We brought the rain
We’re the rainbow train
Invite us back again
Next time you need rain!
Yo!
‘Yo! Go!’ laughed the Welcome Committee as they organised everyone into jeeps, cars, trailers and a school bus.
The Wool Shed looked fabulous. Coloured lights and streamers were everywhere. Posters made by the primary school lined the walls. The rain was pounding on the tin roof.
‘That’s me!’ said the Lead Singer moving his poster closer to the stage.
Duck loved the cushions on the seats and the trestle tables piled with goodies for the After Party.
‘What’s the weather report?’ asked Albert.
‘More rain,’ said the Farmer. ‘Floods expected further up the line.’
‘Floods?’ said Cate.
‘Flash floods come on sudden in these parts. You could be stranded here for weeks!’
‘You’re joking?’ said a worried Albert.
‘Nup!’ The farmer left. ‘You’ll need power for lights and sound, I’d better check the generator.’
The crowd went wild.
‘Celeste Aida,’ sang the Animals.
‘Baa, Baa, Baa Baa Baa,’ sang Sheep.
‘Oink, Oink Oink Oink Oink Oink, ‘sang Pig.
‘Moo, Moo, Moo, and Moo Moo,’ sang Cow as the Graffiti Artists sloshed buckets of paint over the canvas sheets.
‘We’ll raffle the paintings for the hospital building fund,’ said Albert to the farmer. ‘We try to help local communities’.
Everyone was silent when the Opera Singers performed. They sang of lost love and dreams of glory. Everyone stood up and cheered when they finished.
‘Bravo, bravo!’ yelled the audience.
Pig was impressed; he’d only got one Bravo from the audience.
There wasn’t a scone or a teaspoon of jam left after interval.
‘We love it here in OuterTarn,
the weather’s wet, the puddles brown,
You people are great
So much food on the plate
Yo! Yo!
Wish we could stay
Would love another day’
By now every foot was tapping and rapping so loudly that no one ever heard the last lines.
Parrot’s gymnastics from the roof of the wool shed were a highlight of the show. His multi-coloured ribbons swirled and twirled.
Duck was glad he’d practised when he and Parrot did a triple somersault mid-air, exchanging ribbons as they passed each other.
The crowd went wild.
‘What fantastic fliers,’ said the farmer and the Rappers called everybody to the dance floor.
‘Grab your partner by the hand,
Leap on the floor and make a stand,
The Barn Dance is the way to go,
In a circle, quick and slow.
Say Yo! Yo!
Horse and Cow led the Barn Dance and nobody lost any toes as they weaved through the dancers.
Exhausted but happy, the artists fell into their own beds on the Rainbow Train.
Sam, the train driver who’d had his sleep while the cast were performing, slowly pulled out of the station.
‘Hope you get through safely to the next town, ‘ called the Farmer as he locked the station and turned off the lights. ‘A lot of rain has been falling.’
Sam looked ahead at the glistening rail tracks. He’s been stranded by flood waters once before, and hoped it wasn’t going to happen this time.
Chapter 4
Flood
ScreeeAAAAaaaCH. Sam put on the brakes.
Ahead was water and more water as far as he could see. The bridge was completely covered with flood waters. There was no way the train could move ahead.
Crunch. Crunch. Squeak. Groan.
Sam put the engine in reverse, to head back to OuterTarn.
That’s when it happened!
Flood waters washed over the line behind.
‘We’re stuck,’ Sam muttered.
Then something worse happened.
Sizzle. Sizzle Fry.
The lights flickered and went out.
Sam hit the emergency light switch.
Crickle Crickle Pop. There was a flash, followed by a burning smell.
‘AAAhhhhh.’ A loud scream came from the rock band’s carriage.
When Sam reached the carriage, in the torch light, he found the lead singer on the floor with a teatowel wrapped around his head. The girlfriend was crying.
‘He electrocuted himself,’ said the drummer. ‘His hairdryer fell into his cup of tea.’
Flip. Flop. Paddle. Paddle Thump. Thump. Whoosh.
The farm animals crowded into the carriage, quickly followed by Albert and Cate.
‘Lots like a bad burn,’ said Albert who had passed his St John’s First Aid course. ‘I can help but he needs to see a doctor. He’s in shock. And second degree burns.’
‘Where’s the nearest hospital?’ Cate wrapped a blanket around the singer to keep him warm.
‘We’ll have to phone the Flying Doctor Service,’ said Albert.
‘Can’t,’ said Sam. ‘The train’s lost power. The wires are fried. No mobile phone coverage. The floods have wiped out all the connections. I can’t even get the boss back at the city station.’
‘We have to get a message through to OuterTarn. They can contact the flying doctor,’ said Cate.
‘Are you planning on swimming?’ said Sam. ‘It’s the only way to get there. The floods have closed behind us too.’
‘I could fly there,’ offered Duck to Cate.
‘On your own?’
‘I’ll fly with him,’ said Parrot. ‘I’ll hold the torch.’
‘How will you know which way to go?’
‘We’ll follow the metal railway lines,’ said Duck. ‘They will shine in our torch light.’
‘Even under flood water,’ added Parrot who thought he knew everything.
When Cate had explained, everyone thought it was a good idea for Duck and Parrot to fly for help.
‘Our artists can even fly,’ said Albert. ‘Let’s write a message.’
‘Others have carrier pigeons; we have a Carrier Duck and Parrot Postal Service,’ laughed Cate.
Duck felt a little scared as he stood on the slippery step. It was raining hard. The flood waters were halfway up the wheels. The message was wrapped in double plastic wrap from the Dining Car, and placed in a mobile phone case and tied around his tummy with the multi-coloured ribbons.
Parrot’s beak held the multi-coloured ribbon tied to the swinging torch.
This would be their longest performance! Usually Duck was not a flying sort of duck. Mainly he waddled.
‘Let’s fly!’ They took off.
Rain beating on his wings, Duck looked back and saw a very small Cate waving to them from the steps of the train.
‘We’ll have to fly low to see the tracks,’ Duck said.
Parrot nodded. For once he couldn’t talk. If he opened his beak, the torch would fall.
Surrounded by darkness, they felt very small. That tiny torch light made patterns on the flood water.
Chapter 5
Rescued
They flew and flew. Both were very tired, as they’d never flown this far before.
OuterTarn was a twinkle of lights ahead.
‘There it is!’ yelled Duck.
They landed near the station and took a few deep breaths.
‘Who shall we tell?’ huffed Parrot.
Duck remembered that the Farmer owned the wool shed and he knew where that was.
Tap Tap Tap.
Parrot pecked on the Farmer’s window.
‘Parrot to the rescue. Parrot to the rescue.’ Parrot shone the torch on the Farmer’s face. Duck plonked his wet feet on his bedside table.
‘Ah! What’s wrong? Have you got a message from the train?’ The Farmer untied Duck’s ribbons and read the message.
Train surrounded by flood waters. All power out. Singer electrocuted. Needs urgent medical attention. Call doctor. Signed Albert.
‘We’ll call the Flying Doctor and the Police. The police have a rescue boat. They’ll collect the singer from the train and bring him here. The Flying Doctor can land her plane on my home paddock. It’s not flooded.’
So they did. All were rescued. Even Albert was impressed by the flyers.
‘First the Flying Duck, then the Flying Doc,’ Cate smiled. ‘What a night. Let’s get on with the tour.
But when the train arrived at the next stop, the TV news cameras were there.
‘Mr Lee, the Singapore theatre owner, has recorded your DVD.’
‘We’re stars!’ Parrot liked to talk, a lot. And he loved to get people to do what he talked about. So if Parrot could talk people into buying the ‘Training’ DVD by the farm animals he was happy. And he was even happier if buyers paid full price.
‘This is the present for the person who has everything,’ said Parrot. ‘It’s going on sale at your station now, as the Arts Train arrives. The world’s first farm animal opera, on DVD.’
‘What about people who do not have everything?’ asked the man behind the mike.
‘They’ll love the music,’ said Parrot quickly. ‘Make them feel better.’
‘Is your Training DVD as good at the World’s First Elephant Orchestra on DVD?’
‘Elephants did it first?’ Parrot was shocked. He prided himself on being ‘news worthy’ and being the first to talk about ‘stuff’. ‘Ours is different. We’re the On Tour Farm Animals. Next stop Darwin.’
‘Then starring in Singapore at Mr Lee’s theatre.’
‘And then to the rest of the world.’
‘Then we’re going back home. I miss my sultana porridge,’ said Pig.
Duck smiled. He liked being a Duck Star.
Operatic Duck / Duck on Tour Page 3