BunBun Starts a Band

A Walpurgisnacht Story from the Land of Fiber and Majjick series by Birch V. Baum

The guitar gleamed. Its shiny front gleamed, its strings gleamed, its amp gleamed, even the price tag gleamed, though BunBun barely gave it a second glance. He was too busy staring in awe at the gleam of the guitar, which was so tangibly - gleamy! - that he put out a stitched-up paw and began to touch.

“Nuh uh,” Baby Baph, the Music Store Owner, said from across the room and behind the counter. “That’s a Fiber Gibson right there, and you are going to treat it with respect, no bouncing around and playing games with it in my shop.” “But I want it,” BunBun said reverently, and put his paw just a little bit closer. “Are you going to buy it?” Baby Baph asked suspiciously. “Of course I’m going to buy it!” BunBun cried, even though he hadn’t actually meant to buy the guitar a couple minutes ago. “Then you have a deal,” Baby Baph squeaked, and BunBun gave the price tag a second glance at last, shuddered, and sealed the deal. He left the shop, holding the gleaming black electric guitar as if it were a priceless treasure, which it wasn’t. It wasn’t priceless, anyway, although it was certainly a treasure. BunBun took the Guitar home and began plucking cautiously at the strings. They made noises. He hopped around the room a few times, feeling excited and frustrated all at once, then he plucked at the strings some more. This went on for many days. But no matter how many times he plucked the strings, there was always something missing. Then one day he was walking past a garage when he heard clash clash bang bang and there was Gingy in the garage, beating artfully at a set of drums with nearly rhythmic bangs and booms. BunBun froze, as only bunnies can freeze. He hopped home at his fastest hop and brought out the shiny black guitar and its big shiny amps and hopped back to the garage, where Gingy was still beating on the drums.

“Gingy! Can I join you?” BunBun asked wildly, setting the amp down in front of Gingy and plugging in the guitar. Gingy looked up from his drums. He looked at the Guitar. He looked at BunBun, who was plucking at the guitar. He shrugged. “Sure man, I don’t mind.” Gingy said slowly, in his crunchy deep voice. So the two of them played together. It sounded better, but BunBun still felt like there was something missing. “Singing!” He cried out loud, in the middle of a song. “We need singing!” “I just beat the drums man,” Gingy said. “And if you sing like you wail on that guitar, we will need another singer.” So BunBun hopped near and far in the town of Majjik looking for someone who could sing. He found Sunset and his friend, Sir Chubicorn at Sunset’s home. Sunset was a huge dragon, bright red with pinkish scales on his belly and yellow eyes, and Sir Chubicorn, his best friend, was a portly blue unicorn. “Hello BunBun,” Sunset called. “What are you doing?” “And is there ought that we can do which might aid you, Master BunBun?” Sir Chubicorn added pompously. BunBun looked at the big unicorn and even bigger dragon. “Yes, I am looking for a singer. I need to start a band!” Sunset snorted a laugh of flame. Sir Chubicorn, however, looked very happy. “I happen to know of such a singer, and his friend, a pianocat. Pincushion is his name. And the PianoCat, Stitches, is a real whiz at the keyboards. No band can call itself such without a keyboardist.” BunBun thought this was perfect. “Oh, wonderful! How can I meet them?” Sir Chubicorn gave BunBun the name and address of a piano bar where they usually did rehearsals. BunBun hopped as fast as he could. The piano bar was small and dimly lit but what little light it had gleamed on the massive piano set up on the stage, and on the microphone where Pincushion crooned and roared by turns while a Stitches made the piano all but dance next to him. BunBun stared, entranced by the music, until they saw him watching with his jaws unhinged. “Hey Bun, what can we do for you?” Stitches asked, coming out from around the piano to stand with Pincushion. “I’m starting a band! Sir Chubicorn thought you might want to join me!” BunBun squealed, twitching from nose to ears with excitement. “A band? Have you a drummer?” Pincushion asked. “Yes, Gingy!” BunBun cried. “And a bassist?” “A what?” “A guitar player.” Stitches explained. “That’s me!” “Anyone else?” “Nope!” “Then we’re in. Stitches, we’re going for the big time! I told you this gig would get us seen!” Pincushion cried, and they decided they would join BunBun and Gingy for rehearsals the very next day. The four of them made music together all the next afternoon. Pincushion sang. BunBun wailed away on the guitar. Stitches made the piano dance and sing beneath his skilled cat paws. And Gingy banged at the drums until the neighbors yelled, “QUIET DOWN OUT THERE!” But the music was not quite perfect. Something was still missing. Then Elspeth and her coven of witches in their pointy hats came up to the band where they wailed and sang and pounded and banged away in the garage. They listened. Pointy hats nodded up and down. “You’re hired!” Elspeth told them when they finished their song. “We’re hired?” Pincushion asked, sounding confused. “We’re hired!” BunBun shouted, his ears perked with joy. “For what?” Gingy asked suspiciously from behind the drums. “Tonight is Walpurgisnacht, the Witches Night, and we need musicians!” Elspeth said. “Come join us at the fire tonight and play music for us while we dance into the spring!” “We’ll be there!” BunBun promised. That night they went to the firelit grove under the full Moon. All the witches from miles around had come, - Strega Luna of course and Birch the Tree, Elspeth and her Coven of pointy-hatted witches, and many others. BunBun saw Baby Baph and Cthulu waving at him, Sunset and Sir Chubicorn in the back, looking eager to watch their first performance, and an entire parliament of owls sitting in the trees. Cerberus sat in the front row, all three heads panting with excitement. “One, two, one two three four.” Gingy beat out on the drums behind him. That was his cue. BunBun plucked at his guitar as hard and as fast as he could while Stitches took up the keys and Pincushion began to sing, In den Abendhimmel steigen Heute Nacht die Zauberweisen Wildes Volk und Liliths Art Lauernd Winde, heimlich Fahrt And as the witches danced Walpurgisnacht away under the light of the shining silver moon, the music was complete