Fraggle Rock Fanfic: You'll Be In My Heart

Skeeter Muppet

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And here it is, after much longer than even I had anticipated, chapter one!

Chapter One: Someone's Waiting For You

Normally the arrival of the Minstrels in Fraggle Rock was enough to cause a stir. But it was even more surprising to the Fraggles when Cantus arrived without the other Minstrels, and unannounced as well. It didn’t take long for the whispers to start flying and for those whispers to turn into rumors that would be told and retold for days.

But Cantus seemed oblivious to the churning rumor mill as he walked through the Rock’s tunnels, his young charge following behind him. The girl, as usual, was silent, her eyes wide as they drank in the sights of the Rock. Occasionally they would stop as Tosh pointed something like a Doozer tower out to Cantus and asked about it, and the minstrel would answer. In the case of the Doozer tower Cantus had stopped and broken off a couple pieces, one for himself and one for Tosh to try.

Tosh was still nibbling on her Doozer stick when they finally reached their destination; a dwelling cave close enough to the Great Hall to be aware of what was going on, but far enough away to ensure a measure of privacy. The young female hung back a little as Cantus knocked on the cave entrance. When after several seconds there was no answer, Cantus tried knocking again. He folded his arms across his chest impatiently, tapping his foot a little.

“Cantus!” The exuberant voice called to the minstrel from further down the tunnel, in the opposite direction of where they had come. Making his way towards them was the familiar (to Cantus) shape of Fraggle Rock’s Maestro.

“Gillis!” Cantus called back, waving. As Gillis drew closer he added, “Well met, old friend!”

“Well met, indeed!” Gillis replied. The two of them shared a brotherly embrace. “What brings you to the Rock so early? We weren’t expecting you until later in the year, for the Festival of the Bells.”

The minstrel nodded. “I know. Unfortunately circumstances have required that I arrive early.” Turning to the young Fraggle beside him Cantus added, “This young lady is Tosh Fraggle. She is your sister’s daughter.”

“Zola’s little girl?” gasped the Maestro. When Cantus nodded he gushed, “Oh, look at you child! Nearly the spitting image of your mother. Welcome to Fraggle Rock! But why didn’t your mother let me know that you were coming for a visit sooner? I would have had more time to prepare.”

“Gillis.” The seriousness in Cantus’ voice stopped Gillis’ rambling cold. The look on his face told Gillis that there was no joy in this visit. “Perhaps we should go inside and discuss this further.”

Looking around, the Maestro noticed that they had begun to attract a small audience, as word had spread in the Rock that Cantus was there. He nodded. “Yes; of course.” The three Fraggles then disappeared into the Maestro’s cave.

A unison sigh of disappointment went up from the crowd of Fraggles that had been gathering as they reluctantly returned to their regular routines.

---

“Gobo, have you heard?” asked Mokey as she entered Gobo and Wembley’s cave. The two boys looked up from where they were looking over one of Gobo’s maps.

“Heard what, Mokey?” Gobo asked. Before Mokey could answer her roommate rushed in.

“Did you guys hear the news?” Red asked breathlessly. Both Wembley and Gobo shook their heads. “Cantus is back in the Rock!”

“The Minstrels are here?” Wembley asked, dumbfounded.

Red shook her head. “Nope; just Cantus.”

“But how come we didn’t hear the magic pipe?” wondered Gobo. “We should have heard it when Cantus arrived.”

“Maybe he didn’t play it,” suggested Wembley.

“Maybe he didn’t want anyone else to know he was here.”

The other four Fraggles turned to see Boober standing in the entryway to the cave. “What are you talking about, Boober?” Red demanded. “Why wouldn’t Cantus want us to know that he was visiting?”

Boober shrugged as he walked in. “Beats me. But I heard that he went into Gillis’ cave, and so far he hasn’t come out yet.”

“Ahh,” the other four Fraggles chorused. The leader of the Minstrels talking with Fraggle Rock’s Maestro wasn’t a strange idea in and of itself; after all, they were fellow musicians and it was rumored that Gillis used to be a Minstrel himself before leaving the group to become Maestro of Fraggle Rock.

“Well,” Gobo said at last “whatever’s going on, I’m sure we’ll find out eventually.”

---

While there was conversation going on in the cave of the Maestro, it was anything but music-related. After they had gotten inside Gillis had fairly demanded of Cantus why he was the one bringing Tosh to Fraggle Rock, and not his sister. Cantus, in his own calm way, helped Gillis straighten up a bit so there was room for them to sit and talk, fixed some tea and then proceeded to tell the Maestro of the death of his sister.

Gillis now sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands, shell-shocked. “Zola…I can’t believe… How?” he asked, looking up at Cantus imploringly. “How did it happen?”

“I don’t know,” Cantus replied. “I only learned of her death several days ago when we returned to the Cove. No one could tell us what happened to Zola, only that she had passed. Tosh was still living alone in her family’s dwelling.”

“W-what happened to her father?” The Maestro wracked his brain, trying to remember; Zola had had a husband, hadn’t she? He only dimly remembered a male Fraggle who had been with his sister the last time he had visited his old home. But that had been so long ago…

“Gone, long before Zola died from what we gathered.” When his friend asked if Tosh’s father had also died, Cantus shook his head. “Not dead, just gone. Left the Cove one day and never came back.”

Gillis shook his head, both out of sadness and confusion. “And so you decided to bring Tosh to me.”

“You are her only family now, and a family is at its strongest when its together,” Cantus replied. The two of them looked over at Tosh, who was picking up the various pieces of sheet music that littered the floor of the Maestro’s cave and looking at them. “Besides, it’s my belief that Fraggle Rock is where she’s supposed to be.”

The other Fraggle nodded as he stood up. “You’re right. And thank you, my friend, for taking time out of your schedule to bring her here.”

“Trust me, it was my pleasure,” the Minstrel leader said. He watched as Gillis walked over to Tosh, bending down to help her pick up his papers and making small talk about what a packrat he was. The girl giggled, and Gillis laughed in return.

Cantus smiled and nodded to himself; yes, this was exactly where Tosh was supposed to be.


-Kim
 

redBoobergurl

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Kim, this is AWESOME! I agree with the others, you have a unique story telling style and I love that you're featuring characters other than the Fraggle Five! I can't wait to read more!
 

The Count

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Wow... That was very moving... Zola, Gillis's sister, is that a Faffner Hall reference? Loved this first installment Kim, please post more!
 

Skeeter Muppet

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Wow... That was very moving... Zola, Gillis's sister, is that a Faffner Hall reference? Loved this first installment Kim, please post more!

*shifty eyes* Mayyybe... :wink:

Don't worry, I'm working on chapter 2. Hopefully that won't take so long to get up as chapter 1 did. *crosses fingers that she won't have to sub tomorrow*

-Kim
 

Muppet Newsgirl

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So Gillis is now both an uncle and an adoptive father...I really like how this one's shaping up, Kim. Do continue! (and if you do have to sub today, pray that the kids won't be too rough on you)
 

Java

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Oh, I'm so intrigued. I hope that if you have to sub, it won't be bad and stifle the creative juices you have running.
 

The Count

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*Quietly waiting for more of this nice story to be posted.
 

Skeeter Muppet

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Chapter Two: Welcome

It really didn’t surprise Gillis that Cantus left without saying goodbye. In fact, he hadn’t even heard his friend leave; he’d just looked up from his conversation with Tosh to notice that the Minstrel was gone.

“How come he left without saying anything?" asked Tosh. Despite their familial relation she was still a little nervous around her newfound uncle.

Gillis shrugged. “That’s just Cantus’ way sometimes, to leave quietly when he’s no longer needed," he answered. “Besides, he did come here without much fanfare. He probably wanted to leave without drawing a lot of attention as well.”

“Oh.” Tosh looked at the small bunch of papers in her hand, then back at Gillis. “So…what do we do now?"

“Hmm.” The Maestro put a finger to his chin in thought. “Well, why don’t I take you on a tour of the rest of the Rock? I can tell you all about your new home, and you can meet some of the others that live here! How does that sound?"

She nodded amicably. “Okay.”

---

The pair ended up retracing the route that Cantus had taken in bringing Tosh to the Maestro’s cave. This time they went slower, Gillis taking the time to point out to his niece some things that Cantus might have missed, like Chimney Cavern or Echo Hole.

It wasn’t until they reached the Great Hall that the two of them were ambushed.

“So, what’s the big secret?" Red Fraggle demanded as she popped up from out of nowhere. Gillis gave a yelp and jumped back, startled.

“What secret?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

Red sighed. “You know, the one you and Cantus were talking about today! Lemme guess; it had something to do with the Festival of Bells, right?"

“No!" Gillis’ harsh tone caused Red’s eyes to widen in surprise. “No," he answered again, more gently. “Cantus’ visit wasn’t music-related. He needed to speak to me about a personal matter…and a private one.”

“Oh.” Red sagged, deflated.

“Red, that was rude," admonished Mokey as she and the three boys walked up. “You didn’t even say hello!" The pigtailed Fraggle cringed and muttered an apology.

Boober, in the meantime, found himself focusing on the pink Fraggle standing by Gillis. He couldn’t remember having seen her in the Rock before. She was wearing a simple dress of grayish-blue, and her green hair kind of stood up on end. She was looking around the Great Hall as if seeing it for the first time. “Uh, hi," he greeted her. Boober cleared his throat; why was he so nervous all of a sudden? “I’m Boober.”

The girl Fraggle smiled. “I’m Tosh. Hi.”

“You’re, uh, not from around here are you?" asked Boober.

Tosh shook her head. “I’m from the Cove. It’s a little village near the sea.”

“The sea?" the cap-wearing Fraggle echoed. “You mean, like open water and inhabited by all sorts of nasty creatures and who knows what else?" Tosh glared angrily at Boober. An argument might have ensued right there and then, had Gillis not noticed the two talking and interrupted.

“Ah, I see you’ve met my niece!" he exclaimed.

As the other four Fraggles introduced themselves to Tosh Gobo remarked, “I didn’t know you had a niece, Gillis.”

“Cantus brought her here with him this morning," the Maestro explained. “Tosh is going to be living in Fraggle Rock from now on, with me.”

“Oh," the five Fraggles chorused. Gobo added, with an understanding glance at Tosh, “If you ever want to talk, feel free to stop by mine and Wembley’s cave, okay?"

“Okay.” Tosh nodded. Boober sent Gobo a glare of his own, though the effect was ruined by the hair over his eyes.

“Well, it’s been very nice chatting with you, but we must be on our way," Gillis said. “I’m taking Tosh on a tour of Fraggle Rock.”

“Oh! Well, have a nice time," said Mokey as the Fraggle Five began to walk away. “Welcome to Fraggle Rock, Tosh.”

“Thanks," Tosh replied. She watched the five of them walk away, gaze lingering on Boober, until her uncle nudged her and the tour continued.

---

“Well, Tosh seemed nice," Mokey commented as she and her friends made their way down to Fraggle Pond. The others nodded their agreement.

Red looked at Boober out of the corner of her eye and grinned devilishly. “I thought she was pretty nice, didn’t you Boober?"

“Yeah, she was cute- nice! I meant nice!" the cap-wearing Fraggle yelped as soon as he realized his faux pas. As Red laughed he groaned, wishing that the floor would just open up and swallow him. Sure, it’d mean a rock-quake of epic proportions but he didn’t really care.

“Someone’s got a crush," the pig-tailed Fraggle sing-songed. “So, gonna invite her to your cave for some tea? Do your laundry together?"

Mokey put a hand on Boober’s shoulder, glaring over at her roommate. “Don’t listen to her, Boober. If you want to spend time with Tosh then that’s your business.”

With a grunt Boober tore himself away from Mokey’s touch. “Oh, I do not have a crush on Tosh, and I don’t want to invite her to my cave! Not until she’s lived here for a while, anyway; who knows what kind of germs she’s brought with her from the sea?" Still muttering that he didn’t have a crush on the new Fraggle, Boober went down a side tunnel and headed in the direction of his cave.

The others watched him go in silence. Then, Red spoke up.

“So, who’s up for a dip in the pool?"

---

Chin in her hand, Tosh sighed. She had reached a dangerous point in any young Fraggle’s life.

She was bored.

After finishing their tour of Fraggle Rock, which included meeting such illustrious Fraggles as Convincing John, the Storyteller and the World’s Oldest Fraggle, Tosh and Gillis had returned to the Maestro’s cave. Almost immediately Gillis had sat down at his table, pulled out a blank piece of paper (how he found one in the mess was beyond Tosh) and started scribbling things down. Tosh watched him write for a couple minutes before quietly asking what he was doing – and being bluntly told not to bother him.

That had been nearly half an hour ago.

Sighing again, Tosh looked over at her uncle. He was still writing, and sometimes would stare off into space humming or singing quietly to himself. She wondered if Gillis realized she was even there.

She thought about the Great Hall, and the pool there and all the young Fraggles that liked to hang around it. Maybe she could take a walk down there and go swimming. It had been a while since she had been swimming.

“Uncle Gillis, I’m going to go down to the pond," Tosh said as she stood up from her seat. Gillis gave no indication that he had heard her. Shrugging, Tosh turned around and left the cave. She could probably be back before her uncle even noticed she was gone.

---

“There!"Gillis triumphantly added one last marking to his paper before pulling it back and admiring it. “Tosh, would you like to…” His voice trailed off as he looked around his cave, and realized that his niece was nowhere in the room. “Tosh?" He got up from the table and looked around the cave again, in case she was hiding. When there was no sign of her there, he hurried out of his cave and looked both ways down the trail to see if he could spot her.

Nothing.

“Oh dear, oh dear," the Maestro murmured to himself. He chose one path and began to walk down it, looking around and calling. “Tosh! Tosh, where are you? Tosh?"

---

Tosh Fraggle was scared.

It hadn’t taken her long after leaving her uncle’s cave to realize that she had made a wrong turn somewhere. And in trying to get back to his cave, she had made another wrong turn. It had taken Tosh about four more wrong turns to realize something.

She was lost.


-Kim
 

redBoobergurl

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Wonderful chapter! I like learning more about Tosh's background and I absolutely loved Boober's reaction to her! But now she's lost! This is not good, must read more!
 
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