"We can do it," Trissie insisted. "We only need to snitch one copy of the booklet. So Michelle can play."
Ashley Walsh and Liz Russo looked at her doubtfully.
"The only other person who'll need to know at all will be Michelle. Grownups think that kids can't do anything without someone to tell them how. We can do this ourselves. Honestly we can."
"And with Michelle Matowski at the piano." Mrs. Nelson finished the introduction and moved to the director's post.
The girls' chorus finished their presentation to polite applause from the League of Women Voters. (Iona had been quite right in saying that the tune was almost impossible to sing, even if it was very popular.) The girls filed out of the front of the room.
Except . . . three of them didn't. Liz Russo slipped off in the other direction and hid behind the piano. Trissie Harris and Ashley Walsh stayed on the little stage, reached into their pockets, and each brought out a pair of fuzzy white earmuffs.
Flo's heart sank.
At the piano, Michelle segued into, "Tea for Two." Brillo and the ewe started to sing, "A ram for me, an ewe for you." Between every verse, Michelle switched tunes and from behind the piano came Liz Russo's high soprano admonishing, "No, No, Brillo!"
Flo laughed.
Brillo and the Blue Problem
Rick Boatright
Brillo looked up and noticed that the child had left the gate unlatched. YES! he thought. This time I'll get my wimmen, and I'll head north, where a sheep can be a sheep.
This time for sure.
Brillo began butting the gate, and quickly realized that it was more useful to butt it at the latch end. Heading for the ewes' field, he looked over to the house where no one was yet up.
You know, he thought, every time I get myself some of my wimmen, I fall asleep before I can get out of here.
This sudden rush of realization set Brillo on a new mental path. How to stay awake? What was the magic of waking? Then, suddenly, he realized. It was the Blue Cup. Each morning, Flo came out and drank from the Blue Cup and said that she was waking up.
That was the magic. It was the blueness of it. He looked around. Blue . . . Blue . . . Blue. It was certain that no one was going to bring him a blue cup. No, that was reserved only for the yoomans.
Blue. Suddenly, his eyes lit on the flowerbed. Pansies were blue. Weren't they?
Anyway, Brillo had figured it out. The secret to staying awake, and getting away to the north was finding the magic blue substance. Brillo was determined to eat every blue thing he could find. No matter how many trys it took, he would go north with his wimmen.
Cindabrillo
Paula Goodlett
"Got another one, Flo." J.D. grinned.
"Oh, good," Flo answered. "I thought it might be about time for a new one."
Unknown to Flo, who was interested in the latest Brillo broadsheet, J.D.'s face fell. Her new attitude had him confused. She'd griped and groaned about those broadsheets for weeks. It had been fun to watch. Where was the fun in seeing her not react?
Oblivious to J.D.'s disappointment, Flo continued to read: CINDABRILLO
Brillo walked around the enclosure, muttering to himself. "Work, work, work. It's all I ever do. The other rams, they get all the bennies. Me, I just work and work and work. Can't have any wimmen without a fight. 'Course, I like to fight. Can't have any blue. The Flo lady is still mad at me about those jeans. How was I supposed to know? No rest for me. No, no goodies for Brillo."
"So, would you like to change all that, my fine ram?" a voice asked from the darkness.
"Whozat?" Brillo exclaimed.
A shining blue light appeared before his eyes. A little too shining, if the truth be told. Brillo, a bit dazzled, shook his head and blinked.
"Ya wanna tone it down a bit?" he asked.
"Umm, sorry, my friend. The lights are on a separate control, hang on a min . . . there, is that better?" the voice asked.
Blinking a bit, Brillo looked toward where the light had appeared. It was much less bright now.
"Yuh. Better. Who're you?" he asked.
"Why, Brillo, I'm the fairy god ewe. Haven't you heard about me?" the voice answered.
Peering at the light, Brillo was able to discern a rather shapely form inside it. Quite a shapely form, if you were a ram. Things got a bit slobbery for a moment, until Brillo managed to regain his dignity.
"Fairy god ewe? Never heard of you. And, I'm sort of busy right now. Wimmen to guard, lambs to protect, that sort of thing. Whaddaya want?"
"I want to help you, Brillo. It's what fairy god ewes are for, after all. I can give you a beautiful fleece. I can make you king of the rams. The real question is, what do you want?"