Everything was all set. The Beatles had spent the last giorno o two preparing, finding a good outdoor stage with a big place for the audience, and then making posters and putting them up wherever they found a good place. The Beatles hoped the Beast had seen them. Every teenager in Nottingham seemed to have, and the city was più animated than any place the Beatles had seen since the Beast had come. It was a relief to see people moving on the streets again. The Beatles didn't have to worry about them anymore; they had the five special objects and were ready to defeat the Beast the minuto he showed his frightful face.
But right now there was a mostra to do.
The Beatles took the stage, their instruments in hand and their special objects da their sides. The Sword of Truth sat in John's belt, the Jar of Green Marmite Yeast Extract poked out of George's pocket, the Titanium Pound Coin was tucked away in Paul's sleeve cuff, the Jeweled Crown glowed on Ringo's head, and the Orb of Protection and Benevolence sat at the front of the stage, sending its rosa glow over the audience. Nobody in the audience questioned the presence of these unusual things. They were too busy screaming and cheering the Beatles on, delighted to see their favourite lads again.
The Beatles started in with "Any Time At All":
"Any time at all,
Any time at all,
Any time at all
All te gotta do is call,
And I'll be there...."
The fan cheered and waved their hands in the air. The Beatles grinned at each other, feeling più like themselves than they had in a long time. It was something they hadn't even noticed was missing until they got it back. It had been so long since they had played a concert.
"Please remember how I feel about you,
I could never really live without you..."
they sang. The fan screamed and cried and jumped up to get a better look at the Beatles.
But wait. Some of the fan weren't screaming o crying o jumping. They just stood there, some of them getting up and walking stiffly towards the front of the stage. They didn't seem at all affected da the beauty that was Beatles music.
The Beatles stared at each other in sudden horror. The Beast of Bodmin Moor must have come. And this time, he'd brought an army.
The soulless army reached the stage. It was actually made up of teenagers, who would blend in better with the concerto crowd. The soulless teenagers divided into four smaller armies, and each group began to surround a different Beatle. The Beatles could guess what the Beast was up to. The soulless army would separate them, taking each Beatle with his special object to a different place, far, far apart so they would never be found together, and probably then destroy both Beatles and Objects completely. The Beatles played as hard as they could, but it had no effect this time - maybe the Beast had prepared for that eventuality. Soulless hands began to grab at the Beatles' arms, and their instruments fell from their grips. the group surrounding Ringo lifted him clear off his drum kit, his slender legs flailing in midair. The soulless folk were surprisingly strong, just like George remembered. Just as the Beatles had feared, the soulless ones began to drag them off the stage, in four separate directions. Struggling against their grip, Paul tried to get at his Titanium Pound coin and make himself stronger than they were, but the soulless folk were holding his arms in such a way that he couldn't get it into his hand. The Orb's shield was encircling the entire crowd, soulless folk included, and so the Beatles were trapped with them. Being pulled further and further apart, they didn't even know if they could work it to save them.
But the Beatles' fan were not about to stand there and let their precious lads get dragged off da these unknown soulless types. With angry screams, they rushed the stage, their movements a lot less stiff than their soulless counterparts. The living teenagers began to pull the soulless ones away from the Beatles, shouting furious things at them all the while.
The soulless people were very strong, but it turned out that nothing was stronger than a crowd of determined Beatles fans. Paul wondered irrelevantly if even his Titanium Pound Coin would win out against them. The fan dragged the soulless teens back to the edge of the shield, telling them to get out and never to bother their Beatles again. The Beatles, now free to sposta around, each laid a hand on their Orb, and the shield contracted just enough to shut out the soulless teens. These last hung around the entrance, unsure of what to do next, now that they had been stopped from doing what they had been sent to do. Presumably they didn't know how to do anything else.
The teenagers who were fully alive crowded round the stage. "Don't worry about them, they won't bother te again." "We'll make sure of it!" "If they come back, they'll have to get past me first!" "Now that I saved your life, Paul, will te marry me?" "No, he won't, he's marrying me! Aren't you, Paul?"
When suddenly, everything was cut off da a loud growl.
The Beatles and their fan all turned, the fan a mixture of scared and curious, but the Beatles already knowing what they'd find. The Beast of Bodmin Moor was standing just outside the shield, and even for a perpetually snarling Beast, he looked angry.
The fan screamed. They didn't know whether the Beast could get them from inside the shield, and standing face-to-face with him, they didn't much care. They began to run, some of them attempting to pull the Beatles along with them, out of harm's way.
But the Beatles wouldn't go. This was what they had been waiting for.
"All, right, shield," John said, and his mated joined in, so that they all detto it together, in chorus. "Do your thing."
And the shield contracted, letting all the fan out to run where they pleased, and expanding on the other end to encompass the hideous Beast.
But right now there was a mostra to do.
The Beatles took the stage, their instruments in hand and their special objects da their sides. The Sword of Truth sat in John's belt, the Jar of Green Marmite Yeast Extract poked out of George's pocket, the Titanium Pound Coin was tucked away in Paul's sleeve cuff, the Jeweled Crown glowed on Ringo's head, and the Orb of Protection and Benevolence sat at the front of the stage, sending its rosa glow over the audience. Nobody in the audience questioned the presence of these unusual things. They were too busy screaming and cheering the Beatles on, delighted to see their favourite lads again.
The Beatles started in with "Any Time At All":
"Any time at all,
Any time at all,
Any time at all
All te gotta do is call,
And I'll be there...."
The fan cheered and waved their hands in the air. The Beatles grinned at each other, feeling più like themselves than they had in a long time. It was something they hadn't even noticed was missing until they got it back. It had been so long since they had played a concert.
"Please remember how I feel about you,
I could never really live without you..."
they sang. The fan screamed and cried and jumped up to get a better look at the Beatles.
But wait. Some of the fan weren't screaming o crying o jumping. They just stood there, some of them getting up and walking stiffly towards the front of the stage. They didn't seem at all affected da the beauty that was Beatles music.
The Beatles stared at each other in sudden horror. The Beast of Bodmin Moor must have come. And this time, he'd brought an army.
The soulless army reached the stage. It was actually made up of teenagers, who would blend in better with the concerto crowd. The soulless teenagers divided into four smaller armies, and each group began to surround a different Beatle. The Beatles could guess what the Beast was up to. The soulless army would separate them, taking each Beatle with his special object to a different place, far, far apart so they would never be found together, and probably then destroy both Beatles and Objects completely. The Beatles played as hard as they could, but it had no effect this time - maybe the Beast had prepared for that eventuality. Soulless hands began to grab at the Beatles' arms, and their instruments fell from their grips. the group surrounding Ringo lifted him clear off his drum kit, his slender legs flailing in midair. The soulless folk were surprisingly strong, just like George remembered. Just as the Beatles had feared, the soulless ones began to drag them off the stage, in four separate directions. Struggling against their grip, Paul tried to get at his Titanium Pound coin and make himself stronger than they were, but the soulless folk were holding his arms in such a way that he couldn't get it into his hand. The Orb's shield was encircling the entire crowd, soulless folk included, and so the Beatles were trapped with them. Being pulled further and further apart, they didn't even know if they could work it to save them.
But the Beatles' fan were not about to stand there and let their precious lads get dragged off da these unknown soulless types. With angry screams, they rushed the stage, their movements a lot less stiff than their soulless counterparts. The living teenagers began to pull the soulless ones away from the Beatles, shouting furious things at them all the while.
The soulless people were very strong, but it turned out that nothing was stronger than a crowd of determined Beatles fans. Paul wondered irrelevantly if even his Titanium Pound Coin would win out against them. The fan dragged the soulless teens back to the edge of the shield, telling them to get out and never to bother their Beatles again. The Beatles, now free to sposta around, each laid a hand on their Orb, and the shield contracted just enough to shut out the soulless teens. These last hung around the entrance, unsure of what to do next, now that they had been stopped from doing what they had been sent to do. Presumably they didn't know how to do anything else.
The teenagers who were fully alive crowded round the stage. "Don't worry about them, they won't bother te again." "We'll make sure of it!" "If they come back, they'll have to get past me first!" "Now that I saved your life, Paul, will te marry me?" "No, he won't, he's marrying me! Aren't you, Paul?"
When suddenly, everything was cut off da a loud growl.
The Beatles and their fan all turned, the fan a mixture of scared and curious, but the Beatles already knowing what they'd find. The Beast of Bodmin Moor was standing just outside the shield, and even for a perpetually snarling Beast, he looked angry.
The fan screamed. They didn't know whether the Beast could get them from inside the shield, and standing face-to-face with him, they didn't much care. They began to run, some of them attempting to pull the Beatles along with them, out of harm's way.
But the Beatles wouldn't go. This was what they had been waiting for.
"All, right, shield," John said, and his mated joined in, so that they all detto it together, in chorus. "Do your thing."
And the shield contracted, letting all the fan out to run where they pleased, and expanding on the other end to encompass the hideous Beast.
