The Ghost and the McGee Twins

The Greatest Concert Ever

My family, plus Patty, decided to hold local auditions for performances at the bandshell. Let's just say that Patty wasn't too keen on the people auditioning. I'm just glad she didn't have any tomatoes with her. "Well, I'm glad I don't have eardrums, 'cause they would be bleeding." Scratch complained. "Yippee for you." I mumbled in pain. "I didn't think they were all bad. And Darryl clearly liked it!" Dad confessed. "Right, Darryl?" Darryl removed his hood, revealing that he wasn't listening. "Huh? Sorry. I was listening to Atomic Pink." Darryl said. "Didn't hear any of that." "Look, those acts were fine, but is fine really good enough for the first concert in Brighton's new and improved bandshell?" Molly asked. "No. We need something that'll rock this town!" Patty exclaimed. "Exactly!" Molly agreed. "Like Kenny Star." "Who's Kenny Star?"

For some reason, Molly didn't answer Mom's question until we got back home. "Kenny Star is Brighton's biggest celebrity. Well, technically he was born in Tuscaloosa, but his great-great grandmother's second cousin once removed did summer school here, which means Kenny's basically a Brightonian!" Molly explains. "To Molly, he's basically the equivalent to Elvis Presley in Grandma Nin's eyes." I added. "The voice of an angel." "Check him out!" Molly exclaimed, turning on her projector. "Where did you get a projector?" Scratch asked as the music video played.

"Just like me." Dad said. "No! Nothing like you. Never trust a musician." Mom warned. "They'll listen to your self-produced demo tapes, promise to make you a star, then leave you standing in the rain with an acoustic guitar and a suitcase full of broken dreams!" "Uh... what?" Dad and I wondered. "People! This guy is a huge celebrity!" Scratch exclaimed. "He's never stepping foot in Brighton!" "And even if he did, how would you track him down?" I asked. "Well, wait 'til you see what I have planned." Molly said, revealing a bulletin board behind her projection screen. "Ah! We're going to murder him!" Scratch exclaimed. "What? No! Right now, Kenny's tour bus is on its way to Cleveland, and we are going to intercept him." Molly explains. "Assuming Kenny is, as his song states, an "ordinary man," who weighs approximately 180 pounds, and his tour bus, which leaves from here at noon, traveling 65 miles an hour, add in his insatiable need for a fresh cup of Colombian dark roast every 3.2 hours, factoring in a stiff easterly wind from this high pressure system, and his need to stretch his perfect porcelain legs to avoid varicose veins, he'll be arriving at this highway rest stop near Brighton in exactly 30 minutes!" "Molly." Mom began. "That was..." "Brilliant!" Dad interrupted. "Absolutely insane!" I exclaimed. "Did you stay up all night making this plan?" Scratch asked. Molly slightly dozed. "Huh? Sorry, I fell asleep with my eyes open for a second." Molly said. "What'd you say? Ah, yes, right. I stayed up all night working on this. Because Brighton deserves the greatest concert ever! And when it becomes to people we care about, McGees go the extra mile!" "Well, I'm not a McGee, and I hate extra miles!" Scratch complained. "Count me out!" "Okay." Molly said suspiciously.

As we walked out to the car, I heard Molly calling out for Scratch as he was pulled towards her. "I'm under duress!" Scratch cried. "I hate this curse!" Molly and Scratch both landed on top of me. "Get off me, Moll!" I shouted. "Now let's go get Kenny Star!" Molly exclaimed. We all got in the car, but before Dad could pull out of the driveway, a lady jumped in front of the car window, causing Dad to scream. "Have you heard the big news?" She asked. "Kenny Star is playing at the bandshell tonight! It's happening! It's finally happening! My hopes are as high as my dreams right now!" "Uh, actually..." Mom began. "That's right. He will definitely be here, and you can count on it." Molly interrupted as Dad pulled out of the driveway. Mom, Scratch and I glared at Molly after her choice of words. "What? Cat's out of the bag, might as well feed it some mice!" "Have you ever thought about what happens if this doesn't work?" I asked. "Nope, because it's gonna work." Molly replied.

At the truck stop, we all got out of the car to see no sign of Kenny Star, or anything for that matter. "Well, well, well, would you look at that?" Scratch taunted. "He's not here. Humph." All of a sudden, Scratch got hit by the Kenny Star tour bus. "Sweet mother of corn." I mumbled. "I'm sorry, you were saying?" Molly said to me and Scratch just as a man came out of the bus. "Somebody get me a Colombian dark roast." He said. "Mr Star, you might not know this, but there is a whole town full of extraordinarily ordinary people just like you, who are counting on you to make their wildest dreams come true." Molly explains. "I'm talking about Brighton, home of the bravest Wilder Scouts, awesomest junior softball team, and the most efficient elderly construction crew you've ever seen! Please, Mr Star, embrace your Brightonian roots and come play our newly rebuilt bandshell tonight! Make your great-great grandma's second cousin once removed proud!" "I don't know who you are, little lady, but that was the most beautiful speech I've ever heard." He complimented. "Just one problem. I'm not Kenny Star. I'm his stunt double." I was dying of laughter on the inside. Molly went into the bus to see if Kenny was still in the bus. "Molly, what are you doing?" I asked. "I apologize for my sister. She's a do-gooder." "Um, where's Kenny?" Molly asked the stunt man. "Thirty thousand feet in the air on his private jet." He replied. "I'm sorry, miss, but there's nothing I can do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom." The stunt man goes into his cannon and launches himself into the gas station bathroom. "How could this happen?" Molly wondered. "I planned for everything, except for this. Now we don't have any band for tonight." "That's music to my ears." Scratch cackled. "'Cause I told you this was a ridiculous idea! Listen, let's go grab some ice cream sandwiches and beef jerky while we're here. I mean, we made the drive and all." "Let's go." Molly sighed. "Another rock star, another broken dream." Mom said. "Best you learn this lesson early, kid." "Wait, what? I mean, that... that's it? You're giving up?" Scratch asked. "Aren't you gonna, you know, be all positive and optimistic and annoying?" "Scratch is right, this doesn't feel like you." I added. "No, guys. I tried my best. And it didn't work." Molly sighed. "I let everyone down."

On the ride home, I couldn't stop thinking about what Molly and Scratch had said. "What's going on, Molly? You're not someone who gives up so easily." I said. "What happened to going the extra mile?" "Why are you telling me this? Isn't this what you wanted all along?" Molly sighed. "All that work Brighton put into rebuilding the bandshell, and now I've ruined the big debut." "Look, Molly, it's not that bad." Mom reassured her. "I'm sure everyone will understand." Dad parked the car in front of a crowded bandshell, swarming with Kenny Star fans. "Mom, you probably shouldn't have said that." I warned, noticing the crowd. "Oh boy." Mom and Dad said. "Molly, you don't have to go up there by yourself." Mom continued. "We'll go as a family." "Thanks, Mom." Molly sighed. "But I must face the non-music alone."

While the entire town was chanting for Kenny, Molly came onstage to make her heartbreaking announcement. We were all concerned about Molly, but I was wondering what happened with Scratch? Isn't he cursed to stay by her side? "Hi... everyone. So, good news and bad news." Molly chuckled awkwardly. "The good news is we're all here, you know, together, and I am so happy... to see all your many, many smiling faces." "Less talking, more rocking!" Patty shouted. "Yes. So, the bad news..." Molly hesitated, knowing that everyone would be disappointed. "The truth is, I promised you a big star, but I've made a terrible mistake." All of a sudden, a large tour bus came crashing into the bandshell. I knew it wasn't Kenny, but who could it be? I mean, whoever was driving got possessed by Scratch. "No! He didn't just hijack a tour bus." I gasped. "Everybody out, go, go, go! Get on stage now! Wait!" Scratch shouted, leaving the driver's body. "I got a star! Maybe even more than one!" "What? Who?" Molly asked. "How should I know? Just go with it." Scratch whispered. "You see, I made the mistake of telling them that Brighton doesn't like to rock!" Molly lied. "No! We love to rock!" The audience cheered. "Okay, thanks, Molly." I ran up onstage to speed things up. "Now that we got that cleared up, enjoy the show!" As soon as I got off the stage, it became flooded with pink smoke. Coming from the smoke was none other than Darryl's favorite band, Atomic Pink! "Hello, Cleveland!" The lead singer greeted. "Your city is smaller than we thought it would be!" "It's Atomic Pink!" Darryl gasped as the band began performing.