Episode 23 - Impressing Simon

The park erupted with a ear-exploding tidal wave of sound. Gore Hell Vandals were giving it everything they had. Everything they had consisted of two chords, and they gave those two chords as much abuse as they could muster.

Simon Vinyl nodded his head. It was hard to see his expression as he wore a helmet with its visor down. He was either nodding in approval or in affirmation of a decision to commit suicide. Wendy hoped it was the former. Perhaps being picked out for fame and fortune might help Brandon to live a better life. After all, celebrities had no problems. Look at Simon Vinyl himself: filthy rich, a judge on the greatest talent show in the world, Plastic's Got Talent, and a weekly fixture of Wotcha magazine's Wotcha Gotcha! page which photographed famous people pretending to look slightly annoyed but secretly being pleased. That was the life. If her son could have just a little bit of that, Wendy would be happy.

If he stopped trying to kill people too, that would be a bonus.

She ran (or rather, sashayed - Simon was watching) over to Joss and Mary, who were waiting on the pyramid tea bag stage for Uterus's chance to perform.

"As soon as they finish the last note, we start!" Joss said sternly. She meant business: her teeth were gritted and her plastic hair seemed more tightly curled than ever. Joss had poured her heart and soul into Uterus and now was the defining moment of her life. Was there room in the market for menopausal pop? If they failed, Wendy feared for her sister's sanity. What else could Joss do? If Uterus failed she would end up wandering round Plastic St muttering to herself and singing snatches of hormonally charged lyrics about why men never sorted out their sock drawers.

With that realisation, Wendy felt better. Her sister's life would go on much as before.

"Ready for that last note?" Joss yelled.

Wendy and Mary nodded. Joss strapped on her acoustic guitar while Wendy bent over her theremin with outstretched hands. Half an hour later they were still in the same positions.

"Exactly how long does Plastic Melts in Hell last, Wendy?" Joss sighed.

"It depends if it's the remixed version or -" Wendy stopped mid sentence. "Look, it's Mum!"

Granny Gold was creeping out of the school house cradling something under her arm. As the members of Uterus watched, she sidled up to the main stage where Gore Hell Vandals were performing and shoved the device underneath.

Then she ran.

Wendy smiled. "Isn't it nice to see Mum take an interest in the community?"