Orion and the Dogs
© Oonah V Joslin
This was big. This was mega. The whole town was in an uproar.
Their first album, ‘Belt Up' had sold three million Delta Crucises per parsec. Their second, ‘Rigel Kentaurus,' had gone super-giant in less than point zero one. They were one of the biggest magnitude bands around – and they were coming to Mintaka Zee.
It was all over the local news, the planetary news, the sky-fliers; Galactica Review had run a special issue. It was going to be one of the biggest events in Zee, ever . Dog music played from the every street corner, ‘Oh Ryan, You Bad Boy,' memorabilia, ‘You cannot be Sirius' T-shirts and ‘Bull You, Back!' banners were on show everywhere. The Bad Boy of Dog Music was coming home at last.
His mother was interviewed on Light Years Today and quoted in the news headlines, ‘Oh, Ryan was always wild, even as a child,' says mother.
The family had gathered at home to watch the concert and there was mother's interview being broadcast on Megascopic.
“Irrepressible?” said his father, “Incorrigible more like. Thought he was the dog's bollocks, that lad. And you encouraged him Mother, you can't deny it.”
“Don't you dare put the blame on me. I wasn't the one suggested, ‘and the Dogs'.”
“Well why did they change their name to Orion and the Gods then, eh? Tell me that.”
“Oh stop it, both of you,” shouted his sister Jenny. “Aren't you going to watch this? I think it's his best performance.”
His parents sat silently exchanging dirty looks. As a parent, you have to be proud of your son of course but his costumes were so revealing they might as well not have been there and the music was simply noise . They didn't understand. And they'd heard rumours about taking Star Dust, and Cosmic Awareness parties with all manner of undesirables from Alpha knows where.
Mother dabbed at her eyes as the concert came to an end. Father left the room. The Megascopic screen went blank. For all his fame and wealth he'd come crashing to earth in a shower of neon wreckage. And tomorrow he'd have the biggest funeral the town had ever seen. The irrepressible Ryan was home to stay.