The OK Orchestra (Part 2 of the Album Story series)

Chapter 5: World's Smallest Violin

A few weeks later, the OK Orchestra was ready.

Jack and Ryan were practicing on the many instruments they knew -- right now, Ryan on percussion and Jack on the trumpet -- while Adam and Ms. Hoots attempted to direct the few instruments who had actually joined.

"No no, it's a C flat, not a C minor.  There's a difference, you know," the blue owl said, flapping around impatiently.

"Oh right," a silver flute said, trying the note again.

"There you go.  Follow Lucy," Ms. Hoots told the rest of the instruments.

"Hey Jack?" Tibo walked over to the singer, who glanced down at him.  "Yeah, Tibo?"

"I... I'm nervous," the violin confessed, staring down at the floor uncomfortably.  "I mean, what if no one likes us? Well, more than they already don't."

"Hey, relax," Jack assured him.  "We'll do great, and prove everyone wrong.  The OK Orchestra is more than okay... we're the best there is!"

"Th-thanks, Jack," Tibo smiled.  "From an outsider, that means a lot."

"Anytime," Jack nodded.

"Are we ready?" Ryan asked, walking over to the two.

"IIIIIIIII'M READY!!" Jack shouted, in a perfect imitation of Spongebob.

"We're not doing any songs except the ones from OKO," Adam explained, joining them as well.

"Awww," Jack deflated.

"Are you all ready for this?" Adam turned to face the instruments.

"Of course we are!" Tibo said.

"They're fully trained, to the best of our abilities," Joe added.

"Then lets go!" Jack rushed over to the door and threw it open, staring in awe.  It seemed like the whole town had shown up to see the contest, which, given its small size, they probably had.

"NEW YORK! ARE YOU--"

"Shhh, shh!" Adam grabbed Jack's hand before he could say more.  "This isn't an AJR concert! We have to look professional!"

"Looks like we've already blown that," Ryan sighed, watching a few audience members chuckle at them.

Realizing his mistake, Jack awkwardly grabbed the microphone in front of him and cleared his throat.  "Ahem-"

Feedback blared through the speakers, making the audience cover their ears from the loud noise.  Jack winced, then cleared his throat again.  "As I was going to say... Symphonia! We are the OK Orchestra, here to perform for you today! Ms. Hoots, care to introduce?"

"Gladly, Jack," the blue owl flapped over to him and landed on the mic perched in its stand.  She extended a wing, pointing to the percussion section behind her.  "These are our drums."

Ryan drummed out a tune on a drumset, which was alive like any other instrument in Symphonia.

"This is our melody." Jack joined in, humming the chorus of Way Less Sad.

"Now listen, as our drums become our melody." Jack remixed a few notes together, the music swelling as he did so.

"And this... is our song."

Everyone joined in.  Trumpets, clarinets, oboes, flutes -- any orchestral instrument, you name it, it was there.  Whether it was Jack, Ryan, or Adam playing the instrument, or the instruments playing themselves, the OK Orchestra composed a tune unlike any previously heard before.

As the OK Overture reached it's quieter point, Jack decided to change pace -- and switch songs entirely.  "Hey, Symphonians! We've got a new song for you, in honor of the instrument who brought us here.  You know him -- okay, maybe you don't! But you will! His name is Tibo, and he's the world's smallest violin!"

Tibo's small eyes widened in joy at the recognition.  The crowd politely clapped, seeming to enjoy the OK Orchestra's performance a little more now that they'd heard a few songs.  As they did, the Orchestra started up another tune.

"My..." Jack held out the note to test himself, smiling at the looks of annoyance on his older brothers' faces.

"Come in, come in!" Ryan hissed, waving him on.

"...Grandpa fought in World War 2, he was such a noble dude.  I can't even finish school, missed my mom and left too soon," Jack sang out.  "His dad was a fireman, who fought fires so violent.  I think I bored my therapist, while playing him my violin."

"Oh my God!" Adam and Ryan joined in.

"That's so insane!" Jack sang back.

"Oh my God!"

"That's such a shame.  Next to them, my sh*t don't feel so grand, but I can't help myself from feeling bad.  I kinda feel like two things can be sad." As Jack launched into the chorus, he grabbed Tibo's hand and gently brought him forward.  "The world's smallest violin really needs an audience, so if I do not find somebody soon-"

"That's right, that's right!" Once again, Adam and Ryan chimed in with the backup vocals.

"I'll blow up into smithereens, and spew my tiny symphony, so-" Jack stopped singing and shouted, "Symphonia, let Tibo perform for you!"

Tibo launched into an excellent violin solo.  He wasn't completely unprepared, as the day before, Adam, Jack, and Ryan had worked together to compose a short  song for him to perform.  They hadn't given him any other warnings, except to prepare to play the song when it was right.  And now was the right time.

After the short solo, Jack, Adam, Ryan, and the rest of the OK Orchestra continued performing.  By now, the audience was fully enraptured into the performance.

So much, that neither they nor the performers noticed the ominous darkness that was rapidly spreading towards the city, already consuming the orange-leaved forest that mostly surrounded it.

"Somewhere in the universe, somewhere someone's got it worse.  Wish that made it easier, wish I didn't feel the hurt-" Jack stopped singing as something off in the distance caught his eye.  "Hold up, hold up! What is that?"

Adam, Ryan, and the rest of the OK Orchestra stopped playing their instruments as well, ending the spell-like trance that everyone had been in from the beauty of their music.  "What is what, Jack?" Adam asked, squinting off into the distance.  As soon as he saw what it was, his eyes widened.  "Is that... ominous darkness... normal?"