Story
CLICK ON THE COLOURED WORDS IN THE STORY TO HEAR THE SONGS
Once there was, and once there was not, a thought wave called TUMBLEWEED, and a human colony called S.H.E. (SPACE HABITATION ENTITY) in the 4th dimension, late in the 21st century. Children on S.H.E. in possession of their Grandfather’s scrapbook read with curiosity about Earth and a rainbow ( Rainbow Colours 1 )
They stumble on TUMBLEWEED in some experiments they are doing. TUMBLEWEED helps them access information on rainbows and Earth from the archives on S.H.E. ( Rainbow Colours 2 )
Due to a huge cosmic storm, S.H.E. is forced to make a mindspace shift back to the 3rd dimension to avoid being destroyed by a cosmic string lashing across space.
TUMBLEWEED is projected to Earth by accident during this shift and undertakes a search for a rainbow and the keeper of the secret of the rainbow, the lost rainbow bird MNISI. ( Listen – NSA 2001 )
Several Post-Nuclear Fall-out (PNF) Creatures, survivors of ecological devastation, try to assist TUMBLEWEED in the rainbow search, firstly by trying to sort out the rainbow colours.
The PNF Creatures [KING LIGER (KL) ( The Liger’s Revenge NSA 2001 ), LUK-E (pronounced LUCKY) the Lunar Moth ( To fly like a bird/Flip Flap Flop instrumental ), ESCARGOT the Sophisticated (french) Snail (ESC), ( A Wacky Waltz Cast NSA 2001 ) Jabulani S BULLFROG (JSB) ( Be kind to yourself instrumental ) and FRAZZLE the 5-legged SPIDER accompany TUMBLEWEED on journeys ( Journey Theme 1 ) into the forest, to the South Pole, the Equator, the ocean depths and the highest mountain in the world.
TUMBLEWEED collects brightly coloured rainbow feathers (belonging to the mysterious MNISI) from creature characters en route : SPUTNIK and KAPUTNIK, a pair of emperor penguins ( Alone and Afraid NSA 2001 ); HURTLE the TURTLE ( Only on the surface instrumental ); STARFISH and Deepsea Creatures ( Wishing NSA 2001 ); ACHERNAR the unicorn (a personification of the constellation TUMBLEWEED meets in a dream). ( One step at a time instrumental )
The PNF creatures and cameo characters tell TUMBLEWEED about the havoc previously wrought on Earth by the villains of the piece : the GREEDIES ( The Law of More Cast NSA 2001 ) and their evil leader “ZED” ( Heart of Darkness 2 )- who now live on the Space Habitation Entity (S.H.E.) from which TUMBLEWEED fell to earth in the first place. Their opponents on earth were the WISE ONES , who tried to protect the environment. ( Living in Colour NSA 2001 ). The Greedies and Wise Ones engaged in a huge battle over radical deforestation, over-fishing and destroying the oceans etc.
Hearing of TUMBLEWEED’S search for the rainbow, the villains interfere in an attempt to capture the rainbow bird (MNISI) and hence the secret of the rainbow, which they believe to be fabulous material treasure. In a terrible thunderstorm, Escargot is struck by lightning and nearly dies. ( Lament of the Heart of the Earth Instrumental ) The urgency of the rainbow search is due to the earth gradually losing its colours. TUMBLEWEED has to rescue MNISI (who is imprisoned in a ring of fire at the top of the highest mountain in the world – the mountain of the mind) or everything in life will be colourless.
The rainbow feathers (and the bungling of the Greedies in pursuit) protect TUMBLEWEED from harm. The Greedies and ZED are cleverly outwitted by MNISI and TUMBLEWEED, and are sucked into a black hole in space.The inter-connectedness of life is revealed by FRAZZLE, who finally succeeds in making a web, after repeatedly disastrous attempts. ( There’s a Connection NSA 2001 ) The other PNF creatures have various little triumphs, for example LUKE (LUCKY) the Lunar Moth (who discovers his wings when he falls off a cliff (and flies.) ESCARGOT recovers from her brush with a lightning bolt and JABULANI S. BULLFROG writes a great song. ( Be kind to yourself NSA 2001 )
MNISI reveals the secret of the “treasure” at the end of the rainbow : a seed of hope, which can only prosper with the love of a human child. The children on S.H.E. promise to honour life and the planet, living with respect for themselves, each other and Earth, and the creatures consider allowing them to return.
Colour in life is safe and a rainbow appears in the sky… …ends