"Augh!" Mike grunted as he tore the 100th sheet of paper from his notebook and threw it in the floor.
"What's wrong, Michael?" Peter asked concerned looking up from his book.
"He's trying to write uh song. Ya know 'ow 'e gets, " Davy answered.
"Yeah, " Micky added. "Mr. Up-Tight, himself!!"
"You need a muse," Peter simply said.
"A WHAT???" Mike asked.
"A muse to give you inspiration," Peter calmly answered turning his attention back to his reading.
Before Mike could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
"Maybe that's my muse now," Mike said sarcastically as he walked to the door.
"I don't think they knock, Mike," Peter innocently said.
"Oh Peter!!" Mike thought as he opened the door. "Mr. Babbit!! Man, we're paid up--,"
Mike started, but Babbit cut him short.
"This ain't about the rent!" Babbit said.
If it wasn't about the rent, then why was he there? Babbit didn't make social calls so this quickly got the attention of the other Monkees and they rushed behind Mike.
"Ya got new neighbors. Nice girls. Ya could learn something from them. Said they didn't know how long they would stay, but they paid, PLUS a month in advance! You could learn something from them. Oh, and be nice when ya meet 'em." Babbit then turned and went back to his house.
"Oh boy! New neighbors!" Peter excitedly said. "Let's go meet them!!" With that he rushed past Mike thru the door. Mike barely caught him by the collar.
"Hold on, shotgun. Don't cha think we ought to get properly dresses first?" Mike asked. Looking down, Peter realized that he still had his pajamas on. "We don't want to scare 'em off!!" Mike continued.
Davy and Micky looked at each other and snickered. That was Peter, lovable Peter!!
Soon, the boys were properly dressed and set off to meet their new neighbors.
"OK girls. They're on their way. Now be on guard. We do have a mission to complete, but we could also use a little fun!" Callie, the leader, spoke to her charges.
"OK!!" the other three eagerly said.
What Mr. Babbit and the Monkees didn't know was that Callie was actually Calliope, the head muse and muse of poetry. Her charges were actually fairies. They were magical beings often assigned to help humans. Calliope was sent to help Mike with his writer's block and she brought her charges along as she so often did. They had formed a special and inseparable bond, much like the Monkees had. This mission was a welcome break from all the serious assignments they had before. The fairies needed time to relax, as did Calliope, and what better place than the beach.
Mike knocked on the door, and Callie answered. When she opened the door, she saw Mike standing in front with three other guys behind him. The three other fairies were standing behind Callie. It must have looked a sight. Mike looked at Callie and Callie looked at Mike.
"Ahem!" Mari cleared her throat and the sound brought both Mike and Callie back to their senses.
"Oh, uh, please forgive my manners. We're your neighbors. Mr. Babbit told us you guys jus' moved in. I'm Mike Nesmith, this is Micky Dolenze, that's Peter Tork, and that's Davy Jones," Mike explained.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Callie; this is Mari, Fay and Tena. Forgive my manners, won't you please come in?" Callie then gestured for them to come inside.
Once they were inside, the guys felt a peaceful, calming sensation. To top it off, the place was completely decorated. No signs of moving trauma that took days for the guys to sort out.
"Gosh, you guys sure settled in fast!" Micky blurted out.
"We're really fast movers! Please have a seat," Tena smiled.
"We're a group?" Peter said. "Are you guys a group too?"
"Group?" Fay asked slightly confused.
"What Peter meant is that we are a singing group," Mike explained.
"Oh, no. We don't actually sing, perchance, but in a way I guess you could call us a group," Callie offered. The truth was that Callie had an eight octave range and loved to sing, but that's another story.
"Ooh, a group!! A musical group." Fay said in awe.
"We've never met a musical group before!" Mari said in equal awe.
"Well, we do OK," Mike said modestly. (It seemed the Monkees had picked up their first official groupies.)
The group paired off and began to get to know one another. It seemed so natural. Micky was with Tena, Davy with Fay and Peter with Mari. Of course, Mike was with Callie. It was as if they were mirrors of each other. Davy and Fay were the shortest; Micky and Tena shared a love for pranks and jokes; Peter and Mari had the same golden brown hair and gentleness. Mike and Callie were the guardians?the paternal figures. After the group had talked a bit, Mike made a suggestion.
"With you guys jus' setttlin' in, we don't wanna take up too much of your time, but we would like to invite you on a picnic on the beach today if, you don't mind," Mike asked Callie.
"OOH, a picnic at the beach!!," each of the girls squealed.
"I guess that answers your question," Callie laughed. "I'll tell you what, you guys bring the fun and we'll bring the food."
"Oh, but we couldn't impose," Mike protested.
"Yeah, you don't know 'ow Micky eats!" Davy said, earning a glare from Micky.
"Can't be as bad as Tena, " Mari said, she too earning a glare from Tena.
"I insist. What time, Mike?" Callie asked.
"High noon?" Mike suggested.
"We'll be ready!" Callie confirmed. With that the eight said their goodbyes and began to prepare for the picnic.
It was a beautiful day for a picnic at the beach. Callie and the girls packed a wonderful lunch. There was no fear of running out of food because the girls used a "special" basket that seemed to produce an endless supply of goodies.
As expected, the girls and the guys began to play beach games and Mike and Callie talked about their jobs looking after the others.
"I look at it as being a helper," she said. "You know, always trying to help them out of the mischief they seem to have a knack for."
"Yeah, that they do. They call me Papa Nez, when I get into that parental mode," Mike said.
"I'm called Mama Callie. Nice to meet you Papa Nez!" Callie stuck out her hand and she and Mike shook.
"Speaking of mischief, what are we to do about the situation at hand?" Callie asked indicating the stand-off on the beach. The boys had the girls in the water and were preventing them from getting out.
"Well, if I help you----," Mike said.
"And if I help you---," Callie said.
"Seems to me we'll have to compromise. Shall we?" Mike added standing up. Mike and Callie walked to the stand-off. The guys thought Mike was coming to help them and the girls thought Callie was coming to help them. What happened next was quite the surprise for both groups. Mike and Callie pushed Peter, Micky and Davy into the water with the girls.
"I think were in a lot of trouble," Mike calmly said as the guys and girls struggled in the sand and surf.
"You know what they will do to us," Callie calmly answered.
"They have to catch use first," Mike replied.
"So, this is the part where we run?" Callie asked.
"And very fast," Mike yelled as they began to run with the others were in hot pursuit. Laughing, Mike and Callie suddenly stopped and "surrendered." They were ceremoniously carried back to the ocean by the group.
"Remember me, Michael," Callie called dramatically.
"Always!!" Mike replied just as dramatically. Then the two were thrown into the surf.
"Try an' get out now!" the others taunted.
"Who says we want too?" Mike yelled to shore. And with that, Mike and Callie began to play and swim in the ocean.
"Mates, even when we've got them, they've got us!" Davy grumbled. The group then had no choice but to abandon their game of "Dare" and Callie and Mike enjoyed their swim in the ocean.