Snapback

"It's pretty hard to snap back into regular year mode." Said Friday, lounging on a giant inflatable frog, floating in a big pool. Next to him were the other weekdays, on various other inflatable rafts in various animal shapes. It was edging towards twilight, but it was still warm.
"Yep," said Tuesday, on a panda, "Hardest right after the end of the year."
"You think it's from all the feasting?" Asked Wednesday, on a giant hippo.
"I think it's Voodoo." Said Monday paddling on the back of an alligator.
"You think everything's voodoo, ever since you found that fingernail in your gumbo." Said Thursday, around the side of his floating plastic giraffe - it's neck protruding through his legs like an oversized phallus.
"That was no ordinary fingernail!" Monday replied sharply.
"Yeah," Wednesday chimed in, "Cause it was from the shell of a cray-fish."
"I think..." Friday spoke with some authority, to stop the squabbling. "It's because like anyone, the new year just has to take a little while to figure out his job. Like a barista at the coffee shop - things are complicated at first. Takes a while to figure out all those levers and knobs and switches. Not to mention the calculations!"

The weekdays pondered this for a moment. Then Monday said.
"It was a fingernail! From a witch-doctor, or maybe a sorceress!"
"Well, you didn't eat it, did you?" Said Tuesday.
"No. Thank Gjod..."
"Yeah, but..." Began Friday, but he was interrupted by a loud gong, that drew their eyes towards the end of the pool. A small band had set up, and they started to play a slow groovy number, in a Don Ho style. Then a very handsome fellow walked out while the band played. He wore a black and white patterned cotton Hawaiian shirt, khaki pants and brown lace-up shoes. In his hand was a small hard-case, and he walked to the front of the bandstand. He kneeled down and unclipped the case's latches. Then pulled out a kickass-looking ukulele. He stood up, and held the instrument to his left ear, and tuned it. Right there, in front of the playing band, and his audience. It was kinda badass. The weekdays paddled their inflatable animals closer. At the side of the pool, a crowd began to gather. In the background torches on bamboo poles were lit.

A tech ran across the stage with a chrome stand, and at the top was a microphone like Elvis used to sing into. The tech ran off, and the man spoke into it with a deep mellow voice.
"Before I begin." He paused for a few more groovy beats to pass, "I'd like to introduce..." He waved his arm to the right as he spoke, "The Malaria Maidens!"

And from that direction, five women emerged in grass-skirts and grass bikinis, with orchids in their hair. They moved their hips and arms like waves, as they took their place in front of the ukulele man. Each was more beautiful than the next - no matter which way you looked. Their dancing accented the groovy beats and the audience - without knowing it - began to sway themselves.

"They'll make you sweat, and they'll give you chills!" The ukulele man finished. Then he began to play. It was nearly imperceptible at first, he just fit into the sound so perfectly. Then his instrument began to rise above it, slowly, smoothly, and strong. It was clear, that the guy could play the hell out of the uke. Before long, everyone was carried away by the sound he was creating, far above the band. It was, as if the band was a wave, and the ukulele man was an amazing surfer riding upon it. The Malaria Maidens only added to the effect.

It was then that Monday's inflatable alligator was sucked into the intake vent of the pool.

"Aaaaaah!" He screamed.
The other weekdays, paddled like mad to aid Monday, who was now loosing his arm into the vent with a powerful suction. Wednesday spilled off his hippo, and got underneath Monday, before his head slipped under the water.
"Aaaaaa!" Shouted Monday one more time before he got a mouthful of pool-water. "Glub."
Thursday, and Tuesday tried pulling on Monday's arm, but it was caught fast in the intake system. The hunchback Wednesday came up for a breath of air.
"Keep him up!" Shouted Thursday - still on his giraffe, "Or he'll drown!"
Wednesday ducked back under and pushed Monday's head back above the water. Monday took a coughing breath.

Friday cast a quick glance at the band, which was still playing like mad, and the crowd didn't have any idea there was a problem. They were entranced. He shouted for help - but no one even noticed. They were busy following the ukulele man and the band, or the Malaria Maidens. Then he saw, on the right hand of the ukulele man, his index finger was wrapped with medical tape - exactly the place where a fingernail might have once been!

Friday's eyes got big, and he paddled like mad to the edge of the pool. There, a faux-coconut held the remnants of a Mai-Tai. He picked it up and threw it at the ukulele man. It arched through the now dark night, spilling beads of liquid as it spun through the sky. Then it plunged down and struck the uke, and the player's bandaged finger. The man dropped the instrument, that struck the stage with a off-tune ringing "clunk." He looked venom out into the crowd. And with that the spell was broken.

For a moment, people could see the ukulele man was not well attired in island garb, but a full-on voodoo witch doctor - and the Malaria Maidens were nothing more than worm-eaten zombie corpses! (The band too, but nobody really cared about them.)

The witch-doctor snarled once, and sprinted off stage left. Then the crowd sprung into action, some rushing to help the stricken weekday , others calling for someone to turn off the pool filtration, others grabbing tiki-torches to advance (quite warily) on the Malaria Maidens and the band.

After another moment of struggling, Thursday and Tuesday and three men from the crowd pulled Monday from the pool, and threw him up onto the side. Where he lay coughing up water. Wednesday pulled himself out shortly after and joined him laying on the concrete, trying to catch his breath.

"What the fuck!!?" Asked Tuesday to nobody and everybody at the same time.
Friday spoke in sort of an answer, "Well damn! I guess you were right about that voodoo thing. I suppose it's gonna' be a another weird year."
Monday nodded as he coughed up another stream of water.

Happy Friday