Intro (It's also like the Lion King 1 1/2 but you can think of it as Horton Hears a Who 1 1/2!!)
We all know the story of Horton the elephant. How he saved the speck that was Whoville from certain doom and taught the world that a person is a person no matter how small. We also know of the Mayor’s story. How he kept cool under the threat of losing his entire world. But how many of you have heard the story from someone else’s point of view? This is the story of a certain Who girl that only wanted a new friend. The story of Alyssa Jean Who; the adopted daughter of Whoville’s one and only Mayor.

12 tiny candles shone brightly from atop the colorfully decorated birthday cake; lighting up the face of the excited girl looming over it. Her family was gather around the long twisting table to witness the passing of this child’s first birthday as part of their life and sang to her like any family would. As the final note of “Happy Birthday” echoed over the walls, everyone’s eyes fell upon the birthday girl. “Make a wish Alyssa,” her dad stated with a proud smile.
Alyssa shut her eyes in concentration. This was the first birthday she’d ever had so it had to be extra special. A wish to make up for all those hard, lonely years as an abuse victim. She thought about everything she had now. Alyssa was home schooled, had a wide variety of siblings that adored her, and two knew parents who loved her very much. What more could she possibly ask for?

That was when she realized exactly what she wanted and exactly what she didn’t have. Alyssa took in a deep breath and blew out the candles with a steady stream of air; sealing her very first birthday wish. Everyone clapped and cheered as the smoke swirled into the air to carry off her wish and possibly make it come true. A new life and a new year was just beginning.
“So what did you wish for Alyssa?” Holly, one of her younger sisters, asked as she climbed into Alyssa’s lap. “You promise to keep it a secret?” The little Who nodded and grinned up at her older sibling. Alyssa motioned for her to come closer and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “I wished for a brand new friend.”

Part 1

“Come on Alyssa! It’s your turn!” Daisy and Kitty were once again trying to convince their sister to jump rope with them. For reasons unknown, they insisted on playing their little game in the kitchen where Alyssa was attempting to finish her breakfast. Alyssa looked up at them with a rather sarcastic stare and shook her head. Despite her natural talents in almost everything she did, Alyssa couldn’t jump rope to save her life. “I’ve told you guys a thousand times, I don’t jump rope!” she snapped in annoyance. Both her sisters scowled at her response and crossed their arms over their chests. They still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that this new sister would actually say no to them. Then again, there was always plan B. “Good morning Ladies!” The Mayor entered the kitchen with his usual smile. Daisy was the first to speak up; pointing an accusing finger at Alyssa. “Daddy, she wont jump rope with us again!” The Mayor looked at his new daughter with his hands poised on his hips to show his slight parental authority. To this family, jump roping was not just a game, but a way of life and had become a family activity. However, when Alyssa arrived all that changed. “Al, you’re no fun. Why Don’t you just give it a try one more time?” he encouraged; expecting her to stand up and join in without protest. To his discourage, Alyssa turned away. There was no way she was going to embarrass herself in front of them like that. To her surprise, the Mayor took her place in the girls’ game; jump roping with his usual amazing speed and hyper active personality. Thankfully, Sally broke up the party. “Daisy! Kitty! It’s time for school!” she stated ; standing by the door and holding their lunch boxes out to them. Without warning, both of the girls let go of the jump rope and hurried out the door; causing their father to get caught and fall to the ground. Despite his obvious trouble, struggling with the tangles of the rope, Alyssa didn’t seem to pay him any mind; clearing her plate and walking off. “Have fun jump roping sir.” It took a good ten minutes for the Mayor to get untangled and by that time he was exhausted. He wandered into the living room; holding his now aching head as the onsets of a headache came on. He Didn’t have the faintest idea where Alyssa had gotten to but knowing her, she was probably off doing something productive. Right now, he just wanted to take a good long rest. The house was completely silent except for his own footsteps and for once, he didn’t like it. The Mayor was simply used to the hustle and bustle of living with his large family and right now, even Sally seemed to be missing. His only choice was put on some music. The Mayor made his way to the far side of the room where his old record player sat. It was an antique that had been passed down through generations and he always displayed it right in clear view all around the living room; he just liked it that much. As he moved to place the needle on the record, a sudden noise burst through the room; loud and frightening enough to make the Mayor jump and let out a cry of surprise. He wandered off onto the balcony with the severed piece of his favorite record playing held as though a weapon. “Dad! Have you seen my….music….score?” Alyssa entered the living room where she had only moments ago heard her father, but saw no one. Where could he have gone? She wandered slowly into the room until she heard his voice on the balcony; seemingly talking to himself. Concerned for her father, Alyssa edged toward the opening to the balcony and poked her head in to see her father talking to the drain pipe. She felt like saying something but then she heard the pipe talk back and practically fell over backwards.

Part 2
Alyssa watched as her father continued to hold a conversation with the mysterious voice. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates and her face was as white as a sheet. Was the house haunted or maybe she and her father were both going crazy? There was only one way to be sure. Very slowly, Alyssa edged her way toward the balcony door and pressed herself against the wall; listening intently to her father and the strange seemingly invisible person. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’re living on a speck,” the voice explained; getting the same reaction from both the Who’s listening.
Neither of them believed what they were hearing. How could they possibly be living on a speck? It just wasn’t logical in the least. “Seriously, who is this? Is this Burt from Accounting?” the Mayor asked with a chuckle. Something told Alyssa that this wasn’t a joke. She listened closely to them as the two continued to argue their cases. Her dad refused to believe it was the truth and the voice (claiming to be an elephant named Horton) insisted they were no bigger than a flower to him.
Goodness was she confused. Before she could react, the Mayor suddenly appeared in the doorway; chuckling to himself and shaking his head. Apparently he still thought this was a joke. Alyssa scrambled to make herself look busy; dropping to her knees and pretending to search under the nearby chair. At first, her dad simply tilted his head to one side and watched her and then leaned over to get himself a little more level to her height. “What are you doing?” he asked in a slightly loud whisper. Alyssa shot up as if startled and slammed her head off a shelf in the process; collapsing to the ground with a groan.
Her dad suppressed a laugh as he straightened up to observe her. Alyssa sat up quickly once more and once again, hit the shelf; this time managing to keep herself upright and smiling. “Hehe I was jus looking for…my music score!” Suddenly remembering what she had come to find in the first place, Alyssa didn’t need to think up a lie. The Mayor nodded slowly and then turned as if looking around the room. “Maybe it’s in Lula’s room. She was playing piano earlier and might have taken it…” he muttered and without warning, Alyssa shoved him toward the stairs. “Nice thinking sir! You go check there and I’ll check here!” she practically commanded.
The Mayor stumbled out of the room in surprise and looked back at her once before making his way up the stairs toward one of his younger daughters’ room. Once Alyssa was sure he was out of range, she walked out onto the balcony to where her dad had created a strange amplifying device out of the top of his record player and the drain pipe. She swallowed despite how dry her throat felt and had to clear her throat before speaking.
“H-Hello?” she said to the strange voice her dad had been talking to moments before. The voice hadn’t left because it arrived in full force; making her cower back slightly in fear. It was loud like her original father had been and made her want to run for a few minutes. “Hello? That you Mr. Mayor?” Alyssa had to clear her throat once more to feel any courage against this loud voice.
“No….This is Alyssa. Alyssa Jean. I’m his daughter…kinda.” The voice no longer seemed frightening the more they spoke. She actually felt that what he said was true, but at the same time, all of this scared her. They were the size of a speck which meant they could be destroyed at any time. It gave her chills just thinking about it.
“Hey Al! I found it!” Alyssa’s heart leapt into her throat when she heard the Mayor coming down the stairs. She raced off the balcony, saying a short goodbye to Horton before tripping over the rug and falling face first onto the ground. Her dad nearly stepped on her as he walked in and stopped in mid step to look down at his daughter sprawled on the rug. “What are you doing?” Alyssa stammered to think of a reason and then jumped back to her feet. There had to be something she could say to cover this up. With out a second thought, she threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I just couldn’t wait to give you a hug….Dad!”
The first time she’d ever called him dad and it as during a lie. Goodness did she feel bad. But it passed right over her dad’s head as he hugged her back and smiled.

Part 3

The day passed by at a snail’s pace; Alyssa’s mind on the strange voice the entire time. What if this Horton guy was real and telling the truth about everything? Maybe their world really was just a speck to him and they really were in trouble. She couldn’t think of a way to but completely sure, but it distracted her throughout the day. “Alyssa? Are you ready yet?” Once again, she was snapped from her thoughts and back into reality. Her eyes opened to the world around her and fell upon her siblings. Lula, Marcie, Belinda, and Jo-Jo all stood around her; waiting for their sister to wake from her half sleep. That was Alyssa remembered what she had been doing before her fantasy world had taken over. She was supposed to be practicing with them. “Sorry guys. Just a little out of it today,” she explained; her cheeks burning red. None of them seemed to notice as they lifted their instruments to prepare to play again. For weeks, they’d all be working on a piece of music to play for the big Who-Ville Festival of Sound and they were almost ready. If Alyssa could stay in this world for a little while then they might just finish up. “Alright guys. Make sure you’re in tune,” Alyssa said as she pressed down a few of the keys on her piano. They sound rang out pure and true throughout the room and everyone took a moment to listen and study the tone. First was Lula, who struck a key on her xylophone to match her sister’s. Next came Marcie on her flute; making a slight adjustment before matching the pitch of the piano. Belinda’s violin was in perfect pitch as always and Jo-Jo’s horn was as perfect as anyone could hope for. There was no doubt that they were certainly a musically inclined family. Alyssa let off the key and nodded slightly in approval. “Perfect!” They were ready to start. Jo-Jo sat beside Alyssa in the piano bench to get a better look at the music set up in front of her and Alyssa gave everyone a few minutes to get to the correct page before beginning the introduction of the piece. Her hands moved nimbly over the keys to show her years of practice and every made a different movement to catch her beat. Then came the singing. “You and me together we'll be Forever you'll see We two can be good company You and me Yes, together we two Together, that's you Forever with me We'll always be good company You and me Yes, together we'll be.” As she finished the first verse, the others came in with their parts. Soon the room was filled with a beautiful harmony of instruments that encircled them and rang out for the world to hear. Their instruments seemed to play themselves; sounding with such perfection and accuracy. Then it slowed to a quiet hum. “You and me Together we'll be Forever, you'll see We'll always be good company You and me Just wait and see.” The finished with one last harmonic note and then went quiet as they considered the work they had just done. All Alyssa could think was how perfect they had been. The silence remained until they heard clapping from the doorway. There stood the Mayor; smiling brightly at them. All but Alyssa stood up and rushed past him in embarrassment. Alyssa never quite understood why they would feel that way after doing such a good job, but then again, she didn’t understand much about the family. She was used to being completely ignored so she still had a lot to learn. “Very good work Alyssa. I see you and the others have been working hard as ever….Something wrong?” The Mayor’s praise faded when he saw the expression on his child’s face. Her hands folded in her lap and her head down. The thoughts of what Horton had said had come back to her in full force and she felt the need to tell her father. To ask him and get straight answers. “Dad….Do you believe Horton is telling the truth?” Her dad looked taken back at the mention of Horton. “How did you….” Alyssa stood up and walked passed him before he could say another word; regretting her choice to ask him. This was bound to come up at dinner anyways. She would just have to be patient.