Chasing Robin

[TogetherAgain]

Would Have Been a Perfect Trip with commentary

commentary Originally I had Kermit talking with Ms. Rowling backstage towards the end of the show, with nothing having gone wrong yet and her asking him where Robin was. But then I realized that would mean the frog scouts got captured, escaped, and made it back to the ranger station in less than half an hour, and that didn't seem possible at all. So, we started in the middle of the day. end commentary​

Kermit strolled along the sidewalk, chatting with the guest star. He knew there was still a lot to be done at the theater before that night’s show, and he was glad to have some time to talk with her before everything got hectic.

“You know, Ms. Rowling, it’s really a shame that Robin won’t be here,” he said. “He was really looking forward to meeting you.”

“Oh, is he back at the swamp?” J. K. Rowling asked.

commentary What's kind of sad is that since I'm not into Harry Potter and don't own any of the books, I ended up searching online for the correct spelling of J. K. Rowling's last name. What's kind of funny is that now that I'm typing her name in the commentary, I keep wanting to add an 'f' after the 'rowl' because I'm so used to typing 'Rowlf'. end commentary​

“No, actually, he’s with his Frog Scout troop. They’re camping up in Colorado for the week,” Kermit explained. “But we just love to read your books together...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Meanwhile in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the frog scouts were proudly wearing their uniforms, on the way to the campsite where they were going to pitch their tents.

“This way, scouts!” Miss Appleby said.

The young scouts grumbled amongst themselves. They had hiked several miles already, they were tired, their feet hurt, their gear was heavy, and they still had two miles ahead of them. And that was assuming they didn’t get lost for a third time under Miss Appleby’s navigation.

commentary Heh, that was a semi-reference to the camping trip I went on last summer. We divided into three groups for a backpacking trip, and one group got lost twice on the way to the campsite, and then a third time on the way back. They ended up hiking thirty miles in two days. So that's sort of how I imagined the frog scouts about now, except that they've showered recently and it's the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night. end commentary​

Robin was in the lead, and he knew his troop needed a good morale lift.

“I can’t wait to get to the campsite,” he said. “We’re going to have so much fun this week! Right, guys?” He turned to look back at the frogs behind him.

Suddenly the ground fell from beneath them. They dropped several feet to the hard-packed dirt. Then everything went black.

commentary Ah! Robin! Oh wait, I wrote this, why am I reacting? Actually I was pretty nervous about this part when I posted it. By that time I had read it out loud to my mom and my cousin, and neither one of them reacted. At all. I was thinking, hello, they just fell through a hole in the ground! Everything went black! The least you could do is gasp. But no, they just gave me a funny look like, yeah? and? So thank you very much to everyone who actually reacted to this. end commentary​

Robin awoke to find himself on a concrete floor, surrounded by his fellow scouts and Miss Appleby, without their gear. They were locked in some sort of jail cell, inside a cold concrete building, with an open door just a few feet away on the opposite side of the cell bars. He looked carefully at the cell door, noticed something, and smiled. The key was still in the lock.

commentary Don't you love it when the bad guys make mistakes? It makes life so much easier. end commentary​

He quickly woke up the rest of the troop. Then he reached through the bars, grabbed the key, and turned it, releasing the lock. He pushed the cell door open, and they all bolted for the outdoors.

commentary That would be a very difficult sequence to film. Brian Henson mentions in the commentary for Muppet Christmas Carol that it took a lot of takes to show Kermit locking the door. This would be Robin unlocking the door, which is similar, except that now he's reaching around from behind the lock. That would take some doing. end commentary​

“HEY!” a man shouted.

They heard heavy footsteps running behind them. The frogs ran as fast as they could, afraid to look back. The man chased them all through the woods at frightening speeds.

commentary That flows much better than how I first wrote it. I was trying to describe everything the footsteps chased them through, and it just felt cluttered. end commentary​

Robin tripped over a loose stone and fell to the ground as the frog scouts raced past him. He started to get up and noticed a gigantic butterfly net coming down on top of him. He hopped quickly out of the way, and the net fell on bare ground. The man lifted it and took aim on Robin’s new position. He hopped just out of the way, and the net fell, lifted, aimed...

The young frog dodged the net repeatedly, hopping to where ever he could to get out of the way. The man with the net chased him a long way through the forest before they broke into a clearing of tall grasses. Seeing the opportunity, Robin leapt with all of his might into the middle of the clearing and held perfectly still. Blend in, he thought. Blend in.

He heard the man’s footsteps trudging through the grass. He’s looking for me, Robin thought. Don’t find me, please, don’t find me.

commentary Trudging. I like that word. Oh, and you notice we have no idea what this man looks like yet? That's because Robin doesn't know, either. All Robin knows is there's a man with a giant butterfly net. So that's all we know, too. end commentary​

The footsteps were coming closer, stopping, coming closer, and stopping again. There was a pair of boots right next to him now. Robin slowly looked up. The man was wearing black jeans and a blue button-down denim shirt. He held the net at his waist, looking straight out, examining the grass. Don’t see me, Robin thought. Don’t look down.

commentary So now we know what this guy is wearing, but we don't really know what he looks like. I didn't even realize that until I was trying to write the last chapter. So I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you what he looks like, but considering we've gone through the whole story and no one has complained, I think you all have some image of him in your heads that I don't particularly care to disturb. end commentary​

The man sighed. “Papa is definitely not going to like this,” he said, and he walked away.

commentary Now this line was actually very hard for me to write. See in Destination: Home, Gina refered to her father as "Dad." In Muppets Take Manhattan, Jenny refers to her dad as "Pop." Now because I'm so crazy, I wanted Junior to call his father something other than "Dad" or "Pop." However the only other thing I could think of was "Papa," and Papa just so happens to be my ninety-two year old grandfather. So it was a little awkward to describe the villain as "Papa," but I'm crazy like that, so... end commentary​

When the footsteps had died away completely, Robin poked his head up from the grass.

commentary Isn't that a cute picture, Robin's head poking up in a bunch of tall grass? I think it's cute. Not in these circumstances, of course, but cute. end commentary​

Now he had another problem. Where was he, and where was the rest of the troop?

Meanwhile, the other scouts had found their way back to the trail. Miss Appleby took a headcount. “Where’s Robin?” she asked.

The frogs looked around nervously.

“He must have gotten caught!” one of them said. “We have to go and save him!”

“No, David,” Miss Appleby said sternly. “It’s too dangerous. What we have to do is report this to the ranger station.” And she led them back up the trail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Back at the theater, Kermit stood out in front of the curtain.

“Well folks, it’s time to bring this show to an end. But first, let’s give a warm thank you to our fantastic guest star, Ms. J. K. Rowling!”

commentary Yes, now that I know how to spell her name, let's give her a round of applause. Actually at first I couldn't figure out who the guest star would be, because I wanted it to be someone who would ask where Robin was. I considered Robin Williams, but he's kind of impossible to write for. So I picked J. K. Rowling, and ended up not having her ask about Robin anyway. That's life, I guess. end commentary​

Ms. Rowling stepped through the curtain to thunderous applause.

“You know Kermit, I had a great time here tonight,” she said. “It was really wonderful to meet all of you.”

Kermit looked surprised. “All of us? Even Crazy Harry?”

commentary The creative process behind this statement: Hm, J. K. Rowling writes Harry Potter. Harry Potter, Crazy Harry... ok. end commentary​

She laughed. “Even Crazy Harry. He adds a whole new meaning to having a blast,” she said.

“Did some one say ‘blast’?” Crazy Harry appeared behind them holding a stick of dynamite.

commentary You can't tell me you didn't see that coming. Well I mean you could, but I don't think I would believe you. end commentary​

They laughed.

“We’ll see you next time on The Muppet Show!” Kermit shouted.

BOOM!

They laughed their way off the stage.

A while later, Kermit was talking to Scooter.

“The show was just great tonight, boss!” the go-fer said energectically.

“Yeah, it’s kind of surprising,” Kermit said. “No cancellations, no set or costume problems, no complaints from anybody...”

“Yeah, all we had was those three explosions.”

“Four. One more during the goodnight,” Kermit corrected him.

“Right. But not even big explosions.”

“Yeah. Something almost doesn’t feel right about it.”

commentary Now keep in mind I wrote this not long after reading something about how people love the Muppets because they try so hard and everything comes out wrong. So here's Kermit, working off his little froggy behind to get everything right, and it actually works. Of course it's going to feel weird. This is a bit of irony for us- everything's going swell at the theater, because they have no idea that Robin is in deep trouble. end commentary​

They chuckled.

“Well, boss, I’m gonna head for home,” Scooter said.

Kermit nodded. “Right. Looks like just about everybody’s gone now. Props all put away?”

“Yup. We’re all set for next week.”

“Good. I’ll see you later, Scooter.”

“Okay. Have a good night, boss!” the go-fer waved as he walked away.

“You too, Scooter,” Kermit said. Then he sat down at his desk and sighed. The show had gone well. Now if only the paper work would do the same. He picked up his pencil and began to work, enjoying the silence. He was the only one in the theater now. Even Statler and Waldorf had left.

commentary Yes, they left, and they left for good. You will notice that they do not talk at all for the entire length of this story. That's called me messing up. end commentary​

There was complete and utter silence. The only sound was the scratching of Kermit’s pencil on his paper.

Ring ring.

Kermit dropped his pencil, startled.

Ring ring.

He picked up the telephone receiver. “Hello, Muppet Theater,” he said.

“Uh, yes, is this Mr. Kermit the Frog?” A man’s voice came across the wires.

“Yes.”

“Sir, this is Dan Jacobs, head ranger here at Rocky Mountain National Park. I understand your nephew, Robin Frog, was here with his frog scout troop?”

commentary Dan Jacobs. I think Dan was the name of one of the ranger's who came to that group's rescue, the one I told you about who got lost three times? I'm pretty sure one of the ranger's name was Dan. Don't ask where Jacobs comes from, because I honestly don't know. end commentary​

Kermit felt his muscles tense. Something was wrong. “That’s right,” he said.

“Sir, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you...”

 

[TogetherAgain]

Know Your Enemy with commentary

Robin stumbled out onto the trail and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He noticed something to his left, and walked towards it. Sure enough, it was a hole in the trail. He inspected it as he approached. It was definitely man made. It was seven feet long and the exact width of the trail. On one side, there was what looked like a rope ladder hanging down into it. But before Robin could examine it, he heard two sets of footsteps approaching. Frightened, he hid beneath the leaf of a large plant on the side of the trail.

“Here’s where we caught ‘em,” a voice said. Robin peeked out from under the leaf. It was the same man he had seen before, but now there was someone else, too. An older man, leaning heavily on his cane, dressed all in white with a white hat.

commentary Ah, yes, a sign of another mistake. I meant for Junior and Doc to be dressed similarly, but when I wrote the description of Junior's clothes, I couldn't remember how Doc dressed in The Muppet Movie. I wanted to be accurate, so when I got to Doc's clothes, I actually looked it up and found that my guess with Junior's clothes was way off. Well, it worked out, anyway... sort of. end commentary​

“And they all got away?” he said.

“They all got away. They must have picked the lock or something,” the first man said.

commentary Actually, at this point Junior knew that he had left the key in the lock, but there was no way he wanted to tell his Papa that. end commentary​

“I’m sorry, Papa...”

“Stop apologizing, Junior!” the old man bellowed. “You remember what I taught you about apologizing?”

“Yes, Papa,” Junior said. “Only fools and wimps apologize.”

commentary I think I heard that before somewhere, but I don't really know. Oh well. end commentary​

“Are you a fool?”

“No, Papa.”

“Are you a wimp?”

“No, Papa.”

“Then don’t apologize.”

“Yes, Papa.”

“Good. Now, their gear is still in the trap?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go get the truck and load it up.”

They started to walk away. Robin felt himself let out a sigh of relief at not being found. The he heard the old man’s voice, moving farther away, saying, “I bet that little one is still around. Keep your eyes open and we’ll catch him. See if he can do any tricks for us.”

“And if he can’t?” Junior asked.

“Then we’ll kill him,” the old man said.

commentary That's awful gruesome. But then again, this is the same guy who hired a frog killer, so it kind of fits. Now he just kills the frogs himself, I guess, or at least he tries to. He's not too successful, though. end commentary​

Robin held back a scream. Kill him? What for? He waited until he was certain the men were gone. Then he crept out to the edge of the trap hole. He grabbed hold of the rope ladder and carefully lowered himself down into the hole. He didn’t know how long it would take for the men to get the truck, but he knew he had to act quickly. He found his pack of gear, opened it up, and took out the tent he had been assigned to carry. Then he found Miss Appleby’s pack, opened it, and began to rummage through it until he found the supply of food he had been looking for. He put the food in his pack, the tent in hers, and closed them both. Then he swung his pack onto his back and pulled himself up the rope ladder.

commentary What a smart frog. He takes out the extra weight of the tent, thus making room for food. Only trouble is now he doesn't have anywhere to sleep. end commentary​

“Hopefully they won’t notice a missing pack,” he said. Then he looked around. “If I take the trail, I’ll know where I am, and maybe I can find the troop. But on the other hand, if I take the trail, those men will know where I am, too.” As he weighed his choices in his mind, he heard the rumbling of an approaching truck. He quickly hopped to the side of the trail and ducked down behind a log. He was about to make a run for it, but he stopped himself.

Know your enemy, he thought. So he peeked over the log to get a good look.

commentary Hm, I wonder where I got the title for this chapter? end commentary​

The truck had stopped just behind the trap. Junior was down in the hole, grabbing the packs and throwing them up on the ground, while his father leaned on his cane and watched. Robin looked past them and read the words printed on the side of the black pick-up truck.

commentary You notice that I don't tell you what he saw. I'm leaving it as a surprise, so we find out when Kermit finds out. That way we have our reaction, then continue reading, and compare our own reaction to Kermit's right away. We don't have to think about it, so it feels more like we're standing there with Kermit, sharing the shock. end commentary​

He fell back behind the log, holding back a scream. Don’t panic, he thought to himself, don’t panic. What ever you do, do not panic. He carefully reached into his pack and pulled out his map and compass. There’s only one thing to do, he thought. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the men weren’t looking, examined the map, checked his compass, and quietly slipped away through the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Kermit hung up the phone, shaking. The ranger’s words circled through his mind. An accident... trap... locked up... Robin missing... dangerous...

commentary I had to rework this part. When I originally wrote it, Robin called the theater, where Kermit still was, by himself. So at this point, Kermit was originally flipping through the yellow pages trying to find an airline that was going to Colorado. But that threw things off, so he went home. ...wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all just go home when things didn't make sense? end commentary​

He looked blankly at the papers on his desk and pushed them aside to reveal a single blue piece of paper taped to the top of the desk. It was the phone tree used to alert the entire cast of any important news.

He picked up the phone and dialed quickly.

“Hello, Scooter? It’s Kermit... Get everyone to the boarding house... now... it’s urgent... No, I’m still at the theater... right... see you there.” He hung up, checked the phone tree again, and raced out the door.

commentary Apparently one of the benefits of being the unofficial leader of the Muppets is that you only have to call one person on the phone tree. Actually, when he said "right," he was agreeing to having Scooter call the other people he was supposed to call. And that's about all I know about the phone tree, except that The Swedish Chef, Crazy Harry, Beauregard, and the penguins don't have to call anybody. end commentary​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

The forest ended abruptly and Robin found himself on the side of a road. He followed the road for about half a mile into a small town.

This is great, he thought. Look at all these shops and restaurants. There’s gotta be somebody here who will let me use a phone. Maybe in there. He headed for a shop called “Odds and Ends,” but he froze when he saw the parking lot.

commentary I love coming up with random names for random places. Odds and Ends, for example. I've never heard of a place called Odds and Ends, but it sounds sort of like a dollar store or something, don't you think so? end commentary​

A black pick up truck, with the frog scout packs in the back, writing on the side, Junior getting out of the driver side, and the old man opening the passenger door. Junior looked up and saw the young frog. “THERE!” he shouted, leaping back into the truck and driving towards him.

Robin turned and ran as fast as he could. He dodged around a corner, ducked behind a green trashcan, and leaned back on it.

commentary The color of the trash can is shear coincidence, by the way. It's just that the kind of trash can I was imagining, I've only seen in green. end commentary​

He watched as the truck drove right past him. He smiled a little as he gasped for air. When he finally caught his breath, he looked around and saw that he was in front of a small diner. Maybe someone there can help, he thought.

It was a slow night at the Eat-Your-Fill Grill.

commentary That's another name that was fun to think of. end commentary​

A woman sat behind the counter, reading, with no customers to serve. She heard the door open and looked up from her book. A young, tired-looking frog walked in with a pack full of camping supplies on his back. She smiled at him and stood up. “Can I help you?” she said.

Robin hopped onto a stool at the counter. “Um...” he said hesitantly. Yes, she could help him. But he was afraid, and alone, and he didn’t really know what he needed.

commentary That's a long way of saying he's in desperate need of a hug. end commentary​

“Could I maybe use your phone, please?”

“Of course,” the woman said, pushing the white desk phone over to him.

“Thank you,” he said. He picked up the receiver, and paused, not quite sure what to do. Then he dialed the first number he thought of.

 

[Beauregard]

Ok...confession...whenever you say Junior I think of....a certain large, and, sqwushy..um..Gorg..forgive me...

 

[redBoobergurl]

Just got home and read the end of the story. Haven't read the commentaries and extras yet, I hope to get around to them soon. Anyway, another great finish to another great story Lisa! What's next?

 

[TogetherAgain]

Beauregard: It's okay, for a while I was getting so confused. Because it was already set in my head: Papa is my ninety-two year old grandfather, Doc is a guy with a dog named Sprocket, and Junior is a Gorg. I had to re-program myself.

Beth: What's next? Um... good question. Once all the extras here are done, um... I really don't know. I mean I'd like to write another story, but I don't have one in my head, and once I'm done with extras it'll be getting fairly close to a week of camp and then school... so we'll see, I guess. Anyways, glad you enjoyed Chasing Robin!

 

[TogetherAgain]

Pardon? with commentary

The Muppet Boarding House was overflowing with chaos. Only a few of them actually lived there anymore. But all of them were there now, and none of them really knew why.

commentary Now if you'll recall, in "Destination: Home" I only had Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Camilla, Robin, and the Electric Mayhem living at the house. I pictured the same group living there now. It's just been easier for me as a writer that way. But don't get used to it, because that might change. end commentary​

The front door suddenly flew open as Kermit burst in. “Everybody in the kitchen!” he shouted.

Once they reached the kitchen, the Muppets all began to swarm him.

commentary Now this was fun to write. I don't know who said what exactly, but I do have some ideas. end commentary​

“Kermit, where have you been?”

commentary That's Fozzie, he's been following Kermit since he walked in the door. He's been worried. end commentary​

“Yo, Kerm, what it this?”

commentary That's Clifford. Kind of funny, when I started writing "Destination: Home" I didn't really like Clifford, but this story kind of changed my opinion of him. Interesting. end commentary​

“Why did you have Scooter call us?”

“Kermit, why are we all here?”

“Kermie? What’s going on?”

commentary Miss Piggy, of course. I find it amusing how a lot of the characters have their own names for Kermit. end commentary​

“Look Kermin there had better be a good reason for this, hokay. I was in a Jacuzzi with a very nice looking lady...”

commentary Pepe. He's another character that I didn't always like, and have started liking since I started writing. end commentary​

“Kermit, I’ve got everybody here.”

commentary Scooter. He's kind of confusing, sometimes he calls Kermit "boss" and sometimes he calls Kermit "Kermit." That sounds weird. end commentary​

“Kermit, have you been at the theater this whole time?”

commentary That's Gonzo. I guess I had more of these planned than I thought. end commentary​

“Hey Kermit, what’s goin’ down?”

commentary Floyd Pepper. The hippest of the hip. He has a room for life at the home for the chronically groovy. Makes you wonder what he's doing at the boarding house. end commentary​

“Is this gonna take awhile, Kermit? Because I’m supposed to sing at a party in an hour.”

commentary Johnny Fiama. I'm not too comfortable writing for him yet, so he stays pretty quiet for most of the story. end commentary​

“Nobody messes with Johnny Fiama’s schedule!”

commentary Sal. He goes hand in hand with Johnny, so I'm not too comfortable writing for him, either. Yet. end commentary​

“KER-MIT! KER-MIT!”

commentary Animal. Enough said. end commentary​

“Why is everyone here, Kermit?”

“Kermit, why’d you have us all come here?”

“Kermit, it is very un-American to have us all come here and not tell us why.”

commentary That's Sam. He's kind of fun to write for. end commentary​

“What are we doing here, Kermit?”

“Kermit, what the heck is-"

“QUIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEET!!!” Kermit shouted.

“And I said, look, fella, if I wanna go to the beach without my clothes on, it’s my business, and I-“ Janice realized everyone was staring at her. “Oh.”

commentary You've gotta love Janice. I mean isn't she awesome? Just a random point of irony, her nudism comments came towards the end of The Great Muppet Caper and Muppets Take Manhattan. But somehow they've come at the beginning of both of my stories. end commentary​

They turned to Kermit.

“You all know that Robin is in Colorado with Frog Scouts,” he began.

They groaned. “Did you bring us all here just for that?” Johnny Fiama said. They had been hearing all about Robin’s trip to Colorado for months.

Kermit scrunched up his face. “Guys, listen.”

They hushed their grumbling and settled into their usual seats around the table. “I just got a call from one of the rangers,” Kermit said. “Something went wrong.”

They immediately snapped to attention. They could tell by the tone of his voice and his frazzled composure that this was big. That they needed to be worried.

commentary They JUST noticed that he's falling apart? That's the Muppets for you... end commentary​

“They were walking along the trail and they fell into some sort of trap. The next thing they knew, they were locked up, in a cell or something. They got out, but they were being chased by some one. And Robin...” Kermit could feel himself beginning to falter. He sat down in his chair. “Robin got separated. They don’t know where he is, if he got caught, if the man is still chasing him, or what the man wants with him.”

The Muppets stared at Kermit, not quite sure what to think. They knew to be worried, but beyond that they were lost. And when they were lost, there was only one thing to do. Ask Kermit.

commentary They have a very convenient strategy. They don't really have to make big decisions, they can just turn to the frog. That's why they start having problems when he's either not around or just as lost as they are. Well no, that's not really when they START having problems, but their problems definately get worse. end commentary​

“So what are we going to do?” Clifford asked, trying not to sound hopeless.

Rowlf sat up. “What a silly question,” he said. “We go out and look for him!” He turned to Kermit. “Right?”

commentary Yeah, Rowlf knows the drill. Of course he was sort of included in the "the muppets are lost" two paragraphs ago, but I guess a lightbulb went on or something. end commentary​

Kermit nodded. “Guys, we’re going to Colorado.”

He pulled some road maps out of nowhere and immediately started to lay out a plan.

commentary Don't you just love how Muppets have this magic ability to pull things out of nowhere? It's so wonderful. end commentary​

“Now. We’re here,” he pointed, “Robin was last seen somewhere over here. Our best bet is to split up. So Dr. Teeth, you and the Electric Mayhem-“

Ring ring.

They jumped. Kermit ran to the phone. “Hello?”

“Uncle Kermit?” a tiny voice said.

commentary Okay, so when I was writing, that's the line that kept getting me choked up. Just, "Uncle Kermit?" and there was a lump in my throat. I'm not quite sure why, but it did. end commentary​

“ROBIN!” Kermit shouted. The other Muppets were instantly surrounding him, anxious. “Robin, where are you? Are you okay? What happened?”

“I... I don’t... know...” Robin was starting to cry.

Kermit calmed himself down so as not to alarm his nephew. “Robin. Take a deep breath,” he said. “Are you alright?”

The young frog was sniffling at the other end. “Yeah. I... I think so.”

Kermit nodded to himself. “Good,” he said. “Now, do you know where you are?”

“Um... hang on, lemme check.” The next words were fainter, almost indistinguishable. He wasn’t talking into the phone anymore. “Um... excuse me... Miss? ...Where am I?”

Kermit looked around at the waiting Muppets. “He’s checking,” he explained.

“Uncle Kermit? I’m at a place called Eat-Your-Fill Grill in Grand Lake, Colorado.”

commentary There is such a place as Grand Lake, Colorado, have I mentioned that yet? I flipped open the encylopedia to a map of Colorado and said, "Hm, what's nice and close to Rocky Mountain National Park? Oh look at that, Grand Lake. That works." And if you're wondering why he's in Rocky Mountain National Park instead of some other campground, it's because I've actually been there. Several years ago now, but I was there, and I liked it. end commentary​

“Grand Lake, Colorado,” Kermit repeated. “Alright, now listen to me, Robin,” he said. “I want you to stay there until someone comes for you. I’m going to call the ranger station and-“

“But Uncle Kermit?” Robin interrupted. “I- I don’t know if I can stay here very long. I’m scared. I think he’s following me, Uncle Kermit, and I-“

“Who’s following you, Robin?” Kermit asked, trying not to panic as the Muppets around him stared at him anxiously.

commentary Now this is one of those slip ups that happens when you change the basic format of how you're writing. I wrote that line when I was still going to have Kermit get this phone call at the theater, and then come home and tell everything to everyone else. So he's trying not to panic, but he already knew there was a possibility that Robin was being followed. But hearing it from his nephew is different, I guess, because it does still seem to work. end commentary​

“Hopper.”

Kermit froze. His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. He started shaking, and his knees were beginning to give. He reached out his hand for whatever he could reach. Fozzie grabbed the hand. “What? Who is it?” the bear asked.

No. No, surely he had heard his nephew wrong. He gathered his voice and forced himself to speak. “Who?” he barely managed to whisper. The other Muppets looked around, concerned.

“Hopper,” Robin said. “That’s what it said on the truck- Doc Hopper and Son’s French Fried Frog Leg Restaurant chain.”

Kermit felt himself falling backwards into Fozzie’s arms.

“And Uncle Kermit? I- I heard them talking, and they said...” Robin was crying now. “They said that if they caught me, they were going to kill me, Uncle Kermit. I heard them! They said it!”

Kermit didn’t realize that he was squeezing Fozzie’s fur with one hand while his other hand clutched the phone. He felt sick. But he had to be strong. He had to be strong for Robin. He cleared his throat. “You do what you have to do, Robin,” he said quietly. “In the meantime... I’m coming. I’m coming to get you, Robin.” His voice was growing stronger, and his mind was racing. He looked around him quickly. “You know Miss Piggy’s cell phone number, right?”

commentary Now you'll notice that I only reference to Miss Piggy having a cell phone. That's because she's the only one I've ever seen using an actual "functioning" cell phone. Pepe had a toy one in MWoO, and Gonzo's nose was one, but that doesn't quite count. Now I'm sure some of the other muppets have cell phones as well, but I've never seen proof of it. end commentary​

“Yeah,” Robin said.

“Good. Whenever you can, you call that number, and you tell me where you are. Okay?”

“Okay,” Robin said.

“And Robin?” Kermit said.

“Yes, Uncle Kermit?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Uncle Kermit.”

commentary Here's another part where I just kept getting choked up when I was writing it. I mean, isn't it so sweet? end commentary​

“It will be alright, Robin.”

“Yeah...” Robin didn’t sound convinced. “Well... Goodbye, Uncle Kermit.”

“ ‘Bye for now, Robin.” Kermit waited to hear a click on the other end before hanging up. He was shaking again.

commentary Notice how he's emphasizing "for now." Because when Robin said goodbye, it was in sort of a "I don't know if I'll ever see you again" kind of way. So Kermit is trying to assure him that they will, in fact, be together again. Wait, "Together Again?" Why is he assuring Robin that they will be me? Oh wait... never mind. end commentary​

“Kermit?” Fozzie said, looking worriedly at his friend. “Who’s following Robin?”

Kermit turned and looked the bear in the eyes. He swallowed. “Hopper,” he said quietly.

Almost everyone gasped sharply. The room filled with murmurs. The majority of them were immediately horrified. But a few of them were confused.

“Who?” Sal asked.

commentary Alright, the explanation. See when I was reading the beginning of this story to my mom and my cousin, I found out that neither of them have ever seen The Muppet Movie. I had to explain what it was about. Now I figured I wouldn't have that problem with most people on the forum, but it got me thinking: what about all these new guys who weren't around for The Muppet Movie? Have they even heard about Doc Hopper? So I decided to do some explaining. end commentary​

“Doc Hopper,” Scooter said, shuddering slightly at the name.

“He tried to get Kermit to do some... advertising... a while back,” Dr. Teeth said.

Kermit walked to his seat at the table, a dazed look in his eyes. He leaned back in his chair, letting the others explain some of their history. The others took their seats as well.

commentary Now I sort of imagined this as like opening old battle wounds for Kermit. My grandfather never wanted to talk about his experience in World War II. It left a scar on him, and I don't mean the shrapnel in his back. I thought it might be the same with Kermit: he's had the experience, but it's a painful memory, and he doesn't like to talk about, which is why the new muppets have no idea what's going on. But now Robin is going through it, and he has to reopen those wounds to save his nephew. end commentary​

“Advertising for what?” Clifford asked.

Rowlf took a deep breath. “Doc Hopper’s French Fried Frog Leg Restaurant chain,” he said.

“Really tried to force him into it,” Floyd said.

“Yeah, he chased Kermit across the country,” Fozzie said.

“Almost killed him!” Gonzo said.

“Rully. But then like, Kermit rully told him off, you know? Like, fer surely,” Janice said.

Miss Piggy smiled a little and took Kermit by the hand. “Kermie was very brave,” she said.

Kermit looked around the table and took a deep breath. “If Hopper catches Robin... he’ll kill him. Robin heard him say so.”

They sat in a stunned silence. Gonzo pushed the road maps towards Kermit.

commentary Now this wasn't actually intentional, but doesn't "stunned silence" sound like my reaction to fanfic sometimes? end commentary​

“Tell us the plan,” he said.

commentary I love that line. It feels so powerful and just, "we're with you all the way, now lead us." Except that it's very concise, which I think gives it even more power. This is the kind of line that I love to end chapters with. end commentary​

 

[TogetherAgain]

No, I haven't forgotten about this commentary-ing, I've just been working on the next story. So I'll go eat and come back and crank out some more commentary. Sound good?

 

[Beauregard]

What sounds bettter is a preveiw of your next story....

 

[TogetherAgain]

Yes, but first I would have to figure out what the story is about. I mean, I've written three chapters and I still don't even know the gender of the villain. It's a little frustrating. So I will eventually post a preview... I think... but first let me figure out what exactly we would be previewing.

 

[Beauregard]

Ri-ght. Sounds promising!