A Family Like No Else

JimAndFrank

JimAndFrank

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
1,647
Chapter 3

Along a quiet dusty road strode a young man lost in thought. The gravel crackled under his feet with each tender footstep. It was one of those days that weren’t too hot, yet a cool breeze started to blow through his short brown hair. The teen stared at the ground assessing everything he walked over. Leaves, a few stray rocks, some more leaves, a tree branch, even more leaves....

Every now and then a car or truck would amble on past, kicking up a load of dust, causing the teen to cover his eyes with his hands. He had been walking for over an hour to try and reach a friend’s house. He would have taken his bike, but a tire managed to blow out just when he needed the transportation the most.

He continued to carry on when suddenly he trod on a particularly sharp rock which pierced right through his shoe into his foot. The teen cried out in pain, swore under his breath and lifted his foot up to find that it was bleeding. Seething, he looked up and searched around for a source of aid. Just down the road, he saw a large wall of reeds. He recognised them and knew there was a swamp hiding just behind them.

Figuring it couldn’t hurt to find a place to rest the teenager limped his way through the reeds. The weather suddenly became humid as he was immersed in the shade from the canopy of trees above. It was very quiet apart from a few flies buzzing here and there.

The boy continued to limp for a little while, being careful of his foot which continued to bleed. He looked cautiously around him for snakes, trying to be as quiet as he could, but even in his carefulness he trod on twigs and leaves that snapped and crackled.

As he found his way out into a patch of grass next to the edge of a pond, he never saw a pair of curious eyes watching him. Relieved to find a large boulder on the edge of the water, the boy sat down and removed his shoe. He stuck his bleeding heel straight into the water, hissing as it stung. He bent over to wash the dirt out...

Hisss.....hissss.....

The teen’s head shot upright. He stared around in alert. What was that? He looked again. Where did it come from?
Hiss....Hiss....Grrrr....

It came from the water. The boy searched out over the surface in fright, not seeing the two angry, reptilian eyes staring directly at him. In an instant two enormous, teeth rigged jaws snapped out at him in a great torrent of water.
The teen jumped back in flying terror as the alligator flew towards him in a rage. He stumbled backwards, hurrying to find a means of escape. The gator lunged for his feet, hissing and snarling. The teen turned to run but instead tripped over a log and smacked his head on a rock. He was out in an instant.

Arnie lunged for the human again, but a blurry green mass got in the way.

”Arnie leave him alone! He’s just a kid! He’s not evil!”
“Get out of the way, Kermit!” Arnie snarled. Kermit pushed himself into the gators way. Arnie tried to swerve him, but Kermit blocked the human from view.

“No Arnie! This is exactly why you were shot by the adults! You’ve already attacked one kid. I won’t let you make the same mistake!” Kermit cried. He tackled Arnie’s jaws, pushed them together and clamped them shut.

Stopping in his tracks, Arnie murmured out from the side of his mouth, “That little brat deserved it! Poking me with a stick in my sleep, testing my patience like it was some sort of joke!”

“Arnie, it’s not the same human! He’s different.” Kermit argued back.

“They all look the same to me!”

“Arnie, knock it off! This isn’t you. You haven’t been like this in the five years that I have known you!” Kermit dragged Arnie’s head down and sat it in the ground. He sat on the Gators head.

“Don’t tell me who I am, Frog!” the Gator growled, but the Frog was persistent.
Kermit stayed atop of Arnie’s head, talking soothingly to the Gator and making him count to ten repeatedly. Steadily, the Gator calmed down and remembered who he was. Once Kermit was sure it was safe to do so, he released Arnie’s jaws and hopped back onto his feet.

“Thanks, Kermit,” Arnie said in an embarrassed voice, “I guess old habits die hard. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

‘It’s okay Arnie,” Kermit replied gently. He rubbed a kind hand on Arnie’s shoulder blade, “Sometimes, we all slip up.”

“Amen to that,” agreed Arnie. He looked over at the unconscious human, still lying by the rock, “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Don’t know,” replied Kermit. He walked to the teenage boy and glanced him over, “Doesn’t seem to be too badly hurt, but he’s definitely K.O’d right about now.”

Arnie looked ashamed at himself, “Poor kid. Can’t be older than 15.”

An hour later....

Slowly and gradually, the young man came back into reality in a misty haze. He opened his bleary eyes, barely making out the scene around him. He couldn’t see anything, but a voice could be heard talking to him.

“You okay, kid? Kid? Hello...Can you hear me? Kid? I said can you hear me?!”

A pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up onto his feet. The teen groaned and nearly collapsed in a dead heap. Luckily the hands kept him steady.

“Oh, hey there’s life! Hey, I know you! You’re that kid that’s in my son’s class. What happened to you?”

The teenager was still a mess and couldn’t comprehend what was happening. He ran a hand over his eyes and tried to get his mind together. All he could make out was, ”Foot in water....Alligator...”

“Alligator?! We need to get you back to Leland fast! What did you say your name was? You know what, never mind. I’ll take you back to my son and he can identify you.....”

As a dazed and confused Jim Henson was dragged back onto the main road, he had absolutely no idea that his future had been within reaching distance barely an hour before.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top