*Author's Note: Thanks to Catherine and Leyla for their help with the city-specific costuming.
*Also, I hope Cath spots the loophole I left open... It's there, just get to the city in question.
*And maybe some new chapterness will finally get Lisa to come in here and post some review/reactions.
Chapter 30, (Part 2).
The day proceeded along splendidly, the Muppets had returned home to Hensonville, checking out their old hangouts while the town's locals set about opening their establishments for the first time this new year. That dumb spotlight at the Muppet Theater, for once, was in well-working order. Johnny Fiama's red convertible had nary a scratch nor dent in it. The Vine sisters couldn't wait to open up the library and eagerly go through all the new stories they gathered during their stay at the Count's castle. Erin gave Nora a huge hug welcome back, waiting for her at the Coming Unbound Bookstore. Heck, even the Fraggles entertained themselves exploring the strange oddities this world of the silly creatures had to offer them.
Flipper steps and flipper prints indented the softened snowy remains covering the town's sidewalks. Kermit left the amphitheater behind, finished with another skating lesson usually falling on his froggy tush or into his porcine paramour's outstretched arms. He was en route to the Muppet Theater, making a quick stop at the pizza parlor a few minutes before.
"OK, thanks Jerry. You got all the orders?" asked the amphibian master of ceremonies.
""Sure thing Kermit... We'll take these over to the theater" replied Jerry Nelson, working part time at the newly established pizzeria.
"Oh good" said the green one before leaving. There were far too many Muppets to fit inside the eatery at one time, so they agreed to place the orders and have their dinner at the Muppet Theater instead.
"Hi Ed... You're awfully chipper today" commented Kermit, seeing the toymaster walking briskly with the aid of his trusted cane.
Eduardo hummed a cheerful doom and gloom caroll, lyrics known mostly to him alone, a smile as broad as a Cheshire cat's upon his countenance. "Hello Kermit. Everything going well?"
"Yeah... We're meeting at the theater for pizza night before the extra branches of the family head back to their homes."
"All fright, I'll meet you there later, gotta get my order in at Jull's quick though."
The two parted ways, walking away in opposite directions up or down the street.
Unbeknownst to any other living soul, a secret meeting was about to take place.
"Ah, so good to once again step foot inside our liveable tomb" Uncle Deadly said, crossing the threshhold to his darkened alcove tucked in an area of the theater noone dared approach without having a good reason.
"Yes... Missed the little spiders and their cobwebs" Auntie Eleanor mused.
The dragonish phantoms inhaled, filling their snouts with the richness of the dank musty air. Their snouts were tickled though, by a pinch of blackness wafting within the confines of their shelter.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Devinshire... I've been hexpecting you" greeted a tall bony figure, his voice sounding eerily similar like Sir Ian McKellen's wizened speech, draped in the linings of a finely-stitched blackened cloak.
"Boss?" both spooks uttered, a bit surprised to find him here at this time.
"Yes, it is I... Do not be alarmed. It has come to my attention that I granted you safe passage to that superbly supernatural sanctuary for the term of the month of December" he spoke, his eyes lowered in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Yes sire" both spooks spoke, in unison as before.
"And here it is..." he continued "the second of January, and you have not set foot here within the allotted period of time given to you."
"There's a reason..." started the male blueish dragon.
"Deadly..."
"Yes sir?" asked the Phantom of the Muppet Theater.
"Do not interrupt me."
"Yes sir." replied the haunter of the Vaudevillian hallways, a little remorsefully.
"You were in the company of that most amiable fellow, the Count von Count. He has maintained a bond with all manner of ghouls and creatures of the night, myself being no exception. So, after conversing with my daughter... We have arrived at an agreement. You will remain here at the theater, looking after that cavalcade of fools you call a family. However, should your assistance be needed by this mathematical master of monsters, you and your consort will have leave to venture out of your... Liveable tomb did you say? Yes, you will be granted permission to aid him, however long it may take to accomplish your mission."
Auntie Eleanor, bowing gracefully: Thank you Death..." *To her mate: "Bow Deadie, he's going out of his way to grant us a special boon." She pushed down on Uncle Deadly's back as he tried imitating her curtsy, hoping not to look foolish in front of his colleague and head honcho. "Thank you Death, your kindness is most merciful" he said before straightening himself up off of the floor.
The Bat Bolt & Skull Toy Shop was deserted when Edward returned to the main office. Taken a bit unawares, he struggled to come to terms with the fact his lovely doll was no longer there. She had simply disappeared as mysteriously as she had appeared, without even a kiss goodbye. All she had left to remember her by were twenty badges hanging from notched pegs above one of the office's shelves. Twenty hard rubber plastic figures were also placed upon the shelf, just below the badges, their sculpts mirroring August's distinctive worldly appearances from each of the individual badges. The figures were meant to help Ed match them and the badges in order, as they both had silver numbered clasps done up in high relief pinned to the doll's left shoulder. This also helped the toymaster know which badge and figure represented what worldly location. Each figure also donned a lovely black batty ear headpiece or cap, gently resting atop their elaborately sculpted hair. The first was meant to represent the realm of the dead, that demonesque netherworld. She was seated upon a charred blocky brick of brimstone, set smoldering due to her innately generated heat. She wore a sexy smoky red vestlike shirt bordered by lightly blackened poofy smoke rings around the non-existent sleeves, smoky black-reddish scaled guards over her lower arms, a sooty blackened skirt and matching slippers, a few palpable tatter holes punctuating the vested shirt, and her silver 0 clasp. The next figure bore her silver ½ clasp, representing the city of Vancouver. She wore a light sky blue knit sweater, a lacy frosted scarf wrapped around her neck, a clean yet darker grayish kneelong skirt, matching dark gray slippers, and held a pink raspberry popsicle in her right hand. The next figure bore her silver 1 clasp, representing New York City. She wore a white pressed shirt, a sharp yet sophisticated wine red suitcoat, wine red skirt and matching slippers, a stylish black belt, and a black wristwatch upon her left wrist. She stood upon a sidewalk cornerpiece, asserting her femininity and forcefulness at the same time. The next figure bore her silver 2 clasp, dolled up in her best Marilyn Monroe impersonation representing Los Angeles. She had perfectly coiffed platinum blonde hair, crystal blue twinkling eyes, a traditional flowing cream white dress, along with matching cream white evening gloves and slippers. Portions of her upper body were left visible due to the cut of her dress, as well as a glimpse of her bare left leg owing to an upturned spot in the dresse's lower hemlines caused by a windgust effect, the Hollywood star she stood on complimenting her look perfectly. The next figure, a golden girl, bore her silver 3 clasp, representing San Francisco. Gold bangles flocked her tawny golden-brown hair. She wore what resembled a fully-sleeved brick red bralike shirt, leaving the upper half of her chest and midrift mostly bare. She also wore a golden vest over her midrift region bound by golden trim, a brick red skirt, gold rings over the sleeves and edges of her skirt as if overimposed on top of the fabric itself, and a pair of golden kneehigh boots. The next figure bore her silver 4 clasp, representing London, England. She had her hair neatly yet stylishly combed, wore a pair of black rimmed glasses, a crisp gray derby behind her batty-eared cap, a clean white pressed shirt, a navy blue vestlike waist coat closed over her upper body with her ample assets pushed forward, a pair of slick navy blue dress pants, and a pair of crisp gray slippers, and held a ball-topped tawny golden scepter walking staff in her left hand. The next figure bore her silver 5 clasp, representing Miami. She had somewhat murkier brownish hair, and wore a faded white gray open-necked shirt, olive green scaled guards over her lower arms, khaki skirt, and matching khaki slippers. The gnarled log she sat upon and the moss leaves spiraling over her shoulders only aided in conveying the sinister seductive sense exuded by this variant of Ed's living doll. The next figure bore her silver 6 clasp, representing Boston. She had darkened rich red hair, wore an ocean blue tricornered patriotic hat behind her batty-eared cap, a liquid white shirt with a puffy-knotted bow below her neck, a pair of blackened evening gloves, a darker blue-black coat closed by only one button over her belly, a darkened blue-black skirt and matching slippers, and carried an old-styled lantern in her right hand. The next figure bore her silver 7 clasp, representing Seattle. She had lightly drizzled blonde-brown hair, wore an electric yellow rainslicker covering most of her body reaching down to the tops of her thighs— its wettened plastic material clinging tightly to her smooth body, its tails flapping behind allowing just a hint of skin to be seen —, a cloudy gray cumberbund around her waist, cloudy gray slippers, and held a black umbrella marked by little gray storm cloud ornaments encircling its opened rim above her head. The next figure bore her silver 8 clasp, representing Honolulu. She was dressed much like a daring island girl, a pink flower lei around her neck, a light yellow vest over her midrift, a green grass skirt, a pair of flowery pink slippers, and a brassiere made of hardened coconut shells. The next figure bore her silver 9 clasp, representing New Orleans. She wore a subdued apple red dress covering her body ending in a kneelong poofed skirt divided into bands of apple red and foamy silver white, a pair of subdued red slippers, and held an emptied martini glass in her upswinging left arm. Wooden beaded necklaces ringed her neck and arms, whereas flairs of pinkish white and twinkling blue edged the beads or shone like miniature jewels hidden throughout the dress's body. The next figure bore her silver 10 clasp, representing the Meadowlands, that area belonging to both New York and New Jersey. She wore a silver journeywoman's hardhat behind her batty-eared cap, silver bowtie, cement gray-white blouse with the sleevecuffs rolled back, gritty blue skintight jeans, and a pair of cement gray workboots ending in silver slippers. The mean smile on her face added to the air of attitude she exerted, seated cross-legged atop the metallic I-beam girder. The next figure bore her silver 11 clasp, representing Chicago. She had her traditional light blonde-brown hair, clear eyes, wore an oatmeal-colored sweater, slightly darker brown skirt and matching slippers, and a fluid white scarf. Both the scarf and her hair were sculpted as if they were flowing freely on a blustery day, standing on one of the railed L-train platforms. The next figure...
"Where's the next figure?" Ed wondered aloud, unprepared for another little surprise.
Both the badge and figure that followed were missing, replaced by a small index card. This card was marked by a cherry red lipstick-pressed kiss and August's affable aroma. Even more, the card read...
"Winter snow's fallin'.
Stageshow lights are callin'.
See you in Vegas."
Edward's heart sank a little thinking he had lost his lovely doll, rising again as he paused over the remaining trinkets.
The next figure bore her silver 13 clasp, representing Paris, France. She wore a black beret above her rich red hair and behind her batty-eared cap, a low-cut black trailing dress that showed off her chest's bare upper half and reached down to her ankles, a pair of lavender evening gloves, and matching lavender slippers. The next figure bore her silver 14 clasp, representing San Diego. She wore a foamy white twopiece bathing suit— covering only her forward-jutting chest and her navel, leaving most of the rest of her body fully exposed—, a breezy teel shirtcoat left completely open, matching teel slippers, and was seen slumbering in an extended wooden beachchair. The next figure bore her silver 15 clasp, representing Philadelphia. She captured the image of a schooltime sweetheart, her hair cascading down past her shoulders. She wore a low-cut fully-sleeved white blouse, hot pink bodice over the blouse's lower half, a long-reaching white hoopskirt ensnared by thin cloudy cherry red ringlets, and a pair of hot pink slippers. She held a history textbook close to her body tucked inside the crook of her left arm, and let the small model of the Liberty Bell swing from its handle clutched in her right hand. The next figure bore her silver 16 clasp, representing Austin, Texas. She had her tawny golden-brown hair combed into braids of medium length, and wore a pure white ten-gallon hat behind her batty-eared cap, a light dusty brown shirt, dark brown-blackened sleeveless vest left open over her body, short pleated dusty brown skirt, and two pure white cowboy boots ending in slippers, the whitened Lone Star she stood upon accenting her true Texan appearance. The next figure bore her silver 17 clasp, representing Key West. She wore nothing but an aquamarine green and blueish horizontally striped swimsuit and softened green slippers. She had a creamy towel draped over her, playfully concealing her crazy curves. Additionally, she held a large summoning conch in her right hand, up to her delicately puckered lips. The last figure in this collection bore her silver 18 clasp, representing Denver. She had slickened blonde-brown hair, wore a faded dark smoky brown vest, sexy blood tomato red jacket edged by a few fingerling flairs at the wrists and around the collar, a pleated smoky brown skirt and matching slippers, and perched herself atop a short craggy mountain peak no more than a mere molehill when compared to her Grand Tetons.
Yes, the man who had helped orchestrate the holiday celebration was content with his own little collection of statuettes... But he would prefer to have the real thing instead. His wishes would have to be put on hold, his presence was required at the old Benny Vandergast Theater... His stomach yearned to be filled, echoing the slight pangs of emptyness he felt within his soul.
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