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A Prologue to The Muppets 2011
- Thread starter outerelf
- Start date
outerelf
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Uncle Kermit was moping again. The small frog stared sadly at the bedroom door as he stood before it, a small wooden box clutched in his flippers. Ever since Jim Henson had died, Uncle Kermit had become more and more depressed.
The members of Muppet Theater had departed in droves, leaving the depressed frog as they sought for the now missing spark. That only served to depress Kermit further- it had been literally the last straw when Miss Piggy had reluctantly left.
Kermit retreated into his room in this now empty mansion, once filled with laughter, and hadn’t come out since. Robin sadly shook his head as he walked to the staircase. On the middle step he sat.
The wooden box rested heavy in his hands- it was a prop from Mister Henning’s room that the magician had given to the small frog. He opened it- soft music drifted out, and Robin smiled sadly at this solemn music.
Robin glanced up to Kermit’s room, dark and quiet, no magic left to make it sparkle and shine.
The notes drifted on the empty stairwell. Robin shut the lid, head dipping to drawn-up, huddled knees. “I miss you Uncle Kermit. I miss you so much. I wish you’d come back to me.”
Ding-dong!
The merry bell, slightly cracked, was a sharp contrast to the solemn quietness that held this house. Robin stood, and puzzled, trotted to the front door. Was it solicitors? More well-wishers? Maybe even a member of the Muppet Theater, come back again?
Ding-dong!
Robin stood on tiptoes to undo the lock, half-remembering a time when the lock had never been shut, when swarms of people regularly walked in and out of the home laughing. Now this house had shut its doors, and turned the lock.
The large doors opened to two frogs, one male, and one female. “Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?” The small frogs feet were paralyzed to the floor- he hadn’t expected his parents to be here.
“We came here to bring you back home dear.”
“B-But- Uncle Kermit-“
Mom knelt down next to Robin, sadness reflecting in her eyes. “Robin dear, Uncle Kermit has just lost someone important in his life- he doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“I’m not bothering anybody! Besides, uncle Kermit will get lonely without me.”
His dad started slightly at that statement- Robin, wound up in his argument, didn’t notice until he asked, “You’re the only other frog in this house other then Kermit?”
“I- well, right now yes-“ Robin’s voice trialed off as he recognized that particular frown on his fathers face. Mom swept him into her arms.
“You must have been lonely as well. Come my dear son, let’s get you back to the swamp, okay?”
“But I don’t wanna! I want to stay here with Kermit!” The child struggled in his mothers arms, shaking his head furiously. “You’ve let me stay here before!”
“We let you stay here because we knew Kermit could take care of you. But like this? Kermit can’t take care of himself, how can we expect him to take care of a child?” The soothing tone had no effect on the struggling child.
“I can take care of myself mom!”
Dad easily detached the thrashing child, and lifted little Robin to eye level, “Listen to me son. We’re going home to the swamp. This is no place for any frog to stay alone. We only let you stay here because you wanted too, and Kermit could take care of you. I don’t see any sign of life in this mansion.”
“It’ll change! All uncle Kermit needs is a push!”
“Honey, it’s already been several months.” Mom pulled Robin into her arms, sending a reproving look to her husband. “Uncle Kermit needs some time alone.”
“If-If- when he does start up the theater again, can I come back?” The lost, forlorn voice tugged her heart in two.
“Yes. Of course you can. Once Kermit gets his spunk back, you can come and stay with him again.” She ran a flipper over his head, as if petting the resistance out of him. “So how about you gather all of your things, and we’ll take you back to the swamp.”
“…Okay ma. Can I just write a goodbye letter first?”
“Yes dear, go right ahead.”
Robin hopped off slowly, as husband and wife had a soft, heated argument in the foyer. “What do you mean you’ll let him come back? We’ve barely seen him for several years because he’s stayed here! And what kind of proper frog gets depressed over a human?”
“Dear! Kermit has been very nice to let Robin stay here- besides, you know Robin isn’t like most of the other frogs back home. He has dreams; he hears the same call Kermit did.”
Robin ignored both his parents to pull a piece of paper and pencil close to him. For a moment he simply sat there, staring at the paper, wondering what to write. What could he possibly say that would bring his uncle out of his depression?
Nothing. He could write nothing. So he wouldn’t write something that would bring his uncle out of depression. Kermit would have to do it on his own.
Dear Uncle Kermit,
I hope this letter finds you well. Mom and Dad have come to pick me up, because you aren’t around anymore. At least, not in mind you aren’t. So I’m leaving.
But- I promise you Uncle Kermit, you ever decide to start up the theater again, you ever decide to go back to the frog we all loved before Jim Henson died, if you ever get back that magic that made people love you, then call me and I’ll come. Everyone will come back if you ask.
I love you and miss you Uncle Kermit.
Your Nephew,
Robin
The letter had misspellings and letters backwards galore. It wasn’t grammatically correct. It wasn’t cute, and there were smudges along the sides.
But it was a heartfelt letter, and Robin carefully placed it on top of the many letters addressed to Jim Henson, all mourning the loss of a man he had never truly known. On the table, he left behind the little magic box Henning had given him. Uncle Kermit needed magic in his life.
Mother was waiting, along with Dad looking impatient as he held up a small backpack- all of the knickknacks from the theater were carefully stored inside, memories thick and choking.
Mom took him by the hand, led him away. As they left, Robin cast one last look behind.
All of the windows were dark and closed, the shutters drawn. The vibrant character it once held was gone now, replaced by formal silence and sad goodbyes.
He waved one last forlorn goodbye, not seeing the frog that leaned against one of the windows, wordlessly staring out. He settled into the rental car, staring out of the widow as the house began to recede out of view.
Small frog eyes closed in pain, as he leaned against the window, singing to the car.
So now I guess
This is where we have to stand
Did you regret
Ever singing with me?
Never again
Please don't forget
Don't forget
A pig in the crowd, attracted by the dog playing the piano stepped forward. Eyes met in tacit acknowledgement- she had come out here as a remembrance, and found, while maybe not the one she was hoping for, a friend nonetheless. She pulled herself up next to his piano to sing out the verse to the song.
We had it all
We were just about to fall
Even more in love
Than we were before
I won't forget
I won't forget
About us
But somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our love is like a song
You can't forget it
A weird, blue whatever stared out across the vastness of the desert. Beside him, a chicken clucked and cooed. He smiled sadly at her- his dreams of becoming a world-renowned artist had crashed and burned, leaving behind only pictures and memories. So, back to plumbing he would go- and Camilla would faithfully follow. His head tilted back as he sang a last farewell to the Theater.
And at last
All the pictures have been burned
And all the past
Is just a lesson that we've learned
I won't forget
I won't forget us
Hundreds of Muppets, scattered across the country, each trying to fit into a new life. Some better, some worse, each saying a final goodbye in their hearts. A goodbye to a life they had absolutely adored and loved.
But somewhere we went wrong
Our friendship is like a song
But you won't sing along
You've forgotten
About us
The members of Muppet Theater had departed in droves, leaving the depressed frog as they sought for the now missing spark. That only served to depress Kermit further- it had been literally the last straw when Miss Piggy had reluctantly left.
Kermit retreated into his room in this now empty mansion, once filled with laughter, and hadn’t come out since. Robin sadly shook his head as he walked to the staircase. On the middle step he sat.
The wooden box rested heavy in his hands- it was a prop from Mister Henning’s room that the magician had given to the small frog. He opened it- soft music drifted out, and Robin smiled sadly at this solemn music.
Leave me some magic
To get me through the day
Wonders that cast a spell
I can’t disobey
If it’s all an illusion
I’m filled with confusion
So leave me some magic,
Don’t take the magic away
Robin glanced up to Kermit’s room, dark and quiet, no magic left to make it sparkle and shine.
Leave me some magic
As much as you can spare
And if people laugh at me
I guess I don’t care
To believe sets me free more
Isn’t that what I’m here for
So leave me some magic
Don’t take the magic away
Please don’t the magic away.
The notes drifted on the empty stairwell. Robin shut the lid, head dipping to drawn-up, huddled knees. “I miss you Uncle Kermit. I miss you so much. I wish you’d come back to me.”
Ding-dong!
The merry bell, slightly cracked, was a sharp contrast to the solemn quietness that held this house. Robin stood, and puzzled, trotted to the front door. Was it solicitors? More well-wishers? Maybe even a member of the Muppet Theater, come back again?
Ding-dong!
Robin stood on tiptoes to undo the lock, half-remembering a time when the lock had never been shut, when swarms of people regularly walked in and out of the home laughing. Now this house had shut its doors, and turned the lock.
The large doors opened to two frogs, one male, and one female. “Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?” The small frogs feet were paralyzed to the floor- he hadn’t expected his parents to be here.
“We came here to bring you back home dear.”
“B-But- Uncle Kermit-“
Mom knelt down next to Robin, sadness reflecting in her eyes. “Robin dear, Uncle Kermit has just lost someone important in his life- he doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“I’m not bothering anybody! Besides, uncle Kermit will get lonely without me.”
His dad started slightly at that statement- Robin, wound up in his argument, didn’t notice until he asked, “You’re the only other frog in this house other then Kermit?”
“I- well, right now yes-“ Robin’s voice trialed off as he recognized that particular frown on his fathers face. Mom swept him into her arms.
“You must have been lonely as well. Come my dear son, let’s get you back to the swamp, okay?”
“But I don’t wanna! I want to stay here with Kermit!” The child struggled in his mothers arms, shaking his head furiously. “You’ve let me stay here before!”
“We let you stay here because we knew Kermit could take care of you. But like this? Kermit can’t take care of himself, how can we expect him to take care of a child?” The soothing tone had no effect on the struggling child.
“I can take care of myself mom!”
Dad easily detached the thrashing child, and lifted little Robin to eye level, “Listen to me son. We’re going home to the swamp. This is no place for any frog to stay alone. We only let you stay here because you wanted too, and Kermit could take care of you. I don’t see any sign of life in this mansion.”
“It’ll change! All uncle Kermit needs is a push!”
“Honey, it’s already been several months.” Mom pulled Robin into her arms, sending a reproving look to her husband. “Uncle Kermit needs some time alone.”
“If-If- when he does start up the theater again, can I come back?” The lost, forlorn voice tugged her heart in two.
“Yes. Of course you can. Once Kermit gets his spunk back, you can come and stay with him again.” She ran a flipper over his head, as if petting the resistance out of him. “So how about you gather all of your things, and we’ll take you back to the swamp.”
“…Okay ma. Can I just write a goodbye letter first?”
“Yes dear, go right ahead.”
Robin hopped off slowly, as husband and wife had a soft, heated argument in the foyer. “What do you mean you’ll let him come back? We’ve barely seen him for several years because he’s stayed here! And what kind of proper frog gets depressed over a human?”
“Dear! Kermit has been very nice to let Robin stay here- besides, you know Robin isn’t like most of the other frogs back home. He has dreams; he hears the same call Kermit did.”
Robin ignored both his parents to pull a piece of paper and pencil close to him. For a moment he simply sat there, staring at the paper, wondering what to write. What could he possibly say that would bring his uncle out of his depression?
Nothing. He could write nothing. So he wouldn’t write something that would bring his uncle out of depression. Kermit would have to do it on his own.
Dear Uncle Kermit,
I hope this letter finds you well. Mom and Dad have come to pick me up, because you aren’t around anymore. At least, not in mind you aren’t. So I’m leaving.
But- I promise you Uncle Kermit, you ever decide to start up the theater again, you ever decide to go back to the frog we all loved before Jim Henson died, if you ever get back that magic that made people love you, then call me and I’ll come. Everyone will come back if you ask.
I love you and miss you Uncle Kermit.
Your Nephew,
Robin
The letter had misspellings and letters backwards galore. It wasn’t grammatically correct. It wasn’t cute, and there were smudges along the sides.
But it was a heartfelt letter, and Robin carefully placed it on top of the many letters addressed to Jim Henson, all mourning the loss of a man he had never truly known. On the table, he left behind the little magic box Henning had given him. Uncle Kermit needed magic in his life.
Mother was waiting, along with Dad looking impatient as he held up a small backpack- all of the knickknacks from the theater were carefully stored inside, memories thick and choking.
Mom took him by the hand, led him away. As they left, Robin cast one last look behind.
All of the windows were dark and closed, the shutters drawn. The vibrant character it once held was gone now, replaced by formal silence and sad goodbyes.
He waved one last forlorn goodbye, not seeing the frog that leaned against one of the windows, wordlessly staring out. He settled into the rental car, staring out of the widow as the house began to recede out of view.
Small frog eyes closed in pain, as he leaned against the window, singing to the car.
Did you forget
That I was even alive
Did you forget
Everything we ever had
Did you forget
Did you forget
About me
A lone bear walking the streets far away looked up into the pouring sky. He wanted to go home. He was tired, starving, and ready to throw it all in. But- Kermit wasn’t the same. He looked up at the rainy sky, softly singing.That I was even alive
Did you forget
Everything we ever had
Did you forget
Did you forget
About me
Did you regret
Ever standing by my side
Did you forget
The jokes that we shared
Now I'm left to forget
About us
But somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our friendship is like a song
You can't forget it
A dog sat in a restaurant- the same restaurant that he and Kermit had met in so many years ago. When the dreams were strong, when they had been willing to work for that dream and never gave up. A paw ran across old ivories, as he played a song that he knew far too well.Ever standing by my side
Did you forget
The jokes that we shared
Now I'm left to forget
About us
But somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our friendship is like a song
You can't forget it
So now I guess
This is where we have to stand
Did you regret
Ever singing with me?
Never again
Please don't forget
Don't forget
We had it all
We were just about to fall
Even more in love
Than we were before
I won't forget
I won't forget
About us
But somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our love is like a song
You can't forget it
And at last
All the pictures have been burned
And all the past
Is just a lesson that we've learned
I won't forget
I won't forget us
But somewhere we went wrong
Our friendship is like a song
But you won't sing along
You've forgotten
About us
Muppetfan44
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- Nov 19, 2007
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Wow! intense! Definitely a heart-wrenching moment when Robin's parents come to take him away! Good job.
I cannot wait to see the new movie and see what happened- Jack Black said in an interview that he had to give Segel props because there were dark times in the movie- definitely intrigued to see what happened that caused everyone to go away but this is a great "what if" story!
I cannot wait to see the new movie and see what happened- Jack Black said in an interview that he had to give Segel props because there were dark times in the movie- definitely intrigued to see what happened that caused everyone to go away but this is a great "what if" story!
outerelf
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2011
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Kermit’s Ma sat back on her lily pad as the car rolled by, unnoticed by many of the frogs lazing about in the swampy mud, enjoying the warm sun light. She strummed softly at the small guitar on her lap, listening to the plinking tune.
Her eyes however were cold. It looked like her stupid son really had gone through with what he had threatened. She could remember the phone conversation like it was yesterday.
“Hello Ma.”
“Well, if it isn’t Kermit! What can I do for you? It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from you! How’s Robin? And the Muppet Theaters?”
“I-It’s been disbanded mom.” Kermit voice, low and heavy spoke. “Everyone left. I don’t know why, but they left.”
She leaned against the wall, frowning thoughtfully. He wasn’t joking about everyone having left- there weren’t any explosions in the background, entwining with the music that seemed to perpetually play in an odd dance.
Instead it was as quiet as a tomb, and just as ominous. Her sons voice was dark and dry, missing its customary spark that set him apart from the others. “I see. Why?”
“Jim Henson died. He- I-“ Kermit’s voice faltered.
She smiled sympathetically. Humans had a tendency to grow old, where most Muppets simply retired from the screen and went home. “Humans do that Kermit.”
“But- not so soon.” Her sons voice was pleading, and at the same time lost. Already she was beginning to see the reason why perhaps everyone had left. She wished she could see him, but in her mind she was already building a picture of what he looked like.
Pale green skin, worn into an awful state; deep black bags underneath eyes; even his tongue would probably no longer be able to go far enough to catch a fly. Her heart seized in sympathy for her son, at the same time as she had a creeping suspicion about what Kermit had called her for.
“Ma- do you think you could contact my sister and suggest to her about getting Robin?”
There were many words that rose to her tongue- most of them were synonyms of fool. There was idiot, moron, stupid, brainless, and a variety of words that were not appropriate for the situation.
Why would her son send away the last of his connection to the outer world? Why would he send away the last piece of his heart that was unbroken? “Are you certain? Robin loves staying with you.”
“He loves Muppet Theater. And that’s closed now. Clifford- he still does his own channel, but most of the time it’s humans now. Muppets- Muppets seem to be getting rarer these days.”
Kermit, in the usual display of modesty, obviously didn’t recognize his own impact on the world. Once again acidic comments rose to her lips- if frogs had lips that is. They didn’t rise to the forefront, and she was thankful. She normally wasn’t this mad, but her dim-witted son seemed determined to press her buttons.
“ They are. But I think you’re underestimating Robin’s attachment to you.”
“There’s nothing left here for him Ma. Frog Scouts has been disbanded, Muppet Theaters closed- there’s nothing left for him.”
Except for one little thing. Kermit himself- Robin’s beloved Uncle. Of course, from the sounds of it, even he had left. “I’ll hint to your sister.”
A confused noise came from the other side of the line. She sighed, feeling as if the world was on her shoulders. “If you change your mind, you can ask that he stay with you a little longer; your sister can’t really refuse you.”
Kermit didn’t reply as the tone of a phone-call disconnected beeped in a single ear. A deep sigh echoed and rolled through her body, from the tips of her flippers to the top of her head.
The sound of car doors popping open was drowned out in the wild welcomes and flurry of cheers for the two parents and their child. Robin shyly hid behind his parents as relatives he barely knew poured forward to say hello.
No one looked into the young frogs eyes; if they had they would’ve been surprised by the depth of the sorrow in them. Ma Frog climbed to her feet as she shooed her children away, going straight for the grandson. “The lot of you can have him after I’d done with him! Away with you now!” With an imperious flap of her hands, frogs scattered left and right.
At last it was just the two of them alone. Robin’s eyes remained stubbornly fixated on the lily pads beneath his feet- she didn’t attempt to beat around the cattails. “You’re depressed.”
“Uncle Kermit left.” For one horrified moment she thought that Kermit had abandoned his nephew and vanished. But Robin’s eyes were distant as he continued, “His body is there, but his mind isn’t. It hasn’t been there since Mister Henson died. He left a long time ago Grandma.”
The measured words held wisdom beyond his young years. For a moment, she felt sorry for her son, alone in his house. He had sent away the last of the magic that could’ve brought him back. She sat him down as Robin’s shoulders heaved. “There, there. He’ll come back one day.”
Robin sobbed into her lap, as she patted his back. What could she do? Tell Robin that everything was going to be okay? It was a lie, of that she was certain. The sobs slowly gave way to sniffles, until at last he looked up. “Grandma, do you know the theme song to Muppet Theater?”
“Yes. I can teach you-“
“NO! Uncle Kermit promised that he’d teach me how to play the banjo. I’ll wait until he teaches me.” Determinedly he scrubbed at his eyes. “It’s just- Muppet Theater never got a chance to close. Uncle Kermit got news in the middle of the theater, and rushed out. We haven’t done a show since. So…”
He trailed off, face drawn, before continuing softly, “I’d like to close it properly.”
She didn’t have words; she simply played the music.
She thought for sure that Robin would end there- instead he pushed on, surprising her with the beacon of hope.
The music ended, the sun finally finished setting, and Robin softly said, “And I’m not going to sing another word until I’m on that stage, right where I belong. With Uncle Kermit, and Miss Piggy, and Fozzie, and Gonzo and all the rest of Muppet Theaters. Then I’m gonna sing.”
----------
Time passed. Years came and went, without a sign of a letter or any information at all. Robin remained a slight outcast from other members of Frog Society, struggling to adjust to a swamp life.
When it came time for festivals, he would sit on the sidelines, watching the festivities with a wistful look on his face, refusing to come jump inside. At last, his grandmother, desperate to find some way of getting him to join in on the festivities, sat down next to him with a banjo.
Softly she plucked at it, a quiet melody, one that Kermit had enjoyed as a child. Judging from the way Robin swayed to the music, he too enjoyed this tune. “Uncle Kermit used to play that for me- when I was sick.”
She nodded, letting the tune do the talking for her. A few of the other frogs crept closer, ears bending to the soft music. Robin, unnoticing continued softly, “He always promised to teach me the banjo, but he was always too busy. He promised to teach me how to ride a bicycle, but then he never got around to it- Beauregard showed me how instead.”
A long moment of silence hung over them, until Robin continued, softly, tenderly, with emotions he hadn’t shown yet to his real parents. “But I can remember, how every morning he’d be up early, humming away. Sometimes he and Rowlf would play a duet, and sometimes he’d be chatting with Fozzie- but the times I liked best of all was when he was with Miss Piggy. Because then they’d sit there and they’d really be in love, you know?”
She didn’t know. She heard a few blurbs from him about a pig, but not many. “And he’d always get really flustered around her as well. It was cute! I… I always wanted to one day call her Aunt Piggy. Instead of just Miss Piggy. I told her that when she left, but I don’t think she heard me.”
Abruptly he stood, shoulders stiff, unpleasant memories brought to the forefront. “I’m gonna hunt down some fireflies Grandma.”
He hopped away without looking back.
----
At least several more festivals went by before she could even get him to sit down next to her; every time he saw her he hopped the other way in a childish gesture of confusion. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was a child.
But child he was, and as she stood outside of her daughter’s lily pad, pretending not to listen in as her daughter and her grandson battle it out, it became increasingly clear.
“But Mom! I don’t want to learn how to play the banjo! Uncle Kermit promised he’d teach me.”
Thunk! Banjo strings twanged harshly against wood. “Uncle Kermit is not here!”
“That doesn’t mean anything! He’ll come back one day!”
“And who said you’ll be allowed to go back? I allowed you to go to your uncle Kermits in the first place. Don’t forget you are still my child-“
“Some parents you turned out to be! You just shoved me off onto Uncle Kermit when you couldn’t handle me anymore!” All noise in the swamp seemed to die at the loud proclamation made in self-righteous indignation. “You weren’t there for any of my birthdays! I even asked if I should come home for my birthday because I wanted to be with you guys, and you never replied. You didn’t teach me how to ride a bike, or how to eat properly; you didn’t teach me anything! Uncle Kermit did all of that!”
“You- how- How dare you, you ungrateful little brat-“
“Ungrateful! I’ve been trying to adjust to life in the swamp! You haven’t been helping! You keep trying to baby me, and not let me do anything I want!” Robin sounded perilously close to tears. “I miss my old home! I want to go back, but I can’t. I’m stuck here!”
Grandma winced at the choice of words. Robin knew what he was saying, but sheer built up misery kept him from checking his words. “You keep expecting me to be someone I’m not! And I hate it! I absolutely hate it!”
“Go to your lily pad NOW!”
“NO!”
Robin hopped out of the lily pad, in a rush of green, fast enough to outpace any adult. Robin’s ma sobbed loudly in the lily pad. Grandma sighed softly in sorrow, as mosquitoes buzz finally started up again, and the crickets chirrup could be heard.
Slowly she made her way towards where Robin was probably hiding- his path was easy enough to follow.
She found him, curled up in a small mud shallow, watching a small trickle of clear water flow by. “You look mighty depressed sonny.”
“Oh Grandma- I think I just ruined it with ma. What am I going to do now? There’s nowhere else I can go.”
“Nonsense- I think both of you needed to say what you said- you both were right. I’d of preferred if you said it in a little more calm way, but no matter.” The banjo plucked softly at a tune Robin couldn’t recognize. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“A-About what?”
“Muppet Theaters. The Muppets there, the people you saw- how it all ended.”
“Ended.” He rolled the world around, tasting every syllable. “I-I guess it started with the smaller time muppets. The ones that only came one in awhile. They weren’t getting paid, so they stopped coming. And once we lost those… well- Rizzo and his gang of rats moved out first among the main Muppets. Rizzo apologized, told Gonzo he didn’t want to leave…”
“But he had too.”
“Yeah. He had too. After Rizzo left, Bean Bunny, and the penguins left, and nobody knew how to end skits anymore, not that it mattered because nobody was doing skits anymore, and most of the chickens left… Old Statler and Waldorf across the street that used to attend Muppet Theaters would stand outside of the door every week, rain or shine. Now they only do it once a month.”
“Aren’t those two the old hecklers?”
“Yeah… But I think deep down they really enjoyed it. Especially since they would save up all their rotten fruit to toss at Fozzie. There was a betting pool on what they’d bring each week.”
Robin laughed, “Sometimes the fruit wouldn’t be that rotten; like one time in the middle of summer they brought a really good, ripe watermelon! Only part of it was damaged, so we ate it for dinner.”
He looked so wistful, but at the same time, so sad. “But this summer, everything just fell apart.”
“After Rizzo and the smaller muppets left, who was next?”
Robin chewed carefully on the question for a moment, face perfectly blank, not letting his true emotions escape in a fine theater manner. “I don’t think I’ll answer now. Maybe… Maybe… one day. But for now, I- I need to get back to Ma. Apologize.”
He hopped away slowly, shoulders drooping. He didn’t look forward to this, and quite frankly, she didn’t blame him. Harsh words, and even harsher truths had been exposed, when not even a bond of trust had been formed.
It was going to be rough on both sides.
She wished for a moment that her son would get his head out of the clouds, and realize that there were Muppets depending on him.
Her eyes however were cold. It looked like her stupid son really had gone through with what he had threatened. She could remember the phone conversation like it was yesterday.
“Hello Ma.”
“Well, if it isn’t Kermit! What can I do for you? It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from you! How’s Robin? And the Muppet Theaters?”
“I-It’s been disbanded mom.” Kermit voice, low and heavy spoke. “Everyone left. I don’t know why, but they left.”
She leaned against the wall, frowning thoughtfully. He wasn’t joking about everyone having left- there weren’t any explosions in the background, entwining with the music that seemed to perpetually play in an odd dance.
Instead it was as quiet as a tomb, and just as ominous. Her sons voice was dark and dry, missing its customary spark that set him apart from the others. “I see. Why?”
“Jim Henson died. He- I-“ Kermit’s voice faltered.
She smiled sympathetically. Humans had a tendency to grow old, where most Muppets simply retired from the screen and went home. “Humans do that Kermit.”
“But- not so soon.” Her sons voice was pleading, and at the same time lost. Already she was beginning to see the reason why perhaps everyone had left. She wished she could see him, but in her mind she was already building a picture of what he looked like.
Pale green skin, worn into an awful state; deep black bags underneath eyes; even his tongue would probably no longer be able to go far enough to catch a fly. Her heart seized in sympathy for her son, at the same time as she had a creeping suspicion about what Kermit had called her for.
“Ma- do you think you could contact my sister and suggest to her about getting Robin?”
There were many words that rose to her tongue- most of them were synonyms of fool. There was idiot, moron, stupid, brainless, and a variety of words that were not appropriate for the situation.
Why would her son send away the last of his connection to the outer world? Why would he send away the last piece of his heart that was unbroken? “Are you certain? Robin loves staying with you.”
“He loves Muppet Theater. And that’s closed now. Clifford- he still does his own channel, but most of the time it’s humans now. Muppets- Muppets seem to be getting rarer these days.”
Kermit, in the usual display of modesty, obviously didn’t recognize his own impact on the world. Once again acidic comments rose to her lips- if frogs had lips that is. They didn’t rise to the forefront, and she was thankful. She normally wasn’t this mad, but her dim-witted son seemed determined to press her buttons.
“ They are. But I think you’re underestimating Robin’s attachment to you.”
“There’s nothing left here for him Ma. Frog Scouts has been disbanded, Muppet Theaters closed- there’s nothing left for him.”
Except for one little thing. Kermit himself- Robin’s beloved Uncle. Of course, from the sounds of it, even he had left. “I’ll hint to your sister.”
A confused noise came from the other side of the line. She sighed, feeling as if the world was on her shoulders. “If you change your mind, you can ask that he stay with you a little longer; your sister can’t really refuse you.”
Kermit didn’t reply as the tone of a phone-call disconnected beeped in a single ear. A deep sigh echoed and rolled through her body, from the tips of her flippers to the top of her head.
The sound of car doors popping open was drowned out in the wild welcomes and flurry of cheers for the two parents and their child. Robin shyly hid behind his parents as relatives he barely knew poured forward to say hello.
No one looked into the young frogs eyes; if they had they would’ve been surprised by the depth of the sorrow in them. Ma Frog climbed to her feet as she shooed her children away, going straight for the grandson. “The lot of you can have him after I’d done with him! Away with you now!” With an imperious flap of her hands, frogs scattered left and right.
At last it was just the two of them alone. Robin’s eyes remained stubbornly fixated on the lily pads beneath his feet- she didn’t attempt to beat around the cattails. “You’re depressed.”
“Uncle Kermit left.” For one horrified moment she thought that Kermit had abandoned his nephew and vanished. But Robin’s eyes were distant as he continued, “His body is there, but his mind isn’t. It hasn’t been there since Mister Henson died. He left a long time ago Grandma.”
The measured words held wisdom beyond his young years. For a moment, she felt sorry for her son, alone in his house. He had sent away the last of the magic that could’ve brought him back. She sat him down as Robin’s shoulders heaved. “There, there. He’ll come back one day.”
Robin sobbed into her lap, as she patted his back. What could she do? Tell Robin that everything was going to be okay? It was a lie, of that she was certain. The sobs slowly gave way to sniffles, until at last he looked up. “Grandma, do you know the theme song to Muppet Theater?”
“Yes. I can teach you-“
“NO! Uncle Kermit promised that he’d teach me how to play the banjo. I’ll wait until he teaches me.” Determinedly he scrubbed at his eyes. “It’s just- Muppet Theater never got a chance to close. Uncle Kermit got news in the middle of the theater, and rushed out. We haven’t done a show since. So…”
He trailed off, face drawn, before continuing softly, “I’d like to close it properly.”
She didn’t have words; she simply played the music.
It’s time to end the program
We’re glad to of made a friend.
She thought for sure that Robin would end there- instead he pushed on, surprising her with the beacon of hope.
We hope to see you shortly,
We hope to see you shortly!
We hope to see you shortly
On the most sensational-
Inspirational-
Muppetational-
This is what we call the Muppet SHOOOOOWWW!
The music ended, the sun finally finished setting, and Robin softly said, “And I’m not going to sing another word until I’m on that stage, right where I belong. With Uncle Kermit, and Miss Piggy, and Fozzie, and Gonzo and all the rest of Muppet Theaters. Then I’m gonna sing.”
----------
Time passed. Years came and went, without a sign of a letter or any information at all. Robin remained a slight outcast from other members of Frog Society, struggling to adjust to a swamp life.
When it came time for festivals, he would sit on the sidelines, watching the festivities with a wistful look on his face, refusing to come jump inside. At last, his grandmother, desperate to find some way of getting him to join in on the festivities, sat down next to him with a banjo.
Softly she plucked at it, a quiet melody, one that Kermit had enjoyed as a child. Judging from the way Robin swayed to the music, he too enjoyed this tune. “Uncle Kermit used to play that for me- when I was sick.”
She nodded, letting the tune do the talking for her. A few of the other frogs crept closer, ears bending to the soft music. Robin, unnoticing continued softly, “He always promised to teach me the banjo, but he was always too busy. He promised to teach me how to ride a bicycle, but then he never got around to it- Beauregard showed me how instead.”
A long moment of silence hung over them, until Robin continued, softly, tenderly, with emotions he hadn’t shown yet to his real parents. “But I can remember, how every morning he’d be up early, humming away. Sometimes he and Rowlf would play a duet, and sometimes he’d be chatting with Fozzie- but the times I liked best of all was when he was with Miss Piggy. Because then they’d sit there and they’d really be in love, you know?”
She didn’t know. She heard a few blurbs from him about a pig, but not many. “And he’d always get really flustered around her as well. It was cute! I… I always wanted to one day call her Aunt Piggy. Instead of just Miss Piggy. I told her that when she left, but I don’t think she heard me.”
Abruptly he stood, shoulders stiff, unpleasant memories brought to the forefront. “I’m gonna hunt down some fireflies Grandma.”
He hopped away without looking back.
----
At least several more festivals went by before she could even get him to sit down next to her; every time he saw her he hopped the other way in a childish gesture of confusion. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was a child.
But child he was, and as she stood outside of her daughter’s lily pad, pretending not to listen in as her daughter and her grandson battle it out, it became increasingly clear.
“But Mom! I don’t want to learn how to play the banjo! Uncle Kermit promised he’d teach me.”
Thunk! Banjo strings twanged harshly against wood. “Uncle Kermit is not here!”
“That doesn’t mean anything! He’ll come back one day!”
“And who said you’ll be allowed to go back? I allowed you to go to your uncle Kermits in the first place. Don’t forget you are still my child-“
“Some parents you turned out to be! You just shoved me off onto Uncle Kermit when you couldn’t handle me anymore!” All noise in the swamp seemed to die at the loud proclamation made in self-righteous indignation. “You weren’t there for any of my birthdays! I even asked if I should come home for my birthday because I wanted to be with you guys, and you never replied. You didn’t teach me how to ride a bike, or how to eat properly; you didn’t teach me anything! Uncle Kermit did all of that!”
“You- how- How dare you, you ungrateful little brat-“
“Ungrateful! I’ve been trying to adjust to life in the swamp! You haven’t been helping! You keep trying to baby me, and not let me do anything I want!” Robin sounded perilously close to tears. “I miss my old home! I want to go back, but I can’t. I’m stuck here!”
Grandma winced at the choice of words. Robin knew what he was saying, but sheer built up misery kept him from checking his words. “You keep expecting me to be someone I’m not! And I hate it! I absolutely hate it!”
“Go to your lily pad NOW!”
“NO!”
Robin hopped out of the lily pad, in a rush of green, fast enough to outpace any adult. Robin’s ma sobbed loudly in the lily pad. Grandma sighed softly in sorrow, as mosquitoes buzz finally started up again, and the crickets chirrup could be heard.
Slowly she made her way towards where Robin was probably hiding- his path was easy enough to follow.
She found him, curled up in a small mud shallow, watching a small trickle of clear water flow by. “You look mighty depressed sonny.”
“Oh Grandma- I think I just ruined it with ma. What am I going to do now? There’s nowhere else I can go.”
“Nonsense- I think both of you needed to say what you said- you both were right. I’d of preferred if you said it in a little more calm way, but no matter.” The banjo plucked softly at a tune Robin couldn’t recognize. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“A-About what?”
“Muppet Theaters. The Muppets there, the people you saw- how it all ended.”
“Ended.” He rolled the world around, tasting every syllable. “I-I guess it started with the smaller time muppets. The ones that only came one in awhile. They weren’t getting paid, so they stopped coming. And once we lost those… well- Rizzo and his gang of rats moved out first among the main Muppets. Rizzo apologized, told Gonzo he didn’t want to leave…”
“But he had too.”
“Yeah. He had too. After Rizzo left, Bean Bunny, and the penguins left, and nobody knew how to end skits anymore, not that it mattered because nobody was doing skits anymore, and most of the chickens left… Old Statler and Waldorf across the street that used to attend Muppet Theaters would stand outside of the door every week, rain or shine. Now they only do it once a month.”
“Aren’t those two the old hecklers?”
“Yeah… But I think deep down they really enjoyed it. Especially since they would save up all their rotten fruit to toss at Fozzie. There was a betting pool on what they’d bring each week.”
Robin laughed, “Sometimes the fruit wouldn’t be that rotten; like one time in the middle of summer they brought a really good, ripe watermelon! Only part of it was damaged, so we ate it for dinner.”
He looked so wistful, but at the same time, so sad. “But this summer, everything just fell apart.”
“After Rizzo and the smaller muppets left, who was next?”
Robin chewed carefully on the question for a moment, face perfectly blank, not letting his true emotions escape in a fine theater manner. “I don’t think I’ll answer now. Maybe… Maybe… one day. But for now, I- I need to get back to Ma. Apologize.”
He hopped away slowly, shoulders drooping. He didn’t look forward to this, and quite frankly, she didn’t blame him. Harsh words, and even harsher truths had been exposed, when not even a bond of trust had been formed.
It was going to be rough on both sides.
She wished for a moment that her son would get his head out of the clouds, and realize that there were Muppets depending on him.