Amazon? Moi?

[Muppetfan44]

Ugh

UGH, this story is so frustrating! You can tell that you've written it so well because it's so frustrating! I'm very involved in the story and it's nearly impossible to separate yourself from it when reading it. I keep reading, yearning for the happy ending, though it seems as if it is never in sight.

Someone just has to find her, how many more days can she take it?

How many more days do the rest of the muppets have to think that she's dead?

It's so intense, a sad intense, but incredibly good literary intensity!

Please post more soon so we can get to the happy ending!

 

[TogetherAgain]

Happy ending? What's that?

I kid, I kid. I'm a firm believer in happy endings. It's just that "ending" part that seems to be so elusive. Hm... The "happy" part ain't much better. <Helpless shrug> Blame #3. I'm just the obedient slave doing the writing. Oh, alright, Vim plays a part too.

I have the distinct impression that I'm rambling.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Nine

Two or three nights later-- she didn't really even try to track the days anymore-- she was once again sleeping on a branch. This time, she would be continuing her way up in the morning.

She couldn't afford to sleep heavily. She had woken at least once each night on the floor. Tonight, she woke again. What was it now? She listened.

Before she could distinguish the sound, she distinguished the sight. Somehow, she could see the silhouette of a leopard cub creeping towards her, on another branch of another tree. It paused, probably calculating the jump from his branch to hers.

...Not good.

There was a low growl, off somewhere in the distance, and the cub looked up. It made some sort of vocal response, and then it turned around and hurried back the way it had come.

Miss Piggy bit her lip. That had been close. That had been very, very close.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Kermit very quietly hummed a carol as he carried the box of stockings into the family room. He, along with the other Muppets, had firmly pushed away memories of filming the movie since it had wrapped. Christmas was coming. Christmas was a joyous time...

He knelt down, opened the box, and froze.

Miss Piggy.

The stocking that bore her name was right on top.

He bit his lip and hung his head, remembering...

"Kermie... Moi can NEVER find my stocking when you hang them!" she had pouted, looking at the wall full of decorative red socks.

"Well... It's up there somewhere," he had assured her.

"Do VOUS know where?"

"...It's on the wall somewhere!" he had said brightly.

She had frowned at him and slid her fingers against his cheek. "Vous don't REMEMBER hanging MY stocking?" she had asked softly.

He had shaken his head. "Piggy, do you have ANY idea how many stockings I hung?"

"Mm… So THAT'S the trouble!" She had kissed his cheek. "Next year, vous will just have to hang mine first, so that vous can remember!"

He had shifted his weight. "That's assuming I remember to hang yours first," he had said.

"Well, if MOI'S stocking is at the TOP of the box..."

He had chuckled and shaken his head. "If it's that important to you, Piggy, then YOU can pack the stockings away this year, and put them in whatever order you like."

"Deal!" she had declared, and when the holiday had passed, she had followed through...

Now Kermit sighed heavily, gently running his fingers over her stocking.

After a moment, he stood up and slowly, carefully, hung every stocking in the exact order she had put them in. He would not soon forget where her stocking was on the wall, and not just because it was right next to his.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

After her third... extended amount of time in the canopy, Miss Piggy was once again on the forest floor for a few nights rest without the trouble of balancing.

Her makeshift belt was a new, smaller one. Re-tightening and re-tightening the first one had left her with too much excess. She scarcely remembered what her real skin color was anymore, on the rare occasion when she tried. The vast majority of her attention was focused on survival, survival, survival. Find food. Eat food. Water leaves. Listen, listen, listen! What's that? That sound, that smell, that microscopic sensation of anything. Friend or foe? Friend or foe? Friend or foe?

Her ears perked up. A sound. She stopped.

The sound stopped.

She looked around. Nothing.

She took a few more steps forward. The sound again. Footsteps.

She stopped. It stopped.

She looked.

...Oh... there... far behind, but... eyes... oh no…

Jaguar.

Jaguar. Stalk-and-ambush. Jaw power to crack a skull.

She'd escaped a jaguar before. That was the same kind of cat who had pushed her so deep into the rainforest to begin with.

Could she do it twice?

She took a slow, deep breath...

And then the jaguar charged at her and pounced and she ducked and it crashed into the ground just ahead of her and, surprised and confused, kept running, and then turned away, out of sight.

She listened as the thud-thud-thud of the running jaguar quickly returned to the animal's usual slow, stealthy footsteps.

She strained her ears, but the slow, stealthy footsteps were getting farther and father away, and she couldn't hear them anymore.

It was time to go back to the trees.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Kermit straightened his tie, took a deep breath, and slipped out of the limousine, onto the red carpet.

Cameras flashed, and he gave them a nod and a polite smile. More of the Muppets began to file out of the limousine, and he could see eyes widening among the reporters and photographers.

When they reached the door, all of the Muppets gathered and smiled for a picture. Kermit knew he would see that picture around.

Miss Piggy was not there in body. She may or may not have been there in spirit. She was most definitely there in everyone's mind, for the Muppets were not about to let her be forgotten at the very premiere of the movie for which she had given her life. Every single one of their outfits, in one way or another, contained fabric of the exact color of her skin. Perhaps it was a handkerchief, a tie, a bow, a shirt, the lining of a jacket... All of them, somewhere, somehow, wore that shade of pink.

But even if they had not made this show of remembrance, no one would have forgotten Miss Piggy that night, or at least, not completely.

When the time came to watch the movie, it opened with ten full seconds of a black screen with white script.

In Memory of the Brave and Beautiful Miss Piggy

On the way out, Fozzie put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "...Kermit?" he said softly.

Kermit was quiet for a moment before he looked at the bear. "It just doesn't sit right," he said softly.

"...The movie?" Fozzie asked.

Kermit shook his head. "In Memory," he said. "In Memory of Miss Piggy. It just... It doesn't sit right with me."

"...Kermit," Rowlf said softly, gently, "We've known for... almost seven months now..."

"Six and a half," Kermit said stubbornly. "Which means it's been seven and a half months since we saw her. But it still just... it... It's like there's a rock in my shoe, y'know? But when I take the shoe off, I... I can't find the rock."

"...But you don't wear shoes," Fozzie said.

Kermit scrunched his face lightly. "Well, I am tonight..."

 

[The Count]

Oh... How you like to stab at our hearts. Near misses for the missus in the foliage of forest greens... Then you wallop us with the Christmas season and remembrances of Christmas past what with the amusing tale of the stockings. Continue your assault on Muppets Present with the opening of the movie and Kermit's talk about not sitting right... Then leave us worrying for Chapters Future and how this will turn out.

You must! You simply must!
*In quiet voice: Post more, please.

 

[Muppetfan44]

I couldn't agree more with the Count!

Christmas, she's not there for Christmas.

All of them wearing pink, soooo touching

BUT SHE's NOT DEAD!

Keep believing Kermit, keep believing, you might be her only hope.

I might have to go on hiatus if this gets much sadder! I don't think I can take it!

Great writing! very sad, but great writing

 

[theprawncracker]

I will never understand why more people haven't been in here reading this. It's simply... amazing, Lisa. I absolutely love every word of it. All of it is just... wow. I'll never know how you're able to pull this off either--writing such amazing stories one after another--so much so, that you haven't finished one in ages! Kidding, of course. Seriously, I really loved this, my favorite scene, as you probably can guess (which you couldn't, but oh well ) was everyone wearing something pink in rememberance of Piggy. Even though the rock in Kermit's shoe was just... I don't know how to describe it's fantasticabulousness--I just was so moved by the pink wearing. More. Please.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Ten

She was tired.

That pretty much summed up how she felt most of the time now. She was tired.

Tired, and ever on alert.

Every sight, every sound, had the potential to be a threat. Even when she slept, so carefully balanced, curled up in that usual ball, she was actively seeking out the danger. No wonder she was tired; sleep wasn't all too restful.

She took one day to just rest, just sit here on this branch, and munch on the leaves, and drink her water, and just... rest.

But she didn't really rest. She was far too busy trying to sense any danger to really, truly rest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Oscars. The Academy Awards.

A few of the Muppets had been invited to present an award, to help promote the movie, not that the movie seemed to need much promoting. It would probably garner a few golden statues of its own next year.

Kermit led them out of the limousine and was fairly aware that they were getting a much similar reaction to the one they had received the last time they had stepped out onto a red carpet.

This time, they were all dressed the same. Black shoes. Black pants. Black jacket. Black shirt. Miss Piggy pink bow tie.

At some point that evening, a montage was shown of the show-business people who had passed away in the past year...

The Muppets made sure not to be in the room at that point. They knew their limits, or, more specifically, they knew Kermit's limits.

As they waited out in the hallway, Scooter put a hand on Kermit's shoulder. "...Y'know something, Boss?" he whispered.

"...What's that, Scooter?" Kermit whispered.

"...I think she misses us, too," Scooter whispered.

Kermit bit his lip and pulled the go-fer into a tight, tight hug. "...I wouldn't doubt it, kid," he whispered. "I wouldn't doubt it..."

The next day, when the celebrity news shows reported on the awards, and discussed the events, and what everyone had worn, the Muppets were named the best dressed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

So tired.

So very, very tired.

So very, very scared, and alone.

Too tired to climb to safety.

Miss Piggy sat between the roots of a tree, rubbing two sticks together. Animals didn't know fire, didn't understand fire, feared fire. If she could make fire...

The two sticks came from a holly tree. Wood, of the holly variety. Hollywood. She smiled wryly.

Since she couldn't get to the canopy anymore, and could rely on the water leaves for hydration, she had abandoned her thermos somewhere, making room in her pack to carry sticks, to keep them dry, so that they had a better chance of burning.

Oh, finally! A flame! She cupped it in her hand, and let it grow, and then put the other stick back into her pack. Holding the burning stick like a torch in her hand, she stood up and went on her way.

As time went on, the well-worn, long-memorized book was also abandoned in favor of carrying wood to keep it dry. With fire, she had her own light, and could start the day earlier and end the day later than she could have otherwise. When she chose to stop, she built a small fire to keep burning while she slept, warding off danger and keeping at least some coals for her to start her flame from in the morning.

The only trouble with her new fire guardian was the rain.

It rained a lot.

But even with the fire, she would not, could not, let down her guard. Some animals were dumb and bold and desperate enough to ignore the fire. A snake, if she disturbed one, probably wouldn't heed the flame. Look. Listen. Feel. Listen. Smell. Listen. Don't eat that; it's poisonous. Eat this. Water leaves. A holly berry. Mildly toxic. Just get the wood. Eat. Sleep. Worry. Listen. Look. Listen.

And she kept walking.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Kermit crossed the completed day off of the calendar and realized, with a hard wrench of his heart, that it had been exactly eleven months since he had seen Miss Piggy.

He stared at the calendar.

Eleven long months. The school year was near its end. They had filmed and wrapped the movie, and it had come and gone in the theaters. Christmas had passed, and New Year's, and Valentine's Day, and her birthday, and his birthday... all without her...

He swallowed hard.

...She really wasn't going to come home, was she? ...Why couldn't he accept it? ...Everyone else had, it seemed... Why couldn't he?

He sighed a heavy sigh and crawled into bed.

Just before he drifted off to sleep, his hand slipped beneath his pillow and settled there, fingers lightly wrapped around a pair of suede gloves.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Tired.

So tired.

So thirsty.

She hadn't seen any of the water leaves in a long time.

The water leaves were mostly in the deeper parts of the jungle. She hadn't seen them in a long time.

She had to be getting close. Had to be! She couldn’t stop now! Couldn’t! Couldn't... Couldn't...

...Couldn't...

...So tired... So... so tired...

...Dark... so tired... so thirsty...

...So desperate.

The darkness was at its absolute thickest now. Torch in hand, she walked... she walked... She had to be... had... to be...

She walked, walked, walked, tried to see, listened... walked...

...There! ...There? ...She couldn't be sure at first, with only the light of her flame, but... The endless trees, endless shrubs, endless leaves, endless forest of doom, seemed to... end.

And then it began to rain, and her torch went out.

...Oh, no. No, no, absolutely not. Nobody was about to dangle freedom right in front of her and then expect her to stop because of a little rain!

...But she couldn't see.

She couldn't see her way, couldn't see the danger, couldn't see enough to take one single step.

And so she stood there.

She looked up and opened her mouth, letting a few raindrops fall in. Not many raindrops made it down to the forest floor. Deeper in, she never could have just opened her mouth and tasted the rain this far down.

So close. So very, very close... and so tired... and so weak...

And then there was light ahead.

She stood there, staring, for a long moment, before she understood.

Moonlight.

The rain clouds were above, not ahead.

With the light of the moon, she carefully picked her way out of the rainforest and into the open.

She wondered what dangers awaited her here.

And then she passed out.

 

[theprawncracker]

OSCARS!

PINK BOW-TIES!

TIGHT HUGS!

HOLLYWOOD!

FIRE!

ELEVEN MONTHS!

GLOVES!

END!

MOONLIGHT!

*passes out*

That pretty much somes it up... Oh, and... MORE PLEASE! ! ! !

 

[The Count]

... And then we grabbed the Lisa and shook her violently for letting Piggy collapse like that. Lissaaaaaaaaaaaa! Noooooooooo! You can't pretend to end it like that! With Piggy having freedom danglied in front of her nose like the preverbial carrot. Alone, guided, by the light, of the moon. Close to midnight, is that a thriller night? The voice of 50,000 fiends? Haunting your dreams... Like an invisible phantom hiding underneath your bed? Bustin' fic writersmakes me feel good! Now post ma pretty... Poooooooooooost!

 

[TogetherAgain]

ED! Noooooooo! I CAN'T pretend to end it like that! I can REALLY end it like that! And I just DID! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Now if you'll excuse me, I don't write very well when being violently shaken not stirred...