FanFic: The Predicament

[ReneeLouvier]

Chapter Fourteen

"The days are longer, and more dreary." He thought, as he trundled slowly past Healer's cavern. He heard the joyous shouts inside, following by deep coughing by someone. The coughed stopped almost as soon as it had started, no worries there.

"I just wish she had stayed with me. That she hadn't left...." John was mumbling to himself as he got more and more to his cavern. The girls were standing in front of the entrence, waiting for him.

"Where were you!?" Carla exclaimed, angry. Darla and Marla were flanking her sides. Marla looked livid, but Darla was exceedingly worried.

"And what were you doing that you were gone for so long?" Marla snapped, alongside her sister.

"Carla! Marla!" Darla snapped right back at them, taking a deep breath in. She had John's coat in her arms, as she handed it to him she turned towards him; worry in her eyes.

"You were at Mother's grave, weren't you Daddy?" She said softly, just to John as she gently put the coat on him. John sighed, and looked Darla straight in the eyes then.

"I thought I told you girls to not call me that anymore." He said gravely, his eyes clouded.

"But you are our Father! Why can't we call you that anymore!" Darla's worry just about exploded, as she followed him inside their cavern, her sisters trailing behind her.

John merely went to his bedroom and pulled the moss and vine curtain behind him, effectively shutting them away from him. As he sat on the bed, he glanced at a painting that Patinka had done for him. It was a beautiful painting. One of the last ones that she had done, in fact. A glorious, if not morbid expression of life. The backdrop of the painting was the Gorg's garden. The Gorgs were supposed to have been away....far from their house in fact.

They were, but they left their son, Junior in charge of the castle while Pa and Ma were away...

***
​

"Oh boy! The whole castle to myself! Ha ha!" Junior was singing to himself, as his parents had left him to his own devices for the whole week. "I'm gonna make garlic and peanut butter popcorn! And ooh....Ma left me a garlic radish pie! Yum!"

The gorg got the pie off of the table, and decided he'd eat in the garden, which his Ma didn't allow him to do normally. It was a beautiful summer night. The stars were shining, and the moon was out. It was georgous....simply the best place to eat a pie, he figured.

"If Ma knew I was doing this, I'd get a whack! But...she's not huere, so...." And he dug into it, sitting beside the garden.

***
​

"Oh Glenda, John! I know the perfect place to do the painting for you!" Patinka was gushing, as she gathered her supplies. "Oh...wait. What about Mokey? I can't take her with me, she's way too young!"

"Honey, just leave her with Matt! He's babysat the triplets before, so he'll know exactly how to take care of little Mokey here!" Glenda said, while ruffling Mokey's hair. Mokey smiled up at the husky female fraggle and looked expectantly at Patinka.

"Do I gotta go, Momma?" She asked, her hands twisting in her overly large green robe. "Gobo's so wittle...he can't play with me!"

"Well, honey. You're too little to go to the Gorg's garden. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." Patinka said matter-of-fact, as Matt was coming up near them with John following close behind. Gobo was sitting on Matt's shoulders.

"Ah, thank you John! Well hello there, Patinka! I see you need some help, huh?" Matt cleared his throat, and set Gobo down. Then he kneeled down in front of Mokey and smiled. "Now....we could do some exploring, Mokey! How would you like that!"

Patinka looked over at Matt, with a worried expression. She thought Matt was just a little off sometimes. Especially since he and his brother were huge explorers. And that's also the reason Gobo's parents were 4 feet under. Mokey looked back at her mother, with a smile on her face. She wanted her mother's permission for it, she knew it.

"Well....I guess you can go exploring, Mokey." She relented. Then she looked Matt straight in the eyes. "But nowhere that she could get hurt, okay? That means no unchartered caverns, and no bottomless hole; okay?"

Matt smiled, taking his hat off and bowing. With a chuckle, and a twinkle in his eyes he looked straight back at Patinka. "Certainly, Patinka. We wouldn't go anywhere were they could get hurt. I wouldn't want to put them in harm's way. I've already got a neat place for them figured out."

"Okay, Matt." She smiled, and then turned back to Glenda and John; who were smiling.

"Unca Matt!! Where we going?" Gobo asked, looking up at his Uncle. Matt tugged at his mustache for a moment, then smiled.

"We're going to the cavern of Sir Blunderbrain!" He replied to the kids, and Gobo started cheering. Going anywhere with his Uncle was always fun, he thought.

"The...the cavern of Sir Blunderbrain!" Patinka exclaimed as she turned around to face them once more. "...no, Matt. She can't go there!"

Matt left Gobo by Mokey's side, and walked over to Patinka, then leaned over to her, and whispered into her ear. "I'm just taking them to some old, uninhabited cavern, Tinka...they won't know the difference! And I've even got Storyteller in on it, she'll tell them the story of Sir Blunderbrain, and say it's the cavern we're going to! They won't know the difference!"

Patinka couldn't help but smile and laugh. She felt a tugging at her robe, and looked down. It was Mokey. "Momma! Let me go see that cavern! It'll be raptorous!"

She smiled, and patted Mokey's head. "As long as Matt is by your side, yes you can go!"

Mokey laughed happily, and grabbed Gobo's hand. Matt then took her free hand and off they went, to have a nice little adventure. Albeit a safe one, Patinka thought.

***
​

"Are you sure we should do this, Glenda?" John said, quite worried. He didn't like the Gorg's garden anymore then most fraggles. He was terrified of them infact. "I...I mean, what if they step on us! Or their son captures us!! ...Or worse....the triplets will be orphans, cause of them!!"

"John...honey it'll be okay! You've got me with you remember? And the triplets will not be orphaned...we'll be okay." Glenda said ressuringly, as she gave him a tight hug from the side. They made their way out of the tunnels, leading into the garden, and they hurried to a small spot where they believed the gorgs wouldn't spot them. Especially in this low light of near nighttime.

"This is perfect guys. Let me just set up the easel, and I'll begin!" Patinka started to set up, when she stopped, looking near the Gorg's castle. She thought she heard something like popping, but she shook her head; and continued setting up.

***
​

"Ooh...just gotta get the peanut buttah...and, oopsy!" The jar slipped out of his hands, and rolled out the open door. Junior lumbered outside to retreive the jar of peanut butter, and as he was bending over, he saw some small figures in the moonlight. Three of them infact!

"Oh...fwaggles!" He said softly to himself. He was going to get them this time around, and he knew he had to be quiet. Creeping up on them, as best he could he had his stick in his hand. Ready to thump some fraggles for his Ma. She'd sure be proud of him this time!

Patinka was almost done with the painting. Glenda was holding John in her arms, and both of them had been smiling so she could get their faces. Now they looked a tinge bored, and tired. But for good reason, they had been out there for nearly two hours by then.

"Ooh...it's almost done! It'll be so beautiful!" Patinka was saying happily, until she felt a large something wrapping around her. It looked black as night until her eyes readjusted to the moonlight. It was Junior!

"Ma's gonna be so proud of me, heh heh! I got that pesky fwaggle that's been stealing our wadishes!" Junior said happily. Until he looked down. He saw two more fraggles at his feet. "More pesky fwaggles!? I'll get you all!"

He then leaned down, and was trying to get them both. John was running around in circles, the nearly finished painting rolled up underneath his arm, not sure which way to go; he was near the fraggle's hole, but he couldn't decide whether to try to help Glenda save Patinka, or to jump down the hole.

That was, until Glenda pushed him into it.

"Keep going John! I'll get Patinka!!!" Glenda shouted to him, as he was tumbling head-over-tail down the tunnel.

That was the last they had heard of both of them. Or even seen them. Some fraggles say that the women died, and Junior stuffed them and kept them as toys. Some say Junior got bored with them, and thumped them into death.

No one really knew. Just rumors and worry.

And people wonder why Mokey decided to become the radish picker.

 

[The Count]

Oh! That's so wonderful and sad and all... Just wow!
Will come back and review properly, and I know someone will beat me to it... But the line! The line that ties this to... Won't give it away, but his readers should spot it right away.

And before I forget li'l cuz... Have you been checking up on Ru's updates? Cause I think there's a section in one of Kermie's Girl's latest chapters that'll prove particulary um, stimulating for you.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Oh my....well worth the wait! Did not see this twist coming at all but I'm really enjoying how you're weaving this all together. It's just so...wow! I wish I could say more, but I'm at work, so Ed you may get to come back in and do your detailed review first!

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Chapter Fifteen

Warning Ahead: Get your plush fraggles and tissues here; you're gonna need 'em for this one!

***
​

"John? John!?" Carla screeched, through the thin curtain of moss and tangled, weaved vines. She waited for a few minutes, to get a response. Perhaps he was sleeping, she thought; as she started to pull the curtain back.

***
​

The sound of popping wood caught the attention of the sisters in the main living room. They came running, wondering where the sound had come from. It was the curtain hangers, which had been mostly popped off of the petrified wood rod. The moss and vine curtain was twisted in Carla's lap now, and she was staring into the room, mouth agape.

John was laying on the bed, sprawled in an odd position; as if he'd been sleeping. But...he wasn't. After a few moments of silence and stillness, Darla and Marla lept over their sister, and went to their Father's side. Tears already flowing, she delicately placed a hand under his chin. He was still warm to the touch, but seemed to be dead. No heartbeat.

She started weeping immediately, with Marla and Carla joining in soon afterwards. Their father was dead. Convincing John was dead.

Carla was the first to gain her wits about her, as she covered John up with his blanket. She noticed a small bottle beside the bed, on the small carved tea table. It was an old blackened glass bottle, with a cork stopper on the table that went to it. That bottle was completely empty now, and she remembered when he came home with it.

***
​

It had been three weeks.

Three weeks since they offically decided they were gone, forever.

Three weeks since they had held the memoriam service for Patinka and Glenda.

Three weeks since most of Fraggle Rock had shunned him and his young daughters.

Three long, sleep-deprived weeks. And he thought he might have something to help with the pain and sleep-deprivation, a small bottle of sleeping tonic from Healer. But that was farthest from his mind.

He had remembered Glenda telling him the girls wouldn't be orphans. She was right. But not the way he had hoped. Because they had lost their mother. And he his wife. He envied Mokey. She had already lost her Father...and she seemed to take it so well. A cest la vie look on life. And he had hated it. His girls were incosolable, and no one could or would help him.

Matt was really the only one who even cared to try to help. But even he wasn't much help, as he was still caring for his nephew; which was a large burden on him. And his advice was best not taken anyways. John sometimes wondered how Matt could even care for such a rambunctious fraggle. He did notice the toll it took on his friend: Matt was already gray-haired when he actually a bit younger then John was himself!

In many ways, John was not prepared for it. He had always thought of when this would happen. Glenda always did dangrous stuff, excavating new caverns; helping Matt explore. She would be gone for a couple of weeks at a time. That wasn't too bad. Just make sure the cavern dosn't blow up or something like that, Glenda would always tell John before she left.

But this was different. Glenda wouldn't be coming back to help pick up the pieces of what the girls and he had done while she was gone. She...wasn't coming back. Within a few months of dealing with his young girls, and trying to keep up with everything else going on in the rock; he had eventually gone completely gray haired. The few times he would go outside of the caverns to gather some food; fraggles would sneer at him and say he looked older then the World's Oldest Fraggle. He normally didn't care about his appearences, but this irked him no end.

He had to find a way to gather some kind of respect around the Great Hall once more. And one day he got the inspriation. Darla, Carla, and Marla were practicing some little tune they had heard Gobo and his friends singing. They were in perfect harmony he realized. He wrote down some music really quick, and handed each of his girls a sheet of it.

"We're going to sing...backup to you?" The girls murmured that day, glancing over the music.

"Sure girls! We can sing for everyone, and they'll love it!" John said happily, running a hand through his still gray-as-fog hair. "They'll love this little ditty we're going to show off at the next Appearence of the Fraggle Moon!"

"Ooh, you're going to be the Moon Greeter for this month!" The girls chorused, smiling happily at him.

"Yes, and it's a high position to be called upon to be the Moon Greeter, girls. And I want your help." He put on a dress jacket of his, and a sash over his shoulders. The girls went scrambling for something to wear. They found some old costumes their mother had made for them, it was matching silky blue robes, with (in their opinion) silly headdresses. They came out, wearing the costumes, and adjusting the headpieces; and smiling expectantly up at their father. He smiled right back at them.

"Now that music you've got dosn't have a good flow to it yet. See there's no musical notes to guide you. So....why don't just try some different styles then?" He responded, looking over his own music.

At first the girls didn't like the idea of playing backup to their father, but seeing how they'd actually take place as helping with greeting the Fraggle Moon, they pratically jumped at it. They sang their scales, high sopranos the three of them. John knew his stratchy, baritone might not sound good among them, but it was worth it to try. He remembered when he was younger, he could convince any of his friends with enough bartering and fussing. If he could transfer that inherent ability to singing, it might make it better even!

"So girls...how should we start out the song then?" He looked to his daughters, his prized possesions for an answer, cause he couldn't decide what to do. He hated being a wembler, but it was hard because he was born that way. It made him sad whenever he thought about that, because Glenda was his rock. She would help make many of the decisions for them both.

He just hoped being the Moon Greeter would help him with getting his respect back...

***
​

"....and it did help him." Darla said solemnly in the small bedroom that was their father's. John still lay on the bed, seemingly dead to the world.

Carla's face turned to a sour smile, as she looked down at her Father's form underneath the thin blanket. "...I still can't believe he wouldn't call us by our names in public. Just "The Fragglettes"! Puh...good riddance."

Marla just about lept on her sister, yowling in anger. "How DARE you say that about Father!!!" She howled, as she clutched at her sister.

She was aiming to rip out Carla's hair; one hand already on the end of her tail pulling with all her might. Darla lept on them both, pulling them away from each other; until Carla managed to slam backwards into the corner, and Marla ended up getting shoved against the bed, and up on top of it.

Sending John's body with a loud thwack onto the floor.

"Oh no....look what you've done now!" Darla cried, as she rushed over to John's body and picked him up as best she could, cradling his head to her chest. "....we....we can't keep him here. That would be wrong. He needs to have a....a....a proper burial. Marla? Can you go get Healer, and tell her what happened?"

"But why Healer?" She asked back, a quizzical expression on her face.

"I don't know who else to ask. She...she's the only one who really knew us anyways. Go get her, and hurry." She said, as she continued to hold her deceased father close to her chest. He was already beginning to feel cold to the touch to her, she wished it was all a bad dream and that it would go away.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Now that's the Sara we know and love, posting TWO chapters in one day! Anyway, thanks for the warning, that was simply heartwrenching and I still feel this is such an interesting take on Convincing John's character. Great stuff, looking forward to more.

 

[The Count]

*Blink. Stunned silence.
More when I can speak... Great curveballs. More please!

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

Two chapters! Awesome! Liked the revelation about Carla, Marla, and Darla being his daughters. However, one bit of critisizm(spelling?): personally I find the part of CJ committing suicide (assuming that's what he did) a subject too dark for Fraggle Rock. Just my opinion though. Thanks!

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Well, Crazed Gonzo, I know it's kind of a darkish subject...but I'm one to tear down walls and abolish certain standards for writing.

Plus, I'll also give you a small hint:

"....the actions may speak to the girls, but not to the world."

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

So CJ may not have killed himself?

 

[The Count]

Hello... This is a message from your friendly nagging service. This message is simply a reminder that loyal readers are in need of an update, soonerishkibbible
if not sooner than that. So please post more, your fans will thank you.

That is all... Thank you and please post more!