Late post, sorry! =P
The Fraggle From Outer Space
Chapter 16
The following morning, Boober was on Cloud Nine. He walked along the tunnels with an air of absolute bliss. The smaller cave creatures could sense this from their cracks and crevices in the rock and joined in his jubilation.
La-da-da-dum. Gachung. Gachung. Gachung.
La-da-da-dum. Gachung. Gachung. Gachung.
It’s kinda magical. It just takes two.
Gachung-Gachung, Chung.
I’d like to show you by the little things I do.
That you might feel like sharing too.
(......aaaaaa, feel like sharing too.)
That’s what it’s all about,
Because I care for you.
Gachung. Gachung. Gachung.
La-da-da-dum. Gachung. Gachung. Gachung.
All you have to do is try.
Gachung-Gachung, Waaaaa...
When you make the first move,
(Boober and Cave Creatures)
Good things usually multiply.
No, it’s really not so rare.
(Boober and Cave Creatures)
No, it doesn’t take much,
It’s kinda magical. It just takes two.
Gachung-Gachung, Chung.
(Boober and Cave Creatures)
I’d like to show you by the little things I do.
(Boober and Cave Creatures)
That you might feel like sharing too. (Woo-oo)
That’s what it’s all about,
Because I care for you.
Gachung. Gachung. Gachung.
La-da-da-dum. Gachung. Gachung. Gachung.
La la la Waaaaaaaaaaa....
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Goldie was busy brushing her hair after having just woken up. As she brushed, she recollected the events of the night before.
She was still having trouble believing that it actually happened.
“I wonder what he’s doing right now,” she wondered in thought and then laughed. “Probably still cleaning up the mess from that soufflé. Boy, was that a messy explosion. At least it still tasted good.”
When she finished brushing her hair and put her brush down, she noticed something new on the table beside the suitcase.
“What’s this?” she asked as she picked up the envelope that Gobo had placed there the day before.
“A letter?”
She opened the envelope and pulled out the folded piece of paper enclosed. She began to read it, and as she did, slowly she started to feel as if her heart had lodged itself in her throat.
“Oh no... Oh no no no... Oh no... Oh, what do I do? What am I gonna do?”
Clutching the letter in her hand, she sprinted out the doorway towards the one place she knew she could go to look for answers.
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“Mokey!”
“AH!”
Mokey sprang up in her bed as she was suddenly awakened by Boober yelling in her ear.
“Mokey! Wake up!”
Once the adrenaline rush finally ended, she turned to Boober as calmly as she could while trying her hardest not to appear upset by the rude awakening.
“Yes, Boober. What is it?”
“Mokey, you were right! I confessed my feelings to Goldie, and she feels the same way! Now I feel wonderful! For once in my life, I feel nothing but absolute joy!”
“You see? I told you you would.”
“I have you to thank for this, Mokey, so I figured you should be the first to know about it.”
“Well, thank you, Boober. And congratulations.”
“Thank you, Mokey. Oh, I have to go. I’m gonna make a special lunch for Goldie, and I need my kitchen in tip top shape if I’m gonna do it. I’ll see you later, Mokey!”
And with that he left just as suddenly as he entered. Red, who had been awake for the entire conversation, turned her drowsy head towards Mokey.
“So it’s Goldie, huh?”
“Yes, it is. Oh, Red, isn’t it wonderful? Boober has finally found something to be happy about.”
“Did he sing the Song of the Forever Promise yet?”
“Oh, he left so quickly, I didn’t get the chance to ask.”
“That would really be something if out of all of us, Boober winds up singing that song first.”
“Aren’t you happy for him?”
“Sure I am, Mokey. I couldn’t be happier that he’s found something to distract himself from his thoughts of impending doom. It’s really funny, if you think about it. I mean this is Mr. ‘Fun Leads To Catastrophe’ we’re talking about here. Don’t you find it a little ironic that HE’D be the one to sing the Song of the Forever Promise first?”
“True love comes from strange places, Red. And it comes when you least expect it.”
“Tell me about it.”
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Goldie stood by the gap in the stone wall, staring out to the garden and the castle beyond it. She swallowed hard as she debated to herself whether or not she was going to cross. The letter in her hand was beginning to wrinkle as she kept a firm grip on it with both hands.
The gorgs were nowhere to be seen at the moment, but she knew that at any moment, one could walk out of the castle and spot her. She knew she had to be cautious if she was going to make it to the Trash Heap.
“I can do this...” she said to herself. “I can do this. One... Two...”
She took a deep breath and made a mad dash across the garden, past the oversized radishes all the way to the other side, where the Trash Heap and her companions were waiting.
“Well, hello, little Fraggle,” the Trash Heap greeted as Goldie ran up. “My goodness, child! You look as if you were running from a poison cackler.”
“I might as well have been,” Goldie panted, “Whatever a poison cackler is. But I had to come here. I need your advice.”
“That’s what I’m here for, child. What seems to be the problem?”
“Well, I got a letter from my grandpa back home,” she said as she pulled out the folded letter, “And he says that my grandma fell down the stairs and now she’s in the hospital.”
“Oh my,” said the Trash Heap.
“Psst! What’s a hospital?” Gunge whispered behind Marjory to Philo, who replied by shrugging his shoulders.
“Beats the heck outta me.” he whispered back.
“She’s in bad shape, too,” Goldie continued, hanging her head. “Grandpa doesn’t make a lot of money, so I know he can’t afford to take time off work to take care of her.”
“I see,” the Trash Heap replied.
“Psst! What’s a money?” Philo whispered to Gunge.
“Who knows?” Gunge whispered back.
“They don’t have any friends or relatives nearby,” Goldie continued, “So if Grandpa can’t get off work, there’s nobody to take care of Grandma.”
“Quite the dilemma indeed. And what do you intend to do about it?”
“Well, that’s just it. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I know I should probably go back home and help take care of Grandma, but...”
“But you do not wish to leave all the new friends you’ve made here,” The Trash Heap finished the sentence that Goldie had paused.
Goldie hung her head.
“Yes...” she replied sadly.
“And what does your heart say, child?” asked the Trash Heap.
“It's saying way too much right now,” said Goldie with a sigh. “Part of it is saying I should go back and help Grandma and Grandpa, but the other part is saying to stay here at Fraggle Rock... but how can I just pick between the two...?”
“And therein lies the curse of having a heart,” said the Trash Heap kindly. “During our lives we experience joys beyond our imagination, but in order to appreciate that joy, we must also experience sorrows as well. How we move in regard to these events define who we are...”
“Well.... Do you have any suggestions?”
“You’ve already heard what the voices in your heart are telling you. What you need to do is listen for which voice is speaking the loudest.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean, young fraggle, is that you have to decide which solution is most prominent in your heart’s perspective,” explained the Trash Heap. “Listen closely to what your heart is telling you and allow yourself to act on whichever sounds loudest.”
“Yeah, like how sometimes Gunge's stomach takes charge of his body more than his brain,” said Philo with a sneer.
“Hey!” said Gunge, flailing his arms in the air. “You're a fine one to talk!”
“Boys, that’s enough,” said the Trash Heap, silencing the two rodents. “Goldie, close your eyes. Think about your friends and your family.”
Goldie did as the Trash Heap said. She could hear her heart crying out in somber beats. She thought of her friends and of her grandparents. She thought of how her grandparents had taken care of her until the day she left for Fraggle Rock. She thought of how her new friends had shown her around her new home. And then she thought about everything that happened between her and Boober. It was impossible to choose.
“They sound the same...” Goldie whispered.
“Listen closer,” she heard the Trash Heap say.
Goldie thought back to her words from before in regard to her grandparents. There would be no one to take care of Grandma if Grandpa couldn't get off work. What if she fell again...? What if she...?
Goldie then thought to what her friends would be losing. They would lose Goldie, but she could always write to them. They could always have fun without her and tell her all about it when she got back... if she got back... and Boober, he would lose being able to see Goldie's smile everyday. Tears started streaming down her saffron colored cheeks.
“Thank you, Madame Trash Heap,” said Goldie in between sniffles.
“You've decided then...?” asked the Trash Heap. Goldie nodded.
“Yes,” said Goldie. “I'm going back to my grandparents. They need me, and despite how much it hurts to leave, I can't be selfish. They took such good care of me, I have to return the favor.”
“Very well...” said the Trash Heap. “If that is what you think if best. I look forward to the days we can speak again, dear.”
“Thank you,” said Goldie. “Madame Trash Heap, Philo, Gunge, thanks for everything... Goodbye for now...!”
“Have a safe journey, young one, and don’t forget everything you’ve learned here.”
“The Trash Heap has spoken,” Philo and Gunge said softly.
Goldie gave a quick nod as she turned and ran off. The three of them watched.
“She ain’t actually gonna leave,” Philo said after Goldie was gone, “Is she, Marjory?”
“It was her own decision. She’ll see for herself if the path she chose was the correct one.”
“And which one WAS the correct one, Marjory?” Gunge asked.
“There wasn’t one. It’s just one of those things where you have to pick which one will make you suffer the least. It’s a real shame.”
“Yeah, no kiddin’,” Philo agreed, “Say, you think we shoulda told her dat the Gorgs weren’t home today?”
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Song Credits:
- I Care For You—from “Care Bears: The Movie II”
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