Flippersteps in the Sand

[Beauregard]

Hahah!!!! What a PERFECT pick-me-up!!! And don't worry, we all live in awe of her story-spinning ability, don't be jealous!

 

[ReneeLouvier]

*Hugs Scooter doll tightly* OH NO....*cries softly into the doll's chest* Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo............

..........I can't BELEIVE IT..........They're dead....oh no...

*Sniffles* Please....Lisa....don't leave us hanging with such....sadness....please...post more......

*sniffles again, then reaches for the tissues and pours herself a cup of white cocoa.*

 

[Beauregard]

She's so unfair! Why won't she post! Just post Lisa! Post!!!

 

[redBoobergurl]

I hate that I have such limited internet access these days! I miss the updates! Anyway, I'm sniffling right now as everyone else is because that was simply heartwrenching. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to Melinda and Ray but I had this feeling and I didn't want to be right. Of course I know it's because of the plot, but it's still so sad! So, please post some more, we need some light in all this dark sad stuff! And by the way, this is really good, and I think it is your best fan fic by far even though I say that everytime, I really feel that way about this one. Please post more!

 

[The Count]

Yeah, I know Bo... Where's Ryan when you need him to back us up with a second penguin cannon...
And Renee... Chin up... There's still some more sadness to come as Lisa herself said... But I'm hopping there'll be a green guy who comes into the picture soon... If she hasn't changed it that is.

 

[Beauregard]

Poor us! We are all weeping over the fanfics at the moment...why do we do this to ourselves?

 

[TogetherAgain]

I really didn't intend to post today. I've fallen behind in my writing, not to mention having play practice and homework to do. But, see, the funny thing is, I have realized that in order to focus, I need my homework to be distracting me from something. Something, like, y'know... having a minor nervous breakdown while waiting for people to reply to a new chapter. So. Teddy bears ready, everybody.

Oh, and Beau? We do this to ourselves because... Um... Because... Well, I'm sure somebody has a reason!

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Ten

Three Days Later
November 4, 1968

Kermit stood on the old dirt road and stared at the marsh grasses. He loosely held his banjo, and nothing else. He turned, looked up and down the road, and sighed. Then he entered the swamp alone.

He marched through the marsh grasses, his face firmly etched into a deep frown. There were voices around him; young, happy voices, and laughter.

“Uncle Kermit?”

He stopped.

There was a gasp. “UNCLE KERMIT’S HERE!”

The grasses bustled as young frogs slowly surrounded him. “UNCLE KERMIT! UNCLE KERMIT! UNCLE KERMIT!”

Kermit sighed, nodded to them, and trudged on. He listened as news of his arrival quickly flooded the swamp.

“Kermit?”

“Hey, Kermit!”

“Hi Kermit!”

“Mit!”

Goggles, Croaker, Jimmy, and Maggie were suddenly at his side.

“Hey, how are you?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Where’s Melinda?”

“Where’s Ray?”

“Are you all right?”

“Kermit?”

“Where are Ray and Melinda?”

“Hey… Mit?”

He looked up at them slowly and took a deep breath. “They’re not coming,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Croaker said.

Kermit looked at him. “They’re gone.”

“Gone?” Maggie repeated.

“Where’d they go?” Goggles asked.

Kermit shook his head. “They’re just gone,” he said. He walked past them and headed for his favorite log, where he sat down and sighed.

Jimmy came and sat next to him. He put a hand on Kermit’s shoulder. “Gone,” he whispered. “You mean, they- died?”

Kermit looked at his brother with tears in his eyes. He nodded.

And Maggie was in front of them. “What happened?” she asked urgently.

He set his banjo down. “We- we were going to- to the zoo,” he said quietly. “It- it was raining, and… The driver- lost control of the- cab, and… I don’t really remember it, but… I guess we went off the bridge? And…” A tear streamed down his face.

Then there were arms around him, and a gentle voice was behind him. “Oh, Kermit…”

He knew it was his mother, and he leaned against her. “I- I blacked out, I think,” he whispered. “I must’ve. And then when I woke up…” He turned closer to his mother. “The driver wasn’t there, and… Melinda…” He stopped, held back his tears, and looked up into his mother’s face. “I- I was- holding- Ray- when he…” But he couldn’t stop his tears. He pressed his face against his mother’s chest and cried.

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `​

Three Days Later
November 7, 1968

James was one of the oldest frogs in the swamp. He walked with a cane that he had carved from a fallen branch. At the time, he had twisted his ankle. He was fully healed now, and had been for years, but he still kept the cane. He didn’t need it. He just liked it.

He sat down on a rock and looked out over the swamp. He saw his daughter walking with a determined look in her eye. “Going some place, Maggie?” he called to her.

She hopped over to him. “Hi Dad!” she said. “I’m going to look at the eggs.”

James shook his head. “You know it’s shorter to go the other way.”

“Yeah I know,” Maggie said casually. “I’m just avoiding Lonely Log.”

“Lonely Log?” he looked across the pond, where Kermit was sitting on his favorite log, as he had been for most of the past three days. “You mean your brother?”

Maggie plopped herself down beside her father’s rock and let one flipper hang into the pond. “He just sits there,” she said flatly. “He just sits there being lonely. And he doesn’t laugh, he doesn’t smile- he holds his banjo sometimes, but he never plays it. I just don’t get it, Dad, I just can’t stand it!” She kicked the water for emphasis.

James put a hand on her shoulder. “Be patient,” he said softly. “Death is hard on a frog.”

“Yeah well we’ve all dealt with it before,” Maggie said. “It was hard when Gramps and Granny died, too, but we still laughed. We still smiled. He doesn’t even smile!”

Her father sighed. “It’s a different kind of death,” he said. “It’s one thing to lose a grandparent, or a parent, and it’s quite another to lose a son. And a wife. When… When Gramps and Granny died, it was time. We knew it would happen someday. We knew we would see it. But-“ he turned to his daughter. “No one expects their son to die before they do.”

Maggie leaned against the rock. “I guess,” she sighed.

He put his hand on her head. “When you and your brothers and sisters were young,” he said, “When it was time to sleep, you all stayed very close to your mother and I. But as each of you got older, and had your friends and…” he smiled. “Lovers… You sleep closer to them than to us. And once you have tadpoles of your own… You don’t stay by me and your mom, you stay with them. You ever look around here, middle of the night?” He looked at her. “The whole family is all sleeping in these clumps. And whoever’s in your clump, that’s who you’re closest to.” He looked across the pond at his oldest son. “In one day… In just one afternoon,” he whispered, “Kermit’s clump was wiped out. He lost his entire clump. Just like that.” He stood up. “That’s something only one frog has gone through in the history of this swamp. And that frog is Kermit.” He looked at his daughter sadly. “There isn’t one of us who can tell him we know how he feels or what he’s going through, Margaret.”

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `​

One Week Later
November 14, 1968

Kermit stretched out on his favorite log. It was situated in between a few trees and lily pads, completely surrounded by water. He looked gloomily up at the night sky. He was silent for a long time before he whispered his thoughts to the heavens. “You never showed me your star, Melinda. And Ray, you never even found yours. Are you stars now? Are you watching me tonight?” He waited, but the stars didn’t answer him. He sighed.

“Kermit,” a voice called softly. “Kermit…”

He sat up, hoping. “Melinda?”

The voice was gentle. “Melinda? No, Kermit. It’s me, your star!”

He laid down. “Oh.”

“We should talk more often.”

He scrunched his face. “Yeah.”

“You’re forgetting me, Kermit.”

“No I’m not,” he said grouchily. “I just don’t wanna talk.”

“You don’t want to leave the swamp, either. But you can’t reach me here.”

He sat up. “Yeah, well, maybe I don’t wanna reach you, Star. Maybe you’re a little too high for me. Maybe it hurts me to try.”

“Kermit-“

“Leave me alone, Star.” He laid down with his face to the bark of the log.

 

[ReneeLouvier]

....*hugs Scooter doll tighter*.....

poor kermit....oh.....I wanna hug him so badly now.

 

[froggiegirl18]

awww...poor Kermit. So sad. You are doing a wonderful job Lisa. keep it coming girl.