Fraggle Fic: A Wandering Heart

[Java]

I've only read the first four chapters so far but this is wonderful. What a way to describe becoming a mother, you hit the nail dead on there. I will be sure to catch up on this wonderful work soon!

 

[Slackbot]

Thanks, Java. Glad to see someone's still reading this mess.

I've done extensive research on the motherhood thing, in the form of observing my sister's family under the undercover identity of "Aunt Kim" and occasionally having my sister preread passages which deal with subjects in which I, never having had a kid myself, have no firsthand knowledge. Some of the scenes are taken directly from things that happened in real life, such as the "miracle of sleep" line. And, unfortunately, the birth being rough on Red. But my sister recovered, and next summer Red will be up and kicking tail in the rock hockey rink once more.

 

[Slackbot]

I have a batch of fresh-baked bagels cooling in my kitchen, which has nothing to do with this story.​

*****​

A Wandering Heart​

Part 12: Phone Home
​

by Kim McFarland​

*****

It was early evening, and the staff of the TMI were preparing to close up the office. For most, that involved getting as much of their case work as they could to a resting point. It was never possible to clear the boards before going home; social work didn't lend itself to that. They simply brought things to a point at which they could pick up the following morning.

The workload had been lightened a bit these last few months by the new addition to their staff. They sometimes hired the Monsters they were helping to work around the office until they got better jobs. This time they had put Janken on staff to give him a little income and keep him out of trouble. Not that he was inclined to mischief but, as they had quickly found out, he had no idea how to live outside of a cave.

They had had to teach him everything from the basics up: where it was safe to walk and when, why you had to exchange money for the things you need, how to tell time, and so on. He was smart, but some concepts were so alien to him—private property, money, any kind of hierarchy—that he often made mistakes. However, when he finally understood things, he did not forget them. It was a stroke of luck that he had come to the surface here, in this office; otherwise he would likely have been injured on the road or arrested for shoplifting on his first day.

His current task was learning how telephones and computers worked. He could not begin to fathom the how of it; machinery and electronics, to him, were as magical as portals to Outer Space. You had no idea how they worked, but they did, and you just had to learn how to use them. He was starting to get the hang of writing on a computer, but he didn't like it much. He understood why it was good; it let you write a whole lot and kept it in one place and you could change things later and it would even check your spelling. However, printed text looked so rigid and impersonal, and in the time it took him to hunt-and-peck a sentence out on the letter buttons he could have written a whole page by hand.

Telephones, on the other hand, were a miracle. They let people who were far away talk as if they were right next to each other! After learning phone etiquette they had him take care of incoming calls, which he did cheerfully. If there were phones in Fraggle Rock, he thought, he could have told his family where he was. They wouldn't yet be worrying about him because he was trapped out here; it would be some time before the Minstrels returned to Fraggle Rock without him. He'd like to tell them about his adventures himself, before they had a chance to get upset. Maybe they could send someone to clear the rockslide away from the other side. But... he didn't feel like he needed rescuing just yet.

Outer Space was fascinating. Great-Uncle Traveling Matt's postcards had made it seem like a weird, baffling place. Now Janken was beginning to understand how things worked out here. Matt had misinterpreted so much because he had thought of everything in terms of Fraggle Rock. Silly Creatures built things, but they were not edible like Doozer constructions, nor were the creatures that built them Doozers. They built things to live and work in because they did not have caves. And many of the 'creatures' that Matt had described in his postcards were actually machines of incredible size and complexity.

Janken could not laugh at Matt's mistakes. Rather, he admired him all the more for exploring this world, voluntarily braving its strangeness and cheerfully sending messages back home. He had blazed a new trail. Janken had accidentally followed that trail, and now he wanted to take it further by understanding the world of the Silly Creatures. He could be the first Fraggle to do this. It would be an impressive thing to talk about back home, but, he thought, what was more important was that someone should do it. They needed to understand Outer Space, because they were all part of the same world. Janken remembered the story of how Fraggle Rock had once been poisoned when industrial waste had been pumped into the caves. If Boober had not managed to communicate to Doc that there were people living there, everyone would have died. But if there were Fraggles who knew how to talk to the Silly Creatures, they would not be helpless any longer. Gobo always said that the more you understood of the caves around you, the safer you were because you knew how to handle the dangers. Well, the better Fraggles understood the world, the safer they would be in it.

Janken felt a little silly when he found himself thinking like this. He wasn't going to perform great deeds out here, certainly not on the same par as Cantus and the Minstrels bringing the many people who lived in the Rock together with music, or even Wembley making friends with Junior and showing him that Fraggles were just as much people as Gorgs were. They were the true pioneers. Janken was here by accident, and he was just muddling through because he had no other choice. But since he was already here, he'd learn as much as he could, then bring that knowledge back to the Rock.

Lana said, "Janken."

He startled. He had been so spaced out, he hadn't noticed when she had approached. He said, "Yes?"

"Would you come with me?"

"Sure."

He followed her into the interview room in the back. He'd sat in here often enough during their weekly progress meetings that he was no longer intimidated by the stark, pale, cubical walls. However, she usually spoke to him on Fridays, and this was a Wednesday.

As usual, she sat at the desk, and he took the chair on the other side. She put the folder on the table in front of herself and said, "How are you getting along?"

"Fine. I'm getting the hang of staying out of trouble, at least," he said.

"You're doing very well. Frankly, we're all impressed with how quickly you've picked up on just about everything we've shown you."

"Thanks."

"Tell me, if the cave-in was cleared away and you could go home right now, would you?"

His eyes widened. "Is it?"

"No. But if it was, what would you do?"

Disappointed, he leaned back in the chair and dropped his gaze to the floor. She waited while he thought about it. When he looked up again he said, "I'd want to move back into the colony so I could swim and live with other Fraggles, of course. But I'd want to be up here too. Spend the nights in the colony and work up here so I could keep learning."

It was not quite the answer she anticipated, but it was certainly an honest one. She could not expect him to renounce his heritage. She said, "Sorry if I got your hopes up for a moment. What I'm leading up to is, I see an opportunity for you, if you're willing to commit to staying here for a long time, whether that passage remains closed or not."

"What is it?" he asked.

"We have helped many people enroll in the local university to complete their educations. With a bit more work, I think that you would be a good candidate for that."

"Oh," Janken said, surprised. Lana watched as he thought about that for a minute, then asked, "Um, what kind of things could I learn there?"

"They teach vocational and performing arts." Janken looked at her blankly. "I have some information that you can read. Going there would require several years' commitment. We have worked with them many times before; they're Monster-friendly, and their counselors are very good with the special cases we bring them."

She handed him a booklet across the desk. He took it and flipped a few pages. Lots of tiny print. Writing in Outer Space was always so little, it hurt his eyes to read it without a bright light. There was so much of it, this would take hours. He asked her, "Would this help me? Would I be able to do it?"

"Yes, it would, and I think you could. You're smart enough, and you have the drive."

"Can I read this and think about it?"

"Yes. Tell me what you want to do by Monday so, if you decide to go, we can begin to bring you up to speed, beginning with earning a GED."

"I will. Thank you." He looked at it, wishing he knew more about this. He had never heard of a university before; how was he to decide if he should spend years in one? He wished there was someone else he could talk to about this. He started to get off the chair, then, having a sudden thought, asked, "Would you help me write a postcard?"

Surprised, she repeated, "A postcard?"

"Yes. I want to send it to someone I know. He's a friend of my family. I'd like to ask him about this."

She thought he didn't know anybody outside the caves. "You just need the card, his address, and the postage. If the card is pre-posted, then you just need his address."

"That's the problem. I don't have his address. All I know is that he lives in 'the desert'."

"That's not very specific."

"Is 'the desert' big?"

Patiently she told him, "There are many deserts all over the world, and some are very large. Do you know which desert?"

He shook his head. "No. It's very hot there in the summer during the day, and it gets very cold at night."

"That's what deserts do. What's his name?"

"Doc. Um, some letters to him call him Jerome Crystal."

She wrote that down. "What else do you know about him?"

"He's an inventor, and he has a dog named Sprocket, and his best friend, Ned Shimmelfinney, lives downstairs. And he thinks we're magic, but I think he's magic." He smiled. He knew that sounded silly, but it was true.

"I don't know if I can find out anything without knowing which state he lives in, but I'll see," she told him.

"Thanks," he said sincerely.

They left the office. Janken went back to the reception desk so he could cover the phones and read the booklet.

Lana went to a workroom in the back which was used for confidential work. Janken thought he could talk it over with someone by postcard and have an answer by Monday? He must believe that mail travels instantaneously, she realized. She sat at a computer, opened up a web browser, and after a few clicks typed in a name.

Several minutes later she picked up the telephone.

**

"Janken."

The Fraggle looked up. Lana was calling him from the hallway. "Coming," he said.

He followed her into a conference room. She held out a telephone to him. He took it and said, "Hello?"

"Janken Fraggle?"

"Doc! Is that you?" Janken exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course it's me! Where are you, Janken? Gobo told me that you're traveling through the caves with a band of minstrels." The line clicked, and Janken barked into the other extension.

"A rockslide trapped me in a cave with only a Fraggle hole as an exit-"

"Oh! Were you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine! I'm in Outer Space now. I found some friends and they're helping me. Doc, have you ever heard of the university?"

"Of course! I remember those years well, when I was a young man studying marine biology. It was a fine time. Why do you ask?"

"They're talking to me about helping me go to a university to learn about things. Should I go?"

"You want to enroll in a university?" Doc sounded startled. "Well, they are institutions of higher education. If you want to learn about the world, that's where you'd go."

Earnestly Janken said, "I can't go back home. And... I'm interested in living out here, not just peeking out of a hole every so often. My friends have been showing me all sorts of things. I want to learn more. Maybe it's time a Fraggle did. Do you think it's a good idea, Doc?"

"Well, now.... I don't really know. But you should decide for yourself. If you really want to, then I say do it!" Sprocket arfed emphatic agreement.

"Thanks, Doc. I haven't decided yet. I just wanted to ask you about it. I was going to write you a postcard. Uh, could I send you postcards for my family?"

"Sure! It'd be like old times. Do you need my address?"

"Yes. What is it?"

Janken wrote down an address in California. He said, "Thanks, Doc. Could you tell my family where I am, and that I'm all right?"

"Of course, Janken. These people who've been helping you—is the lady who called me one of them?"

"Yeah. She's been really nice to me."

"Could I speak to her again?"

"Sure. Bye, Doc, Sprocket." He gave the phone back to Lana, saying, "Thanks!" Then he left with the booklet.

Lana said, "Mr. Crystal?"

"Please, call me Doc. Tell me—what do you know about Fraggles?"

**

Janken read through the booklet. Parts were difficult to figure out because he had no frame of reference, but what he could understand was that it offered two- and four-year training programs for various jobs. Plumbing, building, art, writing, acting, and other things he did not understand very well. There was a map on the back of the booklet, and it showed the university's location. It wasn't far from here. The booklet even explained how to get there by bus.

When Lana came back to the front she said, "You've got a good friend in 'Doc' Crystal. He wanted to make sure we were treating you well."

"Yeah, Doc's great. He's the first Human friend we ever made. He didn't believe in us for years, but when we finally met... well, we've been friends since."

"Does his dog usually bark on the phone?"

Janken grinned. "Yeah."

Lana shook her head, amused. "No wonder you call us Silly Creatures."

"Um, it says here that the bus goes to the university. I'd like to visit it this weekend. What do you think?"

Janken had a monthly bus pass, and it was his favorite toy. On weekends he used it to explore the city, and somehow he never got lost. "Go ahead."

"I will. Thanks. Thanks for everything!" he said with a wide smile.

"You're welcome," she replied with equal warmth, and patted his shoulder.

He opened the booklet again. His mind was not on the print, however. He was thinking about what he would write his family. He would buy a postcard after work, and write Doc's address in the same spot where Great-Uncle Matt used to do that, and he would tell them about what he was doing now. He'd tell them not to worry, that he was happy—and safe, he added, thinking of Boober.

He mulled it over, then realized that he was composing a postcard telling them that he would be going to the university. He really did want to go. It would take years to finish, but he could do it, and then he'd know what Fraggles needed to know, and could bring it back to the Rock. For the first time in his life, he thought, he had found something that really felt right, like it was what he should be doing.

He wished he could talk to Cantus about it. Heh, if he did, Cantus would only turn the question back on him. Can you? You tell me.

Yes, I can, Janken thought, smiling to himself.

*****

Fraggle Rock and all characters except Janken and Lana are copyright © The Jim Henson Company. All copyrighted properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken, Lana, and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9@aol.com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.

 

[The Count]

These chapters with the TMI are highlights for the story. They make me smile, remembering stuff...
Bus/weekend visit to the university to check it out and what they'd offer a student with "special" needs. Yep, Senior year of high school, we did that.
Having to be integrated as a client/member of a specialized institute best equipped for handling the needs of those "special" students. Yep, though it's gotten far too bureocratic nowadays, I'm glad I don't have to deal with them any longer.
Good job, hope more gets posted soon. Well, once you're done with those bagels that is. *Spots a Swaehb! Swaehb! sticker on the corner of that postcard.

 

[Slackbot]

I wasn't expecting to trigger old memories with this, but, heh, I see what you mean. Jan will need help, but in his case it's because of cultural differences and gaps in his knowledge. At this point he can read and write just fine, though his penmanship is pretty weird--the Fraggle writing we've seen is very vertical. He can do basic math, but geometry and simple algebra are utterly beyond him. And, of course, his knowledge of history, science, citizenship, etc is nil. He's gonna have a fun time earning that GED.

Fortunately, Janken's very good at making friends. He'll need 'em to keep his sanity. It's probably obvious who one of those friends will be.

 

[Slackbot]

D'OH! No matter how often I proofread my stories, something weird always slips by me.

"Doc! Is that you?" Janken exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course it's me! Where are you, Janken? Gobo told me that you're traveling through the caves with a band of minstrels." The line clicked, and Janken barked into the other extension.

To quote The Trash Heap, "It's always good to learn a second language!"

(I seem to have a hard time with Sprocket's name. In one draft of "Trials and Tintinnabulations" I called him Frisket.)

 

[Java]

I've now caught up to it all and I'm really enjoying it. I will have to go back and read your other stories to catch up with some of the other little details in your Muppet world.

 

[Slackbot]

A Wandering Heart​

Part 13: Veggie Monster​

by Kim McFarland​

*****

Janken sat at a console, looking at the three monitors. They showed different views of the same scene: a mostly-empty stage, with people wandering about. They were figuring out blocking, scenery shifts, and suchlike.

Janken had nothing to do yet. He had arrived early so he could familiarize himself with the equipment before the rehearsal. While the actors were rehearsing onstage he would be practicing on this console, so that when the real performance came around he'd know the show well enough to handle the cameras without stopping to think about how.

Every so often it hit him how funny it was that he, a cave-living aborigine, wound up working electronics. After being trapped on the surface by a rockslide, he had proved himself a fast learner, and he had wanted to learn everything about Outer Space so he could teach the Fraggles back home. He had soon realized that the world was much too big, and that nobody could ever know everything. Even if anyone's mind could hold it all, one lifetime was not enough to learn it all in.

Janken had decided early on that it was at least as important to understand the culture of the surface world's inhabitants. The more you learned about people, the easier they were to talk to and work with, as they had learned from the Doozers and Gorgs. But that too was much more of a task than he had expected due to its size and complexity. Trying to understand everything about the Silly Creatures of Outer Space was like trying to drink a waterfall! so he had decided to simplify his task and become part of this world for now. He would walk in the Silly Creatures' shoes so that, if the need arose, he could act as a go-between.

To that end he had been studying in a university. People learned various jobs here. Janken, being a Fraggle, had gravitated toward musical theater because it reminded him of home. He did not want to be onstage; he was certain that he'd be as awful an actor as he would have been a storyteller. But he liked working behind the scenes, and that way he could still be a part of it. He'd discovered a knack for lighting and camera work. They were a way to focus the audience's attention, to tell people where to look, just as a storyteller chooses which details of a story to emphasize.

He watched the people messing about onstage for a little longer. It would be a while before they began the real rehearsal. He took out a book for one of his other classes and began reading.

**

Some time later Janken heard someone approach, and looked up. It was one of the people he'd seen scurrying about onstage. He was about the same size as Janken, and orange-skinned. Janken was startled to realize that, except for his eyes and ears, he almost looked like a Fraggle. He said, "Hi."

"Hi," Janken replied.

"They told me that a new student would be working the cameras and lights for this show. That's you?"

"Yeah. I'm Janken."

"Hi, Janken." The orange guy grinned, and Janken was startled to feel his heart flutter. He had a nice smile. He continued, "I'm going to be stage managing this gig. The director likes to keep things simple as far as blocking goes, so the lighting and camera work shouldn't be tricky."

Janken said, "That's good. This is my first full show."

"This is everyone's except mine, I guess."

"Oh, you've done this before?"

"Huh? Yeah. I've been doing it for years off and on."

"Oh? Nice."

The orange guy looked at the monitors, then said, "I'd better get back. Good meeting you, Janken." He turned to go.

Janken said, "Wait, I didn't catch your name."

He glanced back over his shoulder and gave Janken an odd look. "Huh?"

"Your name. You didn't tell me what it is."

Now he seemed genuinely surprised. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Janken said.

He laughed. "Wow, you must live under a rock or something. I'm Scooter."

Janken paused, then said in a flat tone, "Yes, as a matter of fact I have lived most of my life under a rock," and turned back to the monitors.

**

The rehearsal lasted for a few hours, during which Janken played with the cameras, getting a feel for them. By the end he was manipulating and switching between them without thinking about it; it came naturally after a little practice. He would wait to mess around with the lights until it wouldn't distract the people onstage.

They broke for lunch, and Janken left the theater as well. Sometimes he packed a sandwich or some fruits and vegetables. Not today; there was a stand by the campus that he liked to visit. He walked his bicycle over to the tentlike construction that appeared on this corner twice a week. The people here sold fruits and vegetables. Janken could smell how fresh they were, probably locally grown, and they didn't taste of pesticides, so he bought from them whenever he could.

He selected some carrots, apples, oranges, peaches, and cucumbers. As he paid for them he said, "Do you know if you've got any radishes coming?"

"I don't know. If we do I'll save you a bunch."

"Thanks!" He ate one of the carrots, then put the bag into his bicycle basket and rode off.

**

A few minutes later he arrived at an office building off campus. He locked his bike to the rack, took the sack, then went in. "Hi, guys."

"Hi, Jan," one of the Monsters who worked there replied. "How's it going?"

"It's going fine. Could I check the hole?"

"Sure, I'll let you in."

The Monster led him into the back and unlocked the storeroom. Janken went in. There, behind a crate, was another door. They had put it over the hole leading into the Fraggle caves to prevent anything else from getting into their storeroom. The door would stop an animal, but a person who knew how to open it, or was reasonably clever, could get through. He took the handle and lifted, and it slid upward smoothly.

He crawled through the narrow passage and emerged into an open chamber. The air was clean and free of dust, and the ground and walls were dotted with soft pads of moss and decorated by cave ferns and flowers. He went down the passage that led to the nearby Fraggle colony. It was completely blocked by rubble too big to move, as it had been for the past two years.

Janken had not expected otherwise, but he still checked every week. He was no longer so homesick that the sight of the closed tunnel upset him. He was comfortable enough living on the surface, and with Doc's help he kept in regular contact with his family by postcard. But, still, he checked at least once a week to see if the way back had opened.

He went back to the open room, sat on a comfortable patch of moss, and began munching on a cucumber.

**

That afternoon he returned to the theater. The actors and director were onstage, discussing the first scene they would tackle. Scooter was off to the side, listening and occasionally jotting notes down on a clipboard. Janken thought, he's probably some big man on campus; that must be why he expects everyone to know who he is. It's a shame he's stuck up, he thought, because he's good-looking.

Good grief, where had that come from? Janken smiled ruefully at himself. As usual, he was attracted to the wrong guys. Oh well, it would pass. Scooter was only a Silly Creature, after all.

**

They ran through the first few scenes, working out staging and blocking as they went. Janken made some notes on his copy of the script. He wouldn't be able to make decisions on camera angles and lighting until they had a better idea of what they were doing onstage, he knew, but he was getting more familiar with the material.

By evening everyone had had enough, and after taking some time for discussion the rest of the crew left for the evening. Janken was shutting down the console when Scooter walked over. Janken glanced up, then asked, "Do you have notes for me?"

"No, it's too early for that. Um, I think we started off on the wrong foot back there. What say we do a retake?"

Janken cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry if I insulted you. I was just joking around. I'm so used to being recognized, and treated funny because of it. I thought you were pulling my leg." He put his hands in his jacket pockets and smiled sheepishly.


He sounded sincere, Janken thought. He'd meet him halfway. "I guess I haven't gotten around much. Where would I have heard of you?"

Scooter shrugged. "Never mind. It's kinda nice not to be recognized for once. What do you say we forget it?"

"Sure," Janken replied.

"So... where're you from? I can't place your accent."

"I'm from around here. I picked this up from my parents," Janken said. He didn't make a habit of telling people he was a Fraggle; it only begged more questions. People didn't really want to hear his life story in response to a casual question anyway.

"Oh. Say, want to grab a bite?"

Janken glanced at the clock on the console. "Thanks, but I have to get going."

"Oh, meeting a girl?" Scooter said with a smile.

"Nah. I work in the evenings."

They started toward the exit. Scooter said, "Night job? That's tough."

"Not really. I like it. When I finish the shelving I can study or read."

"Oh," Scooter said, nodding.

Janken's bicycle was leaning against the wall by the exit. Scooter held the door while Janken walked it out. Janken put the bag in the basket. He said, "Besides, if I had a date it wouldn't be with a girl."

Scooter said, "Oh... okay. See you tomorrow."

"See you," Janken said, swung his leg over the bike, and pedaled off.

Janken was pleased and a little relieved. Scooter had been surprised, but only momentarily, and it hadn't bothered him. He might be worth getting to know after all.

*****

Fraggle Rock and all characters except Janken are copyright © The Jim Henson Company. All copyrighted properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9@aol.com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.

 

[Slackbot]

Dear Papas, Papas, and little sisters:

(I'm not naming everyone because it takes up so much space on these little cards.)

I have found a job here. I'm working in a library, which is a building where they keep more books than you can imagine. They have books about everything out here. There are so many that they have to have people to keep them in order, because if they get out of order nobody can find the one they want.

It's pleasant work, which is good, as I have to do it for hours every day. Out here, most people work from breakfast to dinner and only take a short break for lunch. That's just the way it is here. Everything is more complicated. You need more, so you have to work more to get it. You'd think that they would work less and just take up gardening, wouldn't you?

Speaking of which, the paper box I sent last week is an "envelope." You're supposed to tear it open to get to what's inside. I sent some seeds. Maybe Junior Gorg can grow them in his garden.

Love,

Janken

 

[Slackbot]

Yeah, back to this dumb thing...

*****

A Wandering Heart​

Part 14: Oblique Angle​

by Kim McFarland​

*****

It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, the first one Janken and Scooter had had free in months. The university's most recent theatrical production had finally ended its run, so Scooter wasn't needed as a stage manager and Janken didn't have any lights and cameras to wrangle, and Janken didn't work at the library on Saturdays. Now they were in a park with nothing more complex to do than skim a Frisbee back and forth through the air. Janken thought it was like skipping stones. He'd send a Frisbee back home, but he didn't think the caverns were big enough.

The two had been working together for the past year. Scooter had enough pull to get Janken for his projects. Janken was good on cameras, plus he could think quickly, so ad-libs and unexpected happenings didn't throw him. Janken wasn't sure why Scooter thought that was so important, as such events were not terribly common in university productions, but he wasn't going to say no. He enjoyed working with him. He was a good stage manager, and had taken Janken under his wing and taught him all sorts of things about the live stage that he wouldn't have learned in a class. Plus, he was a nice guy, and cute as heck. Janken was glad that his first impression of him—an egotistic twerp—had been wrong.

Janken caught the disc between two hands and slung it back. He aimed slightly to the side, but put a bit of spin on it so it would curve back toward Scooter. As he did, he smiled at himself. He had long ago admitted to himself that he was attracted to this Silly Creature. Now that Janken had finally gotten past adolescence his hormones weren't trying to boss him around anymore, so he had a bit more perspective. If he was attracted to someone and the feeling wasn't mutual, that was all right; he could still enjoy their friendship. Although he wasn't quite sure that there was no hope... but, never mind, if something happened it would, and if it didn't it didn't. Heh, that sounded like something Cantus would say, didn't it? "What is, is."

The two played until early afternoon. Then Scooter caught the Frisbee and walked over to Janken. "Hey, why don't we get some lunch?"

"Sure. I like food," Janken agreed.

The produce stand was open today, and it was right by some hot dog and other carts. Janken had once tried a hot dog, and his body had informed him immediately and in no uncertain terms that Fraggles were meant to be vegetarians. Scooter said, "I know a place you'll like."

"I don't have much on me," Janken said uncomfortably.

Scooter waved dismissively. "I'll get it."

They got on their bicycles, and Scooter led Janken to a restaurant in an outside mall. Janken didn't usually go to restaurants; they were more expensive than he liked, and the idea of telling someone you didn't know to prepare food for you felt cold and impersonal. But when in Outer Space, act like a Silly Creature.

Janken followed Scooter in. Scooter went up to the counter and ordered two salad bars. After taking payment the cashier waved him through. At the end of the line were some trays with large plates. Scooter took one, and Janken took another. He led Janken to the salad bar and said, "Load up and let's get a table."

Janken stared at the salad bar. He was expecting lettuce, tomatoes, maybe a few other light vegetables, and a bunch of heavy dressings. Spread before him were an array of all sorts of vegetables, some of which he didn't recognize, plus eggs, pasta, french bread, nuts, fruit, and other things. He stepped up and eagerly began loading a little of everything onto his plate. He didn't want to miss anything. Amused, Scooter followed behind. He certainly wasn't going to go in front of Janken and risk getting between him and something he wanted. He did point out the bacon bits so Janken wouldn't have an unpleasant surprise.

They claimed a table, and for a while ate without talking. Janken was giving all his attention to the food, first eating one of each item separately, then trying combinations. Scooter had never seen anyone devote such attention to garden food.

When half of his food was gone Janken looked up. "This is good," he understated.

"I thought you'd get a kick out of it."

"You're not kidding. There are things there I've never tasted before! Restaurants usually aren't my thing, but I'll make an exception for this. Thanks!"

"Glad you like it," Scooter said.

"Mm-hm," Janken said.

After a while Janken went back for a small plate of seconds. While he was grazing Scooter got some ice cream from the machine in the back. He remarked, "I've never seen someone get so excited over a salad."

Janken looked up. "This is how we eat where I come from! Except we don't have this many different kinds of food at one time. Things grow at different times." He examined a forkful of bean sprouts. "I wonder if we could grow this."

"I don't know. I never tried gardening."

"I'll look it up. Convenient that I work in the library, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So, what're you doing tonight?" Janken asked.

Scooter sighed, "I'll be going out with my sister."

Janken looked up. "You don't sound too happy about that."

"Oh,I like my sister fine, but it's a double date."

"Double date?" Janken asked, puzzled.

Janken had odd gaps in his knowledge. By now Scooter was used to them. "She's got this idea that I need to get out and meet people more, so she sets it up so we go out on dates together. She has someone, and picks one of her girl friends for me." He shook his head. "I guess it's fun, but it never goes anywhere."

"Why not?" Janked asked.

"I don't know. Nothing happens, that's all. I've made a few friends that way, but, well, it always ends up as 'just friends'. Skeeter means well, but I'm getting tired of it." And too many people recognized him and treated him funny. That was something that Janken had never done. Scooter was glad for that particular gap in Janken's knowledge. To change the topic, he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you seeing anyone?"

"Dating? Nope," Janken replied. "I never saw the point in it."

"What do you mean?"

Janken explained, "I don't like the premise. It's like you're auditioning someone for a part in your life. If you don't know a person well enough to know if you even like each other, why even think about that? I'm old-fashioned, I guess. I want to make friends, and if something happens to develop from there..." He smiled at Scooter.

Scooter nodded understanding. "Yeah."

"But I did try it once..." Janken admitted.

"Didn't go well?" Scooter guessed.

"Nope. A girl I really liked and I decided we were going to be a couple. We'd been really close friends for a long time, and I thought it'd be perfect, but...no good. The problem was, she was a girl and I'm gay, and neither of those were going to change. We just made each other unhappy. After we figured that out we stopped trying to force it and went back to being good friends. I never tried that again." He smiled sheepishly at Scooter. "Kind of a dumb story, huh?"

"It doesn't sound dumb to me," Scooter said.

"Thanks. I guess everyone makes silly mistakes when they're trying to figure themselves out. Right after that I got a crush on someone, who... well, long story short, I was pretty sure he wasn't interested, so I never said a thing. Mostly I think that was the right thing to do, but sometimes I wonder if it was really honest." He realized that he had been pushing his food around on his plate while he had been talking, and stuffed a forkfull of raw cauliflower into his mouth. He was hoping that Scooter would be kind enough to change the topic, but he just sat there and looked sympathetic. Janken swallowed and said, "It's been a while since I've had an evening all to myself. I'll go see a movie at the library."

Scooter asked, "They show movies there?"

"Sort of. You know you can check out DVDs and videotapes, right? They have an AV room in the back with monitors and headphones in little cubbies. You choose something, ask 'em to play it, then put on the headphones and watch. I've seen lots of movies that way."

"Huh, I didn't know about that."

"Not many people do, I guess. I don't see a lot of other people there."

"What kind of movies do you watch?"

"I've been trying a little of this and a little of that. I guess I gravitate to musicals, though. What a surprise, huh?"

"Yeah," Scooter said, grinning.

"I keep coming back to The Wizard of Oz, though. They must be getting sick of playing it for me."

"Ever seen it in a theater?"

"No. Do they show movies that old?"

"Not often." Scooter thought a bit. There were some movies that you really should see in a theater at least once. "It's really something on a big screen."

"If they ever show it in a theater around here I'll go, then. Maybe someone'll be showing it around Christmas."

"Probably," Scooter said.

**

That evening, when Scooter met up with Skeeter, he told her, "Sis—don't set up any more of these, all right?"

Surprised, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"I've made other plans, that's all."

"What, hanging around with those Muppets? Come on, you need to get out more, little bro."

He did not rise to the bait. "I've just made my own plans, that's all."

Grinning, she said, "Is it with anyone I know?"

"No, it's not."

Her grin widened. "Aha! Well, good for you. But you're not flaking out on tonight, are you?"

"No, I wouldn't do that."

"Good. Well, c'mon."

**

The next afternoon Scooter was already in the theater when Janken came in. Janken thought he'd get there a bit early and tweak some of the lights to focus the stage illumination a bit more tightly while nobody was there, but it looked as if Scooter had been there a while already. He was messing around with the scenery and props, marking down things that needed to be repaired or touched up for future productions. Janken walked over and said, "Need any help?"

"Yeah. Mind marking things down while I check them out?"

"Sure."

Scooter gave Janken the clipboard. He went over to a section of building and looked it over. "This was wobbling when they slid it onstage the last few times. Some nails pulled loose from the support strut. Needs to be fixed."

"Yeah," Janken said, marking it down.

Scooter slid another piece back and forth. It squeaked and pulled to the right. Scooter crouched down and looked at a wheel. "Needs WD-40. There'll be some around here," Scooter said.

"Got it."

"What'd you watch last night?"

"Cabaret. Strange film."

Scooter glanced over. From the tone of Janken's voice, he found it a little disturbing as well. Scooter guessed that he didn't understand the era the film was set in. "Not exactly feel-good."

"Nope. The songs were good, though—

"What good is sitting alone in your room?​

Come hear the music play."​

Scooter joined in the next line,

"Come to the cabaret, old chum,​

Come to the cabaret."​

They both laughed. Scooter asked, "Want to go see a movie with me next Saturday?"

"Sure. What's playing?"

"We'll see."

Janken looked up. Scooter was grinning. Janken felt his heart give a little flutter, and grinned back. "All right."

*****

Fraggle Rock and all characters except Janken and Scooter are copyright © The Jim Henson Company. Scooter is copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. Cabaret is copyright © . All copyrighted properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9@aol.com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.