Chapter 20
The brown, shaggy Gorg sat up after passing out on the floor. Junior rubbed his head, "Oh I had the stwangest dweam," he muttered. "There were Doozahs and Fwaggles in cages and two little wats in my woom telling me to save evewybody!"
"That wasn’t a dream!" Gunge shouted from atop Junior’s bed in a circle with Gunge and Flange Doozer.
"Yeah," Philo said. "In fact, you still need to come up with a plan to save everyone!"
"Just don’t pass out again," Flange said. "You’re lucky I wasn’t in your back pocket."
"But I’m just a dumb Gorg pwince," Junior said, "how am I s’pposed to save all of d’ose Fwaggles and Doozahs?"
"Well maybe you should ask the Fraggles and Doozers what they think you should do," Philo said.
"Yeah, if you’re so dumb, why don’t you get Fraggles to take care of it," Gunge said.
"But if Fraggles are so smart," Flange said, "why’d they get trapped in cages?"
Philo and Gunge looked at each other. "They took a wrong turn," Gunge decided.
"Yeah, that must be it," Philo agreed.
Junior gulped. "Alwight," he said, "I’ll go talk to the Fwaggles, maybe Gobo or Mokey can tell me what to do."
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"What do we do?" Mokey shouted.
"Mokey," Cantus said, "you said you could feel your friends behind those rocks, yes?"
Mokey nodded. "Yes, I just know they’re there."
"Then you have to use that feeling to connect with them Mokey," Cantus said.
"But—but how? They don’t know we’re out here," Mokey said.
"They will," Cantus said, "you just have to let them know."
Mokey took a deep breath. "I don’t know how," she said softly.
"You do Mokey, you do," Cantus said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "That’s why Perfect Harmony picked you."
"Alright," Mokey said, "I’ll try."
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Philo and Gunge followed Junior out of the castle into the garden. "Alright, good luck kid," Gunge said to Junior. "We’ll be on top of the Rock if ya need us."
Junior nodded. "Okay d’en, thanks for your help."
Junior moved toward the middle of the garden where Pa was moving cages filled with angry Fraggles while Ma stood on the sidelines and cheered gleefully.
"Ah, Junior, there ya are boy," Pa said to his son. "Look‘t what I caught!"
Junior gulped loudly. "Uh, Ma?"
"Yes Junior?" Ma asked.
"I—I just saw the Doozahs in the kitchen puttin’ gwease berries in your goombah soup!" Junior said.
Ma shrieked. "Grease berries? Plech! Those are the foulest things in the universe!" she said with obvious disgust.
Pa gasped. "Grease berries? Boy, those Doozers have good taste! Ma, don’t you throw that goombah out, you know how I love grease berries!"
"Yes, and you know how awful they make your breath smell!" Ma said.
"Aw, but Ma—"
"No buts, that goombah is going straight out and I’m having a stern talk with those little Doozers," Ma said.
Pa grumbled as Ma walked back towards the castle. Then he looked straight at Junior and whispered, "Junior, keep an eye on these Fraggles, I’m gonna go try and convince some of them Doozers to make me some special grease berry soup." Pa took off towards the castle behind Ma.
"Phew," Junior sighed in relief. "D’at was easier d’en I thought," Junior said to Flange in his pocket.
"Now find those Fraggles you said you knew!" Flange shouted back to Junior.
"Oh yeah," Junior said. He stepped into the middle of the group of Fraggle cages. "Um, excuse me, but is Mokey or Gobo Fwaggle around?"
"We’ll never tell ya where they are!" shouted a Fraggle.
"Yeah, you Gorgs are nothing but trouble! You probably just want them for your stew or something," another said.
"Mokey and Gobo are the two tastiest looking Fraggles in the Rock."
Junior turned, along with all the Fraggles, to see who had said this. A very, very large Fraggle was standing in a cage with a Fraggle with a very long beard and a few others. The Fraggle with the long beard looked at the fat one, "Quiet Large Marvin," the old Fraggle said. "It’s your fault we’re out here in these cages in the first place!"
"Um, excuse me," Junior said, bending down towards the old Fraggle. "Are you the leader of the Fwaggles?"
"Yeah, what’s it to ya?" the old Fraggle said.
"Well I just want to help you Fwaggles get fwee," Junior said.
The old Fraggle’s eyes lit up. "Oh! Well in that case, I’m the World’s Oldest Fraggle, nice t’meet ya!"
"I’m Junior," Junior said, "and I don’t really know how to save you Fwaggles, I Just know I want to."
The World’s Oldest Fraggle nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, we Fraggles are highly advanced creatures. I think we may be able to help you out."
"Really? Oh that would be just gweat!" Junior said.
"Mmhm!" World’s Oldest said. World’s Oldest looked around at the other Fraggle’s cages. "But let’s not tell the other Fraggles, okay? I don’t want them to get all worked up," he whispered to Junior.
"Oh, wight," Junior said. "C’mon, we’ll talk about it ovah heah," Junior said, picking up the cage and carrying it away from the other cages to the side of the castle and sat down to talk to the World’s Oldest Fraggle.
"So tell me, sonny," World’s Oldest said to Junior. "Why can’t ya just pull the doors of these cages up and let us out yourself?"
"Oh, well because I want my daddy to do it himself," Junior said. "He needs to see d’at Gorgs and Fwaggles and Doozahs can all live togethah happily."
"Hmm," World’s Oldest said, "lot o’ hooey if ya ask me, but if it gets us out of these cages, I’m in."
From another cage amongst the group of Fraggles Cotterpin and Boober watched Junior and World’s Oldest converse, unable to hear them.
"Urgh, I wish I knew what they were saying," Boober said.
"I bet it's a really funny joke," Sidebottom said.
"Why would they be telling a joke?" Cotterpin asked, shifting her weight atop Boober’s hat. The Doozer slipped when she laid her foot down and fell right through the bars of the cage.
"You can fit through these bars?" Boober asked Cotterpin.
Cotterpin looked around. "I guess I can!" she said happily. "I’ll be right back, I’m gonna go find out what they’re talking about!"
Cotterpin ran over to the side of the castle where Junior and World’s Oldest were talking and eavesdropped on their plan to free the Fraggles. "Oh, that’s a great plan!" she said.
Junior and World’s Oldest looked over at the Doozer. "What’re you doin’ here?" World’s Oldest asked her.
Flange climbed up to the top of Junior’s shirt pocket. "Cotterpin!" he shouted in glee. "You’re alright!"
"Daddy!" Cotterpin called up to her father. "I thought you were captured with the rest of the Doozers?"
"This big Gorg fella saved me," Flange said. "Junior, if you don’t mind, can I get down and go with my daughter?"
"Oh sure," Junior said, digging Flange out of his pocket and placing him on the hard ground.
The two Doozers hugged each other. "Come on, we have to go help the other Doozers," Flange said.
"It’s no use," Cotterpin said, "we’re just two Doozers; we’d have to go up against two Gorgs."
Flange sighed. "Well we have to save them somehow."
"We’ll take care of that," World’s Oldest said. "We Fraggles came out here to help you Doozers anyway, once we’re out of these cages, we’ll go help your friends!"
"Yeah, that’s the plan!" Junior said.
"Great!" Cotterpin said happily.
"What’s the rest of the plan though?" Flange asked.
Junior and the World’s Oldest Fraggle looked at each other and grinned.
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"You can do it Mokey," Cantus said. "Focus on everything, focus on nothing."
Mokey sat with her hand on the rocks in front of her with her eyes shut tightly, trying to grasp onto the consciousness of one of her friends. She silently hoped there was still consciousness left.
Mokey’s eyes suddenly shot open and her purple eyelids shot to the back of her head. "I’ve got it," she said.
Cantus watched as Mokey rolled up the sleeves of her dark green sweater and placed both of her hands gently upon the fallen boulders.
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Uncle Matt smacked the rock in front of him with his bare hand. "YOW!" he shouted.
Red sat in a corner and held her knees in her arms. She sniffed back a tear. Gobo sighed and walked over towards Red, sitting down next to her. Red looked at Gobo and laid her head down on his shoulder.
"We’ll be okay Red," Gobo said softly.
"Not this time," Red said coldly.
Wembley turned to look at Red and Gobo. "Yes we will," he said definitely.
Gobo, Red, and Traveling Matt looked at Wembley. "We’ll be fine," the little green Fraggle said. "I can just tell."
Red jumped up from the floor. "That’s crazy, Wembley!" she yelled at him. "We’re trapped, can’t you see that? No one knows we’re here! We are not getting out!"
"B—but Red, that time you and Boober got trapped we found you and saved you," Wembley said.
"There were Fraggles in Fraggle Rock then Wembley," Red shouted. "There was actually someone who could save us! Now there aren’t any Fraggles Wembley, now there’s no one to save us!"
"Yes there is!" Wembley yelled.
Red took a step back and Wembley took a deep breath. "I can feel someone!" he shouted. "I know there’s someone out there who’s trying to save us Red!"
Gobo looked calmly at Wembley, "I hope you’re right Wembley," he said quietly.
Wembley sat on a rock, and waited for something, he had no idea what, to come to him.
Gobo reached behind his back and swung his guitar around to his chest. He began to strum the chords to a familiar tune.
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Mokey picked up something in her head. She began to hum softly.
Cantus heard the music coming from behind the stones and pulled his mystic pipe out of nowhere and began to pick up on the tune.
"Once I had some friends and we would play," Mokey sang softly to the tune of the pipe.
"Work and play all day
Play till night came on
Things they taught me
Fit me like a glove
A warm and goofy love
Growin’ like the dawn.
"Through the morning
Through the day
Through the evening
Showin’ me the way."
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"Every day the world begins again," Wembley picked up the song while Gobo played his guitar.
"Sunny skies or rain
Come and follow me
Every sunrise shows me more and more
So much to explore
Come and follow me."
Red watched as Wembley sang. She smiled for the first time since the cave-in.
"Every mornin’
Every day’
Every evenin’
Callin’ me away."
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"While the sun goes ‘round," Mokey sang, her voice growing gradually louder.
"I’ll still be found
Followin’ the sound
Something’s callin’ me
When the world goes driftin’ back to bed
Memories in my head
Wonders follow me."
Cantus’ pipe played the sweet melody as Mokey sang it, connecting with Gobo’s guitar coming from the other side of the rocks.
"Every mornin’
Every day
Every evenin’
Callin’ me away."
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"Now my friends belong to more than me
Now their words are free
Free to find their goals
Still, the things they showed me seem to shine
Jewels in my mind
Honey for my soul."
Gobo, Red, and Traveling Matt joined with Wembley for the chorus.
"Every mornin’
Every day
Every evenin’
Showin’ us the way," they sang.
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Cantus pulled his pipe from his mouth and harmonized with Mokey for the final verse.
"Every mornin’
Every day
Every evenin’
Callin’ us away…"
Light began to sparkle in front of Cantus and behind Mokey. Mokey turned around and watched as four figures began to form from the sparkles. They formed from the music of Gobo’s guitar, Cantus put his pipe back to his lips and began to play, and the light twinkled faster and turned into Fraggles.
Gobo, Red, Wembley, and Traveling Matt formed from the sparkles and stood in the dark cave as Mokey and Cantus stared in awe.
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Jim Henson Idea Man
Back to the Rock Season 2
Bear arrives on Disney+
Sam and Friends Book
<ahem> <scampers off>
I hope so, but nah, I don't think he deserves to forget about this!
