Chapter 8
"Architect! Architect!" Cotterpin Doozer shouted as she rode through the caverns.
Architect Doozer was standing up on a Doozer lift, examining some blueprints with another Doozer. He sighed loudly and turned to the other Doozer. "Sometimes I wish she was less like me and more like a regular Doozer…"
Cotterpin stopped her bike at the bottom of the lift. Architect looked down from the lift at Cotterpin. "Cotterpin Doozer, for the last time, keep building sites quiet!"
"Sorry, Architect," Cotterpin said. "But this is really important!"
Architect gasped. "Did building team 81A have another breakdown?"
"No, even worse!"
"Oh no, not another cave in!"
"No! Worse!"
"Cotterpin Doozer," Architect shouted, getting annoyed. "What could be worse than a cave in?"
"I'm not sure!" Cotterpin said.
"What?" Architect asked, dumbfounded by Cotterpin’s answer.
"Well, I can't explain it. You'll just have to come with me and see," Cotterpin said.
"Cotterpin Doozer, I do not have time to go with you," Architect said. "I've been so behind in my work lately."
"But Architect," Cotterpin whined. "If you don’t come with me, I'm afraid it might mean the end of Doozer kind!"
"Did a Fraggle tell you this, Cotterpin?" Architect asked mockingly.
"No sir, I saw it with my own two eyes!" Cotterpin said.
"Alright Cotterpin, I'll humor you this one time," Architect said as he lowered the lift. "But if this turns out to be a dud—well, let’s just say your on thin ice little Doozer."
Cotterpin gulped. "Yes sir."
"Now, where are we going?" Architect asked.
"Follow me," Cotterpin said.
"But I despise Fraggle songs," Architect said.
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"Gobo, where are we even gonna start looking for your Uncle Traveling Matt? You know, once we get into Outer Space?"
"Well, I brought all of Uncle Matt’s postcards. I figure I'll just look at the pictures on the front of them and I'll be able to follow Uncle Matt’s footsteps."
"Following in your uncle's footsteps? I always knew you’d grow up to be just like him, Gobo."
"Why thank you."
"A dolt! Ha ha!"
Gobo shot a glare at Red. "We didn't have to take you with us, ya know, Red!"
"Nope, but you wanted to," Red said proudly.
Gobo frowned. "Did not," he mumbled.
"Where's this tunnel lead us, Gobo?" Wembley asked.
"Up to Doc's apartment," Gobo said. "I figured we could say goodbye to him and Sprocket before we left."
"Oh, good idea," Wembley said.
"What if Doc tries to talk us out of going?" Red said.
"Oh… bad idea," Wembley said.
"Don’t worry," Gobo said. "I'll just explain that it has to be done-- to ensure the safety of Fraggle Rock!"
"Ooh!" Wembley said. "Good idea!"
Red opened her mouth to counter, but couldn’t come up with anything to say.
"Ha!" Gobo scoffed. "I got the last wemble."
"Yeah, yeah…" Red muttered.
"Well, here it is," Gobo said. "The Fraggle hole to Doc's apartment." Gobo poked his head out into the workshop. "It's dark," he said.
"Oh no," Wembley said. "The Ditzies must've died out there! What're we gonna do?"
"No, I think he just turned his lights off," Gobo said calmly.
"Oh." Wembley said. "He can do that?"
"Yeah," Gobo said. "C'mon, let's go in."
The three Fraggles entered into the dark apartment. "Where is he?" Wembley whispered.
"I dunno," Gobo whispered back. "Maybe Sprocket's here."
As the three Fraggles explored the dark apartment, off in the corner, Sprocket was curled up in his doggy bed, sound asleep.
Wembley walked around the apartment, looking around at everything— so obviously, he tripped when he came to one of Doc's shoes, then knocked over the tin wastebasket he fell into.
"Wembley!" Gobo said with a glare towards the green Fraggle.
"Sorry Gobo," Wembley said, helping himself up.
Sprocket grumbled quietly and let his drowsy eyes slip open. Doc must've woken up in the middle of the night, that's all the noise was, thought Sprocket.
Through the dog's drowsy eyes he saw the figures of three colorful creatures picking up trash and putting it into the wastebasket. Sprocket passed this off as a dream, turned his head over, and went back to sleep.
"Well, should we go now, or after we make more of a mess?" Red asked with a smirk.
Gobo looked around the apartment once more. "Well, it doesn’t look like Doc's home, so I guess we can just go on now.”
Sprocket's ears pricked up, but by the time he lifted his head up, the three Fraggles were gone.
The dog burst from his bed and started barking like mad. A light flipped on behind him, then the main apartment light after that. Doc came running out, still tying his bathrobe and wearing slippers. "Sprocket old boy, what is it? What's wrong?" Doc asked frantically.
Sprocket continued to bark while making motions toward the Fraggle hole and the doggy door.
"Do you need to go out, boy?" Doc asked.
Sprocket shook his head vigorously.
"Oh, calm down Sprocket," Doc said. "You must've just had a bad dream. Go on now, back to sleep with us," Doc said with a yawn.
Sprocket whimpered as Doc went back to his bedroom, turning off the lights again.
The dog looked from the Fraggle hole to the door and back again. He growled to himself, and made a run for the doggy door, into Outer Space.
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