Chapter 11
"Time is of the essence now Doozers!" Architect shouted to the hordes of Doozers filing into the small cavern to try and fill in the hole that penetrated their very world.
Doozer sticks were being raised and organized against the rocky walls of the cavern. Sounds of tiny Doozer machinery were echoing from all around and Doozers were shouting until their voices were nearly gone.
They didn’t know what the hole in the wall meant, but each and every Doozer knew it needed to be taken care of.
Cotterpin stood near the Architect, watching construction. For some inexplicable reason, she was extremely uneasy.
Unfortunately, Cotterpin’s uneasiness was about to be explained.
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"Junior! Junior, where are ya?" Pa Gorg called for his son as he and Ma made their way back to the castle.
Ma fluttered around the garden lilting her son’s name. "Oh Juuuunior? Where are you radish cheeks?"
Ma and Pa heard a crash as Junior came tumbling out of what Pa assumed to be the tool shed. "What’s that boy doin’ in my tool shed?" Pa grumbled.
Junior came stumbling out into the garden. "Oh, hi d’ere mommy! Hello daddy! How was your twip to the cweek?"
"Just fine Junior," Pa said.
"Oh it was lovely," Ma sang happily.
Pa cleared his throat loudly. "Now boy, what were you doin’ in my tool shed?"
"Oh! I almost fo’got!" Junior said. "Your son made a discovowy, daddy!"
"A discovery?" Pa asked. "Junior, everything that can be discovered has to be discovered by the King of the Universe! It’s the law!"
Ma nodded solemnly. "He’s right dear, it is the law."
"Oh, phooey!" Junior muttered. "Well fine d’en, come with me and discovow it fo yourself!"
Junior led his parents over to the side of "Kissing Rock," as it was known in Gorgish myth. Junior stood up straight, trying to look important. Pointing triumphantly he said, "Hewe it is daddy sir, the discovowy!"
Pa was growing impatient. "Junior, you twit, this isn’t a discovery! This is Kissing Rock! We’ve known about it for… well forever!"
"It does seem like it’s been forever… Oh Pa, you were so romantic," Ma swooned.
"No, daddy! Not da wock!" Junior said. "Look closah!"
Pa squinted in the direction where Junior was pointing. "What is it boy? I’m not seein’ any—"
Pa stopped.
His eyes opened wide and he took two slow steps toward the rock wall. "Is that… is that a hole?"
"D’at’s wite daddy! A hole!" Junior said proudly.
"A hole?" Ma asked angrily. "You brought us all the way over here for a hole?"
"Shh!" Pa scolded her. "Do you know what this is?"
"It’s a hole, Pa," Ma said.
"Ma, this is a hole that leads into where those Fraggles live!" Pa said.
"FRAGGLES?" Ma shrieked. "Well close it up! Don’t let those disgusting things out any more than they already are!"
"Ma, don’t ya see?" Pa asked, grabbing her by the shoulders. "We blow that thing open, we get our hands on all sorts of Fraggles! Do you know what those Fraggles can be?"
"Hideous little nuisances!" Ma said.
"No!" Pa said, looking her straight in the eye. "Royal subjects."
Ma’s eyes began to gleam. "Royal… subjects?"
"Woyal subjects?" Junior whispered.
"Think about it Ma," Pa said. "Fraggle foot-rubs, Fraggle food-growers, Fraggle fresh-spice-cultivators!"
Ma squealed with excitement. "Oh Pa," she shouted, "go get me some Fraggles!"
Pa laughed happily. "As you wish my queen!"
"But Pa—"
"Ooh hoo! This is great Junior! Thank you for showin’ us this!" Pa said giddily as he ran off towards the tool shed.
"But… Pa…" Junior said sadly. "The Fwaggles… are my fwiends…"
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"Mm… Oh Storyteller Fraggle… I don’t know where you got this recipe for Doozer stick tea, but I must have it… What’s that? You want to hear more of my heroic adventures in Outer Space? Hmm… What? You say you’d rather hear about… about Large Marvin’s victory in last week’s radish bar eating contest? You think he’s dreamy? WHA!"
Uncle Matt shot up from his dream, nearly hitting his head on the underside of the desk again.
He shook his head vigorously. "I must stay away from that silly creature food before bed…"
Uncle Matt yawned, and then caught himself, remembering where exactly he was at the moment. He clasped his mouth with both his hands.
He fell onto his stomach and peered out the crack at the bottom of the work desk. He looked around, and saw no sign of the silly creature of the furry creature.
"I must warn nephew Gobo!" Matt said, running out from under the desk, towards the Fraggle hole.
Boards.
"Ah!" Matt shouted. "What have they done?"
The Fraggle hole was boarded up. The wood was nailed in front of the hole. Matt could not go home.
"The T. Matt Fraggle Room," Matt gasped. "Of course!"
Uncle Matt made a break for the door, but he was foiled by that horrid doorknob. He groaned, grabbed up his helmet, and dove back under the desk.
Matt heard feet enter into the workshop. He kept his ears perked up for any information he could find.
"So, uh, whatcha wantin’ to do here, mac?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
"Complete extermination," said the voice of the silly creature who was in the workshop before.
"What’re we talkin’ ‘bout here? Rats? Cockroaches?"
"I’m not sure."
"Whatcha mean?"
"Take a look at this."
Matt heard the sound of something being picked up, then the ripping of something off the wall.
"Huge hole there."
"I know."
"Any idea what’s in there?"
"Not a clue."
"Then you’ll want a full extermination, yeah… alright, I’ll run you up a preliminary bill in the truck."
Matt watched feet go past him and heard the door open and close.
Something purred, and the silly creature still in the workshop comforted it. "Don’t worry Cog, nothing bad will come out of that hole and hurt you."
"Hmm…" the silly creature said. "I should make sure I’m not overcharged by that exterminator."
Matt watched another pair of feet leave and heard the door open and close again.
Uncle Matt was left to fight with himself about what to do. He could either run into Fraggle Rock to warn everyone, or he could stay here and fend for himself against the evil silly creature and his hideous furry thing.
Matt cleared his throat, and then broke out in a dead sprint into the newly-opened Fraggle hole, screaming like a baby Fraggle.
Uncle Matt made midway down the first cavern, and was then knocked off his feet by what felt like a cave in.
Matt jumped up from the ground, and ran out of Fraggle Rock, screaming just as he’d gone in.
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Doozer sticks were strewn all about the small cavern where the once small crack in the wall had literally exploded into a door to the outside world.
The Doozers who were working at the site had all tumbled to the ground by the force of the explosion, each of them blinded by the new radiant light pouring into the cavern.
Cotterpin looked at Architect, who had been knocked off his lift by the explosion. "Architect…"
"Cotterpin Doozer…" Architect said weakly. "Tell… the Fraggles…"
Cotterpin didn’t need to be told twice. She pulled herself to her feet and ran out into Fraggle Rock just as a giant, furry purple hand reached inside.
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