The normally deserted entryway to the Grog's garden was not quite so empty today.
A lone blueish-green fraggle was at the that moment pacing back and forth before the hole, a trench formed in the earth, falling just short of his knees.
"If I just…" He said, lifting his head up high as he paced one way. "But if I don't.." He snapped in rebuttal, retracing his steps the other direction.
Another voice, much louder and more bouncy than his own, interrupted his nearly silent battle with himself.
"Ewewewe, ewewew..ACK!" The voices' owner concluded, falling muzzle first as she tripped over Boober's pacing rut.
Red groaned as she sat up. "Boober, I think my brain needs a bath, got any soap?"
"Anti-bacterial or heavy-duty?" Boober remarked, and then a moment later threw up his arms.
"Argh, what am I saying? This is no time for jokes! Mokey is missing!.."
He fell to his knees with a disheartening thump.
"I woke up this morning and she wasn't there!"
Red let out a bottled up breath.
"Oh, so she was sleeping with you last night, that is a relief, I thought she had…"
Boober's normally lighter green face slowly began to get flushed patches that resembled the dark green of his body fur.
"W... she wasn't sleeping with me, that is, I was sort of sleeping beside..Anyway, it's all quite platonic."
Red giggled as she got up, towering many inches over Boober in his hole.
"Aw, Boober, I'm a big girl, it's none of my business who Mokey plays moonlight snuggle with..I'm just glad…"
"We weren't moonlight snuggling!" Boober yelled, his face now completely dark green with a mixture of embarrassment and rage.
"Don't you know Mokey went swimming last night? She might have triple pneumonia by now…"
"Oo, so you two went swimming, how roman…" Red's teasing was stopped abruptly by a hand over her lips as Boober used the leverage of her added height to pull himself up on level ground again.
"I think she went to see the Trash Heap." He whispered with a serious glare.
"Oah Ash rep?" Red exclaimed in muffled horror as Boober finally took his hand away from her mouth.
"Oh no, did you tell her about?.."
"No…" Boober replied sadly. "You know Red, I think I liked it better when the grogs use to thump us…What are you doing?"
Red took a deep breath as she settled down on her mark like a champion runner.
"I have to go see the Trash Heap to. Could you cover for me, Boober? Please?" Red looked back, batting her eyes in a second silent plea.
"I'm not sure…Is this all only to rescue Mokey and cure her gripping depression?"
"Um…yes?"
Boober sighed, lifting up the copper ladle he now always wore on a length of string around his waist like a sword.
"Why do I get the feeling that is the most honest sounding answer I could plan on getting from you?.."
He took in his own deep breath, raising the ladle high like a knight's jousting lance.
"Aw well, you only live and die horribly once…"
With a scream of "For Mokey!" he dashed boldly into the garden, the sicking ring of a glass jar meeting earth resounding though the rock as Red nimbly ran into the sunlight in his wake, hugging the side of the pathway with a well practiced light hopping gallop.