How Prawnie Kicked His Stress Back

[theprawncracker]

Hey everybodieeeeeeeee!! It is I! Prawnie! And as three or four of you know, I'm incredibly stressed, so this, is what I did. Enjoy.

His name was Grover, he was fuzzy, he was blue, and, of course, cute.

And today, he was working an overhaul. "Okay Charlie!" Grover shouted, darting in the kitchen at Charlie’s Restaurant. "We need a disgruntled truck driver walking the line!"

Grover darted back out of the kitchen to the ever hopeful Mr. Johnson’s table. "Hello sir, I will be with you in a moment!"

"Oh no, not you again," Mr. Johnson groaned, reading over the menu.

Grover rushed over to a table, busting the dishes, ran back into the kitchen, dropped the dishes in the sink, and ran back out to Mr. Johnson’s table. "Hello there sir! My name is Grover, your adorable, blue waiter monster. May I take your order?"

Mr. Johnson sighed. "I know who you are, you’re my waiter no matter where I go!"
"Yes, is it not uncanny?" Grover grinned.

"Uncanny might not be the best word for it," Mr. Johnson said. "Anyway, I think I’ll just order my usual," Mr. Johnson told Grover, handing him his menu.

"Um, pardon me for asking sir, but your usual what?" Grover asked.

"Why, the usual thing I order, of course!"

"Oh!" Grover shouted. "Oh, yes, of course sir, of course."

Mr. Johnson stared at Grover, who wasn’t moving. "Well?" Mr. Johnson asked.
"Well, I am not exactly sure what the usual thing you order is sir," Grover admitted.

"Well why didn’t you say so?" Mr. Johnson asked. "It’s-"

"Oh no," Grover interrupted. "Do not tell me, I will guess."

"No, I’ll just tell you, my usual is-"

"No, no sir, it is no trouble at all," Grover reassured Mr. Johnson. "Um, let me see, your usual is... The alphabet soup of course!"

"No!"

"I mean of course not, of course!" Grover said. "Your usual is most definitely the cheeseburger!"

"No, my usual is-"

"Hold on sir!" Grover stuck his arm out, whacking Mr. Johnson across the face. "I hear the desperate cry of a little girl in need!" Grover tossed his apron off, throwing it on Mr. Johnson’s head. "CHARLIE! I am going on break!"

Grover ran out of the restaurant in a mad dash, desperately searching for a phone booth. "Ah ha!" he shouted, running for a green telephone booth. Grover knocked on the telephone booth, it was occupied. "Excuse me!" Grover knocked. "Hello, this is your furry neighborhood Grover, in need of telephone booth usage!"

The door opened up and Prairie Dawn stared out at Grover. "Excuse me," Prairie said to the monster. "But I’m on a very important phone call!"

"Well I need to make a very important wardrobe change!" Grover said.

"But I’m talking with my agent!" Prairie said. "He’s almost scored me Annie! I can’t afford to pass this up!"

Grover looked around hesitantly. "Um... Yes you can, besides," Grover grabbed Prairie Dawn and set her outside the phone booth. "‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is a much better play."

Grover closed the phone booth doors. " Grover!" Prairie whined. "You just lost me my biggest role!"

Suddenly the phone booth doors flew back open. "Tah dah! It is I! Su! Per Grover!" Super Grover stood in a dignified pose.

"You just lost me my biggest role!" Prairie shouted at the super-hero.

"Do not worry little girl," Super Grover said. "There will be other plays. Just be sure to mind your P’s and Q’s!" Super Grover handed Prairie Dawn a letter P and a letter Q. "And now, I, Super Grover, am off to save the day! Up, up, and around!" he shouted, flying off into the air.

Prairie Dawn looked down at the letters in her hand. "What am I supposed to do with these?" she groaned.

"Feed the Cookie Monster!" the ravenous blue monster popped up behind her.
Prairie shrieked. "Cookie! Don’t do that!"

"Me no can eat cookies?" Cookie Monster asked.

"First of all, that’s not what I was talking about, second of all, these aren’t cookies, and third of all, no, you can’t eat them. Super Grover told me to mind them." Prairie said.

"Oh, me no mind!" Cookie shouted. "Me going to eat them anyway!" he grabbed the letters from Prairie and devoured them in his terribly indiscreet manner.

"Oh, Cookie Monster!" Prairie whined.

"Pretty Quaint," Cookie pointed out.

<<<<<^>>>>>

​

"Help!" Zoe cried. "Somebody please help!"

"Waaaaaah!" Super Grover cried as he crash landed into a fruit cart. "Ohh... My little super body got squashed..."

Zoe looked at the super monster. "That’s not a squash, that’s a pumpkin," Zoe said.

"Ah! That’s one!" The Count von Count shouted, jumping out from behind the cart. "One bad joke! Ah ah ah!" Thunder and lightning filled the sky.

Super Grover climbed off the fruit cart and stood in front of Zoe. "Well, little girl, how may Super Grover be of service to you today? I heard your cries for help."

"My pet rock, Rocko, has been stolen!" Zoe moaned.

"That’s one! One missing rock! Ah ah ah!"

"Hmm, how very sad," Grover sighed. "But I, Super Grover, am here to help. Now, where was the last time you saw your pointy pal?"

"During my play date with Elmo and Telly," Zoe said.

"Ah ha! Our first clue!"

"That’s one! One clue! Ah ah ah!"

"I can see how that could get annoying," Super Grover said. "Come now little girl, and you too my counting compadre, we shall find that missing rock!"

"Oh, thank you Super Grover," Zoe said.

"Anytime little girl, now come, we must find Telly!"

<<<<<^>>>>>

​

Telly banged on Oscar’s trash can lid loudly. "Oscar! Oscar! Help!"

Oscar shot out of the metal can quickly. "What is it Telly?! I was watching ‘Nip/Yuck’," the Grouch said.

"I’ve lost Freddie!" Telly whined.

"Who’s Freddie?!"

"My dolly!"

"You mean to tell me, that you took me away from my favorite show, to tell me you lost your stupid doll?!" Oscar shouted.

Telly cowered. "Uh... Yes?"

"That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of! Now SCRAM!" Oscar dropped back into his trash can and slammed the lid.

"What am I going to do?" Telly moaned. "Without Freddie, I won’t be able to sleep at night! And if I don’t sleep, I’ll be irritable! And if I’m irritable I’ll be mean to people! And if I’m mean to people I’ll be shunned! And if I’m shunned I’ll drop out of existence!"

"Um, excuse me Telly," a large, feathery yellow hand tapped the monster on his shoulder. "But what’s wrong?"

"Oh, hi Big Bird," Telly sighed to the eight foot tall canary.

"Why the long face Telly?" a huge furry brown creature with a snout like an elephant’s asked.

"I’ve lost my doll, Freddie!"

"Oh, how sad," Snuffy sighed.

"Wow, that’s really hard. I’ve lost Radar before, and I know how hard it can be," Big Bird consoled the monster.

"Yeah," Telly sighed. "I just wish I had some help."

"Did somebody say super help?" Super Grover leapt into the group. Zoe and The Count followed behind.

"No, I just said-" Telly began.

"Have no fear! Su! Per Grover is here!" Super Grover walked, heroically or course, over to Telly. "Excuse me young monster, but it seems that you had this little girl’s pet rock was last kept in your possession!"

"Telly, have you seen Rocko?" Zoe asked.

Telly scratched his head. "Not since we all played together, no. Have you seen Freddie?"

Zoe shook her head. "No... Maybe Elmo has?"

"Oh yeah, maybe! Let’s go!" Telly said, running off.

"Wait for me!" Zoe ran after Telly.

"And us!" Big Bird called, he and Snuffy followed.

"Ah! That’s four! Four running friends! Ah ah ah!" The Count declared, running along as well.

"Hey!" Super Grover called. "What about... The cute... Adorable, globe traveling, super hero monster?" he sighed.

Super Grover slouched over to the stoop underneath 123 Sesame. He set his head in his hands, and let out a deep sigh. "No one needs my help anymore..."

The door to the apartment opened and Ernie began to walk outside. "Oh! Hello Ernie!" Grover said. "It’s so good to-"

"Ernie!" Bert’s voice called from inside. "You forgot to drain the bathtub, again!"

"What?" Ernie asked. "I can’t here you Bert! I have a banana in my ear!"
"Ernie!" Bert whined.

"Khe khe khe," Ernie laughed. "Coming Bert!"

Ernie walked back inside, closing the door.

"Well," Grover said. "That was strange."

The door opened up again, and this time Bert began to come out. "What a gorgeous day for a stroll," Bert smiled.

"Oh, hello there Bert," Grover began. "I just saw Ernie and-"

"Oh Bert! Bert!" Ernie called from inside.

Bert sighed. "What Ernie?"

"Remember how I said I had a banana in my ear?" Ernie asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well now it’s stuck in the drain."

"Oh brother..." Bert sighed, walking back inside.

"What an awkwardly coincidental happening," Super Grover noted.

A few minutes later, both Ernie and Bert walked out of the apartment building. "Gee Bert, are you sure?"

"Yes Ernie, I give up."

"That is it!" Super Grover shouted.

"Ah!" Ernie and Bert jumped back. "Super Grover, when did you get here?" Ernie asked.

"No matter," Super Grover said. "Because, I, Grover, am giving up being a super hero, waiter, door-to-door salesman, professor, world traveler, and opera star."

Bert and Ernie looked at each other. "What’s wrong Grover?" Bert asked.
Grover sighed. "No one needs my help anymore..."

Ernie and Bert walked down the stoop and sat on either side of Grover. Ernie put his arm on the monster’s back. "Sure they do, Grover!" he reassured him. "Everyone can help."

"Yeah, I mean, look at me and Ernie," Bert said.

"That’s right, without me, Bert would be a complete stick in the mud. Khe khe khe," Ernie laughed.

"Oh, very funny," Bert lowered his eyebrow, glaring at his best friend.

"But what can I do?" Grover sighed. "I am just one small, yet adorably cute, little monster."

"Well, you know what they say, Grover," Ernie smiled. "One small voice can teach the world a song."

"Hmm?" Grover looked at Ernie.

"Bert, will you help me sing this time?" Ernie asked.

Bert sighed. "Fine, but only for Grover."

Ernie laughed and began the song. "Every song the world sings
Each was once unknown
Somebody felt a song inside
And wasn’t afraid to sing along."

"If you feel the music," Bert sang along.
"And you sing it clear and true
Then the world can sing
With you."

"Oh, I see, you’re saying that I should become a singer!" Grover declared. "Well pigeon and duck afficionados, I am sorry to say, but I have already tried that too."

"I don’t think he gets it Ernie," Bert said.

"Mm, that’s too bad," Ernie sighed.

Suddenly, Prairie Dawn came running up to the stoop. "Grover! Grover! I’ve been looking all over for you!"

"Prairie Dawn?" Grover asked. "Why would you be looking for me? I lost you your biggest part..."

Prairie shook her head. "No! You got me an even bigger part!" she shouted. "I told my agent that ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ was a better play, and guess what? I got the title role!"

"Oh, you’re the fiddler?" Bert asked.

"No!" Prairie shouted gleefully. "I"m the roof!"

"I dunno," Ernie said. "I think the fiddler may walk all over you. Khe khe khe."

"Oh, well, that is nice Prairie Dawn, but, it does not really matter, you are one person I helped," Grover sighed. "And it wasn’t even on purpose."

"Oh! You helped Cookie Monster get lunch!" Cookie declared, jumping up behind Prairie Dawn again.

"AH! Stop it Cookie!" Prairie shouted.

"I did?" Grover asked.

"Oh yeah! Me never had such tasty P and Q before!" Cookie said.

"Well, that is two people I have helped!" Grover grinned.

"That’s two! Two people! Ah ah ah!" The Count walked up to the stoop, counting no less.

"Count, what are you doing here?" Grover asked.

"Ah, vell, you see, Zoe and Telly found Rocko and Freddie. It turns out they just left them both at Elmo’s house," The Count explained.

Telly, Zoe, Elmo, Big Bird, and Snuffy joined the rest of the gang near the stoop. "There he is!" Telly shouted, pointing at Grover.

"Me?" Grover asked.

"Yes you, silly!" Zoe said. "If it wasn’t for you, Telly and I wouldn’t have found Rocko and Freddie!"

"But how did I help?" Grover asked.

"You found the first clue!" Telly said. "Me! If Zoe wouldn’t have come to me, I wouldn’t have gone to Elmo, we would’ve never found Rocko or Freddie, society would have collapsed, and a rift would open in the Earth and-"

"Telly! Telly!" Elmo paused the monster. "Calm down Telly, calm down."

"Tell Grover how he helped you out Bird," Snuffy told his best friend.

"Oh, yeah. Well Grover, without you, I wouldn’t have gotten to spend the day with Zoe and Telly!" Big Bird said.

"So, how many people did I help today? " Grover asked.

"Ve’re up to fiwe, fiwe people!" The Count shouted.

"Grover, you helped Elmo by giving Elmo a chance to see his friends again today!"

"Six! Six people!"

"And you helped me ‘cause I got some exercise, running to Elmo’s house and back is great on your snuffle."

"Sewen! Sewen people!"

"Yeah, and you helped me by distracting Ernie from the rubber duckie convention!"

"Eight! Eight people!"

"And you got me to sing a great song!"

"Nine! Nine people!"

"Oh, I feel so special," Grover beamed.

"Ten! Ten people!" The Count shouted.

"Hmm?" Grover wondered.

"You helped me to count all day! Ah ah ah!"

"I guess I really do help a lot, don’t I?" Grover asked.

"Of course you do Grover," Ernie said. "That’s what the song was trying to say?"

"Ooh! A song? Elmo loves songs."

"Which song was it Ernie?"

"Oh, one I think you’ll all know," Ernie smiled.

"Oh, one small voice
Can teach the world a song," Ernie sang.

"Start with one small voice," Ernie and Bert harmonized.

"Until another sings along."

"And then you’ll feel the music
Growing full, and sure, and strong," Telly and Zoe sang.

"One small voice
Can teach the world a song," all of the friends sang together.

"No tune is too simple," Big Bird sang.
"No voice can be wrong."

"Music can come from any heart
And anyone’s voice can lead the song," Snuffy followed.

"If you feel the music
And if you believe the words," Prairie Dawn lilted.

"Sing, and you’ll be heard," Cookie Monster sang.

"Oh, one small voice
Can teach the world a song," Elmo sang.

"Start with one small voice
‘Til another joins along," Big Bird continued.

"And you’ll feel the music
Growing full, and sure and strong," both of them sang.

"One small voice
Can teach the world a song," everyone sang.

"Ah! That’s one! One small voice!"

"Ready Grover?" Ernie asked.

"Oh! Of course!" Grover shouted. "One small voice."

"Can teach the world a song," everyone followed after him.

"Start with one small voice," Grover sang.

"‘Til another joins along."
"And you’ll feel the music
Growing full, and sure, and strong
One small voice," all of them harmonized.

"Can teach the world a song!" Grover finished the song. "Oh, I feel so much better!"

Oscar popped out of his can again, and stared down all of the Muppets gathered around his can, and worst of all, singing. "Hey, what do you think you’re doing?"

"We are singing grouchy!" Grover declared.

"Well do it somewhere else!" Oscar shouted. "I’m trying to watch ‘The Young and the Trashless’, but I can’t with all your crummy singing!"

"Okay groucy," Grover said. "Who wants to go to the park and sing?"

All of the others agreed with shouts and cheers, then they all ran off together towards the park singing "Wubba wubba wubba."

"Yuck, happiness," Oscar shook his head. "One small voice..." he began to sing. "Oh no! Now it’s stuck in my head!"

<<<<<^>>>>>

​

The tables were empty. The lights were off. The kitchen was closed.

But Mr. Johnson remained firmly in his seat.

"Where is that waiter?!"

 

[redBoobergurl]

Ryan!!! I hug you! I love SS stories! I especially love SS stories featuring our loveable pal Grover! This was so cute too, him helping everyone and Prairie Dawn and Cookie Monster were so funny and I love the end with Mr. Johnson! Where is that waiter? He he. I hope this story helped you release your stress and I hope you have a good first day back at school!

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Hehe, I think those two sentences cancilled each other out Beth.
Ryan, that was a sweet story, and I hope it did make you feel better.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Prawnie, sorry I only just NOW got to finish reading... But I just ADORE it! (Gee what a surprise, huh?) I especially love the singing at the end, and that Prairie gets to be the roof <giggles>, and most of all, Mr. Johnson at the end!

TERRIFIC, Prawnie! <<<<<<<<<<HUGS>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Ruahnna]

A very nice piece of inspired silliness, Ry-guy. And some very deft characterizations (especially Telly). What a nice thing to do with leftover stress!

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Funny Ru; never figured you for a Sesame Street kinda gal.

 

[Katzi428]

That was great,Ry....I loved it!!!

 

[Ruahnna]

SS kind of gal

Funny Ru; never figured you for a Sesame Street kinda gal.

Well, I grew up with those guys--at least some of them. And I try to keep my "Street Cred" by knowing who the new folks are. Not going to catch me calling Zoe Elmo or anything like that. I miss Kermit, though, and his "Frog on the Street" reports. One of my favorite VHS tapes I ever found was "The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street." It's set up like an award ceremony and, (the glaring absense of Miss Piggy at anything Kermity notwithstanding), is a very funny tribute to the mild-mannered frog and the monsters who (usually) drive him crazy.

So--I guess I'm out of the closet, too!