Rain Falls

[Super Scooter]

-Rain Falls-​

Chapter 1​

The sun was shining on Sesame Street. Children were playing in the arbor, skipping, jumping, and laughing aloud at their silliness. Two of these young children ran off toward the apartment building frequently referred to as 123 Sesame Street.

On the stoop of 123 stood Bob Johnson. Children loved Bob for his kind nature and soothing voice. Not to mention he was just so darn huggable wearing those cozy sweaters of his. It’s no wonder then that those two young children ran straight to him.

“Oh, hello!” Bob greeted the young ones, repeating the words that had been uttered on this street thousands of times before: “Welcome to Sesame Street!”

“Hmmph!” came a gruff voice from next to Bob. He turned to look at the creature who would issue such a rude noise.

“Oscar,” Bob addressed the creature as Oscar because that was its name, “don’t you have anything nice to say to our new visitors?”

“Nice?” asked the appalled Oscar as he slapped the side of the trash can he lived in. “I don’t do ‘nice!’”

Bob shook his head. “Oscar, you could at least say hello.”

“Hello? All right,” Oscar said, smiling. There was something devious about that smile. “Hello, little ones. Now, SCRAM!”

Oscar dropped down inside his trash can, slamming the lid shut behind him.

Bob shook his head again, disappointed in Oscar’s despicable behavior. He turned to the two children.

“I’m sorry, kids, but… Well, you know how Oscar is.”

The children did know, because they could be just like him at times. They shrugged it off, and ran over to Hooper’s Store for a soda.

Bob turned back to Oscar’s can and knocked a few times.

“Who’s that bangin’ on my can?” Oscar’s voice echoed from within.

“Oscar, get out here!”

“I can’t hear you!” Oscar taunted the frustrated music teacher (that’s Bob).

“Oscar!” Bob tapped his fingers on the can, impatiently.

“All right! I’m comin’! I’m comin’!” Oscar finally reemerged. “Can I help you, bright eyes?”

“Can’t you ever be nice to anyone?”

“I’m a Grouch!” Oscar barked back at Bob. “Grouches are not nice!”

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt you to try,” Bob said.

“You’re right,” Oscar agreed. “It would KILL me!”

Bob gave up with a cry of “Impossible!” as Oscar ducked back down into his can. Bob had never understood how Oscar could behave the way he did. There’s so much to be happy about on Sesame Street, he’d always thought. Bob was always troubled by this, but, as he had so many times before, Bob let it be and went to join his young friends in Hooper’s Store.

“Hmmph!” Oscar said down inside the trash can. “What does he know?”

 

[Super Scooter]

Chapter 2​

Bob sat at the counter of Hooper’s Store with a half-empty (or half-full) glass of milk before him. He gently played around with the glass, sliding it back and forth between his hands. Mr. Hooper, the store’s proprietor, grabbed hold of the glass and pulled it away from him.

“Don’t play with MY food,” the older gentleman firmly reminded Bob, nodding his head once to emphasize his statement.

“I just don’t understand it, Mr. Hooper,” said Bob, rubbing his head. “Why does Oscar act this way? People try to be nice to him, but he’s just…”

“A Grouch?”

“Well, I know he’s a Grouch.” Bob couldn’t help but feel this wasn’t right.

“Well, that’s how Grouches are,” Mr. Hooper said as he emptied the glass into a sink. “Grouches don’t do nice.”

“I know,” said Bob. “That’s the third time I’ve been reminded of that today.”

“It’s true, you know! Oscar’s not going to change who he is just because you and I don’t like it.” Hooper rinsed the glass and scrubbed it a bit. “And, you know somethin’? I don’t like it!”

Mr. Hooper dried the glass and placed it back down in front of Bob. Bob stared at it a moment.

“… What’s this for?”

“You should order something else,” Hooper said. “I’m not running a charity.”

“Half a glass of milk,” was Bob’s request. Mr. Hooper shrugged and went to retrieve the milk from his refrigerator.

“And something else to remember,” Mr. Hooper stated as he filled the glass, “you can be grouchy too.”

“As grouchy as Oscar?” Bob didn’t believe it was possible.

“Well, you’re pretty miserable now, ain’t ya?”

Mr. Hooper was right, and they both knew it. He placed the glass back down in front of Bob. Bob lifted the glass up and was just about to take a sip when Grover rushed in.

“Bob!” the gangly monster called out. “Bob! Come quick! Hurry! It is an emergency!”

“What? What is it, Grover?”

“Oh, it is terrible, Bob! Oscar! He won’t wake up! Hurry!”

Bob leapt from his seat and ran out of Hooper’s store with Grover, panicked though he was, leading the way.

As for Mr. Hooper, he was left alone in the store. He looked down at the glass of milk and shook his head.

“Wasteful! Wasteful!” he mumbled to himself as he took up the glass and once again emptied it in the sink.

 

[The Count]

*Adores the fact there's a new SST fic... And an old school one at that. Thank you sir, more please? Pretty please?

 

[RedPiggy]

Okay, you've got me. Threatening to kill off a beloved SST member? I'm sold ...

More please?

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Yes, what is wrong with Oscar?

 

[Super Scooter]

Kill off a beloved Sesame Street character? No! Never! .... Or... am I?

​

Thanks to all for your comments! This one may end up a bit short. I started off intending to write just sort of a street scene outline, and expanded it to be more like older Sesame Street books.

More in moments!

 

[Super Scooter]

Chapter 3​

Oscar was slumped over the side of his can. He was not at all a well Grouch. He was mumbling and twitching a bit, wincing in pain and barely conscious—a frightening sight for any young monster to witness. Bob and Grover rushed to his side.

“Oh, Mr. Grouchy?” asked Grover. “Mr. Grouchy, are you all right?”

“What happened, Grover?” Bob asked his worried companion as he took hold of Oscar’s hand.

“Bob, it was terrible! It was terrible!” Grover exclaimed.

“You said that Grover, what happened?” Bob asked urgently.

“Oh, right. Well, you see,” Grover began his tale, “I came to visit with Oscar. I was going to sing him a happy little tune to try and cheer him up. And as Oscar was yelling and screaming because he did not want to hear my happy little tune, this…” Grover lifted up a very large boulder. “This tiny…” A grunt. “Little…” A groan. “Itty-bitty…” He strained to keep the rock in his arms. “Pebble!” He finally dropped the rock, no longer able to carry it. He began to pant a bit and then continued: “It fell on top of him.” Puzzled, he added, “I do not know where it came from, though.”

Bob turned his attention back to Oscar. “Oscar? Oscar, can you hear me?”

Oscar began to rouse. Groggy, he could barely see or hear Bob. Slowly, his vision began to return. He saw three Bobs, then two, and then finally he could see just one, blurry Bob. The outlined figure slowly came into focus. His hearing was soon restored. No longer did words sound like they were uttered underwater, but they were clear as a bell once again.

“Oscar? Are you all right?”

“B-Bob? Is that you?” asked Oscar, still struggling.

“Oscar!” the relieve teacher exclaimed. “You’re okay!”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly.” Oscar rubbed his head. “Did I get hit with something?”

“Oh, Mr. Oscar,” Grover said as he tried to lift up the rock again, “you were hit in the head with this tiny—“

“We worried about you for a minute, Oscar,” said Bob, leaving Grover to struggle once again with the rock.

“Well, thanks, Bob. I really appreciate it,” Oscar said, smiling at him… which was weird.

Bob felt a little uncomfortable with this “show of affection” from the grouchiest guy on the street. But, he wasn’t too concerned, just happy to see Oscar was doing all right.

“Hey, Oscar, I’ll have a doctor stop by to check on you, okay?”

“Now there’s a good idea, Bob!” Oscar said very sincerely. “Thanks a bundle, and I mean it.”

“Bye, Oscar.” Bob returned to Hooper’s Store.

Grover finally gave up trying to lift the rock again. He climbed up the side of Oscar’s trash can to look at him face-to-face.

“Um, Mr. Grouchy? Oscar? Are you okay now?”

“Oh, Grover! Thank you for your concern, my friend!” Oscar gave Grover a quick pat on the back.

“What?” Grover asked, of course.

“Hey, what was it you were gonna do before? Weren’t we singin’ a song or somethin’?”

“A song?” Grover was beyond confused. “You mean—“

“Yeah, you were gonna sing a song to cheer me up! Boy, I’d like to hear it.”

“You mean… you want to hear my happy little tune?”

“Are you kiddin’? I’d LOVE to hear it!” Oscar was beaming, happily looking forward to this musical treat.

“Are YOU kidding?” Grover shook his head, very puzzled. “Well, if you really want to hear it…” He was always happy to share a song, no matter how unusual his listeners may behave, and so he went right into his “happy little tune…”

“Once I met a happy little bluebird,” Grover began.
“He was just as blue as he could be.
In a little while
He began to smile
When he sang this merry song to me:
Just let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy, rainy day!
And if your Grouchy cries, just tell her that a smile will always pay!
Whenever skies are gray, do not worry or fret.
A smile will clear the rain drops, and you will never get wet.
So let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy, rainy day!

“Oh, was that not a wonderful song, Oscar?” asked Grover “Did you like it?”

“Like it? Like it?” Grover prepared for the worst. “I LOVED it! That was beautiful!”

“You are serious?”

“Of course I’m serious! And why wouldn’t I be?”

Grover stood motionless, too stunned to move. Finally, slowly, a smile crept across his face. He breathed a sigh of relief and was so excited that he could win over a Grouch that he sang songs to Oscar all afternoon.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Looks like that bump on the head did more too Oscar then knock him out.

 

[The Count]

You know... This reminds me of Beth redBoobergurl's unfinished SST story where Cookie Monster gets involved in a mind-jarring accident that ends up turning him into his own opposite self as well. Hope you post more soon Scoot.

 

[RedPiggy]

Woo-hoo! Alternate personality plot! Wonder how long it'll last....