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Well, as everyone by now knows, Superman Returns has finally been released in theaters everywhere, and most of everyone (except for me) has seen it already. Yet I was able to read a small spoiler on a website that helped me lead the next chapter straight into the start of the movie.
When the Sesame Street residents woke up the next morning, each of them felt as if something bad had happened in their neighborhood. Maria, Luis, and Gabby were the last ones to step out of their home and noticed how empty the street looked; never in the neighborhood’s history had the street every looked so empty in the morning. The Rodriguezes started wondering where everyone could’ve been on that sunny morning, and once their eyes were directed towards Hooper’s Store, where everyone seemed to have been, they went there to find the whole neighborhood discussing about something seriously wrong.
“What’s going on?” Maria asked, just as soon as she, Gabby, and Luis stepped in.
“Mac and Frankie are missing.” Gordon told them.
“When everyone woke up in the mansion this morning, they couldn’t find Frankie anywhere.” Wilt said.
“Yeah, I knew she was missing the moment I found a pile of dirty dishes sitting in the kitchen sink.” Bloo added. “Not only that, but the crumbs I left on the couch were still there, dirty clothes were lying all over the place, and no one’s made breakfast yet.”
“And Mac’s gone, too?” Gabby said.
“That’s what his mother told us when she called.” Susan said, and the Rodriguezes became just as nervous as everyone else was.
“Where could they’ve gone to?” Maria asked, while Luis was looking around for someone in the large group that stood either in or out of the store.
“And where’s Big Bird, Grover, and our friends from Mystery Inc.?” He queried, and everybody was suddenly taken aback by their disappearance as well.
“I could’ve sworn I saw Grover this morning.” Miles said, and the store had become quiet for a long time, as everyone stepped out of the store and looked around the neighborhood for the seven missing characters. While most of everyone was looking through alleyways, rooftops, and the inside of their homes for them, Alan and Gordon were looking in places that were more obvious, like Big Bird’s nest. They couldn’t have found a better place to look, because once they looked there, they found a folded piece of blue paper.
“Hey, everybody!” Gordon shouted. “We found something!” Everyone in the neighborhood stopped looking in their places and approached Alan and Gordon, as Gordon began opening up the paper. “It’s some kind of note that we found in Big Bird’s nest.”
“Is it from Big Bird?” Gabby asked, and as Gordon started scanning through the note, he was a little surprised by who exactly it was from.
“It’s from Super Grover.” Gordon said.
“Super Grover?!” Everyone exclaimed, just before Gordon started reading the note.
“It says, ‘Dear kind residents of Sesame Street…”
------------
It has come to my attention that the city of Megalopolis is in desperate need of a superhero…No! Not a superhero! A protector of the people…No! Not of the people! The entire planet! Yes! There is only one that can help humanity now, and that’s Sup…per Grover! And as your protector, I promise to keep watch over the city, day and night, protecting everyone from threats like cavities, bullies, and…uh…other things that are of more than one kind, as long as sourpusses like Superman are off on vacation. So, fear not, my friends! Let everyone in the city of Megalopolis know that there is a new superman…or should I say, a new Super Grover in town, and he’s definitely here to stay!
---------------
After Gordon read the note, the Sesame Street residents heard a loud whooshing sound, and they all looked up to the sky; however, instead of seeing a man in a red cape, they saw a monster in a red cape flying over the neighborhood. The Sesame Street residents knew that Super Grover was obviously no Superman, and protecting Metropolis would be a tremendous task for him to handle; but he seemed to be all that the city had left, with the Man of Steel away.
When Super Grover had completely flown over Sesame Street, he began flying over the rest of the massive city, flying in between buildings and under large bridges, all while catching the attention of several citizens that almost believed he was really Superman (until they noticed the blue fur and the Roman helmet). The higher Super Grover flew in the air, the more confident he became as he noticed all of the eyes of the city watching him.
“Look at all of the stunned faces, as they look up at me!” Grover exclaimed. “Finally, after four years without a superhero, the city of Megalopolis can now depend on a hero of a different kind! They can now look up in the sky at Sup…” While Super Grover was making his dramatic pause as he said his own name, he had no idea that he was flying directly towards the Daily Planet building. Once he did, it was too late for him to turn back, as he crashed right through the wall. Inside the building, several reporters and staff members heard the loud crash that Super Grover made within the broom closet, and they all watched him as he stepped out, wearing a tattered suit and trenchcoat (with his Roman helmet still on his head) and looking dazed. “Anybody…want any…doorknobs?” That was the last thing he said before collapsing to the floor.
-----------------
Somewhere far outside the city of Metropolis, the Mystery Machine (the psychedelic van owned by Mystery Inc. and always driven by Fred Jones) was driving down a lone country road in the midst of the afternoon. Joining the Mystery Inc. gang was Big Bird, who was scrunched up in the backseat with Shaggy and Scooby, as Velma, Daphne, and Fred were sitting up front. They all seemed very worried and uncomfortable, and for the past seventeen hours, they had been very quiet, until Big Bird finally spoke up.
“I still think we should’ve told everyone where we’ve gone and what happened to Mac and Frankie.” Big Bird said.
“We couldn’t tell them, Big Bird.” Fred contradicted. “We were given specific instructions by their kidnappers not to tell anyone about their capture, as we find this Kryptonian crystal that they want us to look for.” Velma held the ransom note in her hands and looked down at it with a few tears coming out of her eyes; she was very worried about her cousin and furious that someone would kidnap, just for a crystal.
“Why did they have to go and take Mac, too?” Velma asked. “They got what they wanted! Why do they need him?! He’s got nothing to do with any of this!”
“They probably want to give us a good reason to go out and find this crystal for them.” Fred assumed. “Had they not given us instructions, the first thing we would’ve done was go and look for clues that’d lead us to the kidnappers.”
“This isn’t right!” Velma exclaimed, furiously. “We’re being forced to look for something for somebody that’s too much of a coward to tell us his name or show his face, while he’s out somewhere torturing my innocent cousin!!” Before Velma could’ve completely gone off the handle, Daphne placed her hands gently on her shoulders and eased her pain.
“Calm down, Velma.” She said. “I’m sure Mac’s fine.”
“He’s only eight years old, Daphne.” Velma uttered. “He’s a brave little guy; but bravery is a very limited emotion, you know.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Daphne said. “He does have Frankie with him.”
“Ugh! Don’t even mention her name right now!” Velma snapped. “That girl’s lucky that whoever her kidnapper is got to her before I did, because I’d tear her limb from limb after screaming at my poor cousin!”
“Hey, look at it this way, Velma,” Shaggy said, “Mac will have something to keep his mind off the fear of being kidnapped.” Velma looked back at Shaggy and shot him a dirty look; Shaggy, startled by Velma’s look, turned to Scooby and shrugged his shoulders. “Too soon, Scoob?” Scooby pondered for a second and then nodded in reply. Meanwhile, Daphne was scanning through a map of the area that they were driving into; she still couldn’t believe where they were going to look for the Kryptonian crystal.
“Smallville, Kansas.” She uttered, a little bewildered. “Big Bird, what makes you believe we’ll find a Kryptonian crystal there?” As she asked that question, she looked out the windows and took notice of all the vast cornfields that stood on opposite sides of the road.
“I’ve been through here before. I heard it’s been known for its meteor showers, so I figured that since those meteors came from space, like those crystals had, this would be a good place to look for one.” Big Bird said. “While I was on the run and trying to get back to Sesame Street, I passed by this place and met a lot of helpful people, including Clark Kent.” The Mystery Inc. gang was intrigued over that bit of news from the big yellow bird.
“I didn’t know you personally met one of the Daily Planet news reporters in his own hometown, Big Bird.” Fred said.
“Oh, yeah.” Big Bird said. “If it weren’t for him, I would’ve never…” Big Bird stopped talking, once he realized that he was about to unveil a huge secret to his friends.
“You would’ve never what?” Shaggy asked, and Big Bird didn’t reply; instead, he just quietly sat there and looked very nervous. Daphne noticed how nervous he looked and got a little concerned.
“Big Bird,” She said, “Are you alright?” Big Bird looked past Daphne and towards the passenger side window, seeing three crows sitting on the arms and head of a scarecrow that they were passing by. He used that image as an excuse for his nervousness, just to distract the Mystery Inc. gang from what he was previously talking about.
“Uh, hey! Anyone noticed how scary those crows look on that scarecrow?” He asked, and the gang looked out the window to see the crows, but they weren’t as intimated by them as Big Bird supposedly was.
“Oh, come on.” Shaggy uttered. “I’ve seen things in a spooky house scarier than that.”
“Reah.” Scooby said. “Re, too.”
“Well, they look a little scary to me…even for birds.” Big Bird said, and Daphne slightly glanced at him; she couldn’t help but to suspect that the bird was hiding something from them. Instead of alerting Velma or the others about it, she just pretended as if it was nothing. However, she knew sooner or later that Big Bird would slip up and the truth would eventually come out.
It was sometime late in the evening when the group arrived in Smallville, which was literally a small idyllic American town with residents that were generally very friendly. Fred was the only one that was awake when they got there, mostly because he was the one driving; but he desperately wanted to rest his eyes and was only a moment away from closing them. That’s until Big Bird began to wake up, opening his eyes to see the familiar town of Smallville past the van’s windows.
“We’re here!!!” Big Bird shouted, and the excitement in his voice woke up everyone in the van, including Fred, who was so alerted that he accidentally steered the Mystery Machine off the street and towards a nearby café.
“Look out, Fred!!” Velma cried, and Fred immediately hit the brakes, bringing the van to a screeching halt before it could’ve crashed through the café’s front entrance. As Fred shut off the van, everyone sighed in relief; Big Bird felt a little sheepish.
“Sorry.” He muttered. “I guess seeing Smallville for the first time in years makes a bird feel a little giddy.”
“If that’s how you are when you’re excited, then I hate to come to your next birthday party, man.” Shaggy said, just before Big Bird looked closely at the café in front of them, recognizing it.
“Hey, I remember this place.” He said. “This is where I met Ben Hubbard.”
“Who’s Ben Hubbard?” Fred asked.
“One of the locals.” Big Bird replied. “I’m sure he can help us find that Kryptonian crystal.” Seeing that they had no clues to help them out on the mystery (and how much Scooby and Shaggy were hungry), the gang took Big Bird’s word for it; they all hopped out of the Mystery Machine and headed into the café, which had only a few customers, a few employees, and a piano player inside. Scooby and Shaggy immediately went up to the counter and ordered some food, while Big Bird’s attention was directed towards the other customers. He didn’t seem to recognize any of them as Ben Hubbard and felt a little disappointed. “Oh, he’s not here. Before I left the town, he told me that I could always find him here, if I ever wanted to come back.”
“I’m sure he’s around, Big Bird.” Daphne said. “It is a little late. He’s probably home right now, getting some well-deserved rest. Right, Fred?” Fred only replied with a loud snore; Big Bird, Daphne, and Velma turned to one of the booths in the diner, seeing Fred sitting there with his head down on the table, sleeping.
“It’d probably be a good idea if you drove us to the nearest hotel, Daphne.” Velma suggested.
“No hotels here.” Someone said, and they looked to the large piano that was sitting in the farthest corner of the room. The back of the piano was facing them, enabling the player to hide his appearance from them. On the night that he was in the café, he was playing the melody to “English Country Garden.” “There are only motels in Smallville.” The player spoke with a slightly raspy voice; when Big Bird, Daphne, and Velma walked over to the piano to see who it was, they were surprised to see that the player was in fact a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears. “The name’s Rowlf, just in case you’re curious. Not very good at introductions, so that’s why I sit here everyday and play this piano.”
“Oh, I get it.” Daphne said, with a smile. “People just come in and see that you’re a talented pianist.”
“That, and I get bored easily.” Rowlf said, and Daphne & Velma chuckled; however, Big Bird didn’t feel like laughing that moment, because he was too fixed on finding Ben Hubbard.
“Do you know…?” He asked, but Rowlf already knew who he was asking about.
“At the Kent farm is where ‘Big Ben’ last told me he’d be.” Rowlf replied. “Goin’ out on a little date with Martha Kent.” Big Bird was excited over the information that was given to him.
“I knew he’d be there!” Big Bird exclaimed, and he turned to Daphne, pleading. “Can we go there, Daphne?! Can we?! Can we?!” Big Bird was hopping up and down as he pleaded to Daphne, who was a little unsure about what she should do. She looked over at Velma, who seemed to be willing to go along with it; then she glanced over at Scooby and Shaggy, who were munching down on every meal out of the menu; and finally, she looked at Freddy, who was still sleeping in the booth. After she saw Fred, an idea popped into her head; she turned back to Rowlf and asked him something that was important to her plan.
“How far is it to Kent farm?” She asked.
“Well, by car, it would be twenty minutes from here,” Rowlf said, “But by foot, it might be an hour and a half.”
“Well, Big Bird and I are going there on foot, so we better get going.” Daphne said, and she turned to Velma, who had a stunned look on her face. “Take the boys to the nearest motel in town. You can call me on my cell, once you’ve found a room. And if it’s dingy, don’t worry. I’ll be back in time to give it a perfect makeover.”
“What’re you doing, Daphne?” Velma asked.
“Well, with Fred unconscious, Shaggy and Scooby filled up with food, and you left to take care of them, there are only two people that can solve this mystery over night.” Daphne said.
“But, Daphne, you heard what Rowlf said.” Big Bird stated. “It’ll take an hour and a half to get to the farm on foot. Ben Hubbard will be gone by the time we get there.”
“I don’t think so, my big yellow friend.” Rowlf said. “Big Ben was really anxious to see Ms. Kent; so he might be there for quite a while.” Daphne placed a hand on Velma’s left shoulder, giving her the same comfort that she gave her earlier on.
“If we want to get Mac back sooner and safer, then let me go and try to solve this mystery.” Daphne said, and Velma thought hard about her plan, realizing how much it would indeed help get things done quick enough to save her cousin.
“I wanna regret this so bad.” Velma said. “But because it involves getting my cousin back as soon as imaginably possible…I say go for it.” Daphne smiled at Velma and even gave her a big hug, shortly before both her and Big Bird headed out of the café and began their journey to the Kent farm.
Everybody go out and enjoy Superman Returns! I should have another chapter in by either this Saturday or sometime next week.
Chapter Seven
When the Sesame Street residents woke up the next morning, each of them felt as if something bad had happened in their neighborhood. Maria, Luis, and Gabby were the last ones to step out of their home and noticed how empty the street looked; never in the neighborhood’s history had the street every looked so empty in the morning. The Rodriguezes started wondering where everyone could’ve been on that sunny morning, and once their eyes were directed towards Hooper’s Store, where everyone seemed to have been, they went there to find the whole neighborhood discussing about something seriously wrong.
“What’s going on?” Maria asked, just as soon as she, Gabby, and Luis stepped in.
“Mac and Frankie are missing.” Gordon told them.
“When everyone woke up in the mansion this morning, they couldn’t find Frankie anywhere.” Wilt said.
“Yeah, I knew she was missing the moment I found a pile of dirty dishes sitting in the kitchen sink.” Bloo added. “Not only that, but the crumbs I left on the couch were still there, dirty clothes were lying all over the place, and no one’s made breakfast yet.”
“And Mac’s gone, too?” Gabby said.
“That’s what his mother told us when she called.” Susan said, and the Rodriguezes became just as nervous as everyone else was.
“Where could they’ve gone to?” Maria asked, while Luis was looking around for someone in the large group that stood either in or out of the store.
“And where’s Big Bird, Grover, and our friends from Mystery Inc.?” He queried, and everybody was suddenly taken aback by their disappearance as well.
“I could’ve sworn I saw Grover this morning.” Miles said, and the store had become quiet for a long time, as everyone stepped out of the store and looked around the neighborhood for the seven missing characters. While most of everyone was looking through alleyways, rooftops, and the inside of their homes for them, Alan and Gordon were looking in places that were more obvious, like Big Bird’s nest. They couldn’t have found a better place to look, because once they looked there, they found a folded piece of blue paper.
“Hey, everybody!” Gordon shouted. “We found something!” Everyone in the neighborhood stopped looking in their places and approached Alan and Gordon, as Gordon began opening up the paper. “It’s some kind of note that we found in Big Bird’s nest.”
“Is it from Big Bird?” Gabby asked, and as Gordon started scanning through the note, he was a little surprised by who exactly it was from.
“It’s from Super Grover.” Gordon said.
“Super Grover?!” Everyone exclaimed, just before Gordon started reading the note.
“It says, ‘Dear kind residents of Sesame Street…”
------------
It has come to my attention that the city of Megalopolis is in desperate need of a superhero…No! Not a superhero! A protector of the people…No! Not of the people! The entire planet! Yes! There is only one that can help humanity now, and that’s Sup…per Grover! And as your protector, I promise to keep watch over the city, day and night, protecting everyone from threats like cavities, bullies, and…uh…other things that are of more than one kind, as long as sourpusses like Superman are off on vacation. So, fear not, my friends! Let everyone in the city of Megalopolis know that there is a new superman…or should I say, a new Super Grover in town, and he’s definitely here to stay!
---------------
After Gordon read the note, the Sesame Street residents heard a loud whooshing sound, and they all looked up to the sky; however, instead of seeing a man in a red cape, they saw a monster in a red cape flying over the neighborhood. The Sesame Street residents knew that Super Grover was obviously no Superman, and protecting Metropolis would be a tremendous task for him to handle; but he seemed to be all that the city had left, with the Man of Steel away.
When Super Grover had completely flown over Sesame Street, he began flying over the rest of the massive city, flying in between buildings and under large bridges, all while catching the attention of several citizens that almost believed he was really Superman (until they noticed the blue fur and the Roman helmet). The higher Super Grover flew in the air, the more confident he became as he noticed all of the eyes of the city watching him.
“Look at all of the stunned faces, as they look up at me!” Grover exclaimed. “Finally, after four years without a superhero, the city of Megalopolis can now depend on a hero of a different kind! They can now look up in the sky at Sup…” While Super Grover was making his dramatic pause as he said his own name, he had no idea that he was flying directly towards the Daily Planet building. Once he did, it was too late for him to turn back, as he crashed right through the wall. Inside the building, several reporters and staff members heard the loud crash that Super Grover made within the broom closet, and they all watched him as he stepped out, wearing a tattered suit and trenchcoat (with his Roman helmet still on his head) and looking dazed. “Anybody…want any…doorknobs?” That was the last thing he said before collapsing to the floor.
-----------------
Somewhere far outside the city of Metropolis, the Mystery Machine (the psychedelic van owned by Mystery Inc. and always driven by Fred Jones) was driving down a lone country road in the midst of the afternoon. Joining the Mystery Inc. gang was Big Bird, who was scrunched up in the backseat with Shaggy and Scooby, as Velma, Daphne, and Fred were sitting up front. They all seemed very worried and uncomfortable, and for the past seventeen hours, they had been very quiet, until Big Bird finally spoke up.
“I still think we should’ve told everyone where we’ve gone and what happened to Mac and Frankie.” Big Bird said.
“We couldn’t tell them, Big Bird.” Fred contradicted. “We were given specific instructions by their kidnappers not to tell anyone about their capture, as we find this Kryptonian crystal that they want us to look for.” Velma held the ransom note in her hands and looked down at it with a few tears coming out of her eyes; she was very worried about her cousin and furious that someone would kidnap, just for a crystal.
“Why did they have to go and take Mac, too?” Velma asked. “They got what they wanted! Why do they need him?! He’s got nothing to do with any of this!”
“They probably want to give us a good reason to go out and find this crystal for them.” Fred assumed. “Had they not given us instructions, the first thing we would’ve done was go and look for clues that’d lead us to the kidnappers.”
“This isn’t right!” Velma exclaimed, furiously. “We’re being forced to look for something for somebody that’s too much of a coward to tell us his name or show his face, while he’s out somewhere torturing my innocent cousin!!” Before Velma could’ve completely gone off the handle, Daphne placed her hands gently on her shoulders and eased her pain.
“Calm down, Velma.” She said. “I’m sure Mac’s fine.”
“He’s only eight years old, Daphne.” Velma uttered. “He’s a brave little guy; but bravery is a very limited emotion, you know.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Daphne said. “He does have Frankie with him.”
“Ugh! Don’t even mention her name right now!” Velma snapped. “That girl’s lucky that whoever her kidnapper is got to her before I did, because I’d tear her limb from limb after screaming at my poor cousin!”
“Hey, look at it this way, Velma,” Shaggy said, “Mac will have something to keep his mind off the fear of being kidnapped.” Velma looked back at Shaggy and shot him a dirty look; Shaggy, startled by Velma’s look, turned to Scooby and shrugged his shoulders. “Too soon, Scoob?” Scooby pondered for a second and then nodded in reply. Meanwhile, Daphne was scanning through a map of the area that they were driving into; she still couldn’t believe where they were going to look for the Kryptonian crystal.
“Smallville, Kansas.” She uttered, a little bewildered. “Big Bird, what makes you believe we’ll find a Kryptonian crystal there?” As she asked that question, she looked out the windows and took notice of all the vast cornfields that stood on opposite sides of the road.
“I’ve been through here before. I heard it’s been known for its meteor showers, so I figured that since those meteors came from space, like those crystals had, this would be a good place to look for one.” Big Bird said. “While I was on the run and trying to get back to Sesame Street, I passed by this place and met a lot of helpful people, including Clark Kent.” The Mystery Inc. gang was intrigued over that bit of news from the big yellow bird.
“I didn’t know you personally met one of the Daily Planet news reporters in his own hometown, Big Bird.” Fred said.
“Oh, yeah.” Big Bird said. “If it weren’t for him, I would’ve never…” Big Bird stopped talking, once he realized that he was about to unveil a huge secret to his friends.
“You would’ve never what?” Shaggy asked, and Big Bird didn’t reply; instead, he just quietly sat there and looked very nervous. Daphne noticed how nervous he looked and got a little concerned.
“Big Bird,” She said, “Are you alright?” Big Bird looked past Daphne and towards the passenger side window, seeing three crows sitting on the arms and head of a scarecrow that they were passing by. He used that image as an excuse for his nervousness, just to distract the Mystery Inc. gang from what he was previously talking about.
“Uh, hey! Anyone noticed how scary those crows look on that scarecrow?” He asked, and the gang looked out the window to see the crows, but they weren’t as intimated by them as Big Bird supposedly was.
“Oh, come on.” Shaggy uttered. “I’ve seen things in a spooky house scarier than that.”
“Reah.” Scooby said. “Re, too.”
“Well, they look a little scary to me…even for birds.” Big Bird said, and Daphne slightly glanced at him; she couldn’t help but to suspect that the bird was hiding something from them. Instead of alerting Velma or the others about it, she just pretended as if it was nothing. However, she knew sooner or later that Big Bird would slip up and the truth would eventually come out.
It was sometime late in the evening when the group arrived in Smallville, which was literally a small idyllic American town with residents that were generally very friendly. Fred was the only one that was awake when they got there, mostly because he was the one driving; but he desperately wanted to rest his eyes and was only a moment away from closing them. That’s until Big Bird began to wake up, opening his eyes to see the familiar town of Smallville past the van’s windows.
“We’re here!!!” Big Bird shouted, and the excitement in his voice woke up everyone in the van, including Fred, who was so alerted that he accidentally steered the Mystery Machine off the street and towards a nearby café.
“Look out, Fred!!” Velma cried, and Fred immediately hit the brakes, bringing the van to a screeching halt before it could’ve crashed through the café’s front entrance. As Fred shut off the van, everyone sighed in relief; Big Bird felt a little sheepish.
“Sorry.” He muttered. “I guess seeing Smallville for the first time in years makes a bird feel a little giddy.”
“If that’s how you are when you’re excited, then I hate to come to your next birthday party, man.” Shaggy said, just before Big Bird looked closely at the café in front of them, recognizing it.
“Hey, I remember this place.” He said. “This is where I met Ben Hubbard.”
“Who’s Ben Hubbard?” Fred asked.
“One of the locals.” Big Bird replied. “I’m sure he can help us find that Kryptonian crystal.” Seeing that they had no clues to help them out on the mystery (and how much Scooby and Shaggy were hungry), the gang took Big Bird’s word for it; they all hopped out of the Mystery Machine and headed into the café, which had only a few customers, a few employees, and a piano player inside. Scooby and Shaggy immediately went up to the counter and ordered some food, while Big Bird’s attention was directed towards the other customers. He didn’t seem to recognize any of them as Ben Hubbard and felt a little disappointed. “Oh, he’s not here. Before I left the town, he told me that I could always find him here, if I ever wanted to come back.”
“I’m sure he’s around, Big Bird.” Daphne said. “It is a little late. He’s probably home right now, getting some well-deserved rest. Right, Fred?” Fred only replied with a loud snore; Big Bird, Daphne, and Velma turned to one of the booths in the diner, seeing Fred sitting there with his head down on the table, sleeping.
“It’d probably be a good idea if you drove us to the nearest hotel, Daphne.” Velma suggested.
“No hotels here.” Someone said, and they looked to the large piano that was sitting in the farthest corner of the room. The back of the piano was facing them, enabling the player to hide his appearance from them. On the night that he was in the café, he was playing the melody to “English Country Garden.” “There are only motels in Smallville.” The player spoke with a slightly raspy voice; when Big Bird, Daphne, and Velma walked over to the piano to see who it was, they were surprised to see that the player was in fact a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears. “The name’s Rowlf, just in case you’re curious. Not very good at introductions, so that’s why I sit here everyday and play this piano.”
“Oh, I get it.” Daphne said, with a smile. “People just come in and see that you’re a talented pianist.”
“That, and I get bored easily.” Rowlf said, and Daphne & Velma chuckled; however, Big Bird didn’t feel like laughing that moment, because he was too fixed on finding Ben Hubbard.
“Do you know…?” He asked, but Rowlf already knew who he was asking about.
“At the Kent farm is where ‘Big Ben’ last told me he’d be.” Rowlf replied. “Goin’ out on a little date with Martha Kent.” Big Bird was excited over the information that was given to him.
“I knew he’d be there!” Big Bird exclaimed, and he turned to Daphne, pleading. “Can we go there, Daphne?! Can we?! Can we?!” Big Bird was hopping up and down as he pleaded to Daphne, who was a little unsure about what she should do. She looked over at Velma, who seemed to be willing to go along with it; then she glanced over at Scooby and Shaggy, who were munching down on every meal out of the menu; and finally, she looked at Freddy, who was still sleeping in the booth. After she saw Fred, an idea popped into her head; she turned back to Rowlf and asked him something that was important to her plan.
“How far is it to Kent farm?” She asked.
“Well, by car, it would be twenty minutes from here,” Rowlf said, “But by foot, it might be an hour and a half.”
“Well, Big Bird and I are going there on foot, so we better get going.” Daphne said, and she turned to Velma, who had a stunned look on her face. “Take the boys to the nearest motel in town. You can call me on my cell, once you’ve found a room. And if it’s dingy, don’t worry. I’ll be back in time to give it a perfect makeover.”
“What’re you doing, Daphne?” Velma asked.
“Well, with Fred unconscious, Shaggy and Scooby filled up with food, and you left to take care of them, there are only two people that can solve this mystery over night.” Daphne said.
“But, Daphne, you heard what Rowlf said.” Big Bird stated. “It’ll take an hour and a half to get to the farm on foot. Ben Hubbard will be gone by the time we get there.”
“I don’t think so, my big yellow friend.” Rowlf said. “Big Ben was really anxious to see Ms. Kent; so he might be there for quite a while.” Daphne placed a hand on Velma’s left shoulder, giving her the same comfort that she gave her earlier on.
“If we want to get Mac back sooner and safer, then let me go and try to solve this mystery.” Daphne said, and Velma thought hard about her plan, realizing how much it would indeed help get things done quick enough to save her cousin.
“I wanna regret this so bad.” Velma said. “But because it involves getting my cousin back as soon as imaginably possible…I say go for it.” Daphne smiled at Velma and even gave her a big hug, shortly before both her and Big Bird headed out of the café and began their journey to the Kent farm.
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN
Everybody go out and enjoy Superman Returns! I should have another chapter in by either this Saturday or sometime next week.
