1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, Twelve Chapters Came to the Ladybug’s Picnic
Bob gulped as he stood on the front porch of the small suburban home. Telly put his hand on Bob’s arm. "Don’t be nervous, Bob," Telly said. "That’s my job."
Bob smiled. "I’ll be okay Telly. It’s just been so long, and I just wonder how much she’s changed."
Telly shrugged. "Probably not too much," Telly said. "After all, we haven’t changed that much, have we?"
"Well, we have changed Telly, but, no, not-"
"We’ve changed?" Telly asked nervously. "Oh no! What if- what if she doesn’t like the new me! What if she won’t let me stay! What if she-"
Bob shook his head and rang the doorbell. Telly stopped rambling and silenced himself. They waited as footsteps came shuffling to the door. A tall man with short cut brown hair answered the door. "Afternoon," he said with a quaint British accent. "How may I help you two gents?"
Bob and Telly looked at each other. "Um, I hate to bother you, sir," Bob said. "But we’re looking for someone named Linda. We thought she lived here."
"Oh, she does." The man smiled. "And you must be Bob, and Telly."
The two of them nodded slowly. "We are," Bob said.
"But who are you?" Telly asked loudly.
The man laughed. "My name is Jordan, it’s a pleasure," Jordan said. "Come in, come in. Linda’s been tidying everything, just for you two blokes."
Bob and Telly followed Jordan into the house. They looked around at the brightly colored room, with brightly colored furniture. "Linda likes colors," Jordan said, walking into the other room. "They’re the loudest things she can see," he joked.
Bob and Telly waited in the living room. Telly put his suitcase down and looked around the room. "Wow..." he sighed happily.
Bob nodded. "Very wow," he said.
Soon after, Jordan reemerged from the other room with a woman with short, curly brown hair. She wore a long sleeved red turtle neck and jeans. A bright grin spread across her face as her eyes met that of her two old friends.
"Linda!" Bob shouted in glee. He ran to hug her. Linda embraced Bob. They let go. "It’s so good to see you again," Bob said while signing the words with his hands.
"Linda says she’s missed you, Bob," Jordan said, vocalizing Linda’s hand movements.
"I can actually read her signing," Bob told Jordan.
"Oh? You can? My apologies then," Jordan said.
"It’s fine," Bob said, and signed. "So, Linda, can Telly and I take you to dinner tonight?"
Linda grinned and nodded swiftly. Telly put his fingers up to his lips. "Uh, Bob, I don’t have any money. Oh no! I can’t take Linda to dinner! What’ll I do? She’ll be mad at me, and she won’t let me stay and-"
Linda smiled, and gave Telly a hug. ‘I’ve missed you Telly.’ She signed.
"She says she’s missed you, Telly," both Bob and Jordan said in unison.
Telly and Linda looked at each other, so did Bob and Jordan. "Well," Jordan finally said. "No use standing around here. Come on Linda, let’s get your coat so we can let these blokes treat us, hm?" Jordan said and signed.
Bob watched as Jordan helped Linda with her coat, growing more and mor jealous the more time he spent with Jordan.
"Boy, what a nice guy that Jordan is, huh, Bob?" Telly asked. "Seems like he and Linda sure like each other."
Bob frowned. "Linda and I really like each other too..." Bob sighed.
Linda and Jordan came back over to Bob and Telly. "Ready to go chaps?" Jordan asked.
"Yeah!" Telly said. "...Where are we going?"
"Linda’s favorite," Bob said, and signed. "Seafood."
"Linda’s always liked Italian the best," said and signed Jordan.
Telly watched as Bob and Jordan argued back and forth, as if in the middle of a tennis match. Linda, however, was puzzled, since her two friends weren’t signing the things they were saying.
Finally, Linda waved her arms around, getting the two of them to stop arguing. ‘I’m actually in the mood for Chinese tonight.’
‘Sounds good.’ Bob signed.
‘Very good." Signed Jordan.
The three of them began to walk out, Telly frowned. "I wish I could read hands."
-~-~-~-~-
"Gordon? You got any more seatbelts up there?"
"Yes, Cookie Monster, but we need them," Gordon said. "They keep us safe. What do you need seatbelts for?"
"Food. Seatbelt taste just like spaghetti," Cookie Monster said.
"Well, don’t fill up on the way there, Cookie Monster," Susan said. "I’m sure we’ll probably go someplace real nice once we get there."
"Ooh, ritzy food me favorite." Cookie Monster smacked his lips. "Where we going, anyway?"
"We’ve told you already, Cookie," Gordon said. "We’re going to my sister, Olivia’s house."
"Oh, right," Cookie Monster said. "Who she?"
"Don’t you remember, Cookie?" Susan asked. "Olivia used to live on Sesame Street, before she moved away a few years back."
Cookie Monster pondered this. "She ever cook for Cookie?" he asked.
"No," Gordon said. "But she was along for the ride when you ate the first draft of this Volkswagen." Gordon patted the steering wheel.
"Ohh," Cookie Monster said. "Me remember now! Olivia! She one who pried brake plug out me mouth."
"Something like that, yeah," Gordon said.
"Ooh, me like her, Gordon." Cookie Monster poked his head between the driver’s and passage seat.
"Me too, Cookie Monster, me too," Gordon said.
"Yeah," Cookie said. "She have loads of tasty cameras."
"Cookie Monster," Susan scolded. "Knock it off. You can’t eat any of Olivia’s cameras while we’re here, got it?"
"Oh, yes ma’am," Cookie Monster said. "By the way, how long we be there, anyway?"
Susan and Gordon looked at each other. "We’re not sure, Cookie Monster," Gordon finally said.
"Oh," Cookie Monster said quietly. "So... we do not know when we go see other friends from Sesame Street?"
"I’m afraid not, Cookie," Susan said sadly.
Cookie Monster looked down. "Well... does Olivia have cookies where she live?"
"I’m sure she does, Cookie Monster," Susan said. "And besides, we told her you were coming with us, so I’m sure she already bought some."
"Oh!" Cookie shouted. "Oh, good. That make me very happy monster."
"That’s good to hear Cookie Monster." Susan grinned.
"Ooh, speaking of good to hear, turn up radio, Gordon, me think me hear ‘Cookie Disco’!" Cookie Monster shouted.
Gordon laughed, turning up the radio. "Somehow, I doubt that, Cookie Monster."
-~-~-~-~-
Big Bird stepped off the bus, singing happily. "La la la," he sang. "Oh, it’s so pretty here!" he declared.
The sun shone brightly on the new street in the small city. He rocked back and forth on his heels. "Hmm, I wonder where Granny Bird is, Radar," he said to his teddy bear, cradled in his wing.
"I am Guy Smiley, America’s favorite game show host, and this is America’s favorite game show; ‘What’s My Part’!"
Big Bird whipped around, and saw sets of televisions in the display case at a store. He laughed. "It’s Guy Smiley!" Big Bird said.
"Yes, here we are folks, once again, I, Guy Smiley am hosting a bunch of weirdos in what is sure to be a- well, it’s sure to be something alright," said Guy Smiley from the television set Big Bird was viewing.
The energetic game show host made his way over to the contestants. "Now, let’s meet our two contestants, shall we?"
Big Bird scratched his head as Guy Smiley tried to share his microphone with the Two-Headed Monster.
"Your name, sir? Uh, sirs?" Guy Smiley asked.
One head immediately shouted, "Frank!"
The other head didn’t like that much. "No, no, no! Me Frank!" it declared. "You Stein!"
"Me? Stein? NO!" shouted the other. "Me Frank!"
"Well," Guy Smiley said. "I’m not sure on the details, but it looks like we have with us today Frank and Stein!"
Big Bird jumped back as something broke through a wall on the game show. From it, emerged a large green monster. "Me... Frankenstein..." it grunted.
"No," Guy Smiley said. "You’re Frankenstein’s monster!"
"Me Frank!" declared one of the Two-Headed Monster’s heads.
"And me Stein!" declared the other.
"We monster!" both heads shouted.
"And that is your part!" Guy Smiley said. "You won!"
Balloons fell from the ceiling as the Two-Headed Monster celebrated. Frankenstein’s monster looked around. "Ungh, this happen every time..." it groaned.
Big Bird laughed. "Oh boy, that was fun. But still, where is-"
"Big? Big Bird, is that you?" called an elderly voice.
"Granny? Oh! Granny!" Big Bird shouted, throwing his wings out to hug his grandmother.
Granny Bird hugged her grandbird back. "I’ve missed you, Big, it’s so good you’ve come back."
"I’ve missed you too, Granny, and so has Radar!" Big Bird said.
Granny Bird laughed. "Oh, Big Bird, you haven’t changed a smidge. Now come on, let’s go back to the house. I’ve got a fresh batch of birdseed cookies made, just for you."
"Oh boy!" Big Bird shouted, grasping onto his grandmother’s hand, and walking to her nest.
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but it was good to see her anyway.