Silent Hensonville

[The Count]

*Thanks Kelly for the vids. Can't wait to read how you weave it seemlessly into this. *Also hopes she got the latest batch of requests.

 

[RedPiggy]

Chapter 5: Fix Your Eyes on What Lies Before You

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a story. The opinions of Dorm-Kelly need not be reflective of my own.
Uncle Deadly started to pour a cup of tea in a small kitchenette. He smiled. “Want some?”

Kelly sat in a small chair at the kitchen table. “You teleported us to Ed’s room?” she asked in disbelief. “Are you allergic to elevators?”

Deadly chuckled. “My dear, walking is so ordinary. I am an artiste,” he explained. “My existence is a performance.” He paused, handing her a cup of tea. “I shall never be known for a mundane performance.” He sat down and levitated his own cup toward him from the kitchen counter. “So, I believe we were going to have a pleasant discussion on the nature of reality.”

“Which is?” she asked as she took a sip.

“How has life been since moving out?”

Kelly frowned. “That wasn’t the question.”

Deadly nodded. “Let’s finish our tea before getting to the meat of the matter. Has everything been going well?”

Kelly shrugged, still irritated that Uncle Deadly was really considering wasting her time. “I was going to ask about my new nursing job,” she told him, “but I guess I’ll have to delay the meeting.”

“I noticed your wish failed to achieve our goals,” he stated, staring at the kitchen. “Of course, your goals were met.”

“Pardon?”

Uncle Deadly looked at her with an understanding expression on his face. “I am familiar with goblin magic, my dear. You must state a wish with the actual words. Goblins are such literal things. I know you are well aware of this fact, what with being a fan of the kingdom and all.” He cleared his throat. “I believe my human companion would confirm that you have been rather unhappy and we truly did wish the best for you.”

Kelly put down her tea. At long last she nodded. “Yes, I’m aware. I’m aware that I never made a wish. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t --.” Her voice started to trail off. She just couldn’t look at him.

He patted her on the hand. “Don’t feel as though you mustn’t express yourself.”

Kelly sighed, shifting her weight in the chair. “You’re implying that my feelings of loneliness made the other humans disappear.”

Deadly leaned back. “I am merely stating that you have your reasons to avoid getting everyone back.” He sighed. “The town used to be a bustling place, full of life,” he continued wistfully. “I fear this is the winter of the life of the town. You feel you are the cause of the quieting of Hensonville, but you are merely witness to it.”

Kelly found she could not respond. He had peered directly into her heart. Had she been depressed over the silence in the town? When she and Spike first moved into the Dorms, nearly the entire basement floor and much of the ground floor had been populated. Then, as the months flittered away, the population started to dwindle, especially after that argument she had let herself get drawn into with people whose tastes seemed somewhat attractive but in which she could never really fit. As time dragged on, she felt so lonely she considered leaving. Only with encouragement from a select few did she even decide to stay, but forever afterward she mourned what felt to her like a loss of any connection with anyone. It had attracted the shy woman, this idea of interacting with all types from anywhere in the universe.

And they mostly stopped showing up.

Her one purpose for being there had turned into an empty void.

Regardless of what Uncle Deadly proclaimed – she was the cause of their disappearance. She was sure of it. She glanced at the dragon-like phantom across the table from her. “So, what is the nature of reality?” she asked in a resigned voice.

He stroked some small tendrils beneath his chin. “What were you doing before the award ceremony?”

Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m lucky to remember what happened last month. The award ceremony was last year.” Her voice started to rise. “What has that got to do with anything? I just need to know how to get them – get them,” her voice started to quiet as the room seemed to spin. She could hear what sounded like a siren off in the distance. She braced herself against the table so she wouldn’t fall. “What … what did you … do?” she asked in a near whisper, her eyelids getting heavier.

Uncle Deadly frowned. “You must see what needs to be seen.”

Despite her feeling of falling in space, an idea crossed her mind. “Nir … van … a … leaves,” she muttered as she fell to the floor.

The darkness seemed to last for centuries. She couldn’t feel her body or the room where she was. Well, she hoped the room was still where she was. It was mid-afternoon in March of 2008. Ryan had just won an award for being funny. She remembered getting teased by Red. Then, she got hungry and left for a little while. When she got back she had an argument with … with ….

A door opened in the darkness, bathing her with light from within. She guarded her eyes with her hand as she stepped into the light.

“Well,” spoke a soothing male voice, “where … do you think … you’re … going?”

Kelly took her hand down, her eyes adjusted to the … throne room of Jareth. He was juggling crystal balls casually as he lay across his throne, his feet bouncing in time to music played by a small goblin band nearby. He hadn’t even bothered to look at her.

She frowned. “You’re the one responsible for this!”

Jareth smirked, continuing his juggling. “I only give what was to be received.”

Kelly stomped up to him, clenching her fists. “How dare you! Why did you take everyone away?”

Jareth shook his head slightly. “I have done no such thing,” he informed her with a grin, starting to toss the crystal balls into the air to watch them turn into bubbles and just float out of the windows of the throne room. “You felt alone, thus you were alone.”

Kelly scoffed. “That makes absolutely no sense,” she retorted haughtily. “All I wanted was to be with everyone, talking to them, doing stuff with them – and they’re gone. Exactly how did that fit into my master plan?”

Jareth twisted around and stared straight at her. “Kelly, why haven’t you been the least bit curious about why you were still there when everyone else wasn’t?”

“I came here to find out, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but you must ask the question for it to be answered,” Jareth cooed seductively. “You are my heir. You should know better.”

Kelly gulped and sighed. She closed her eyes.

“Open them,” he demanded crossly. “How can you know where you’re going if you don’t look where you’re going?”

Kelly opened her eyes, on the verge of tears. She felt the words bubble up from her heart. “Why am I here?”

Jareth smirked and leaned back. He summoned a crystal ball.

“I don’t feel much like dreaming,” she noted sadly.

He shook his head. “You are the dream, my dear. Kelly is, in fact, a human just like the others. She lives in a place called Texas and has been studying nursing.”

Kelly was confused. “I’m Kelly,” she protested. “I’m studying nursing.”

Jareth nodded. “You do what Kelly tells you to do. The non-humans of Hensonville weren’t the only puppets, so to speak,” he chuckled. “Kelly was in her first semester of nursing school. She was around classmates, but she had no friends. She felt out of place and craved a place where she could feel free to be anything she wanted. Upon Ed’s request, her heart had made a wish. Spike appeared after the party and you went with him to the Dorms.” He leaned closer. “Do you understand? You are her ablation, fashioned from her dreams. You are her opportunity for socialization, her magic, her risk-free marriage … you are everything she feels she cannot do in the quote-unquote real world.”

Kelly sat down on the floor in front of him, dazed. “But … why … why did I feel so lonely?” Her voice quivered. “How could Kelly let me feel the way I’ve felt?”

Jareth’s expression changed to a rare compassionate one. “Like Sarah, she made a wish she hadn’t thought through. Only the non-humans truly live in Hensonville. The humans actually live all over the world. It was a hobby for them, but home to you.” He rested his hand on her head tenderly. “You couldn’t help but be alone.”

She tore away from him, her face soaked with dripping tears. She was like Hexidecimal – a messed up psychotic with cosmic-level powers and yet had no real physical presence outside her own world. She set her jaw in determination, spotting a frowning Jareth, who retreated from her. She nodded. So, she would be Hex: she would make the world according to her wishes.

“Kelly, beware,” Jareth cautioned curtly, “you are not the only one who lives in that world.”

The woman laughed briefly, her face darkening, her body illuminated with flames that flickered upwards all over. “I am Phoenix. I am Power. I am the Pathmaker,” she told him coldly. “I am destiny – and my hand cannot be stayed – even by you!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Digit, a light-green cyborg from Muppet Central, looked at the gigantic television screen in the fourth floor common room, surrounded by Prairie Dawn and Roosevelt Franklin and Tosh Fraggle, who cradled her lion-like beast in her arms, petting its head.

Prairie Dawn, a seven-year-old from Sesame Street, interested in theater and journalism, glanced between Digit and the television screen, which displayed hundreds of videos from all over town, arranged according to their location so it reflected the town’s geography. Her tiny voice was uncertain as the imagery of fire and crumbling land started to spread north from the south-central cemetery. “Things are bad, aren’t they, Mr. Digit, sir?”

Digit looked at her sadly and nodded.

 

[The Count]

O.O *Bows down before her majesty,heir to the Labyrinth. *Sends Count to go get Prof. X while the ruler of numbers enters the cyberworld to get Bob and some Energy Tanks from Dr. Light's shop before it's too late.

 

[RedPiggy]

Chapter 6: The Words of the Wise Bring Healing

Kermit and Piggy walked through the darkened hall on the ground floor, making sure everyone was accounted for. Henson National Park was on fire, the flames seemingly licking the stars in the sky. The earth shook all over town. Buildings were crumbling, sending tons of rubble smashing into the ground below. The power wasn’t back yet.

“Kermie,” Piggy groused, “I thought I had made it perfectly clear to Ed that I must be well lit at all times – and not with those awful fluorescent bulbs, either.”

Kermit frowned. “Take that up with him if he ever comes back and we all survive this unmitigated disaster.”

Piggy grunted. “And just how many Muppets have ever died, Kermie?”

Kermit stopped and stared at her. He started counting on his fingers. “One, Uncle Deadly, Two, Dead Tom, Three, Chester Pugh, Four --.” He stopped as he heard a sound like a cat being strangled while run over with a bulldozer. They cautiously approached the sound.

Piggy looked down as she felt her feet get cold. “Ew!” she screeched. “Why are the floors wet?” She looked up and saw Spike holding a writhing Chamberlain to the wall where water splashed out of a large hole, spraying everything nearby.

Kermit’s jaw dropped in alarm. “Spike! What are you doing?” he yelled.

Spike didn’t respond to Kermit. He jerked the Skeksis away from the wall, clutching Chamberlain by his neck, watching as he coughed and sputtered and gasped for breath with a wild-eyed expression. “Now,” Spike told Chamberlain matter-of-factly, “what type o’ clothes don’t like water?”

“L-l-leather,” gurgled Chamberlain.

“An’ does your lil’ leathery head like water?”

Chamberlain gasped, shaking his head as much as he could with Spike digging his claws into the side of his neck.

Spike smirked. “An’ have we learned an important tip today?”

Chamberlain nodded. As Spike released him, he slumped to the floor and crawled away from the dinosaur, clutching his neck. “I, I – I will get you for this, you putrid lizard!”

Spike chuckled. “I already done dis dance once,” he informed the Skeksis. “I ain’t waitin’ around ta see some uddah world fall into death an’ misery.”

Chamberlain sneered. “The dead can’t be miserable,” he retorted.

Piggy cleared her throat loudly. She bit her lip and tapped a foot on the floor impatiently.

Spike shot her a quick glance. “You may be able ta intimidate yer friends, Luau, but I can eat a whole farm full o’ youse.”

Piggy’s jaw dropped, her eyes widened. “You – you --.”

Kermit stepped on her foot and jabbed her in the side with his elbow. “Not now, Piggy,” he whispered nervously. He coughed and prayed Spike was in a talking mood. “We need to do something. The whole town is being destroyed,” he informed the dinosaur as calmly as he could.

Spike took his jacket off, wrung it out, and nodded. He brushed by the two startled Muppets and headed for the common room.

Kermit glanced back at Chamberlain. “Are you coming?”

“Bite me, appetizer,” the Skeksis hissed. “I would rather die than join forces with that leather-clad pond scum.”

Kermit sighed and shrugged and walked Piggy to the common room, where they took the elevator the fourth floor.

Everyone watched as Digit and Lindbergh monitored the safety of the town. Spike showed up and tapped Digit on the shoulder. “Where’s Pearl, Wire-Head?”

Digit gulped. “Uh … she ….”

Lindbergh bowed his head and took his beige cap off. “Her saloon was completely leveled in that last tremor,” he noted sadly. “We haven’t heard from her.”

An argument broke everyone’s focus on the monitors.

“Red, it’s a perfect idea!” Prairie Dawn snapped.

Red shook her head. “Oh, no! I’m not stuffing all of you in my room!” she shot back.

Prairie Dawn backed up and glanced at Kermit. “Mr. Kermit, sir – room 2 had a big hole knocked into it by Spike. According to Kelly, it leads to Fraggle Rock and the Labyrinth.”

“How are we gonna fit Big Bird and Spike in there?” Red demanded.

Prairie ignored her. “If all of us go hide in Fraggle Rock, we can be safe until it’s all over!”

Big Bird started to panic. “How am I going to fit?” he asked loudly. He started to cry. “I’m too big to fit in a Fraggle hole!”

Spike shook his head. “Don’t get your feathers in a bunch,” he told the juvenile, though, gigantic bird. “It’s a big hole. I’m taller dan you an’ I can fit.

Big Bird wiped his cheek. “Really?”

Spike nodded.

Big Bird sniffled. “Can we go now?”

“How are we going to enter? Ed has the key,” piped Waldo. “I mean, I guess I can become a key or something.”

Spike shook his head. “Why don’t I just kick the door down?”

Waldo deflated. “Well, there’s that ….”

Kermit sighed and nodded. “Alright, that plan sounds as good as any. Thanks, Prairie.” He clapped once and turned towards the elevator. “Let’s get everyone down into the basement. Spike’ll, uh, open the door for us, and we’ll hide in the tunnels until this blows over.”

Everyone started to file into the elevator.

Gonzo stayed put.

Kermit peeked out of the elevator door. “Gonzo, c’mon!”

Gonzo glanced at Kermit and back at the monitors. This wasn’t some natural disaster, or even an impersonal unnatural disaster. He saw, rising out of the flames that by now had reached the docks, was the tiny figure of a human engulfed in a pillar of fire, sending out huge rings of fire through the dark sky. He knew it was Kelly.

Kelly was doing this.

Gonzo shook his head slightly, his eyelids growing heavy, and followed the others into the elevator.

After Spike had opened the door, they piled into the cavernous room. They heard water running, confusing everyone.

Pearl came out of the bathroom, wiping her face off with a towel. She was damp, but her clothes looked dusty. She stared at the crowd. “Uh, sorry, folks,” she said in a country twang, “I sure did think no one was gonna notice I slipped on in here through the window. That ash cloud outside’s been coverin’ just everything.”

“Have you seen Kel?” Spike asked bluntly.

Pearl glanced around at the others before staring straight at Spike. “Honey … I don’t know how ta tell you this, but --.”

“No one’s seen Kelly at all since Uncle Deadly took her,” Gonzo blurted out. He shrugged. “Uncle Deadly must still be with her.”

Spike cut him a glance. “Den go get her,” he ordered.

Pearl snapped to get Spike’s attention. “Look, I don’t know what all y’all know – but it’s right hot out there right now an’ this here buildin’ ain’t gonna last long unless we have a plan.”

Prairie Dawn raised a hand. “We’re going to Fraggle Rock, Miss Pearl,” she announced.

Pearl chuckled. “Well, I reckon that sounds like a good plan.” She waved them toward her. “Let’s get on outta here then, shall we?”

Prairie noticed Gonzo walking more slowly than the others. She went up to him. “What’s wrong, Mr. Gonzo, sir?”

Gonzo shook his head. “It’s … it’s nothing. Let’s just go.” He forced a smile and patted her on the head. “C’mon – we’re going to come back here some day. It’s not the end of the world or anything.”

Prairie Dawn nodded, but as the others started filing into the tunnel, she grabbed Grover and Count von Count.

“Prairie, what are you doing?” Grover whispered worriedly.

“Trust me,” she said, dragging the two back to the door.

“I do not think it vise to stay behind,” Count told her. “Ve can alvays rebuild, but ve can’t get back loved ones we’ve lost.”

“Only if you’re uncreative,” Uncle Deadly noted as he appeared with Ed’s black cat, calmly stroking its fur. He glanced at Prairie disapprovingly. “Unless you don’t breathe, I suggest you go through with the others.”

“I am inclined to agree,” Grover added.

Prairie shook her head. “I know something’s wrong. No one will tell me because I’m just a little girl, but I just know that we can help.” She glanced at Grover. “Grover? You said we had to help someone in order to make everything right again. Well,” she inhaled and exhaled deeply, “let’s go find out who needs helping.”

Deadly frowned and handed the cat to the Count. “Take her to Fraggle Rock.”

“I can’t just let a young girl risk her life,” Count protested.

Deadly nodded. “You and I are the only magic users left, what with Chamberlain sniveling on his own.” He put a hand on Count’s shoulder. “They’ll need you more there. Besides,” he chuckled, “there are infinite things for you to count down in Fraggle Rock.”

Count looked away, pondering.

Deadly nodded. “If these two are bent on helping the one who needs help, my magic is of more use. Good luck, my good friend,” he continued as he teleported the both of them to what was left of the cemetery.

“Why did you bring us here?” Prairie asked, suddenly intimidated.

“The damage is already done here,” Uncle Deadly reasoned. “The fires are heading north. Fire needs fuel to burn. It won’t come back to exhausted areas.”

“What is that?” Grover asked, pointing northeast, where a huge pillar of fire was rotating northward hundreds of yards away.

Deadly sighed. “It’s Kelly. She knows the truth of existence and now she’s destroying the town.”

Prairie fell to the ash-covered ground, dazed. She was very mature for her age, and very smart, but – but – but she couldn’t fathom someone being so angry. She started to whimper.

Deadly rested a hand on her shoulder tenderly. “You can still go to Fraggle Rock if you like,” he said softly.

Grover stared at Prairie. Even if she was much younger than him, she was very wise, and he would go along with whatever she chose.

Prairie sniffled. “Is there a way to calm her down?” she asked.

Deadly shrugged. “That, I do not know, my child.”

Prairie looked up at Grover. “What do you think?”

Grover was shocked that she didn’t seem to have a plan. “Uh, well, I, uh – was hoping you had a plan,” he laughed nervously. He sighed. “Still, even though I do not have my superhero costume with me, I am always the friendly neighborhood Grover. If she is sad or mad, we really ought to find a way to make her happy.”

Prairie nodded and stood, looking up at Uncle Deadly. “Can you stop her with your magic so she can listen to us?”

He stared at the pillar. “She seems rather persistent.”

Prairie tugged on his shirt. “But, Mr. Deadly, sir – you’re a performer! I’m a performer, but I just co-star in my plays! I need a lead actor to wow the audience!”

Uncle Deadly’s heart seemed to beat again. A tear slowly hugged his snout, falling onto the ash below. He sniffled, holding his hand to his chest. “My dear, such lovely words! Finally! I am an actor with motivation!” He smiled at her. “Merely give me a script, and I shall make this my finest performance yet!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“Oh, a rat goin’ t’rough a hole in da wall – dat’s original,” Rizzo complained as they trekked to a cave big enough to hold them all.

“Quit complaining, it’s only temporary,” Kermit rebuked. “Besides, it’s not so bad down here. I’ve been here before.” His voice trailed off, wistfully remembering his little side trip to Fraggle Rock with Robin in the eighties one winter night. He hadn’t seen his nephew in awhile. He wondered if he’d see the tiny frog again.

“God help me, one day I’ll remember to wear sneakers,” Piggy grumbled as she walked the rocky tunnels in high heels.

Pepe ran to catch up to the Storyteller Fraggle. “I have a question, h’okay.”

“Go for it,” she told him. Before he opened his mouth, however, she clamped her hand over it. “Before you begin, just know that I’ll only have eyes for the one true Fraggle Adonis, Matthew Fraggle. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just can’t satisfy my needs with you.”

Red rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, scraping her fingers on it, pretending to get the dirty words out.

Pepe wrestled free. “Uh, no, I don’t believe I was going to ask jou that, h’okay.” He leaned in closer, his voice changing to his most seductive. “I am hearing of a race down here called Merggles. What I want to know is, do they have sparkling, hydrodynamic, large tail fins?”

Storyteller looked at him as they walked. “I’m … really not all that familiar.”

“Why don’t you go take a dive in the Fraggle Pond and find out?” sneered Red.

Pepe couldn’t be offended. He blew on one of his fists and rubbed it on his chest confidently. “Oh, I assure you, mamacita – I was going to survey the local watering holes first thing, h’okay.” He laughed. “I am tired of being a big fish in a little pond.” He stopped momentarily, though the others kept walking. He looked up at the tunnel ceiling with a determined expression on his face. “It is my dream. It is my dream … to fish all the waters of the world, h’okay.”

“Sheesh,” Kermit commented, embarrassed for his Fraggle friends.

Pepe noticed the group was now several yards away from him. “Why are jou not waiting up for me?” he requested loudly as he ran after them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Uncle Deadly positioned himself on the Dorm roof. She was nearly there. He could sense her heart. She would spare nothing of the building she had concluded was her prison. He rolled up his tattered sleeves, set his jaw, and maintained his focus upon her. As a ring of fire came hurtling towards him, he waved his right arm as though throwing a baseball, unleashing a tremendous wave of energy that dissipated the ring of fire, but still showered the area with embers. He exhaled deeply. That took nearly everything he had, and he knew she had far more to spare.

Good thing he was already dead.

Now, how to stop her long enough to --.

Kelly suddenly appeared beside him. Her expression was flat, as though all emotion, all passion he had seen her use against the town, was absent. “I see reality as it is – I suspect you now have regrets,” she told him coldly. “I will make all of Hensonville feel my emptiness.” She looked away towards the town. “My only regret is that I cannot show these wonders to the ones who live outside its borders.”

Grover cleared his throat.

Kelly turned to see Grover and Prairie Dawn standing behind her. They were trembling. Why would such an innocent monster and some elementary school kid risk death? Didn’t the adults know how dangerous it was? How irresponsible could they be? “Leave,” she told them. “I am not interested in you.”

Grover leaned down to Prairie. “This is not going to work,” he whispered. “Why not get Cookie Monster?”

“This is going to work,” she whispered back. “Trust me.”

“You are far too young to die,” Kelly continued in a monotone voice.

Uncle Deadly watched Kelly’s every move. If she lashed out at them, he’d teleport them to safety. He’d never live with himself, so to speak, if he let innocent beings die. This had to work, though.

Prairie Dawn gulped and stepped forward. “I would like you to hear me recite the alphabet.”

Kelly exhaled imperceptibly. She could vaporize them all with a single flick of her finger. Why wasn’t she? She thought about it for a moment. She had no real problems with them. They had been so nice to her, even if some had never really interacted with her. They were, as she was, mere slaves to fingers dancing on keyboards. Even as much as she’d like to see Digit short circuit for manipulating her, pretending there was more to their friendship than there really was – did he really deserve it? Had he a choice?

“A,” Prairie began nervously, “B, C, D, E, F --.”

“Cookie Monster!” Grover blurted out.

A millimeter of a corner of Kelly’s lip twitched.

Uncle Deadly took notice. It might actually work after all.

“Grover!” Prairie Dawn shouted. “That’s not a letter of the alphabet!” She cleared her throat. “H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R --.”

“Cookie Monster!” he shouted loudly.

Kelly smirked.

Prairie, having seen this reaction, now felt her confidence return. She turned to face Grover and wagged her finger at him. “Grover, if you don’t behave, you’ll have to leave!”

Grover groveled at her feet. “No! No! I can be a cute furry little monster, though I fear you think Cookie Monster is cuter than little old me.”

“Grover! Get serious! This is important!”

Kelly chuckled. She felt her muscles begin to relax. This had been, she remembered, her most favorite routine. It didn’t matter if the real Kelly had watched it or she did. It was funny stuff, regardless.

Uncle Deadly teleported Kelly high into the air, over the parking lot, and grabbed her by the throat, summoning giant lightning bolts coursing through her body. She looked at him in shock. He felt like crying as he felt the pulses in her neck become irregular and weak. Finally, she slumped in his arms. She had been a passionate woman. When her heart finally stopped, she was engulfed in flames that dripped down into the parking lot, spreading like rivulets of lava, until nearly the entire town was covered in it. Uncle Deadly teleported himself and the others to Fraggle Rock.

Big Bird greeted them with an alarmed expression. “Prairie! Where did you go? Everyone’s been so worried about you!”

Prairie smiled at him weakly. “We’re fine, Big Bird. It’s over. The bad things have stopped now,” she said, trying to stifle tears.

Uncle Deadly noticed Spike was eyeing him from a distance. He matched the stare. Spike exhaled softly, turned, and left – never to return to Hensonville again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A week later Digit was setting up some monitors in a temporary tent where Everybody Eats used to be. Kermit walked up to him. “What’s the damage report?” he asked.

Digit fiddled with some wires and shrugged. “The hospital is missing, as is the saloon, the Dorms, and maybe a few stores, but that’s about it.” He thought about it for several moments. “Oh, and Hensonville National Park is beyond repair. I’ve called Cotterpin. A whole town is beyond the scope of the Doozer population, but she’ll draw up some new plans for the town’s development. Newsie will have her over here in a couple of days.”

The Muppets … and Chamberlain … began the long tortuous process of rebuilding Hensonville as the sun shone and the fog dispersed. They had each gotten calls from their human roommates. The next semester would definitely be a time of joy as the humans returned to their well-beloved place in the much smaller town of Hensonville.

THE END

 

[redBoobergurl]

This was a fun story Kelly! I didn't notice it until now, but I read the whole thing from begining to end this way and I really liked it! And I'm not just saying it cause I was in it, lol.

 

[RedPiggy]

Epilogue: Born of a Wish

Prairie ran wide-eyed into the large steel gates, all ornately woven into steel bouquets. Grover and Rosita and Roosevelt Franklin ran past her and gasped with delight and laughed and dashed toward the brightly colored kiddie coaster with cartoonish cars. Prairie ran a bit slower. She wasn’t really the amusement park type, though she did enjoy the stage shows and the food.

Before she could join in the line for the kiddie coaster, she walked past the large central water fountain, with large bronze Doozers holding fire hoses and Cotterpin Doozer busy drawing at her drawing board. She could hear a faint argument to her right. Curious, she slowly walked behind a small magical gift shop, into a small garbage-strewn alley.

“Hey! Why doncha find someplace else, huh? Just scram!”

Prairie sighed a little with relief. She recognized the gruff grouchy voice of Sesame Street’s resident trash can inhabitant, the moldy green Oscar the Grouch. He was, of course, in his trash can, growling at a small green Doozer, like Cotterpin but with a frizzy black hairdo with pink and blue highlights. It was glaring up at Oscar, hiccupping during its tirade. It spoke with a male smart-aleck voice. “I … hic … ain’t … hic … bodd’rin’ you … hic.”

Oscar frowned and threw a piece of a cardboard box at the little Doozer. “Yer here, aren’t ya?”

The Doozer shrugged and ducked out of the way. “Yeh … so what … hic … is yer … hic hic hic … point?”

“Yer botherin’ me!” Oscar barked back.

“BOO!” screamed a high-pitched gravelly voice from behind Oscar’s can. A small rat laughed as the Doozer jumped several inches high and landed right on his pointed green behind.

“’Ey, Rizzo,” Oscar greeted, his voice suddenly more cheerful.

“’Ey, Oscah,” Rizzo saluted back casually, keeping his eyes on the Doozer. “Whatcha doin’, eh?” he asked the little green guy. “You bodd’rin’ my good ol’ buddy Oscah heah?”

The Doozer coughed and gasped as he rubbed his back as best he could. “I ain’t bodd’rin’ nobody, mistah,” he grumbled. “I jus’ wanted ta find my way back ta Doozah Dome, y’know? I been hangin’ out heah too much anyway.” He rubbed his stomach and looked like he was about to throw up. “I can feel my insides jigglin’ up an’ down inside.”

Rizzo stared at him dryly. “You ain’t kiddin’,” he noted with a smirk. “Took a few too many coives on da rollah costah?”

The Doozer stared at the ground. “I, uh, I can’t do dat kinda stuff, mistah,” he replied nervously. “I’m a Doozah … we get ta bouncin’ around an’ stuff an’ we get da hiccups an’ den we gotta get ta da medic quick, y’know?”

Rizzo kept staring, tapping one foot impatiently. “Yep,” he said, nodding briefly, “I know whatcher problem is … yer an adrenaline junkie.” He patted the Doozer on the back. “Whatcher name, kid?”

The Doozer batted him away. “I ain’t a … a … whatevah dat is,” he retorted. “An’ my name is Turbo, Turbo Doozah.”

Rizzo smirked. “I met a kid named Cottahpin Doozah back at da Dorms,” he told Turbo. “Why you guys all got da same last name?”

Turbo snarled at the rat. “Why, is yours more creative or somethin’?”

Rizzo shrugged. “Turbo’s got a point.” He spotted Prairie Dawn. “’Ey, kiddo … whatcha doin’ behind dis store? Ain’t you got some roomies wit’ ya?”

Prairie nodded. “I just wanted to see what was going on,” she replied meekly. “I’m not very fond of roller coasters.”

Rizzo glanced at Turbo, who was still cringing. “Yeh … looks like Turbo’s insides ain’t too fond of ‘em eithah,” he commented, chuckling.

Oscar peered down at Prairie. “Why doncha get back to yer friends, Prairie?” He reached down and pulled out a small green spherical object and tossed it to her. “Go an’ do somethin’ productive,” he continued, his voice rising, “like leaving us alone!” He slammed his trash can lid shut.

“Da Green Grouch has spoken,” Rizzo sneered with a smirk, “nyaaaah.”

Turbo rolled his eyes.

Prairie looked at the two diminutive males quizzically and then shrugged and skipped away, holding what looked like a really big sweet pea, humming along the way cheerfully and dreamily.

I lived my life in shadow, never saw the sun on my face.
It didn’t seem so bad though, I figured that was my place.

Prairie stopped and looked around, unsure where the music was coming from, though it was possible it was just from an intercom system in the amusement park. However, no one seemed to notice, and the instrumentals seemed to come straight from her own head. It was just as dreamy as her humming to start, but soon the tempo quickened.

Now I’m bathed in light,
Was what I did alright?

Prairie gasped and threw the small pea instinctively into a large flowerbed filled with multicolored flowers that bloomed when music played on the nearby small speakers, disguised as rocks. She dashed back to her roommates, wondering what sort of creepy magical experience she had just had.

After all, it was New Year’s today, not Halloween.

Right?

In a Texan suburb, Kelly still hadn’t woken up yet, even though the sun was up and she had gone to bed early enough. She clutched the blue bedspread over her more tightly, smiling as her dreams continued.

She felt comfortable in the bright white room as the partiers from New Year’s continued to sing and dance and shout and race around the room. She felt happy for the first time in days. For once, she wasn’t hidden in the corner of the room, desperate to avoid making eye contact with the dancers. She was finding her own way through the room, toward a large central pillar. A small clock hung from the pillar.

11:57.

She was aware that someone was smiling at her, somewhere deep within the crowd, but she couldn’t make eye contact with anyone who seemed remotely interested in her.

All she could do is sing wistfully:

I’m under your spell!
How else could it be anyone would notice me?
It’s magic, I can tell!
How you set me free,
Brought me out so easily!

11:59.

Kelly awoke as the two Labrador puppies barked and whined in the living room. She got up and put on some boot-shaped houseshoes to keep her feet warm.

Meanwhile, in the sunny town of Hensonville, in a large amusement park called All Around the World as a tribute to the great Fraggle explorer Travelling Matt, a green spherical pea took root in a flowerbed, grew a stalk, and bloomed, spilling out a small white mist that grew until a pale version of Kelly sat on the dirt, dressed in a tattered white ballgown. She stared blankly ahead, her lips quivering as she found the strength to whisper the final lyrics:

You make me complete.
You make me complete.
Am I … indeed … complete?

 

[newsmanfan]

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Though I don't know much about the game, this is a great (and somewhat disturbing) musing on the nature of our avatars. Who here hasn't wished we COULD share a world with living, breathing Muppets/Fraggles/Hensoncritters? Who hasn't wished we could shape our lives more to our liking?

Scary thought: how much does what we think of our own life actually proscribes how life treats us?

Very well done.
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