The Reunion -- Hensonville Fic

[RedPiggy]

Pear Sinclair, a big green bite of ol’ country (real ol’ country) goodness, flicked out her pudgy green fingers and managed to snap poor Rizzo’s tail between them just as he was about to dive with three somersaults, a twist, and and painful belly-flop into some cheese fondue.

“’Ey!” Rizzo screeched, his little legs twitching wildly. “Lemme go!”

Pearl shook her head and carried the rat to the other side of the dining room. She unceremoniously plopped him to the floor. “Now, look, sugah … I ain’t got time ta watch your hairy lil’ hide while I cook. Now go do somethin’ useful fer a change.” She turned back towards the fondue … only to find it gone.

Newsie trotted into the living room of the modest home with a bowl of fondue in his arms and a tiny red-headed Doozer architect on his shoulder, keeping her balance by holding onto his thick black plastic-framed glasses. “Are you quite certain Ms. Sinclair let us have this? The cooking isn’t quite finished yet.”

Cotterpin grinned, knowing full well he couldn’t see her from that angle. “Oh, I assure you – she let us have it.”

They both felt a tremendous stomping behind them. Pearl was charging, steam nearly coming out of her small ears. “I’ll let you have it, alright!” she roared as she chased a now screaming duo out of the room, out the front door, and around and around the house.

The house had only recently been bought over in the northeastern corner of Hensonville, which consisted of the Housing District. The address was 73 Moss Street, and the one-story lower-middle class home with a large living room but small kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an office sat comfortably on the corner of Moss and Clash Corner. As the subdivision wasn’t populated with too many people, there was still a wonderful view of Lake Hensonville, the water glistening with shimmering pearls of light during the daytime.

Hoggle, dressed simply save for a small silver crown and a purple robe that looked like it was made from a purple towel wrapped around his neck, sighed as he sat near the trash can in the middle of the kitchen.

“’Ey, Wrinkles,” Oscar started, opening his trash can lid slowly, making an unnerving creaking sound, “get me some o’ those greasy aluminum foil wrappings, will ya?”

Hoggle sighed again. “Why should I?” He looked up to find a chain of paper clips, bottle caps, pennies, and caramel popcorn dangling just above his head.

“I’d ask ya what you’d do fer a Klondike bar … but I couldn’t find any in my can,” Oscar noted with a chuckle. “So – tell me, Wrinkles – what would this get me?”

Hoggle tenderly held the chain of odds and ends in his large hands, then shrugged and let go. “A gold star in a kindergardens class or somethin’,” he replied, standing up, dusting himself off. “Go get yer own trash. It’s bad enough I gots to be Jareth’s errand boy … but I don’t have ta be yours,” he groused, kicking Oscar’s can and leaving the room.

Oscar stared for a moment and chuckled. “It’s a shame Kell never paired us up. I coulda had a lotta fun wit’ dat one.” He lowered himself in his can and slammed the lid shut.

Newsie locked himself in a closet after he managed to slip back inside the house without being seen by the furious megalosaurus. He panted as he set Cotterpin down. “When is … Kelly going … to arrive? Shouldn’t she … be off work yet?”

Cotterpin shuffled her feet and stared at the floor. “Uh, she’s playing Elder Chronicles,” she noted timidly.

Newsie stared at her in confusion. “What kind of game is that? Is it for the Xbox or the Commodore 64?”

Cotterpin backed away slowly. “Let’s just say she’s Princess Gwenalot and she’s roughhousing a big blue dragon.”

Newsie nodded. “I get it.”

Cotterpin glanced up at him in shock. “You do?”

Newsie chuckled, using an index finger to push his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Cotterpin. You don’t have to say another word. It’s obvious to anyone with half a brain that Kelly is busy at the arcades across town.” He laughed. “Oh, she should feel lucky to be able to maintain the inner child.”

Cotterpin laughed politely and left the closet as the house started to quiet down. “If she keeps this up, she’ll be maintaining an ‘inner child’ alright,” she grumbled to herself as she shuddered, thinking of the ramifications of such a thing.

TO BE CONTINUED ….

 

[RedPiggy]

Kathy nearly bowled over onto the floor as she entered her room in the Hensonville Townhouse. “Oof!”

Prairie dived out of the way. “Sorry, Kathy!” she chirped. “I’m on my way to the kitchen.” With that, the little blonde-haired pink-skinned Muppet kid ambled away.

Kathy sighed as she righted herself, smiling. It was great to be back in Hensonville. After the town had nearly been destroyed in an unfortunate fire, all of the humans who liked to hang out in town returned in amazement as the place had been nearly completely transformed into a lovely, cheerful, energetic … uh, place.

Kathy was the leader of a challenge to improve the health of the entire town. Normally, one would have pegged Red Fraggle to start such an initiative, but Kathy was born to the role.

Kelly had decided to join Kathy on walks on the weekends in a lovely green wooded area nearby, walking her two Labrador retrievers, Bear and Sarah.

The Count had decided to join a gym and he would sometimes have to be dragged out at closing time. Of course, he only sat on a bench and counted the push-ups, sit-ups, bench presses, and swimming laps that others did, but whatever.

Ojo, a small orange-like bear, decided to bike around the University of Hensonville campus.

Meanwhile, Tutter (a blue mouse) and Boober Fraggle started a cleaning business, making any room sparkle. They put in enough elbow grease to fry a sack of French fries – if it were healthy to eat them, which it wasn’t.

The Swedish Chef poked his head into the doorway leading to the small kitchen. “Hey, Kathy, is it ookey iff ve-a breeng oofer zee selemee peezza und zee chedder breedsteecks?”

Kathy stared at him. “I thought we were using vegetarian stuff, Chef,” she told him.

He shrugged. “Ectooelly, zee fegetebles und zee frooeets sterted a prutest.”

Kathy chuckled. “Well, I suppose a little pizza and breadsticks are okay. We have to keep them a ‘sometimes food’, though.”

Grover grunted and panted as he struggled to push a large wooden crate across the floor to the kitchen.

Kathy went up to him, smirking as his little blue furry feet gained little traction. “Hey, Grover? What’s in there?”

Grover stopped, sighed, and planted his bottom on the floor, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I am bringing the ingredients for the hamburgers to the Swedish Chef.”

“Well, how many of us are coming over to Kelly’s?”

Grover shrugged. “I do not know, but I asked Charlie to get me all the good stuff.”

Kathy took a step back, her eyes growing wide. “Grover – Charlie makes hamburgers the size of tabletops!”

Grover nodded. “He also makes some the size of nickels. I have not yet opened the crate to determine which ones we will be making – but there is definitely a lot of stuff in there.”

Kathy shook her head, thinking, “Pizza, breadsticks, hamburgers … why aren’t parties ever associated with anything healthier?” She sighed and helped Grover push the crate into the kitchen.

“Why, thank you, Kathy!” Grover exclaimed happily, powerfully slapping Kathy on the lower part of her back.

Kathy cringed and smiled despite the pain. “You’re welcome. I can’t believe we don’t know who’s coming, though. Wasn’t there a list?”

The Swedish Chef shook his head as he carried a large crockpot across the kitchen floor. “Hoggle-a nefer gut eruoond tu pusteeng un infeeteshun leeke-a thet teeme-a iferyune-a ves infeeted tu thet perty in zee Lebyreent.”

Kathy nodded. “Oh.” She counted her fingers. “Well, there’s Ed, of course, an’ me, an’ Tabitha, an’ Tony, an’ Ailie, an’ Caitlyn, an’ Beth, an’ Erin, an’ Kim, an’ … and … who else is there?”

Prairie Dawn popped up with an iPhone, staring at the roster. “Let’s see … you forgot Claudia, Bell, and Liza.”

Kathy nodded again. “Yeah, that’s right. I wonder if any of them will come.”

Grover looked at Kathy. “Who can resist an invitation to a party?”

Kathy glanced at Grover. “But there wasn’t an invitation this year.”

Prairie Dawn shrugged. “Hensonville isn’t exactly the biggest city in the world. It wouldn’t take long to spread the word. Besides, most of us live here in the Townhouse anyway.”

TO BE CONTINUED ….

 

[RedPiggy]

Tony walked with Lefty, the little green-skinned conman, in the Docks District. It was dark and stormy … which was kinda surreal, as it was only 1 o’clock in the afternoon and the rest of the town was bright and sunny. Still, there was a certain atmosphere to the place. It drew in the amoral and the immoral alike.

Lefty stopped suddenly and glanced at his fake Rolex watch. “I gotta go, Tommy, riiiiiiiight.”

Tony sighed, shaking his head. “What now?”

“I, uh, got a party ta go to. Don’t wait up, okay? Riiiiiiight.” He high-tailed it south, leaving his human roomie in the dust.

Lefty found himself deep in a cramped alley, filled with roaches and cobwebs. There was a small swivel chair facing away from him. Lefty gulped and adjusted his trenchcoat. “I got here just like you wanted, riiiiight.” He looked around. “I thought we were meeting in a cave.”

The voice was female, with a Spanish accent. “For now – this is La Cueva,” the voice noted coldly. The chair turned around, and a blue-furred monster girl with an orange nose revealed herself, petting an orange cat with a patch over one eye. “Today is a new day, señor. Where is it?”

Lefty gulped. “I got it, I got it,” he whispered, fumbling around in his trenchoat. He pulled out a silver amulet with writing on it. “I got da woid of da day right here.” He handed her the amulet.

Rosita glanced at it in her hands. “This says ‘word’. Is this some kind of joke?”

Lefty shrugged nervously. “I – I – I’m not very amusing, as you mighta realized by now.”

Rosita sighed and tossed it back at him, bored. Her cat Gaffer meowed half-threateningly. “Change it to ‘palabra’ and I’ll take it. Go – y no me falla.” Gaffer hissed and pawed at Lefty.

Lefty shuddered, his pants getting darker as the fear overtook him. “Wh-wh-whatevah you say, Blue Monstah Lady.” He ran off with the amulet. He ran and ran, running as fast his little legs would take him – until he smacked into Tony’s shins and fell to the asphalt.

Tony stared at the pathetic sight. “What is that? What are you up to? Why is the sky always black over here?” He looked down. “Where did I leave my pants?”

Lefty awoke as Newsie was shaking him violently, screaming. Lefty slapped the bad-luck reporter, who dropped him. “You ungrateful lil’ mook! Wha’d ya shake me for?”

Newsie started to cry. “SHE’S GONNA EAT ME!” he bawled, getting on his knees in a prayer-like position.

Lefty looked beyond the sniveling news reporter to see an angry green Mack truck of a girl barreling towards them.

“I’m gonna hogtie you an’ serve you up with baked beans an’ grits an’ milk gravy … an’ … an’,” she started to slow down, her voice getting softer as she started licking her lips, “an’ … mmmmmmm … sausage.” She rubbed her ample belly and shrugged. “I reckon’ I’m gonna be goin’ now. I’m hungry somethin’ fierce!” She turned around and left without another word. “That Chef bettah be done. That there party ovah at Kelly’s ain’t gonna throw itself.”
TO BE CONTINUED….

 

[The Count]

Mmm... Baked beans and milk gravy and biscuits... Are those sausages of the blood sausage variety? Oh, I'm getting hungry now. Think I'll go get a piece of that devilfood cake from the lunch party my family had today.
*Leaves thread to bring back an extra piece if Kelly wants it.

BTW: There are bits throughout that make me alternately smile and/or laugh like the produce protest, the tabletop burgers, and Rosita's meeting with Lefty.
More please?

 

[redBoobergurl]

This is really cute, I like it so far. I should really go post over in Hensonville too as it has been awhile. I hate being so darn busy all of the time!

 

[RedPiggy]

Kelly sighed as Red Fraggle twitched her tail as she sat in the lobby of the clinic. Walking over, Kelly inspected Red. “What seems to be the problem today?”

Red looked all around the room before answering. “I thought there’d be this weird voice coming out of nowhere, announcing what you were about to do.”

Kelly stared at her dryly. “Uh, no.”

“But how do you introduce yourself? You know,” the little Fraggle continued, inhaling deeply, “’This is the continuing stooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooory,” she inhaled again to keep her golden skin from turning blue, “of a clinic that’s gone to the dogs.’”

Kelly rubbed her forehead. This was going to be a long day. “The clinic isn’t run by a dog. I run it.”

Red frowned, disappointed. “But there has to be a bizarre narrator, strange medical conditions, and really bad puns!” she protested.

Kelly sighed. “Red, hasn’t Beth given you anything productive to do today?”

Red’s eyes brightened up. “Yeah! We’re coming to your party!”

Kelly stared at her. “What do you mean, ‘party’?”

Red gasped, feeling her heart sink to the floor. “You – you – you mean you didn’t know – that, uh, there’s absolutely no party whatsoever?” Her voice struggled to remain confident. “Yep, there isn’t any such thing as a --.”

Kelly smiled and patted her on the head. “I know about the party. It wasn’t a surprise, Red. I’m throwing it to try to get everyone together again. I’ve been on my own for too long.”

Red sighed with relief. “But,” she added in confusion, “you only just now moved out of the Townhouse. It hasn’t been that long. No one even really noticed you were gone. You always pop in every once in awhile anyway.”

It was Kelly’s turn to be confused. “What are you --? I moved out of the Dorms in December when I graduated the University of Hensonville. What do you mean I just moved out?”

Red hopped onto the floor and dashed toward the door of the small improvised clinic. “I just remembered – I haven’t gotten ready for the party yet – bye!” Quick as a flash, she was out the door.

Kelly shook her head and turned and went back to her station.

<><><>

Jareth frowned as he stared at the crystal ball in his hand, watching Kelly and Red’s conversation.

A small, shriveled gray-green skinned goblin with a long white mustache looked up at him.

“Check the oubliette,” Jareth mumbled to the goblin.

“Which one?”

“All of them! Every single one!” Jareth roared. His voice finally calmed down. “Make sure our guest is still forgotten.”

“Which guest?”

“The one that was put in the oubliette to forget about.”

“If we forgot about the guest, how are we supposed to remember there’s a guest in one?”

Jareth shot the goblin a deadly glance. “Either search the oubliettes or become a resident of one!”

The goblin gulped and nodded and ran out of the throne room of the Goblin Castle.

TO BE CONTINUED ….

 

[Katzi428]

Wonderful so far! Had to laugh at Red imitating the announcer for Vet's Hospital!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Aww, my little Red, too cute!

 

[RedPiggy]

Ailie stood on the roof of the Townhouse, while Gonzo inspected the cannon. “Be sure and get a good trajectory,” she told him.

Gonzo nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want me to volunteer instead?” he asked, with a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

Ailie nodded. “Have you ever had something and were just sick to death of it? That’s how I feel about that,” she replied, pointing to a huge trunk with black robes sticking out. She kicked the trunk just for emphasis. A high-pitched shrieking could be heard as the trunk jumped a few inches off the roof a few times. Ailie smiled.

Caitlyn climbed over the edge of the roof, with Waldo flying just ahead of her. “Are we in the story yet?”

Ailie shook her head. “I don’t think so. We’re just killing Ch – time until we finally get put in.”

“Ah,” Caitlyn replied, leaving.

<><><>

Kelly finally came home to see Pearl and the Chef arguing in her kitchen. Kelly decided she didn’t want to deal with what could be an insurance nightmare and plopped her tired self on the couch in the living room.

Pearl came walking in, sighing. “You think us Pangaeans had strange tastes?” she griped, pointing to the kitchen. “That durn fool galoot wants ta bake toasters!”

Kelly sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Do me a favor, will ya? Get ol’ SC to go grocery shopping.”

Pearl gawked at her. “Whatevah for?”

“To get rid of ol’ SC.”

Pearl winked. “Ah.”

Kelly sat up. “Pearl? Have you seen Spike?”


Pearl shook her head. “I ain’t seen him since the town done burned ta cinders, hon.” She chuckled. “Still, Lil’ Pin’s been doin’ her best ta get folks thinkin’ you two sugah muffins are still the hottest item since a red hot poker on a sunny day.”

Kelly couldn’t help but smile at the way Pearl laid it down. She couldn’t stop being concerned however, her brows furrowing. “Still … Red said I just moved out of the Townhouse. That can’t be. I moved out of the Dorms in December, not … what month are we on?”

Pearl shrugged. “I ain’t been around a lot, but from what I hear, you moved out ‘round March or April or somethin’.” She sat down. “You sayin’ that little hormonal mood swing o’ yours that flamebroiled this town to the ground wasn’t done by you?”

Kelly sighed and stood. “Alright, that tears it! Why does everyone keep saying I burned the town? I was nowhere near the place! I was studying for the NCLEX!”

Pearl handed her the script.

Kelly stared at it for several moments. “Sheesh. Could I squeeze any more angst out of that?”

Pearl chuckled. “Well, you were feelin’ mighty lonesome, what with not gettin’ chances ta talk ta the others none,” she replied softly. “You created a right sparse place where all the humans done up an’ left. Weren’t nothin’ but just us chickens – or chicken ancestors,” she winked with a smirk. “You felt if no one was gonna talk to ya, then you’d just shut everyone up.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “Dark. Angsty.” She thought for a moment. “And yet … that doesn’t really sound like me at all.”

Pearl coughed. “Coughdenialcough.”

Kelly shook her head. “I mean it, Pearl! Yes, it was irritating to try over five times to enter a conversation and be completely ignored … but I’d never risk harming the inhabitants of Hensonville over it! What kind of sick puppy would blow something like that way out of proportion? It’s like getting dumped on a date and then wanting to erase the entire universe because of it!”

Pearl scratched her head. “Yeah, I reckon that sounds right familiar.”

Newsie showed up and nervously stuck a microphone in Pearl’s face. “Before the party, perhaps I could get a quote about how incarceration changed your life.”

Pearl swatted him away. “I don’t know how else ta tell you this, pineapple-head: That was ‘Flick Fic’ Pearl. I’m ‘Comeback’ Pearl. Now git!”

<><><>

Ailie watched the smoke trail in the sky with satisfaction as the trunk was shot across Hensonville to the Cemetary, where it sunk into sixteen feet of dirt. “Well,” she said, dusting her hands off with a satisfied smirk, “that was convenient! We didn’t even have to bury it!”

Gonzo whimpered as he walked away from the cannon. “Chamberlain gets to have all the fun. Who doesn’t like being shot across town with a cannon and then having to dig yourself out of a makeshift grave like that Kill Bill movie?” His expression brightened just at the thought of it. “That was amazing! I have to try snakes in a briefcase someday!”

Caitlyn met Ailie on the ground level. “Are we in the story now? All those kids we picked up as roomies are starting to get a little impatient. We gotta get them in the story before their naptime.”

Ailie raised an eyebrow as she stared at Cait. “Uh … isn’t Clover, like, an adult in the Townhouse?”

Waldo shrugged. “Maybe it’s because babies aren’t allowed?”

Ailie shook her head. “That was just when Hensonville revolved around going to school. Joëlle just had a kid and nobody said anything.”

Caitlyn protested, “That’s not true! We congratulated her!”

Ailie slapped her forehead. “I meant Sammy’s welcome now. It’s not like before, where you had to be at least in high school in order to move in or something.”

Waldo wondered, “But, I’ve never been to school.”

Ailie glanced at him dryly. “You’re the Internet, Waldo. You are edutainment.”

Waldo smiled. “Oh!” He morphed into a graduation costume. “I’m smart!”

“Uh-huh,” both girls said as they went back into the Townhouse.

TO BE CONTINUED ….

 

[The Count]

Nice breaking down the fourth wall with a sledgehammer while skywriting the Hallelujah chorus. Funny schtuff. Please, more?