This is the ninteenth entry in a series created by brave kid and me, more of which he and I will be working on together in the future. (A picture of Peanut and her mother is also now available on my blog, the Keeper of the Fun blog!)The storyline is based off of an episode of Tom and Jerry entitled, "Jerry and Jumbo." Please enjoy! (BTW brave kid, thank you very much for all of the story suggestions you've given me. I've had a lot of fun working on these stories with you, and I very much appreciate it. I look forward to writing future stories with you.) :)
It's a lovely night in New York City. Outside of a local circus, a mama elephant and her baby are standing, taking in the night air. "Now, please be careful, Peanut Dear," the mama elephant says. "And don't wander too far from me."
"Okay, Mommy." little Peanut replies faithfully. As soon as her mother turns her back, a small firefly buzzes past the little elephant's nose. Immediately forgetting what her mother's told her, Peanut promptly trots off after the bug and ends up tumbling down a small hillside like a wheel. "WHOOOOAAAOOOAAAOOAA-OOF!"
The little elephant ends up landing in the yard behind Dot's Puppy Pound. "Oof, where am I?" she groans, slowly climbing to her feet. Glancing above the doorway, she reads the sign. "'Dot's Puppy Pound.' Hmm, I wonder if someone here could help me find my way home." As Peanut slowly tiptoes into the pound, entering the kitchen, a worried look crosses her face. "Ooh, I wish that I had listened to my Mommy, then I never would have gotten lost in this strange place.
Suddenly, the lights flicker on; startled, Peanut quickly ducks behind a cabinet. At this moment, Rebound, who had come down, seeking a midnight snack, makes her way toward the refrigerator, quietly singing, "I'm so happy, happy, happy that you're home, and I'll never, ever, ever be alone..." As Peanut watches Rebound from he hiding place, she suddenly spots a jar of peanut butter in the shelf overhead. Licking her lips hungrily, the little elephant quickly sucks the jar down from the shelf.
"Huh?" Hearing the unusual sound, Rebound quickly closes the fridge and begins looking all around her. "What was that?"
Peeking around the corner, Rebound discovers the little elephant eating peanut butter out of the jar. "Ohmigosh, a real baby elephant!" Frightened that she's now been discovered, Peanut quickly skitters inside the pantry. Rebound quickly runs after her, "Wait, don't be afraid little one, I won't hurt you!"
Peanut peeks out of the pantry. "For really?"
"For really." Rebound replies jovially. "By the way, my name's Rebound."
"Pleased to meet you, Rebound," The little elephant sticks her trunk out and gently shakes the little sheepdog pup's paw. "My name's Peanut."
"Well, it's quite a pleasure to meet you, Peanut," Rebound replies. "What brings you to our little corner of the world?"
"Well, you see," Peanut replies sadly as she slowly steps out of the pantry. "I live at the circus with my Mommy; I was chasing after a firefly when I tripped and started rolling down a hill and ended up here. I wish that I had listened when my Mommy told me not to go far; I hope that I can find her again..." The little elephant sits sadly on the floor with her chin in her hooves.
Rebound places a consoling paw on Peanut's shoulder. "Don't worry, Peanut, I'll help you find your Mommy again." The little elephant's face lights up. "You will?"
"Absopositively, we Pound Puppies will never turn down an animal in need."
Felling very elated, Peanut excitedly begins shaking Rebound's paw with he trunk. "Ohh, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"
"Yyyyyooouuu'rrrreee qqqqqquuuuiiittteee wwwweeeeellllccccoooommmmeee." a very shaken-up Rebound replies.
Rebound traipses over to a doggy door leading outside and pushes her nose through it. "Okay," she says, sniffing the air. "I'll try to pick up the scent of your home."
Meanwhile, Catchum the nasty dogcatcher is strolling down the sidewalk just outside the pound, looking for stray pets to capture. As he rounds a corner, his gaze suddenly falls on Rebound, who's traipsing out from around a nearby bush; a nasty grin spreads across his face. "Well, well, well, what have we here but a stray puppy dog? I'll catch her and I'll catch her good!"
As soon as she sets foot on the sidewalk, the little sheepdog pup feels a net falling over her head; she gives a very audible gasp as Catchum scoops her up. "Heh, heh, NOW I gotcha, ya little mutt!" the dogcatcher sneers rudely. "Won't the boss be pleased with me!"
Thinking quickly, Peanut sticks her trunk out of the bush and quickly sucks Rebound out of the net. The dogcatcher stares at his empty net in shock. "That's strange," he muses, picking the net up and looking it over, then looking all around him. "She just vanished into thin air..."
From inside their leafy hiding place, Rebound happily shakes Peanut's trunk. "Thanks so much for savin' me, Peanut. Boy, that ol' dogcatcher sure can be a pest."
"You're quite welcome," the little elephant replies politely. "Anything for a friend."
As Rebound pauses to ruminate for a second, she observes that Peanut is the same color of grey that she is; an idea suddenly hits her. "Say...Would you like to have some fun with the ol' dogcatcher?"
"Absolutely!" the little elephant replies excitedly.
"Follow me, please." Rebound says, upon which the two of them traipse inside.
Rebound leads Peanut into a closet, where Rebound quickly outfits the elephant in a denim blue dress resembling hers, then places two furry grey socks(The same color as her own ears) over Peanut's ears, then ties two red bows above her ears. "Okay, now could you roll your trunk up, please, Peanut?" Rebound says.
"Sure thing." The little elephant rolls up her trunk, upon which the little sheepdog pup covers it with black makeup. A smile spreads across Rebound's face. "Now we'll turn the tables on ol' Catchum for sure!"
As Catchum continues to wander the street outside the pound, he suddenly spots Rebound standing on the doorstep. "Ha, NOW I gotcha, ya slippery little mutt!" he snarls as he rushes toward her. No sooner does he get close, however, than Rebound ducks inside. Catchum quickly swings the door open, "All right, come outta there right now, or-" He cuts himself off sharply as he looks up and sees a much larger version of the small dog he'd previously been chasing. The dogcatcher stares blankly and gives an audible gulp. "I...I mus' be imagining things!" He swings the door shut, then opens it again, but the enormous pup is still there. He then holds his net above his head with one hand, then slowly opens the door with his other hand, and finds...a normal sized Rebound. The little sheepdog pup quickly punches him in the nose and swings the door shut. "Ooch!" Catchum squeals.
Growing even angrier, Catchum yanks the door open, holding his net high over his head, and is promptly faced with the magnified Rebound, who has an angry look on her face. The dogcather begins to sweat profusely. "Ahh...heh heh, no hard feelings, right, miss?" The magnified Rebound, however, was not swayed by this and socks the dogcatcher with her trunk, sending him flying across the front walk and landing in a trash can with a resounding CRASH!
"Ugh," Catchum groans as he slowly climbs out of the can and tidies himself up. "I don't know what's goin' on around here, but I do know that I'll have ta proceed with a bit more caution." He then slowly makes his way toward the door again, quickly swings the door open, then quickly dashes behind it, shaking like a bowl of Jell-O. When he doesn't hear any sound, Catchum peeks over his shoulder and sees the doorway empty. "Pfew." he sighs, mopping his brow.
At that moment Catchum spots Rebound running through the hallways inside the pound. "Oh no. You won't get away from me THIS time, pup!" Catchum snarls as he dashes into the building, wielding his net. As he comes to a doorway, the dogcatcher stops and looks all around him. "Now, where could that pup have gone?" He slowly tiptoes past the doorway, upon which the magnified Rebound tiptoes alongside him; once he's reached the other side, the dogcatcher stops and scratches his head. "Huh?" He then tiptoes back the other way, upon which the normal sized Rebound tiptoes alongside him. He then stops again. "Huh."
Catchum races past the doorway and is joined by the normal-sized Rebound again, then he dashes back the other way and is joined by both the normal sized and magnified Rebounds! The dogcatcher screeches to a halt and gives a very audible gasp.
I...I musta' been workin' too hard or somethin'," Catchum stammers. "I can't have really been seein' what I thought I saw." To confirm this notion, he peeks around the corner, upon which the magnified Rebound peeks back. From behind his sunglasses, Catchum's eyes grow large; he then peeks around the corner again and the normal sized Rebound looks back. Still much perplexed, he then peeks around the corner again and comes face to face with the magnified Rebound again. He peeks back and forth, each time now only being faced with the normal sized Rebound. "Aha!" he exclaims, upon which running down the hall, wielding his net.
No sooner does he enter the next room, however, than he spots two doghouses, one large and one small; the dogcatcher screeches to a halt and leaps into the air, squealing, "YEEEEEEEEP!" Thinking quickly, Catchum sets up an enormous box trap, made from a wooden crate, baits it with a steak, then rushes toward the door. No sooner does he reach the doorway, however, than Peanut quickly reaches her trunk out of the doghouse, turns the box trap around, then begins sucking the dogcatcher back with a mighty force. "Uh oh..." Catchum runs against the gale with all his might, but it soon overpowers him and he goes hurtling backwards into the trap, which drops over his head with a resounding CLUNK.
"Whatta revoltin' development.." the dogcatcher groans.
Picking himself up out of the box trap, Catchum feels his anger rising. "All right, I'm through playing games," he growls. "I'll get the better of you no matter WHAT size you are, just see if I don't!" He stands at the door of the doghouses, waiting to nab whoever comes out. At this moment the magnified Rebound rushes out, upon which Catchum swishes his net down and captures her. Unfortunately for him, the magnified Rebound soon proves to be too heavy for someone his size to carry very effectively, and he soon finds himself staggering backwards getting squished against a nearby staircase by the giant pup. "Oogh..."
The magnified Rebound then quickly scurries away with the normal-sized Rebound running after her; hearing footsteps close behind them, the normal sized Rebound suddenly stops short and gasps when she sees Catchum rushing up to them, wielding his net. The two of them then take to their heels; the magnified Rebound manages to duck behind a nearby easy chair, but the normal-sized Rebound isn't quite as fortunate and is quickly pursued by Catchum.
"Oh no," Peanut says as she peeks out from behind the chair. "My little friend!" She takes a deep breath and is about to suck Rebound away, when suddenly her mother looks in the window. "My baby...my darling!" Mama elephant exclaims elatedly.
"Mommy!" Peanut cries excitedly as her mother scoops her up in her trunk and embraces her in a big hug. "Oh, I'm so glad I found you," Mama Elephant says. "I was so worried that I'd never see you again!"
"I missed you, too Mommy," Peanut replies. "I'm very sorry that I hadn't listened to you before; I promise that from now on I always will."
"Well, all that mattes now is that we're safely together again." Mama Elephant replies. Just then, Catchum races by, chasing a frightened Rebound, who's crying, "Help! Some one, please save me!"
"Oh dear!" Mama Elephant gasps. "What's happened here?"
"That mean ol' dogcatcher's tryin' ta nab my friend Rebound!" Peanut replies angrily.
"Goodness, whatever can we do?" a very concerned Mama Elephant says. Peanut is then suddenly hit with an idea. "I think I may have a plan." She then whispers the plan into her mother's ear.
Meanwhile, Rebound races out onto the front doorstep with Catchum in hot pursuit; just then, she hears a whistle and spots the still disguised Peanut peeking out from behind the toolshed. "Quick, over here!" Peanut motions, upon which the little sheepdog pup rushes behind the barn with her. Catchum then screeches to a halt in front of the shed and begins looking all around him. "Now, where could that pup have gone?"
At this moment the normal sized Rebound hops out from behind the shed. "Aha!" the dogcatcher exclaims fiercely, swinging his net in the air. "Now I gotcha!" Just then, the magnified Rebound hops out behind her. "Ha, I'm not afraid of you." Catchum sneers nastily, swinging his net higher. Just then, an enormous version of Rebound hops out behind her!
The dogcatcher stares in shock as his net slowly wilts in his hands. "Ahehe, little doggy..." he babbles, pointing at the normal sized Rebound. "Big doggie..." he babbles, pointing at the larger Rebound. "HUGE DOGGIE!" he exclaims, pointing at the massive Rebound. "WAHAHAA! OOHOOHOO! WEEEHEEHEE!" Catchum screams manically as he runs wildly through the neighborhood, smashing through fences as he goes.
Rebound, Peanut, and Mama Elephant look on in amusement as the dogcatcher leaves. "And that was the end of the mean ol' dogcatcher!" Peanut says triumphantly. She then shakes Rebound's paw with her trunk. "Thank you for all of your help." Mama Elephant then shakes Rebound's paw. "Thank you for looking after my little girl."
"You're both quite welcome." Rebound replies politely.
"Well, we'd best be returning to the circus." Mama Elephant notes as she and Peanut then begin to set off. "Goodbye, Dearie." She waves politely with her trunk. "'Bye, Rebound!" Peanut calls as she waves too.
"'Bye, folks!" Rebound calls as she waves back. "Thank you for everything! Don't forget to write!"
"Please don't worry," Peanut replies. "Elephants never forget!" She and Rebound then share a small laugh at this.
The end.
Voice Cast
Rebound-Brooke Goldner
Peanut-Russi Taylor
Mama Elephant-Cathy Cavadini
Catchum-Frank Welker