The Power Of Imagination

Chapter 1: Babsy comes to Foster's

Posted: 2 Dec 2006

It was the beginning of a new day of Francis Katherine Foster, although she much rather be called Frankie. Her job was to make all the imaginary friends had as comfortable of a stay as possible. She was very good at this, and very busy. She was getting supper when the phone rang. "Could somebody get that? I'm a little busy here."

No one jumped up to pick up the phone.

Frankie grumbled. "Fine. I'll go get it myself then." She put the spoon she stirring the pasta and stomped toward the phone. When she finally answered it, she could have been a little more polite in her response. "Yeah, yeah, what do you want?"

"Is this Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends?" the voice at the other end of the line asked. She sounded very weary. It took Frankie a second to recognize Mac's mom's voice on the phone. "I had thought it was. But I had never met such rudeness from the people who worked that before. If you catch my meaning, that is."

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Jonson, I just was having such a hectic day and all, and I guess that was just a little impatient there."

"I understand. But," Mac's mom said, and could see the older woman holding up a finger, "however, I might have been somebody who doesn't know you as well as I do."

Frankie blushed from embarrassment. "Oh right. I didn't even think of that." Though she should have had. She was the public voice of Foster's after all. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"That's all right." There was a pause on the line. "I'm calling to tell you that Mac is sick and won't be coming over."

"Oh my gosh! Is it serious?"

"It's just a flu. Nothing too serious." But people have died from having the flu! "But he won't be able to leave for the next two days so that he won't be able to visit Bloo."

"Bloo? How do you know about him?"

"Mac is an eight-year-old boy. He isn't that opaque."

"Oh." That certainly put a new light on things. "And you haven't said a thing about it?"

"No, I didn't want Mac to think that I was spying on his every move."

"No, Mac wouldn't like that," Frankie agreed. "But could you tell me when Mac gets better?"

"Of course."

Frankie returned to the pasta. Lunch didn't cook itself you know.

Her afternoon went as expected. With cleaning, washing, and cooking and sometimes answering the door. At least some of the friends help her. Most of the friends, actually. Especially Wilt. He was the most helpful imaginary friend that Frankie had met. And she had met a lot of imaginary friends in her time. She wondered if she would ever meet anyone more helpful than Wilt.

-OOO-

There were certain advantages to being tall, Wilt had realized over the years. It allowed him to reach places that some others couldn't. Such as when somebody wanted something from a shelf too high for them to reach. Which happens a lot more often than you would think. Like when Frankie wanted a roll of paper towels, but they were stashed at the top of the closet, where she had trouble reaching. "Thank you, Wilt," she said when he had just now provided her that service. "You're a big help around here. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Aw, it was the least I could do." But Frankie had just said began to worry him. What would happen when he gets adopted? Who would help her then? Who would take off some of the burden of her chores?

"Thanks for helping me, Wilt. But shouldn't you be playing with your friends?"

"No, Frankie. I'm sorry, but too many people around this house need my help."

"Well, you can help me by keeping Bloo out of trouble."

Wilt saluted. "Will do, Frankie."

As he turned to leave, the doorbell was rung. "Oh, who could that be?" Frankie sighed. "I guess better go answer it before Old Cotton Butt scolds me for not answering the door in time."

"Frankie I can take those paper towels for you."

Frankie shook her head. "No, you're keeping Bloo out of trouble. Remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

-OOO-

Frankie found a friend to give the paper towels to, went down the stairs and opened the front door. And found a pink bunny imaginary friend was standing on the front porch. "Is this Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends?"

"Yes. That's us all right."

"Good, I'm finally here." The pink bunny with the yellow blouse and the purple skirt and bows on her ears hopped into Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends like she owned the place. Maybe she thought she did. "I so do like what you've done with the place." She began to admire the foyer with a keen eye for details. The grand staircase with its detailed cast plaster moldings. And the high ceilings with the crystal clear chandelier overhead.

And Madame Foster's bust.

It was when Babs Bunny started to examine it with a magnifying glass that she had pulled out from somewhere that Frankie started to worry. And be miffed. "Is that really necessary?"

"I'm afraid that it is."

"May I ask why?"

"Sure," Babs said in a distracted sort of way. And then went right on examining it like she had been doing.

Finally Frankie had enough. "Why are you examining the statue like that?"

Babs looked back sheepishly. "I'm sorry. But could you repeat that? I was a little distracted."

"Yes, I can see that," Frankie said under her breath. Aloud, she repeated. "Why are you examining the statue like that?"

"It looks like one I have seen before. I just was checking if it was the same one."

"Just are you checking for anyway?"

"Cracks. Nicks. Globs of glue. That sort of thing. Signs that it had been busted and then put back together again."

"Whatever for?"

"Because I broke just like it when I was at Julie's house."

"Was Juilie your kid?"

"Yes, that's right."

"But don't you don't a tour first. And besides," Frankie pointed out, waving her hand dismissively, "Ole Fuzzbutt had hundreds of these made as they have bad habit of breaking." Frankie winced at the memory of breaking about a dozen of them by just waking up. This wouldn't be the Foster bust to be broken, if it was in fact broken.

"Ole Fuzzbutt?"

"Him." Frankie pointed. She had spotted Mr. Herriman hop out of his office and heading in their direction. "Mr. Herriman, the office manager."

"Ah," Babs replied. "A fellow rabbit."

"Ah," Mr. Herriman said as he approached. "I see we have a new guest here at the house. And who might you be?"

Babs knitted her brow. "Don't you watch television?"

"Yes, I watch it upon occasion."

"Ever watch a little program by the name of Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, Tiny Toons."

Mr. Herriman lifted his nose into the air and sniffed. "I never in all my life wasted my time watching such drivel. I-"

"Drivel! I happen to be, I'll have you know, one of the co-stars of the show, the cute and wonderful Barbara Ann Bunny." She smiled daintily. "But you can call me Babs."

"Miss Barbara," (Babs winced.), "you are hardly one of those dreadful cartoon characters, you are an imaginary friend. The sooner you get to that fact, the better. Miss Francis!"

"I'm right here!"

"Take Miss Barbara on a tour of the house while I go about my rounds."

"Yes, Mr. Herriman."

Babs grinned mischievously. "Besides, I'm also a rabbit!"

Mr. Herriman adjusted his monocle. "So you are. Welcome to the house. We could always use another rabbit around here." He nodded. "Carry on." He hopped away.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go take that tour!"

-OOO-

Bloo and his roommates were involved in a heated argument about the game they were going to play next. Everyone was standing, except for Coco, who was in her nest. Coco wanted to play Simon Says. And Wilt wanted to play basketball. And Eduardo wanted to play a nice game of checkers. While Bloo wanted to play a super, awesome game of super ninjas all over the house. It would so awesome and super. Everyone should play it! Or so he claimed. Wilt wasn't so sure about that. It seemed a bit too violent and things would be bound to broken around the house. A lot of things broken. And he was supposed to keep Bloo out of trouble. "I'm sorry, Bloo, but I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Why not?" Bloo dismissed. "Oh, I see. You're just afraid that you would just get in trouble from Mr. Herriman. You know that he's just making up those rules as he goes along, just to get me into trouble?"

"Don't you think that he had created these rules for a reason?"

Bloo thought about for a second. But for only a second. "No."

Eduardo began crying. "I don't want to get into trouble. I don't want to get punished by Senor Herriman."

Bloo shook his head sadly. "Eduardo, Eduardo, Eduardo. You won't get into trouble. Not if you don't caught."

Eduardo immediately stopped his crying. "How?"

"I'm glad you asked, Eduardo." Bloo smiled. "I'm glad you asked me that question."

"Cocococo cocococococo coco."

"Coco is right, Bloo," Wilt said with knotted brow. "What is your plan for avoiding Mr. Herriman."

"It's simplicity itself, my friends." Bloo told them about the plan. After he did so, all three of his roommates started, at the same time, mind you, to laugh at him.

Wilt wiped away a tear from his eye. "I'm sorry, Bloo, but that would never ever ever ever ever ever-"

"All right! Jeez, you don't have to rub it in." Bloo crossed his arms. "Alright we won't play Super Ninjas All Over the House then. We'll play whatever game it is that you want to. Until I can think of something better of course."

Wilt rolled his eye. "That won't take long." Then he realized that what he had could be construed as insulting. "I'm sorry, Bloo, but I didn't mean it like that."

"No, Wilt. You were right. It won't take long for a genius like Bloogeread Q. Kazoo to come up with a fantastically awesome game that we could enjoy."

Eduardo shrugged. "Or we could just play Monopoly."

"That's a great idea, Eduardo," Wilt said.

"Coco cococococ cocococococococo cococo."

Wilt nodded. "Then it's all agreed then. We will play monopoly then."

Bloo mumbled something that sounded like complaints that hadn't been nearly enough discussion, but Wilt wasn't too sure.

"Oooh, that's a great idea," a voice came from the hall. "Mind if I joined you guys?"

Everyone looked in surprise. Eduardo gasped in surprise. A pink bunny imaginary friend with a yellow blouse and purple skirt and bows on her ears stood in the doorway with Frankie standing behind her. "You're the crazy rabbit on that crazy TV show," Eduardo said.

"I may be hyperactive," the pink bunny said, "but most certainly am not crazy."

"Excuse me, Eduardo," Wilt said. "But who is this?"

"My name," the bunny said, "is Babs Bunny, one of the stars of the delightful TV cartoon show, Tiny Toon Adventures."

Bloo rolled his eyes. "Oh great. Another lazy kid who had copied what he had seen on TV. Obviously didn't have the artistic talent that Mac had revealed when he had created me."

Babs stomped into the room as she rolled up her sleeves. "I'll have you know that Julie was a great kid. She has watched every episode of Tiny Toons ever made. At least ten times each! She had just wanted me to come alive." She smiled. "And she did come up with two of her own."

Frankie, who had just ready to spring into action to stop a fight, gasped. "Was? You mean Julie isn't with us anymore?"

Babs lowered her head sadly. "No, she isn't. I wish she that still was. I would be able to live her. Though she did manage to graduate college before she passed on."

"College?"

Babs smiled sheepishly. "Though I suppose this means that wasn't a kid any more."

Frankie shook her head no. "No, I suppose not."

"This things happen," Babs mused. Then she smiled. "But she died doing what she loved best helping others. Some thugs objected to the work she was doing in the third world country they were war lording over and so they killed her." Tears started to flow over her cheeks. "But they did it in most stupid way imaginable, and so Julie became a martyr and the thugs were soon killed afterward. And eventually I made my way here."

"Which third world nation was this?"

Babs pondered the question for a while. "I'm not sure," she said finally.

Bloo rolled his eyes. "How do we even know that her story is even true. For all we know, she could have made it all up."

"Bloo-" Wilt began, but Babs interrupted him. "That's all right," she said. "I have proof." She pulled a newspaper clipping out from her pocket. "I had clipped this newspaper account from the local paper." She sighed. "I wish that I can remember what the name of the paper was. Or still is, I suppose."

Bloo snatched the clipping from Babs's hand and began studying it with a critical eye for detail. "Do be careful with that," Babs said. "It's the only copy that I have left." She smiled. "Oh my. I haven't learned your names yet. Mine is Barbara Ann Bunny. But we can call me Babs," she said in a tone that suggested that was the only thing that they could call her.

"I'm Wilt," Wilt said. "And the big, burly one is Eduardo."

"Hola," said Eduardo. Though he still was a tad bit nervous around Babs.

"Hello."

"And the bird, plant, airplane looking is Coco."

"Coco."

"Hi there."

"And the blue blob is Bloo."

"Oh, I've heard of you," Babs said rather pointedly.

"No doubt of my many accomplishments," Bloo boasted.

"That's one way of putting it," Frankie grumbled. "Now you've met these guys. We still have the rest of the house to cover."

Babs nodded. "Very well, Frankie. See you around boys," she said in a sultry voice. "And you too, Coco," she added in a normal tone. And she left.

"Is she gone?" Eduardo asked from behind the blanket he was hiding under.

"Yes, Eduardo," Wilt assured him. "She's gone."

Eduardo peeked out from under the blanket. "Really?"

"Yes, Eduardo," Bloo insisted. "She really is gone. And do you mind getting off of my bed?"

"Oh, si, Azul. I get off your bed." He got off of Bloo's bunk. "Now we play checkers?"

"Checkers? I thought we were going to play monopoly. Not checkers!"

"Oh, si, gracias, Azul." Eduardo lowered his head. "I get easily confused."

"You can say that again."

"Oh, si, gracias, Azul. I get easily confused.

"Eduardo," Bloo said and laughed, "I didn't tell you to say it again. I just said that you could and apparently you could."

"Oh." Eduardo's face grew crimson red. "I see. Sorry 'bout that."

"Now does anyone know where the monopoly games is?" Wilt propped open the toy chest to check in there. "'cause it doesn't seem to be in here. Even though it is supposed to be."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Wilt," Bloo said. "That's the toy chest, not the game chest. Why would you want to keep a cardboard box in amongst all those pointy objects is beyond me."

"Oh right." Wilt slapped what would have been his forehead had he had one, but he didn't, did he? He just had two eyestalks, one of which was wonky, the result of a basketball mishap. "Frankie had told me all about that, didn't she?"

"How should I know, Wilt? I wasn't there at the time. I was too busy waiting for Mac to come."

-OOO-

"Say, this is a swell place and all," Babs said as they wrapped their tour of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. "But I have to get back to my home in Acme Acres." She winced. "Oh, that's right. There's no such as Acme Acres, and I have never been there, have I?"

Frankie sighed. "No, you haven't." She knelt down and put on her arms around Babs. "I know it seems hard now, Babs. But just you wait and see. Things will get better."

Babs hoped that Frankie was right, but she didn't see how that was even possible. It seemed to her that the hurt would last forever. Tearfully she nodded. "Tomorrow is another day, eh?"

"Yes, that's right, Babs. You'll see."

Babs looked up with tears in her eyes. "Do I really have to be adopted if some kid wants me?"

"That is what we are here for. But don't you worry. We won't give you to anyone but the most loving of families for you." Babs's heart broke when she heard that. She wasn't a pet bunny. She was a toon, with real feelings that could easily be hurt. "You can trust us, Babs."

"I'm not a puppy!" she yelled before hopping away so that she could be alone in her sorrow.

-OOO-

Frankie watched her go, but she didn't follow. She knew better than just to follow an imaginary friend when she wanted to be alone. Though she probably shouldn't used the word 'give.' Babs certainly seemed to be suffering the illusion that she was a cartoon character. But she wasn't a cartoon character. She was a flesh and blood imaginary friend just like Eduardo, Coco, Mr. Herriman, Bloo, Wilt, and all the other imaginary friends that called Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends home. Frankie's grandmother had founded this foster home so that friends like Babs could find a new home to live in, and not just live in the past, like so many imaginary friends had done so before coming to live at Foster's. Madame Foster had even found Frankie a place to live after her mother had so mysteriously disappeared. Frankie wished Babs all the best of luck. She was going to need it.

Unfortunately, Frankie could provide with none.

Babs would have to find her own luck without Frankie's help.