Disclaimer: As a result of a long and bitter copyright battle, Marc Brown owns
the Arthur characters, and I don't, darnit.
This story is rated PG due to some brief violence and scary situations.
Note: If you haven't already guessed, this story is a parody of "Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello.
----
A sudden jolt, like the feeling of a car running over a large rock, aroused Francine from her slumber.
It seemed to her that she was no longer in her bedroom. "Catherine?" she called quietly. No answer came.
She was lying on a hard, gently vibrating surface, surrounded by complete darkness. After a few seconds the vibrations stopped, and after a few more seconds they started again. She could hear muffled street sounds from all directions.
"Catherine?" she called again. "Mom? Dad? Nemo?" Nobody answered.
A chill ran down her spine and into her stomach. "I've been kidnapped," she said to herself. Terrifying worst-case scenarios began to flood her mind. She would never see her family or friends again. She would never see Muffy again...
"Francine?" came Muffy's voice from the darkness.
"Muffy? Is that you?" asked Francine hopefully.
"Where are we?" said Muffy's voice. "I can't see a thing."
"It feels like we're in the back of a moving truck," Francine remarked.
There was the sound of someone fumbling with keys, and then a beam of light suddenly pierced the darkness. Lying still, Francine followed the light with her eyes. From the limited details she could make out--metal walls with wooden planks along them--it did, indeed, look like the inside of the back of a cargo truck.
"I've never been in the back of a truck before," said Muffy, who was now walking around in the enclosed area, shining the portable flashlight attached to her key chain.
"That's what it looks like to me," said Francine as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Where do you suppose they're taking us?"
"I haven't the foggiest." Muffy grabbed her cell phone, flipped it open, and was surprised when it didn't light up. She pushed the on button, but the phone didn't respond. "Hmm. I could've sworn I left it on the charger before going to bed."
Francine was now standing. "Hey, Muffy, shine that light over here."
Muffy pointed the light in the direction of Francine's voice. Francine looked down and was surprised to see that she was wearing a shirt and jeans.
"What the... I don't remember changing out of my pajamas!"
"Neither do I," said Muffy, astonished. "What's going on here, Francine?"
"Would you girls shut up?" came a familiar voice. "I'm trying to sleep."
Muffy turned the flashlight toward the place where the voice came from.
"Fern?" said Muffy and Francine in unison.
Fern, who was sitting in what appeared to be a light blue, plastic box, looked down and observed that she was dressed in her usual blouse. "What happened?" she asked, her expression one of confusion. "I had just gone to bed, and now I'm..."
Muffy beamed the flashlight around the interior of the truck, revealing the presence of more children sleeping in plastic boxes--Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Brain. Francine and Fern became increasingly astonished and worried as they followed the path of the light.
"This is really weird," Muffy commented. "It's like one of those science fiction movies. Maybe I'm dreaming."
"Maybe we're all dreaming," Fern added as she rose to her feet. "But I don't feel sleepy at all."
"Me, neither," said Francine. She reached down and shook Buster's left shoulder. "Buster, wake up!"
The rabbit boy slowly opened his eyes, then bolted upright, shocked. "Huh? Where am I?"
Francine stepped over to what she believed was the cargo door. "Muffy, shine your flashlight over here. Let me see if I can get this door open."
As Muffy provided light for Francine to tinker with the door, Fern tapped the immobile Arthur on the shoulder. "Wake up, Arthur!" The aardvark didn't seem to notice Fern's attempts to arouse him. Finally she gave up, stepped past his box, and tapped Brain's shoulder. The boy's eyes snapped open.
"Fern?" he said, confused. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"
Fern didn't answer, but had started to shake Binky's shoulders to awaken him.
Meanwhile, Francine was pulling up on the bottom of the cargo door with all her strength. Suddenly she heard a snapping sound, and the door started to roll open. "I think I broke something," she muttered. "Must be an old truck."
The light of day streamed into the hold of the truck as Francine pushed up on the door, opening it completely. They were in what appeared to be a large, busy city, but it didn't look like any city they had ever seen. The colors, the lines, the letterings on the ads, and especially the people, looked...different, somehow.
Muffy, Francine, Buster, Brain, and Binky watched from the back of the still-moving truck as the bizarre street scene scrolled by.
Fern, in the meantime, was still shaking and gently slapping Arthur...but the boy did not wake up or even move.
The truck coasted to a stop, apparently for a red light. "Fern! Arthur! Let's go!" cried Francine. She, Muffy, Buster, Binky, and Brain quickly leaped out of the truck and onto the crowded street, followed shortly afterward by the frantic-looking Fern.
The kids glanced around at the strange-looking cityscape for a few more seconds, then turned as one to look at Fern, who had become wide-eyed and speechless.
"Where's Arthur?" Francine demanded.
Fern struggled to compose herself so that she could speak.
"He's...dead!"
(To be continued...)
This story is rated PG due to some brief violence and scary situations.
Note: If you haven't already guessed, this story is a parody of "Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello.
----
A sudden jolt, like the feeling of a car running over a large rock, aroused Francine from her slumber.
It seemed to her that she was no longer in her bedroom. "Catherine?" she called quietly. No answer came.
She was lying on a hard, gently vibrating surface, surrounded by complete darkness. After a few seconds the vibrations stopped, and after a few more seconds they started again. She could hear muffled street sounds from all directions.
"Catherine?" she called again. "Mom? Dad? Nemo?" Nobody answered.
A chill ran down her spine and into her stomach. "I've been kidnapped," she said to herself. Terrifying worst-case scenarios began to flood her mind. She would never see her family or friends again. She would never see Muffy again...
"Francine?" came Muffy's voice from the darkness.
"Muffy? Is that you?" asked Francine hopefully.
"Where are we?" said Muffy's voice. "I can't see a thing."
"It feels like we're in the back of a moving truck," Francine remarked.
There was the sound of someone fumbling with keys, and then a beam of light suddenly pierced the darkness. Lying still, Francine followed the light with her eyes. From the limited details she could make out--metal walls with wooden planks along them--it did, indeed, look like the inside of the back of a cargo truck.
"I've never been in the back of a truck before," said Muffy, who was now walking around in the enclosed area, shining the portable flashlight attached to her key chain.
"That's what it looks like to me," said Francine as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Where do you suppose they're taking us?"
"I haven't the foggiest." Muffy grabbed her cell phone, flipped it open, and was surprised when it didn't light up. She pushed the on button, but the phone didn't respond. "Hmm. I could've sworn I left it on the charger before going to bed."
Francine was now standing. "Hey, Muffy, shine that light over here."
Muffy pointed the light in the direction of Francine's voice. Francine looked down and was surprised to see that she was wearing a shirt and jeans.
"What the... I don't remember changing out of my pajamas!"
"Neither do I," said Muffy, astonished. "What's going on here, Francine?"
"Would you girls shut up?" came a familiar voice. "I'm trying to sleep."
Muffy turned the flashlight toward the place where the voice came from.
"Fern?" said Muffy and Francine in unison.
Fern, who was sitting in what appeared to be a light blue, plastic box, looked down and observed that she was dressed in her usual blouse. "What happened?" she asked, her expression one of confusion. "I had just gone to bed, and now I'm..."
Muffy beamed the flashlight around the interior of the truck, revealing the presence of more children sleeping in plastic boxes--Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Brain. Francine and Fern became increasingly astonished and worried as they followed the path of the light.
"This is really weird," Muffy commented. "It's like one of those science fiction movies. Maybe I'm dreaming."
"Maybe we're all dreaming," Fern added as she rose to her feet. "But I don't feel sleepy at all."
"Me, neither," said Francine. She reached down and shook Buster's left shoulder. "Buster, wake up!"
The rabbit boy slowly opened his eyes, then bolted upright, shocked. "Huh? Where am I?"
Francine stepped over to what she believed was the cargo door. "Muffy, shine your flashlight over here. Let me see if I can get this door open."
As Muffy provided light for Francine to tinker with the door, Fern tapped the immobile Arthur on the shoulder. "Wake up, Arthur!" The aardvark didn't seem to notice Fern's attempts to arouse him. Finally she gave up, stepped past his box, and tapped Brain's shoulder. The boy's eyes snapped open.
"Fern?" he said, confused. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"
Fern didn't answer, but had started to shake Binky's shoulders to awaken him.
Meanwhile, Francine was pulling up on the bottom of the cargo door with all her strength. Suddenly she heard a snapping sound, and the door started to roll open. "I think I broke something," she muttered. "Must be an old truck."
The light of day streamed into the hold of the truck as Francine pushed up on the door, opening it completely. They were in what appeared to be a large, busy city, but it didn't look like any city they had ever seen. The colors, the lines, the letterings on the ads, and especially the people, looked...different, somehow.
Muffy, Francine, Buster, Brain, and Binky watched from the back of the still-moving truck as the bizarre street scene scrolled by.
Fern, in the meantime, was still shaking and gently slapping Arthur...but the boy did not wake up or even move.
The truck coasted to a stop, apparently for a red light. "Fern! Arthur! Let's go!" cried Francine. She, Muffy, Buster, Binky, and Brain quickly leaped out of the truck and onto the crowded street, followed shortly afterward by the frantic-looking Fern.
The kids glanced around at the strange-looking cityscape for a few more seconds, then turned as one to look at Fern, who had become wide-eyed and speechless.
"Where's Arthur?" Francine demanded.
Fern struggled to compose herself so that she could speak.
"He's...dead!"
(To be continued...)