FOLLOW THAT DIME!
By Sharan McQuack, Launchpad's wife.
I USED to be able to find my documents simply by logging in. Can't have THAT, now can we? (Sorry. I'm not very good with computers and I get frustrated and annoyed when you change this webpage just as I get the hang of using it. If it's not broke, kindly don't "fix" it.)
With thanks to the PBS TV show "Word World", (how you expect to copyright names like sheep, duck, bear, etc is beyond me) I borrowed this idea from the episode "Runaway O".
And the title from the old Sesame Street movie "Follow that Bird!"
DUCK reminds me of Plunky Duck from Tiny Toons Adventures. There was room for BOTH Launchpad and Plunky. And Disney COULD have dreamed up a similar dopey duck to be the new comedy relief when Launchpad morphed into a True Hero without permission. Still could.
With thanks to the Russian Ducktales story 'spell" /translatec?hlen&.ru/comics/UI1995.&usgALkJrhhSvONoPtthRIuRKoUuz6pUujBJJA that I got ideas from. You can't accuse me of plagiarism as I don't understand Russian. I don't think you can plagiarize a story you can not, strictly speaking, read.
One day, Magica was plotting to steal his Mr. McDuck's Lucky Dime. She thinks she could use it as a magical charm of great value. Since I'm not sure what, if any, the difference between luck and magic is, she could be right. But I think she'd try to steal his dime even if she did NOT believe she could use it- out of sheer spite. She knows how much that Dime means to him.
She watched Mr. McDuck in her crystal ball. She waited, for today was the day Mr. McDuck cleaned his Dime- and Magica had one of Mr. McDuck's feathers. It had fallen off in a previous encounter with Magica and she had stolen it- to use in her magic.
As Mr. McDuck took Old Number One out of the glass case it is kept in and started it to clean it, the Dime literally jumped out of his hand. At first, Mr. McDuck thought it had slipped out of his grasp- until it picked itself up and started rolling away from him. Mr. McDuck chased it, but it evaded him, rolling faster and faster, first one way, then another, always looking for a way out of the Bin.
Naturally, it could NOT find a way out. Even something as small as a Dime can't get in or out of the Bin once it is closed. And since it is easy to open the Bin from the INSIDE, Mr. McDuck had shut it behide him.
The Dime found the "doorknob" the opens the Bin and started throwing itself at it, trying to get the door to open.
"Quak! That PROVES it! MAGIC is involved here! Which means MAGICA is involved here!" Mr. McDuck sputtered.
Then my Launchpad arrived. Because Mr. McDuck had told him to come, Launchpad was supposed to pick up some gems to deliver to a customer. But if you think that kept Mr. McD from screaming at my Launchpad when he opened the Bin (1), I suggest you think again.
Launchpad found himself thinking how a lesser man would of taken a little trip to Brazil (2) with a planeload of Mr. McD's money YEARS ago. The very fact that Launchpad even permits himself to THINK that proves to ME that Mr. McDuck has ALREADY pushed Launchpad too far.
Somehow Launchpad did NOT expect Mr. McD's Number One Dime to jump down and roll out the door of the Bin and keep on rolling as he opened the door.
"Stop that Dime!" screamed Mr. McDuck.
Launchpad, who did NOT know what was going on and thought it was somehow weird, did not ask any silly questions, but tried to catch the Dime. At first he just tried to grab it, but Launchpad is clumsy and it easily evaded him. Then he took off his aviator's cap and tried to bag it in it.
Launchpad had it cornered when a whole slew of ordinary dimes rolled out of the Bin and mingled among Number One Dime. Naturally, Launchpad could not tell which dime was which. You have to look carefully and be just a tad obsessed (I should talk!) to tell.
By the time Mr. McDuck had got there, the Dime had slipped away.
"I'm sorry, Mr. McD..." Launchpad began, waiting to be screamed at AGAIN.
"It's alright, Launchpad- it's not your fault! It's that witch, Magica- she's enchanted my Dime and used some of my other dimes as decoys! We have to follow that Dime! And get it back! Magica must NOT get her hands on it!" Mr. McDuck said.
"I got my plane "parked" right near the bin, but we'd never spot any thing as tiny as a dime from the air! Wait a minute, we're in luck- the boys were making costumes for Halloween and spilled some of the day-glow, glow in the dark paint they were using...the Dime rolled right thru it!" said Launchpad, pointing out a trail of glowing paint.
"And there goes my Dime - glowing like gold! Luck of the ducks! We'll be able to spot it, even from the air! Launchpad! FOLLOW THAT DIME!" Mr. McDuck said.
"Aye, Aye, Mr. McD!" Launchpad said, who was ALREADY enjoying this. (3)And they both ran to Launchpad's plane.
"It's your stupid old biplane!" Mr. McDuck screamed.
"Hey, you TOLD me NOT to use one of the money-transfer planes because this deal to sell some of your gems is hush-hush! Besides, we can't fly too fast or too high and still be able to see your Dime, anyway!" Launchpad replied.
"True. And I suppose people are so used to you joyriding in the Joyrider they would never think you were delivering gems." Mr. McDuck admitted.
So they got into the plane and followed the Dime. At first, the Dime rolled along, thru crowds of "people". Magica apparently thought they would try and grab it and cause confusion and the Dime could disappear in the mayley. But dimes aren't worth much and people weren't interested, especially since this dime was rolling along as if it had a mind of its own. They thought it was a trick, like those fake dollar bills attached to a string, or that Allen Funt or his son Peter was behide it. (4)They ignored the Dime, not wishing to look foolish.
It turned out to be a good thing they were in a plane, after the Dime almost got flattened by a steamroller, Magica levitated the Dime and it floated towards her like a miniature Frisbee. If they had been in a car, they soon would of lost sight of it. As is, Magica did her best to "lose" them, she had the dime fly between buildings, among tree branches, under bridges...but Launchpad knew Duckburg too well and kept the Dime in sight.
Magica tried levitating the Dime thru places too small for the Joyrider to fit- but Launchpad flew over them or around them.
"Get closer so I can net the Dime with this fishing net!" Mr. McDuck screamed, as he dug thru the junk in Launchpad's plane looking for something he could use to retrieve the Dime.
" It won't work! It's made of mesh...the Dime can go right thru the holes! Besides, you might lean over too far and fall out of the plane!" Launchpad screamed right back.
"How's about using a magnet?" Launchpad suggested.
"Won't work. Dimes are made of silver, nickel...but no iron or steel." Mr. McDuck replied.
"Ah! I can attach this money bag to this broken net- the netting tore off, but the stick is just fine- and net it that way!" Mr. McDuck said.
"Good idea!" Launchpad replied "But be careful and make sure your seat belt is fastened tightly!"
Mr. McDuck managed to net his Dime, but it kept trying to get away. So did the other ordinary dimes that he absetmindedly stuffed into his pocket after they fooled Launchpad. Mr. McDuck noticed this and saw that one of these ordinary dimes was the same year as his Dime and about as battered. A normal person could not tell it from his Dime, it might fool Magica. Mr. McDuck let the normal dime go and stuffed his Dime into his pocket. the ordinary dime flew onward.
Launchpad saw all this. "Should I turn back?" he asked.
"No. Follow that dime. I want to know how Magica is doing this magic- to see if I can prevent her from calling up my Dime again!" Mr. McDuck said.
So they followed the ordinary dime to Magica's latest spooky hideout. Launchpad landed the plane and they got out to confront Magica.
"Well. Scroogie, I have gotten your Lucky Dime at last!" Magica said.
"No, you don't Magica. That's not my Number One Dime. I switched dimes on you. that's an ordinary dime." Mr. McDuck said, truthfully.
"Bah! You've tried that "I switched dimes" trick on me before! You're not fooling me that way this time!" Magica said.
"Er- Magica? I saw him switch dimes. Your magic was drawing in those dimes you used to decoy me, too and he switched his dime for one of them." Launchpad confirmed.
"No! Even you would lie in good cause, lie for a sake of a friend! I can not have been fooled again!" Magica said, but doubt crept into her mind.
"Why did you come, then, if this is not your Dime? Even you, Scroogie, are not cheap enough to risk your life for an ordinary dime!" Magica asked.
"You tried to bring my Dime to you and you almost succeeded. I managed to switch my Dime for a normal dime you used to confuse Launchpad- but I want to make sure you can not bring my Dime to you again." Mr. McDuck explained.
"That can not be! Once I have cast the spell, it will bring the dime I called to me any time I like. But ONLY that dime- even if I get another of your feathers!" Magica said.
"Then keep that ordinary dime with my compliments, Magica- to remind you not to mess with me nor my Dime!" Mr. McDuck said, and he turned to leave.
"NO! Even if I do not have your Dime, I still have YOU! I will hold you prisoner until you give me your real Dime!" Magica said.
"Why don't you try to cast a spell with THAT dime, just to make sure it isn't the real thing, Magica?" Launchpad suggested. And when she held up the normal dime to try to do so, Launchpad fingered something in his pocket.
Hardly had he done so, did the Joyrider crash thru an already rickety wooden wall.
"RUN!" screamed Launchpad.
Mr. McDuck and Launchpad ran for the biplane and got the bleep OUT of there! The fact that neither one of them even TRIED to get back the dime she held proved to Magica that she had the WRONG dime.
"How? What happened?" Mr. McDuck asked Launchpad, once they were away.
"Remote control.(5) Brings the plane right to me. Normally, I don't like electronics in my bi-plane, but I had to test the silly thing ANYWAY... I think I'll move to the Thunderquack. The Thunderquack is a lot tougher than the Joyrider." Launchpad said.
"Only you, Launchpad, could rescue me by CRASHING!" Mr. McDuck said.
The End.
(1)It was shut but not locked. It is VERY foolish to lock oneself into a room alone, even if it opens from the inside. What if you have a heart attack or something?
(2) Brazil does NOT have an extradition treaty with the US. If an American crook flees to Brazil, they will not catch him and kick him to us.
(3) This is why, to me, Launchpad is a lot cooler than Race Bannon. I swear I had more fun watching the old "Jonny Quest" cartoon than Race had doing all that exciting stuff. To him, it was just another day at the office.
(4) Allen Funt is no longer with us. But the Duckburgians might not know that. And WHY did TV critics object to Peter Funt wanting to follow in his Dad's footsteps? What the bleep is wrong with THAT?
(5) Ugly Twerp strikes again. I like to get into the partnership/small mutual aid society of Launchpad and UT, but WON'T as long as Launchpad is in limbo and would be treated as a moron. I can be just as stubborn as Disney can and if necessary, a good deal stubborner. I just wish it wasn't necessary.
I will mention this much: I got the idea for the partnership between Launchpad and UT from the old Disney movie "The Rocketeer". At the end of that movie, the Rocketeer and an inventor formed a partnership to reinvent the jet pack the Rocketeer used.
It's too bad the Nazis WEREN'T dumb enough to try to fly an army of jetpacked storm troopers from Germany to the USA. They would of run out of gas and drowned before the reached the Rock of Gibraltar. (Details, details!)