Author's Note:
And now for the next installment in the Meddling Kids Origin Arc! The origin of Jabberjaw and the Neptune's! So without further ado, time for the theme song!
Me and my friends get no respect, what does Scooby do that we neglect?
We been keeping all our foes in check, but me and my friends get no respect!
So what? Who cares we do it how like! I'm singing through my mike, a special underwater mike!
Who's gonna save the world? Who's gonna save the days?
From Ahab, crabs who steal or eels with evil rays?
Who's gonna talk like Curly when Curly isn't here? Who's gonna make the villains and turn around and run in fear?
Who's gonna fight for justice when bad guys break the guy?
You know who I'm talking about, we're Clam and Shelly and Bubbles and Biff, but when you catch a whiff of fish, it's Jabberjaw!
Our story begins in Aqua Bay, a small beach resort town located several miles north along the Pacific coastline from Coolsville.
Yes, Aqua Bay. A place of seagulls, surfing, shacks, seafood and tubular waves. But not all of it is licks and giggles in Aqua Bay. Outside of town in the woods near a dirt road, lies a small house belonging to the little and struggling Sanders family.
It was a typical morning in the Sanders household as we head into their small house.
Here, we see a little girl with black hair sleeping in bed with her stuffed bunny rabbit.
She was having a beautiful dream when her old alarm clock started going off. She woke up and got out of bed.
"Boy, what a wonderful dream" she yawned.
The little girl took her stuffed bunny downstairs to the kitchen to find her mother.
Her mother was preparing breakfast and she smiled when she saw her daughter enter the room.
"Morning, Shelly." She smiled.
"Morning mama" Shelly yawned "What for breakfast?"
"Oatmeal, baby" said her mother "It's all we have"
Shelly nodded as she went to her seat.
There wasn't much oatmeal, so there wasn't enough for the whole family.
"Shelly, go bring this oatmeal to your brother" Shelly's mother handed her daughter a bowl.
"Yes mama" said Shelly.
Shelly went over to her older brother's room, where he was lying in his bed.
"Jim" she whispered "Jim"
Her brother groaned before opening his eyes and saw his sister.
"Hey sis" he smiled at his baby sister.
"Here Jim" she handed Jim the bowl "Here's your breakfast, big brother"
"Thanks, sis" Jim pulled Shelly into a one arm hug.
"You feel better Jim?" asked Shelly.
Jim looked at his sister and nodded.
"I feel better, sis." He replied.
"Does that mean you can come out of bed now and we play again?" asked Shelly.
"Yes, I think." Jim nodded before started coughing, and his sister quickly passed a glass of water for him to drink.
"Come Jim" Shelly grabbed Jim's hand "Let's go see momma"
"Okay sis" said Jim.
Shelly grabbed Jim's hand and walked him to the kitchen, where their mother was.
"Momma! Momma!" Shelly chanted "Momma!"
"Yes, hon?" their mother asked as she paused from her cooking.
"Can me and Jim go out and play?" asked Shelly "Please momma?"
"No honey" said Marilyn "Jim still is sick. He has to stay in bed until he can get better"
Shelly nodded as her brother started coughing again.
"But you say you be better today" Shelly's lips started to quiver.
"I know sis" Jim coughed "But I need to stay in bed. I don't want you to get sick, okay?"
"Okay Jim" Shelly hugged her brother tightly "I love you"
Jim nodded as he hugged his sister back.
"I love you too, sis." He said.
"Momma, will Jim get better?" Shelly asked her mother, softly.
Her mother sighed before replying.
"I don't know." She said. "You know how expensive medicine is, dear."
Shelly's eyes started to tear up "But momma..."
"I'm sorry, dear." Her mother patted her head.
Sadly though, weeks went by and tragedy had struck...Jim was dying of this illness. His heartbroken mother and sister stayed with him for his final hours in the hospital.
It didn't help that it was a cloudy day when Jim was spending his final hours in the hospital.
He didn't have much time left, so Shelly and their mother walked sadly to face their dear loved one in his final hours.
"Jim..." Shelly sobbed.
Jim had to spend some effort turning his head to face his sister.
"Mom, Shelly..." he whispered as he made a heartbroken smile.
"Yes, baby" their mother sobbed "Yes baby, we're here"
"I love you mama..." Jim held his mother's hand.
"I love you, too Jim" Mrs. Sanders sobbed.
"It's going to be alright." Jim said hoarsely as he held his mother's hand.
"Jim..." Shelly sobbed "Please, please don't go..."
Jim smiled sadly at his sister as he touched her cheek with his other hand.
"I'll...I'll try...sis." He said to her before coughing and continued. "But...it's not going...to be easy..."
"No! No" Shelly sobbed more "You are not going to die!"
"Like I said...sis." Jim nodded. "I'll try..."
More warm tears fell down from Shelly's face as she watched the beeping on the monitor slow down.
"I love you Shelly" Jim whispered.
Shelly nodded as she held her brother's hand.
"I love you too, Jimmy." She replied, more tears coming from her eyes.
Jim's hands fell down to his sides as he became limp and stiff and his eyes closed.
Shelly and her mother silently watched the monitor flatlined as a lightning flashes.
"Jim?" Shelly shook her brother "Jim! Wake up, Jim! Please!"
Sadly, her brother didn't respond to her pleas. It didn't take long for mother and daughter to start crying as Jim went to join his father.
Shelly tried to wake her brother up, but in her heart, she knew that he was never coming back.
"Come here, baby" Shelly's mother opened up her arms.
"No!" Shelly shouted.
She then broke down sobbing as her mother comforted her in an embrace.
It had been a dark and rainy day at Jim's funeral. People were staring sadly at Jim's casket when the preacher was burying him.
As part of his last wish, Jim was buried near his father's grave.
Shelly buried her face into her mother's chest and cried her heart out as so did her mother. If there's one thing they're happy about, it's the fact that Jim is in a better place with his father.
"I miss...Jim and Daddy, Mom." Shelly sniffed.
"I miss them too, honey." Her mother agreed as she rubbed her daughter's hair.
"I want them back, momma" Shelly angrily sobbed "I need them! It's not fair!"
"Shelly, baby..." she softly said to her daughter.
After Jim's funeral, life became harder for Shelly and her mother.
Their power got turned off and Marilyn had lost her job and there wasn't a lot of places in need of new employees, but she got a job at a diner as waitress. Shelly couldn't go to daycare anymore and Marilyn couldn't afford a babysitter, so she had to take her to work most of the time, much to the boss' anger and frustration.
It was a slow day at the diner as Marilyn was busy cleaning the counter while Shelly was seated on one of the seats playing with her blocks. The boss was watching the young girl playing before walking over to Marilyn.
"You know, Marilyn." He spoke to her as he approached her. "I'll really appreciate it if you can get a babysitter for your daughter, because I don't want her to slow down your work."
"Mr. Smith, I told you I can't afford a babysitter" Marilyn begged "Please. She'll be good"
Mr. Smith sighed and looked at Shelly. The little girl hasn't broken anything in the diner since her mother started bringing her to work, and many of the usual costumers actually liked the cute little girl.
"Very well." The diner's owner nodded. "Just to let you know, I don't want your daughter to get hurt while she's here, because then it'll be like that I'm responsible and that spells trouble for the diner. In addition, let me make it clear: If she breaks one single plate in this diner, then either you find someone who could take care of your daughter or go find another job, Mrs. Sanders. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear." Marilyn nodded.
Marilyn went back to taking orders and serving them up, while Shelly continued playing with her blocks and coloring.
Author's Note:
It looks like we've gotten to the beginning of our first Neptune. You can see that Shelly wasn't always so bad and that she was once a shy, confused, lost, yet loving and sweet little girl.
Anyways, it looks like things are going bad for her and her mother. Stay tuned for when we meet the rest of the Neptune's and you know who.