(Enter the Lorax.)
Lorax: Hello, everyone! Thanks for stopping by! (Starts reciting from a cue card)
"I am the Lorax,
I speak for the trees.
And I would to say a few words, if you please,
Regarding the story you are about to read (Aside: Hopefully all the way through)
It actually happened! You can take it from me!
But there was more to the story than what was on the page (Sends his cue card off)
So pay attention, while I once again set the stage!
(The curtain opens, and we see the Once-ler's newly fixed-up house. It has been snowing recently, so there's snow on the ground. The Lorax continues.)
We open outside of Thneedville,
A town people say is no longer as plastic or fake,
But people still like it anyway!
A town reintroduced to nature, with a few living trees.
But something else is coming. What is it? We'll see….
(The Lorax exits.)
The Story Under The Surface
Chapter One: Reunion
BUZZZZZZZZ!
*The Once-ler's POV*
If you saw me at this moment in time, you would see me yelp, jump out of bed, and end up holding on to one of the bed posts. That is because I happened to buy an alarm clock with a particularly loud buzzer. As I go and turn it off, I wonder why I'd set this time.
One look at the calendar answers my question: It's Christmas! In an instant, I'm a little kid again and race downstairs to see what's been under the tree. My fake, musical little tree over has a few gifts under it- some from Ted and his family, a few from Audrey and her family, and one gift that I bought for myself. I don't mind, because this year, I have extra special reason to celebrate.
Knock, knock! Oh, looks like Mustache is here early. It's the first year I've had ANYBODY celebrating the holidays with me since way back when. This year, it's just going to be the Lorax and me. The knocking starts up more rapidly. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I call to him, and open the door. I find the Lorax alright, only his still-bushy mustache has little icicles hanging on it; I quickly bring him in.
"What on Earth happened to you?!" He opens his mouth slightly then he shakes a bit and crack! The little ice pieces break off (thankfully, they weren't too big or very much otherwise I'd be in a bit of trouble!). "Blizzard….." he says, "snuck up on me this time."
"I was under the impression one of your powers was weather control."
"Only in very limited capacity." He rubs the end of his mustache. "So, have I missed the big break-in?" he says excitedly.
"It's NOT a break-in because he doesn't take anything." Don't worry, I'm not mad. Mustache has heard a little about Christmas but whether he really knows it as the birthday of Jesus Christ or just a day where people give each other presents under a (in his probable opinion) overly-decorated tree should be left up for debate.
So as I prepare breakfast, I explain the story of Santa Claus again and think about what has happened over the year. The last Truffula seed sprouted much quicker than I thought, and before long, I got the bunch of saplings around my yard. It's supposed to take ten months for a Truffula seed to germinate, ten years for the tree to become a sapling and ten more years for it to become a full-grown tree. This time, it took a month and a half. The animals on the other hand, aren't coming back for a quite awhile although I know where they are: They're in the southern district of town where the smog and stuff wasn't so prevalent. According to the Lorax, they took to seasonal migration during that time and apparently have spent years just circling their original home. In the meantime, you can imagine the shock of the people of Thneedville when they found out who I was, how long I've been out here, etc. The people of Thneedville are actually pretty nice; they've even helped me fix my Lerkim! And guess what else? I get fan mail now! I've even gotten a letter from someone in Tahiti and up until I got an updated map a month ago, I didn't even know where Tahiti was located on a map.
I'm about ready to start eating breakfast when I hear what sounds like bumping, coming from inside my rarely-if-ever-used chimney. "Something's in my chimney…." I slowly approach the fireplace while readying to peek up it. Mustache tries to say something, but he has pancakes in his mouth so I can't understand him. I stick my head in the fireplace and am about to look up when something lands on me. I yelp slightly and bump my shoulders, and whatever landed on me falls out. It's a Brown Bar-ba-loot!
"What are you doing here?!" The Lorax says to him (it's a male, trust me). He squeaks something in reply. "No, no! Only fat guys in red with long beards come through chimneys! You could have spo-"He's cut off because another Bar-ba-loot has somehow found its way to my fridge; at the same time, there's another knock on my door. I open it to see a bunch of other Bar-ba-loots, Swomee Swans and Humming Fish are at my doorstep. Before I can say anything, the younger ones-and I mean REALLY younger ones- run between my legs and race to join the two already in my house. What I assume to be their parents and/or other family follow behind them and I let the rest in before anything else happens.
"I'm sorry, Beanpole! I thought I'd surprise you!" The Lorax calls over the noise of hyperactive young animals. These guys already got crazy for food, especially the youngest ones. I can write in my diary now that my first Christmas reunited with my friend has involved rounding up hyperactive animals and trying to find out which one swiped my breakfast. Eventually, the little ones cool their jets and sit calmly in my living room. No one has the will to scold any, for now. I sit myself in front of an older, male Bar-ba-loot in my kitchen.
"I think I should put a padlock on my fridge….." I joke with him. He smiles slightly, but he looks around me. As I look closer, I realize there's something…..familiar about this one. Then he smiles at me. His teeth are covered by marshmallows. "Pipsqueak?" I say, in a half-whisper. "Is it really you?"
His smile falters as he starts to tear up, but he's nodding. He then jumps on my face as a way to hug me.
