I had over the weekend goaded my friends into reading some of my favorite stories here.

He was coming down from a sugar high, and told me a stupid idea. But, he's my friend, so here's his crackshot idea.

At a smoky table, under the dim light of an oil lantern. Three men sat at a table, drinking, and whistling, and hollering, just having a good time. One of the men leaned into the light, and laid his cards on the table. He took out his pipe and smiled. "Rudy, I's gots a royal flush! Now, you owe me $16000!" The orange porcupine leaned back, almost crushed by the words Pop had said. He was being eaten alive by debt. He owed Pop $16000, Flippy $300, The Mole $1200, and he didn't even want to remember how much he owed Lumpy and Handy. Rudy just couldn't deal with it. His wife had died from an STD from her job as a nurse, his son was killed in a driveby shoot-out, and his only remaining family, his daughter, was falling into a state of depression. His ex-wife never stopped harassing him about their dead child, and the drugs he had done in the '80s had caught up with him. As desperate as he was, he knew how important family values were. So everytime they could, he brought his daughter, Flaky, to a petting zoo.

Rudy leans back into the light. "Do you trade?" Pop shook his head.

"What is so valuable to you, you'd give it to me 'cause of a debt?" he asked. Rudy looked around. Bobby placed his hand on Rudy's shoulder.

"Now, don't do nothing you'll regret!" he warned. "I know you, you don't have nothing to trade."

Rudy runs his hands through his quills, sighing. He had a house, a daughter, a job, and a membership in the petting zoo. He carpooled, recycled, re-used, and turned off his utilities. His wife had brought in the money, and he was a stay-at-home dad. Before their son was hospitalized for a violent gay-hate group assault, Flaky was happily ignorant of violence, Wife was supporting the family, with money to spoil their children, and Joey was an average teenager. Then, that night, three men attacked, and mauled Joey, because he was homosexual. Although Wife and the other nurses were not homophobic, Joey was left in the alley for an hour waiting for medical attention. He bore those scars til the day he died. But in a shocking, and miraculous stroke of bad luck, the attacker had inadvertantly given Joey, Wife and all the other nurses AIDs through a transfer of blood. Flaky was horrified by their suffering. Joey was killed quickly when a bullet severed his aeorta, instead of suffering like his mother.

Flaky was a different story. She was always afraid of the outside, but the assault and shoot-out had scarred her. She had frequent nightmares, and took a knife to herself too many times. And she was only 12. The Petting zoo was often the place she spent the most time. She loved the chickens most of all. They would nibble around her feet but never pushed her over, or growled in her face like the other animals.

But back to the matter at hand. Rudy had nothing to give. He stared at Pop for a moment, then at his watch. "Oh, look at the time. Gotta go-"

"Hey, I still need my money!" he barked. Sweat rolled down his forehead, and a lump formed in his throat.

"It's Flaky's bed time."

"That's no excuse, I'll buy into your intents to trade. Why not your daughter?" Pop grins sinisterly. Rudy's jaw drops.

"Pop, you're sick! She's 15!"

"I'll just mentor her. Remember, my wife is a disciplined teacher. Nothing will happen on my, her watch." Rudy thinks it over for a second. Pop's wife is a teacher. Nothing bad would happen. Pop gets a daughter for a week, Rudy pays off the worst of his debt.

He smiles, leans over the table and shakes arms. Reprocutions would happen, little did he know it.

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Rudy and Flaky were walking in the Petting zoo. Rudy ruffles up Flaky's hair. "So, how was your week at Pop's?"

Flaky's expression turns from a 'glum awaiting happy', to "Don't say that' one. "His place was ok. His wife was creepy, but He was a good host." she murmured under her breath. They turned and silently walked into the Chicken coop. Flaky kneels, with corn kernels in her hand. "Come over here little chick-" She grabs her side, howling in pain. Little chickens jumped on top of her, pecking violently at her soft flesh. Rudy rushes to her aide. "Honey, are you ok!?" She gritted her teeth, shreiking in agony.

"Dad, can I tell you something?" she squealed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pop opened the door. "You bastards! Get the fu-" He glanced around seeing no cloaks dashing across the street. He looks at the sides of his house. No eggs, toilet tissue, or spray paint. Finally he looks down, and sees a bundle of white cloth, laying there silently. He lifts it up, and it wriggles in his arms. Out to his feet drops a card.

'Reprocutions; Keep the change.'

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flaky quivers, cold and greiving, head hung over her bedstand. Flippy's hand wraps around her shoulder. "What's wrong? What happened in therapy today?"

Flaky sighs, sniffling as she speaks "No. Nothing happened in therapy today," She quiets her tone, whispering to herself. "It happened 5 years ago..."

"Well, did you take the test?"

She locks eyes with him. "It's happened again."

Please tell me if you want this to be a big story or anything in your review.

Again this was my friend Joe's idea. Blame him if you have issues with it.

The PopxFlaky was his idea.

Flaky getting pregnant with cub was his idea, and so was her getting pregnant with Flippy's child in the end.

Review and be happy!