Hey everyone! So, about a week ago, I met an author named John Green at a meet and greet at a library. When someone asked the typical "Any advice to aspiring authors?" question, one of the things he mentioned was to let the story write itself. That's kinda what I did with this one-shot. I started it with absolutely no idea how it was going to go, but I like how it turned out, even if it's a bit long. So, anywho, enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Animaniacs; Warners Bros. and Steven Spielberg do. All rights go to them, and I'm not making any sort of money in any sort of currency off of this. I'd appreciate not being sued. :)
A Little Bit of Adventure
Yakko leaned against the railing of the water tower, looking up at the stars. It was a crisp, clear fall night, and a half-moon shone in the distance. The starts were numbered, due to the light pollution coming from LA, but it was almost two in the morning, and the studio was shut down for the night, meaning the nearby light was at a minimum.
Yakko wasn't quite sure why he couldn't sleep, but he was just filled with overwhelming insomnia. He just didn't want to sleep, and he couldn't no matter how hard he tried. It was mildly annoying yet almost peaceful. He moved to over a few steps to his right and looked out over the beach. The twinkling, azure colored water reflected the sky.
I gotta stop being so poetic and try to go to bed.
Yakko sighed, pushed himself off the railing, and headed back to the tower door. As he was about to go in, something moved in his peripheral vision. He turned around and again saw something move. It was on the larger side, but Yakko couldn't tell what it was.
He looked back towards the tower, with his sleeping sibs and his own unoccupied bed. Then, he thought about whatever it was that moved out there. He didn't think it was unsafe but he wasn't sure. But, it wasn't like he didn't have a stockpile of comical toon weapons in his pockets. Plus, he was in sprinting distance from home. He'd be fine.
He slowly made his way down the towers ladder, partially because it was dark and he didn't want to lose his footing and partially because he didn't want to spook whatever was out there. He pulled out a flashlight and made his way in the direction of the movement.
"Hello? Anyone out there? I'm not gonna hurt ya, but if you're planning on hurting me, I'll leave now," Yakko called out, but got no reply. There was, however, some more movement from Yakko's left side, and he turned to face it.
He tentatively walked toward it, but stopped when he saw it run into an ally way between two soundstages. Now, he was pretty genre savvy, and knew that going into dark, small allies at two in the morning usually didn't end well. He started to head back to the tower, planning on going out again later in the morning, when the sun and his sibs where up.
Suddenly, the sound of someone tripping and falling came from the ally way. Yakko heard a small voice give an "Oomph!" and a small whimper of pain. Yakko turned back towards the ally way. The shadow of movement he'd seen could've been child sized. He felt his brotherly instincts and curiosity take over as he headed back towards the ally.
"Hey, there," Yakko said, a little more gentle this time. "You okay?" He heard a small voice whimper something that sounded like a "No."
"I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise," Yakko muttered again, trying to find this kid. Finally, some boxes shifted and a small shadow appeared from behind them. Yakko, taking care not to blind the kid, shined the flashlight towards the shadow. There stood a boy, about eight or nine in age, wearing typical tourist clothes; sneakers, khaki shorts, and a LA t-shirt. He looked disheveled, and his short blonde hair was sticking up in a few places. His brown eyes were wide in fear.
"What's your name, kid?" Yakko asked, keeping distance to avoid scaring him.
"Collin," The boy whispered.
"Well, Collin, I'm Yakko. Hope you don't mind me asking another question, but how'd ya end up here?"
"My-my parents went on a tour of the studio, but I'm not much for crowds," Yakko ended up taking a small step forward, and even then, had to strain to hear this kids voice. Yakko had heard wind louder than Collin. "We got separated, and I got scared, so I ran off. I've been hiding ever since."
"Ya know, Collin, if you'd just stopped a security guard, they'd have led you back to your parents. I mean, Ralph can't be that incompetent."
"I-I couldn't," Collin stuttered out, looking almost close to tears. "My grandma calls me introverted, which my mom says is a big word for someone who doesn't like talking to strangers."
"Well, you're talking to me," Yakko pointed out.
"Yeah, but you're a toon. I've seen you on the DVD's my older cousin got me for Christmas."
"Your cousin has good tastes. Anyway, it's late, and slightly chilly out. Why don't I get you back to my place, and my sibs and I will help you get home when it's light out?" Collin nodded, though somewhat reluctantly, and allowed Yakko to lead him back to the tower. At the ladder he stopped short.
"What's up, kid?"
"I'm scared of heights," Collin said plainly, staring up at the tower.
Yakko sighed slightly. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him, and he felt a tweak of annoyance. He quickly shoved it down; he wasn't gonna leave this poor kid out all night.
"Just climb the ladder, and I'll be right beneath ya if you fall. But, you won't, I promise," Yakko said, then gave Collin a gentle push towards the latter. Collin gulped, then started going up. Yakko was about to start behind him when an idea came to him.
Yakko jumped up to the top of the tower, waiting by the ladder and watching Collin meticulously climb it, making sure his hands and feet were always in the right place. When he got to the top and saw Yakko casually standing there, his eyes widened.
"How did you get ahead of me?" He asked.
"I'm a toon. I can do that sort of thing."
"But, you said you'd be right below me!"
"Yeah, but I never was," Collin opened his mouth to retort, but Yakko cut him off. "You didn't need me to be behind you the entire time. You climbed up here by yourself."
"Only because I thought you were behind me," Collin muttered, not looking at Yakko.
"Exactly! It's all about mindset," Yakko said, tapping his head for emphasis. "Now, why don't we get you inside?"
Yakko lead Collin in, and Collin made a sleepy bee-line for the couch, where he buried under blankets and was sleeping in five seconds flat.
"Man, wish I could do that tonight," Yakko muttered, then sighed and headed to bed, where he dozed on and off until Dot woke up around 9 AM.
"Glad to see you got some sleep," Dot said as she made her way down the ladder, while Yakko stood up.
"Yeah, you could say that," He muttered, following Dot out of their room. Yakko had almost completely forgotten about Collin until Dot stopped short.
"Yakko," She said, her eyes locked on the couch. Yakko looked as well, and remembered that he had to catch his sibs up.
"Yes, sister sibling," Yakko attempted to sound casual.
"Who's sleeping on our couch?"
"That would be Collin, a young boy who tragically got separated from his parents during a studio tour yesterday, and who I found on the lot at two this morning."
"You were up at two?"
"Yes, but that's beside the point,"
"Which is..."
"Helping this kid get home."
Dot suddenly looked behind Yakko. "Well, look who's up before noon."
Yakko turned and saw Wakko sleepily making his way towards them.
"Hey, Wakko, ahhh..." Yakko trailed off, getting ready to, again, repeat the story.
"Don't worry about it, I overheard you two talking," Wakko muttered, looking out at Collin.
"Good, I don't have to repeat myself."
At this moment, Collin stirred and looked over at the Warners, his eyes still slightly glazed over.
"How did I...?" He muttered, then shook his head in an attempt to wake up. "Oh, yeah."
Yakko walked forward. "So, you remember yesterday's little adventure?"
"I wouldn't call it little or an adventure," Collin muttered, getting off the couch. "That's Wakko and Dot, right?" He asked, looking at Yakko for confirmation. Yakko nodded.
"How does he?" Dot started to ask.
"His cousin has very good tastes in cartoons." Dot nodded, understanding now.
"So, Collin," Dot started, making her way over, Wakko trailing behind. "Why don't you eat breakfast, and then we'll see Plotz and try to contact your parents?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Not hungry!" Wakko gasped, mildly horrified, then ran off to the kitchen. He came back with a mountain of food.
"Really, I'm not-" Collin started, but Wakko cut him off.
"We can share. Just take what you want."
Collin regarded the pile, walking around a bit to get a good look at it, then slowly took an apple off the top.
"You good?" Wakko asked, and Collin nodded, taking a tentative bite of the apple. "Faboo!" Wakko said, then ate the rest of the pile in one big gulp.
"Well, I guess Dot and I can go without breakfast," Yakko said, giving Wakko a look.
"Sorry," Wakko muttered, giving a quasi-innocent smile.
"Anyway, we might as well head to Plotzie's office."
And they were off, the Warners taking the lead, with Collin sticking close by, not making eye contact with anyone. They got into the administration building and snuck up to Plotz's office. No one noticed the quartet, not even Plotz at first. After about five minutes of waiting, Yakko cleared his throat, causing Plotz to jump. When he saw the Warners, his eyes narrowed.
"What are you three kids doing in my office?!" Plotz demanded rather loudly.
"Not three, but..." Yakko said, then sidestepped to reveal a trembling Collin, whose eyes quickly darted to the ground once Yakko stepped out-of-the-way. "Four."
Plotz's face softened about a centimeter. "Where'd you find this kid?"
"On the lot, early this morning. He got separated from his parents during a tour."
"What's your name, kid? We might be able to track your parents down that way."
Collin's eyes widened at the request to speak. He muttered something out quickly.
"What?" Plotz asked.
"His name is Collin Paylor." Dot translated.
"P-A-Y-L-O-R?" Plotz asked, and Collin nodded yes. Plotz quickly typed the name into his computer. After a few more clicks, Plotz turned to face the group.
"Your parent's names are Bridget and Spencer, correct?" Plotz asked, and Collin again nodded in confirmation.
"They made the reservations through their hotel, so we don't have their cell numbers. But, we can call the hotel," Plotz said, then picked up the phone.
"Given how much of a ditz Plotz is with technology, it's amazing he can make a phone call," Yakko muttered, and Collin surprised him by chuckling slightly.
Plotz talked a bit, then hung up. "The hotel took me to your parents room, but the phone went to voice mail. I suspect they're out looking for you. I'll let the staff know, so if they see you parents, they can alert me.
"Meanwhile," Plotz said, turning towards the Warners. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I need you three to take Collin out to look yourselves. Perhaps start at the hotel and work from there. I want you back here no later than two." Plotz handed them the address of the hotel.
"Wait a minute, Plotzie," Yakko said, ignoring Plotz's scowl from the nickname. "You're giving us permission to leave the lot with a kid we've only recently met?"
"Yes. Don't give me any reason to regret this," Plotz said, already sounding like he regretted it. Yakko ran forward and shook Plotz's hand, catching him off-guard.
"Don't worry, Plotzie, we won't let ya down!" Yakko exclaimed, then he and his sibs, plus Collin, left the office.
"So, what did you mean about getting permission to leave the lot?" Collin asked, sounding like he was slightly scared of the answer.
"Oh, yeah. We're technically not supposed to leave the lot with permission or supervision or such nonsense," Yakko said.
"But, we do it anyway," Dot jumped it. "Nobody cares, and Ralph's too stupid to enforce the rule." Collin nodded, though he still looked a little unsure.
"Hey, kid, relax. We might be a little zany, as our friend Scratchy would put it, but we'll get you back to your parents. We promise," Yakko said.
"And we never break a promise!" Wakko said. Collin smiled slightly as they left the lot and headed towards the hotel, which wasn't too far from the lot. After talking to the front desk staff and using Collin's room key to get into his room, they found that Collin's parents had indeed left the hotel for the day. Yakko noted that Collin looked slightly relieved to see that his and his parents stuff was still in the room.
They walked out and continued searching, urging Collin to the front so he'd be more visible. They checked a nearby police station, and learned that Collin's parents hadn't reported him missing quite yet, but they promised to lead his parents to the lot if they came in.
They continued searching the city, and the Warners took the time to show Collin around. It seemed to work; by the time they stopped at a café for lunch, he was talking and smiling a little more freely.
"So, you're looking a bit better," Yakko commented.
"Yeah," Collin admitted. "It's just...I really didn't want to go on this trip. I'd rather be at home, reading."
"A little antisocial, yet still understandable." Yakko said.
"Better that blowing up video game zombies all day in your dark basement," Dot muttered.
"What do ya read?" Yakko asked.
"Usually adventure or fantasy," Collin said, shrugging slightly. "It's fun to pretend you're actually in the story."
"Well, you're having a bit of an adventure yourself today," Yakko said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Collin muttered, like this realization was finally hitting him.
"Besides," Dot cut in. "There's nothing more adventurous than watching Wakko eat a third sandwich that's bigger than his head."
"What!" Wakko protested after he did, in fact, eat his third sandwich. "I'm hungry!"
"You're always hungry!" Collin exclaimed.
"You're learning!" Yakko replied, giving Collin a noggie.
And so they spent the last few hours adventuring, which resulted in messing with more than a few people, causing on of LA's biggest traffic jams, and photo bombing paparazzi pictures of the newest Disney teen star. They four made their way back to the movie lot laughing.
They went into Plotz's office exactly at two and saw that Plotz was sitting in his office with a young couple. The man had hair vaguely similar to Collin's, and the woman had a similar face shape.
"Mom! Dad!" Collin exclaimed as he ran over and embraced his parents. His parents exclaimed loving words and phrases like "I'm so glad you're safe!", "I'm so happy to see you!" and "I missed you so much!"
They soon turned their attention to the Warners, who were standing a bit out-of-the-way as to not intrude.
"Thank you three so much for keeping our boy safe!" The mom said, pulling the three into a hug.
"It's no problem, Miss," Yakko said. "Collin was pretty cool to hang with."
"Mom, Dad, can the Warners come with us tomorrow?" Collin asked, pulling on his dad's shirt slightly.
"Why's that?" His dad asked.
Collin looked at the Warners and grinned. "They're pretty adventurous tour guides."
So, a couple of shameless plugs. First off, if you've never read a book by John Green, go do so ASAP. Don't let the YA label scare you off; a good writer is a good writer, no matter what the target audience. Second, just a reminder that my currently in-progress story, Pieces, updates every Sunday, with chapter 7 on the horizon. Please go read it, if you're not doing so already. :) Anywho, thanks for reading, and until next time, this is MusicGeek764 signing off, saying "Goodnight everybody!" :D