Lazy Town: Rotten Sister.
Sportacus arose in the morning with the sun sparkling the alabaster floor of his air ship. He smiled at the lovely sight and flipped out of his bed and landed next to his calendar, "Its Safety Day in Lazy Town." he smiled in anticipation. "I wonder if the kids know what today is?" he asked himself. "Door!" He commanded as he flipped his way to the unfolding ship door. He pulled out his telescope and looked down at the kids playing in the park. Sportacus started hearing music and noticed that all the kids' attention were diverted to the sound.
"Who is that?" Sportacus seen a woman playing the guitar and singing to the kids that were now crowded around sitting near her. Sportacus commanded his sky chaser and he headed down to the park. When he reached the kids, he could see the woman more clearly. She had extremely long brown hair that tumbled down to curly locks. She had a blue bandana in her hair poorly hidden by her bowler hat. She had pale blue eyes like ice and her skin was a lovely shade of peach, as if she received the softest kiss from the sun. she looked like a gypsy and Strangers always meant trouble to Sportacus unless he met them first.
She wore a white flowing top and a short paneled skirt of violet and crimson. Her legs were covered by black leggings and she wore no shoes on her feet. Sportacus only had to clear his throat for all of the kids to stand at attention. "Hey Sportacus. Did you hear her pretty song?" Stephanie asked. Sportacus only shook his head, "Do you know what today is?" he asked.
"No what is today?" Ziggy asked licking his lollipop.
"Today is safety day. What is the most important rule about safety?" he asked the kids. They all looked at each other.
"Never stash chocolate in you're underwear?" Ziggy asked.
"No. And….Ew! Its to never talk to strangers." Sportacus stood and met the woman's eyes, "I see, so you just shun everyone that comes through here? What are you guys like Hutterites or something?"
"No. its Safety Day." Sportacus said in a sarcastic tone.
"The only danger here is your rude attitude towards a lady." She said as the kids gasped. Sportacus looked at her face, she had trouble written all over her like a wall of graffiti. "Who are you? All I see is a hobo."
The lady rolled her eyes, "You know, a lot of people ask me who I am. You might want to sit down for this." she brought her guitar that was happily hanging behind her back and started to play it, "Who am I? just guess. I'm a free bird without a nest. A bandana in my hair and a song in my chest. What you call trouble I call happiness…" she jumped on the yellow brick wall and started to prance along the edge. "I bend the rules to the way I like but don't pet the cobra, she's bound to strike." Sportacus went to get her down from the wall but his head was met with the neck of he guitar.
She jumped off the wall and circled him, "I strum the guitar to the beat of my heart, watch your back you'd best be smart. What you call noise I call art. I depart all the towns with a wave and a kiss, don't you know that an eagle doesn't listen to a silly catfish." she twirled his whiskered moustache with her fingers and then pulled his hat over his eyes.
"I'm a drifter, that's right. I'm a singer by day and a gypsy by night. I'm fine with the sound of my feet upon the ground. When I run, I make a drumming sound that is to the beat of how my heart pounds." Sportacus started chasing her around the park. She was faster than him. How could that be? She stopped in her tracks and Sportacus almost fell from trying to keep from running into her. She started to back him into a wall, "So, I'm sorry that you cant handle me. I never asked you to so-"
"Please wont you leave?" Sportacus pleaded with her.
"I know you're getting tired, you cant keep up with me so just call it quits you cant match my speed." she pushed him into the wall and then she started to dance while trying to dodge Sportacus.
"When I dance you don't have a chance. My twirls and kicks are like my fighting stance. Doing my dance is how I thrive it's my fight to stay alive so just sit down you can't match my jive." she pushed him into the bench and Sportacus finally had it, "I have never been so mistreated in my life!"
"Maybe next time you will think twice before you disrespect a woman. Let alone a gypsy."
"Leave this town and never come back." Sportacus demanded. The woman just laughed in his face.
"Who are you to say who comes and goes in this town? I'm not taking advice from an over sized bluebird." She said as the kids gasped. "Besides, a drifter never stays too long. If you wish me gone…then I shall be." Sportacus could hear a faint quiver in her voice as she gathered her things to leave. He watched her walk down the path until she faded into the distance.
"Why did you do that Sportacus? She didn't even speak to us. She just sat down and sang her song." Stephanie said as she approached him. "I've never seen you upset. It was kind of scary."
"I'm sorry Stephanie. She was quite unreasonable." Sportacus said. Stephanie scoffed at the super hero and punched him in the arm, "I think you deserved it. Judging a woman just by her looks. You need to find a girlfriend."
"Ouch! I do have a girl friend." Sportacus said. Stephanie's eyes lit up and had to ask, "Who is she? She must be very pretty."
"Yes she is, Pretty in pink." Sportacus joked.
"Very funny Sportacus. In your dreams." she laughed as they both joined the rest of the kids to play.
The gypsy woman found her way to the Billboard and made her way to the pipe, she looked back at the town she left and held in a gasp of despair as she slid her way down to Robbie's lair. "Dear brother, how you ended up in this dump I will never know." She found Robbie nestled in his orange chair and covered in popcorn with his mouth caked with frosting.
"Same old brother, he never changes." she tapped him on the shoulder and he didn't budge. She stood in front and observed the sleeping brute, she tickled his sides and he awoke flailing in laughter, "Did you forget my visit today Robert?"
When Robbie soon came to from his frosting covered popcorn coma, he jumped out of his fluffy orange chair and embraced his little sister, "Jenny! I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too. Lazy Town has changed a lot since I left. All of the kids are outside and playing." She said and her brother's face turned distraught, "Yeah, ever since that Sportacrack dropped out of the sky all of the kids have been jumping and singing and dancing!"
"Sportacus…is he that dude whose all in blue and hangs around the kids all of the time?"
"Yes." Robbie said in frustration.
"I yeah I think I just met him." Jenny said as Robbie turned to her with a wolfish look on his face, "You met him already? What did you do to him?" Robbie knew more than anyone that Jenny was even more rotten than he was. Every person she crossed paths with would end up in a never ending dance of chaos. Jenny looked like an innocent little girl as she started to tell him what happened, "Lets just say that I gave him a stroll around the park."
Jenny giggled evilly as Robbie joined in the cackling until Jenny stopped the whole charade, "Hold on. Is this why you called me down here? To get rid of Sportacus? I gave up Peru for this, I thought you just missed me."
"Jenny Layne Rotten, of course I missed my baby sister. When you left six years ago, I've missed you every day since then." Robbie embraced his little sis. The day Jenny left Lazy Town, she left a lot of people upset with her and she left without saying goodbye to her brother. She left Robbie alone in the home of their parents. She was only fifteen.
"Why did you leave Jenny?" Robbie asked as she looked into her brother's matching blue eyes. Jenny still felt the shame and hurt everyone felt against her and she never told anyone why she ran away. Not even her brother.
"Its over and done with Robert. Lets not open old wounds that have already healed." Jenny said as she rested her head on her brother's chest. Robbie and Jenny were thick as thieves when they were younger, not only did they play together but they fought together as well. They were best friends and Robbie knew there was something bothering her. He knew that she was hiding something from him and he wanted to know why.
"Okay. Lets go and show you off to the town. No one here knows I have a sister. I want to see the look on Sportaditz's face when he sees us. Together."
Robbie and Jenny hurried into town and strolled into the park arm in arm. Mayor Meanswell spit out his morning tea all over Bessie as he spotted the two. The kids including Sportacus fell silent as they entered the park.
"Hello Sportaboob. How are you this morning?" Robbie asked. Sportacus slightly insulted by his name calling, observed that Robbie looked as if he had the world by it's tail. His attention fell on the gypsy woman who had assaulted him earlier.
"I'm great Robbie, who is your friend?" He asked and Robbie smiled as if he was expecting him to ask.
"This is Jenny Layne Rotten. My sister." Robbie said trying not to break his composure as he witnessed Sportacus' face turn pale. Two Rottens? It was bad enough he had Robbie to deal with.
"We have met before, I just wanted to hear her name. she failed to give it to me before she left to see you." Sportacus took her hand and gave it a kiss. Jenny blushed and the two started to stroll around the park.
"So you are Robbie's sister." Sportacus said in disbelief. Jenny nodded and looked down at her shoeless feet as they took turns kissing the ground as she walked. "Forgive me for saying this but you two don't look alike at all…except maybe the eyes." he said observing the icy blue irises that fanned around her pupils.
"Yes, well…Robbie looks a lot like our dad and I look a lot like mom." Jenny said. "I do apologize for earlier. It wasn't right for me to act that way in front of all of those kids."
"Its alright. I shouldn't have demanded that you leave. It was quite unfriendly of me." Sportacus said rubbing the back of his sore head. "Why did you get so upset if I may ask?"
"Really? You have to ask that question? I'm a Rotten. Its in my genes to misbehave. Not only that, you did judge me quite quickly before you got to know me."
"I am sorry Jenny. We don't get a lot of drifters here. Come to think of it, you are the first one to arrive in Lazy Town."
"I've grown up here. It was quite different when I was around though." Jenny said still a little amazed at how things changed after six years.
"I bet you want it back the way it was? Everyone lazing about and eating candy?" He joked and Jenny to his surprise laughed.
"No. I am a drifter, I walk everywhere. I like going out and seeing what is out in the real world. I never liked it that it was so lazy here when I was around. I felt caged."
"Is that why you left?" Sportacus asked. Jenny looked up at him and he could see that he had struck a nerve somehow. Her face had the faintest look of sorrow.
"Yes. As a matter of fact." Jenny said as they both started walking again. Sportacus again rubbed his sore head and Jenny witnessed the movement this time, "Did I really hit you that hard?"
"I believe you did. I think I may have a bump on the back of my head." he said taking off his hat.
"May I look for you? You don't have eyes in the back of your head." Jenny joked. She ran her fingers through Sportacus' blonde hair as he tried to politely refuse, "You're fine you cry baby-" Jenny felt something pointed and she moved away his curls to see Sportacus' pointed elf ears. Jenny had never met an elf before. She heard rumors and stories in her travels but she never seen one in person. She touched them to see if they were real and Sportacus tried his best not to squeal in laughter. He pulled away from her grasp and blushed, "Can I have my hat back?" he said trying to keep his red face hidden from her. She handed him his hat and he quickly placed it on his head.
"Yes, I'm an elf. Go ahead and laugh. All of the kids did when I showed them." He said expecting her to laugh hysterically. There was only silence and he quickly looked up at her, "I think its kind of cool. I never met an elf before."
"well, now you have. I have never met a gypsy before."
"Now you have." They both shared a laugh and Robbie appeared in front of them, "Jenny. Its time to go home. Its my nap time."
"Okay. I'll see you later Sportacus." she waved him good bye as Robbie led her away from Sportacus.
"Sportacus is the enemy Jenny. Do not befriend him."
Jenny looked back at the handsome blue man again but he was gone out of sight.
"We were just talking. He's quite friendly." Jenny said as he brother started to thump away in anger ahead of her. Jenny laughed and tried to keep up with him, "What is up with you? Why do you hate Sportacus so much?"
She asked in sincerity.
"Sportacus is the reason why the town is noisy and rambunctious. It isn't fair. Its called Lazy Town. Not Sportatown."
"Is that such a bad thing that its nicer than it was so long ago? I mean, this place was a dump when I was here until-" Jenny stopped herself and looked down at the golden soil that blanketed under her feet.
"Until his grandfather came to town, number 9. I know." Robbie observed his sister's face. Why was she all the sudden distraught? "It wasn't a dump. It was a quiet place for everyone. A haven."
"Maybe to you. For me it was a cage, I didn't like it that everyone was unfamiliar with each other and unfriendly with one another. I like it here, you can take your nap. I'm going to explore this place."
"But what about our plan to upset Sportacus?" Robbie asked now a little more pleading with his sister. Jenny looked at him and shook her head, he always had problems with people he didn't relate to. It wasn't just Sportacus, it was her too.
"I never said I would help you. Why don't you sleep on your idea."
Jenny gave him a sarcastic smile and she walked away back to the park.
"Fine! Go and play with all your new friends! But I tell you this, you'll be tired. Tired I tell you!"
"I'd rather be tired than lazy." Jenny called back without turning around. Robbie walked back to his home all alone. His sister had conformed. Jenny came back to the park where all of the kids were playing basketball, "Hello!" Stephanie ran up to Jenny and sat next to her on the bench, "I never did catch your name." she stuck out her hand for a hand shake. Jenny smiled sweetly at the pink creature, "Its Jenny. I'm Robbie's sister." Jenny expected her to gasp in fright but she only smiled.
"I didn't know Robbie had a sister. You are really pretty."
"Thanks. You a re too." Jenny said. "What is your name?"
"Oh! Sorry, its Stephanie." Sportacus told me you have traveled a long way to be here." Jenny looked over at the blue suited athlete and a smirk formed upon her pink lips, "He did? did he?"
"Yeah, where have you gone? I bet you have a lot of cool stories to tell us. I would love to hear them sometime."
Jenny looked down at the brown eyed girl, "That would be great. I'm going to be here for a while. Robbie and I need to catch up on some things, we used to be so close until I left-" Jenny seemed to go into a flashback, she couldn't complete her sentence. Every time she started to look at Sportacus, she saw the ghost of a horrid memory. It was embedded in her mind and it never left her. She was haunted by it, that's why she ran away. She ran away every time she was reminded of what she did. It only made the cuts deeper.
"Jenny?" Stephanie's voice echoed in the heavy haze of her memories. She eventually looked at Stephanie again and noticed that a tear escaped from her eye. "Are you alright? You look like you have seen a ghost." Jenny opened her mouth to say something but it wasn't her mouth that would speak for her. She felt the energy in her feet to run, that's exactly what she did. She jumped over the wall and ran as fast as she could leaving Stephanie behind her.
"Sportacus." Stephanie called to him and he jumped onto the bench to sit next to her. "I think you need to save someone." She said in a very solemn voice. Sportacus slightly tilted his head in confusion, "My crystal didn't light up."
"I don't think this person can be detected on your crystal."
"Why not?" He asked still confused. Stephanie looked at him and then down the field where Jenny had taken off to.
"I think she's trying really hard not to be saved."
"Who are you talking about Stephanie?" he asked.
"Jenny. She just ran out of here as if she was going to be eaten by some horrible beast."
The sun was starting to set and Sportacus looked out into the field, "I'll do my best to find her. Its going to be harder since my crystal didn't beep."
"You'd better hurry." Stephanie warned. "I don't think she's going to come back…not on her own."
Sportacus knew Stephanie wasn't lying. They were too close to be untruthful to each other, when she said that someone was in trouble, he trusted her. So, he set off to find her. It took a few hours of searching before he started to feel exhausted. Jenny would probably be the only person he couldn't save, he figured until he heard his crystal beep. "Finally." Sportacus listened for a sound but all he could hear was the whisper of leaves in the wind above him…wait…he heard whimpering.
"Jenny?" he called up to the tree. The soft crying stopped. "Jenny are you up there?" Sportacus could see the crimson fabric of her skirt dangling from the branches.
"What do you want?" she asked. Her tone wasn't a mean one it was more of an exhausted voice.
"May I come up?" He asked.
"I guess I could use some company right now." She said. Sportacus smiled and made his way up the tree. He finally found her nestled between the branches like a curious little bird. She hid her face against her knees so he wouldn't see her tear stained face.
"Stephanie is worried about you. She said you ran away frightened and she doesn't know why."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for her to be insulted."
"She isn't. she's just concerned about you. What happened?" He asked trying to get a glimpse of her face. Jenny slowly lifted her head and wiped away her tears behind her curtains of curly brown hair.
"When I was sixteen, I ran away from home. I left my brother without saying goodbye and I have left people upset with me. The hate that I felt towards me is what drove me away from my home."
"Do you still feel hate Jenny?" Sportacus laid a hand on her shoulder.
"No, that's just it. I don't think I deserve to be welcomed here."
"Why? The past will always have scars, I remember something my grandpa would always say to me, it was a little rhyme he made up, it goes,
Please don't open old wounds
That have found their cocoons
And that are ready to fly to the moon
My friend its over and done
don't awaken it from its tomb
Because you know you're going to lose."
Jenny couldn't help but laugh. She thought the little poem was quite fitting to her problem, "Do you think I could use that in a song? That is really clever." Sportacus nodded his head in agreement, "On one condition, you have to sing it to me first." Sportacus was delighted to see Jenny smile after crying so hard. He wanted to keep it on her face as long as possible.
"So, the way I see it, Jenny. Is that these people that have driven you away from here aren't here any more. Maybe you were brought here to finally begin a new."
"Probably, I do believe in things like that." Jenny said looking down at her small feet that were perched underneath her.
"I am curious. What was so bad for you to run away?"
Jenny's face almost turned to stone, she couldn't confess the horrid sin to the one person that would be most effected by it. Sportacus witnessed the pained look on her face and it almost sunk his heart to see her in such a state. Jenny's eyes finally met his, "Its in the past right?"
"Yes. It is most definitely not going to come back to hurt you again."
"I don't know about that." Jenny mumbled doubtfully.
"What?" Sportacus could hardly hear her soft voice.
"Nothing." Jenny inhaled a massive and well needed breath. "I'm okay now. For the time being I suppose." Jenny said. Her head was heavy from her exhaustion and it landed on his shoulder. Sportacus' moustache tickled her cheek as she laid her head down next to his. He looked down at her and then smiled, it was a settling feeling to have someone so close to him. He was quite tired too but he couldn't leave her alone and there was no way that he would bring her back to her brother.
Stephanie heard a knock on the door and she opened it to see Sportacus holding Jenny in his arms, "You found her. Is she okay?"
"I think so, she has some scratches from running so fast, she must have stepped on some thorns along the way." Sportacus didn't notice her wounds until he finally carried her away, her legs and feet looked like they were kissed by a whip. Stephanie gasped as she seen the scratches and bruises on her feet. "She must run a lot to have such scars."
"I think, when she is frightened or upset, she runs away from it. Both literally and emotionally. She must be hiding something incredibly terrible for her to run the way she does."
"You didn't find out what was bothering her?" Stephanie asked.
"No. I asked her and it was as if she went into some sort of trance. She doesn't want to confess it…whatever it is."
"Stephanie is Sportacus here-" Milford walked into the room to see Jenny laid upon the red couch sleeping soundly. "Who is this?"
"This is Robbie's sister, Jenny. She's hurt really bad and she needs our help." Stephanie said brushing Jenny's long brunette hair away from her alabaster face. "Its okay Jenny, everything is going to be fine."
"Mayor, do you think I could stay here and keep an eye on her. I don't think I should leave her." Sportacus' heart swelled in concern as he looked down at her cut feet. He couldn't leave her if he tried.
"Oh! Yes by all means stay." Milford said. "I'll run some hot water and fetch some bandages." Milford went pawing through the house for his first aid kit. "I'll help you Sportacus. I'll stay up with you."
"Okay. Can we move her to your bed? I think it would be easier."
"Yeah. That would be better for her."
Stephanie and Sportacus brought her to the bed and laid her down gently. Sportacus and Stephanie took turns watching over her that night and they bound her feet with bandages to help them heal. Jenny slept all through the night but Sportacus, unlike Stephanie who nodded off now and then, stayed awake. He didn't want to miss her waking up, he wanted to ask more questions about this pitch black secret she just couldn't let go of.
When the morning came Jenny arose from her sleep with pain swelling in her feet, she gasped in pain Jenny looked up to see Sportacus changing the bandages on her feet. "I was just trying to replace the bandages." he stood and sat next to her on the bed.
"Where am I?" Jenny said as she sat up from the bed and observed her unfamiliar surroundings.
"You're in the Mayor's house. You fell asleep last night in the field. I didn't want to leave you there all alone."
"Oh, I'm used to sleeping outside, you could've left me there if you wanted to. I wouldn't have minded." Jenny said meeting his ice blue eyes.
"I didn't want to. I would've minded." Sportacus gave her a smile and looked down for a moment, "I'm surprised you still have feeling in your feet, they were in bad shape."
"The feet of a drifter. Its normal."
"Haven't you heard of shoes?" he joked. Jenny smiled and shook her head, "I have no patience for them. Every time I am offered a pair on the road, they eventually end up being left some where else. My feet are as free as my spirit."
"Doesn't it hurt though when you step on rocks and thorns?"
"Yeah but, its not all bad. Surely you don't wear your shoes all the time….do you?"
Sportacus looked at her convincingly, "I even sleep with them on."
Jenny started laughing hysterically, "Are you serious? You have never taken off your shoes? You have to do it sometime-oh my goodness! You have never been shoeless!" Jenny couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was so alien to her.
"I like my boots. They are comfortable."
"You should do it sometime, just take them off and run through an open field. Its like flying. Its so relaxing."
"I'll tell you what, you get some shoes and I'll run with you in the field. But we have to wait until your feet heal. Do you want to try and walk?" Sportacus helped Jenny onto her feet and she struggled to gain her balance. "There. How do they feel?"
"They feel good. Its like they're brand new. They still hurt a little but I think I can walk…Thanks Sportacus."
"It wasn't just me. Stephanie and the Mayor helped as well. You are welcome." Jenny's eyes stared up at him, their lips were tantalizingly close and as if charged with electricity. "Robbie is probably worried about me…I must go."
"Can you make it?" Sportacus said inching a tad closer.
"Yes, I can. Thank you again." Jenny gave him a smile and departed him and Sportacus was still entranced by the moment they shared. Milford came down the hallway and noticed Sportacus was still in the house, "Sportacus! You stayed here all night?" He asked in concern.
"Yes, I'm just about to leave, Jenny just left…" Sportacus was reminded of his next mission. "Mayor, do you have a census for every event recorded in Lazy Town?"
"Of course. What do you need it for?" Mayor asked leading him out of Stephanie's room and into the living room. "I'm on my way to the office right now. I can let you take a look."
"I'm hoping to straighten out the problem with Jenny. It seems like she has been harboring a secret. I'm thinking that if it is that bad, it would be recorded in the census."
"If your theory is correct, it could help you immensely." Milford opened the door and they both stepped into his office. He pulled out the dusty book from his book shelf and handed it to him, "That book has every event recorded in the pas t ten years."
"This is perfect. Thank you mayor." Sportacus started flipping through the thick book. It took him a while to get through half the book and he found nothing on Jenny, "I don't think I will find anything in here." Sportacus said as he flipped another page. "What is this? This is a section on my grandfather, number 9." He started reading the history of his grand dad, his eyes narrowed in anger as he read about his death.
"Have you found what you were looking for, oh! that's your grandfather." Milford could see that Sportacus was quite upset about something, "What is wrong Sportacus?"
"Nothing, I have to go, thank you for the help Mayor." Sportacus stood and left his office, Sportacus felt an unnerving mix of hurt and fury. It was a feeling that he didn't like for he never felt it that often. He headed down the road towards Robbie's lair. He jumped into the pipe and saw Robbie working on some sort of invention. Robbie almost jumped three feet off the floor when he realized Sportacus was in his home, "Sportakook! Have you ever heard of knocking?"
"Where is she? Where is Jenny?"
"I don't know, she runs around all of the time I wouldn't be surprised if she left for Peru by now."
"Out of all the horrible things you have done to me Robbie, this is the worst. You and your sister killed my grandfather!" Sportacus backed Robbie into the wall with a fist full of his collar, "Stop!" Sportacus heard a voice in the distance, "It wasn't Robbie." Jenny laid a hand on Sportacus' shoulder and he turned around to see the evil gypsy.
"Why? Why did you do such a thing? How could you?" Sportacus started to shed tears of sorrow. Jenny shook her head and looked down at the floor, "I never intended on killing him. Robbie and I were playing a prank on him but he caught on to our trick. We were trying to get into his air ship and take it for a spin…Robbie got into the ship just fine but as I started to climb up the ladder, he spotted me and chased me through the field until I reached the cliff. He came towards me running on the edge of it, by the time he was about to catch me, he tumbled on the rocks and held on to the sash of my skirt." She lifted up the long piece of black and gold scarf that was tied around her waist.
"I pulled trying to get away but it tore and he fell to his death." Jenny's eyes were blinded by the tears of that horrid memory. "I was so scared Sportacus. I didn't mean to kill him, I ran away as far as I could until I fainted from the fright." Jenny wiped away her tears and looked at Sportacus in the eyes, "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't remember that terrible day. Every time I am reminded by it, I run. I run as far as possible until I find peace."
Sportacus couldn't bring himself to say anything, he was too angry with her, "It didn't register in your mind to help him? You fled. That is what you said isn't it. You ran like a coward while my grandpa fell to his undeserved death!" Sportacus shouted so loud it made Jenny jump back a little. Then all at once, Jenny ran out the side door.
"Sportacus-"
"No Robbie! In my eyes you are just as bad as she is!" he said turning around and pointing to him. Robbie gently brushed away his arm and stood from the wall, "Jenny didn't kill him."
"How would you know? She told me herself."
"Listen to me. I was in the air ship, yes. But I also realized that Jenny wasn't on board so I went to look for her. I saw everything Sportacus. She was trying to help him up but the sash tore. She wasn't trying to get away, she wasn't strong enough to help him up."
"I don't believe you. Why would she say that she killed him when she really didn't? the book even says that she did!"
"Do you know how many people hate us? Even before you came here people disliked us. Every story about us makes us look bad in the Lazy Town history books. That story was written by one of those who hated us and listened to rumors. If you don't believe me, Jenny has a long scar on her right shoulder that she got when he fell. She was almost pulled down with him, a sharp rock cut her arm as she fell down against the ground."
Robbie's eyes started to well up in tears, "She climbed down the cliff and knelt beside him, he was singing something about cocoons and tombs and flying to the moon I think, don't hate Jenny Sportacus…she's been through so much. She's been running in terror all of her life, even I couldn't stop her. She's suffered enough guilt, she's hated herself for so long her memories have even turned against her. She didn't kill him."
"I know." Sportacus said. "You told me he was singing a song about the moon, I only told Jenny that and she was with me all morning. You're telling the truth."
"What are we going to do? Jenny has probably already disappeared." After Robbie said that, Sportacus' crystal beeped. Both Robbie and Sportacus looked at each other for a second and then left the house.
Jenny stood at the edge of the cliff that had haunted her memories for five years, she had an urge to jump but the thought alone scared her to death. The wind blew furiously in her curly hair and she dropped to her knees looking out at the vast and distant land that shined in the sunset.
"You knew grandpa's song all of this time." Jenny turned around to see Sportacus standing over her. He knelt beside her and drew her close, "Robbie told me it was an accident. You were trying to help him but you couldn't." Sportacus heard a gasp of despair come from her mouth. Sportacus held her tight and kissed her forehead, "Don't be so hard on yourself Jenny. You didn't kill him." A quiver came from his voice and Jenny buried her face in his chest.
"I should've done more to help him. I'm so sorry Sportacus."
"Shh…there is nothing to be sorry for. Let it go." Sportacus let her go and lifted her long sleeve to see the deep scar that had marked her arm as a reminder of the incident, "This, is enough to tell me that you did your best to save him." He said stroking the dark scar, he then leaned in and kissed it as if it still hurt her, "You weren't his killer, you were his savior."
He brought her close again and Jenny felt the vibration in his chest as he sang his grandfather's song, "Don't open old wounds that have found their cocoons that are ready to fly to the moon…"
"Its over and done, don't awaken it from its tomb because you know you're going to lose." Jenny sang the rest with him, suddenly it felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, an overwhelming peace came over her and a small laugh escaped her mouth.
"Do you feel better?" Sportacus felt her smile against his chest. Jenny only nodded and then sat back up her face was covered with tears of joy.
"I don't feel bad anymore, I feel like I could fly."
"Well," Sportacus took off his boots and threw them over the cliff. Jenny looked at him in unbelief as he stood in the grass barefoot. Sportacus sighed in relief to feel the grass against his feet. "Let's see if this eagle can keep up with a silly little catfish." he helped her up and they ran through the field and back into town.
THE END.