Chapter Two: Karma
The sleeping arrangements went like this:
Panchito was on the bunk nearest the far left door and was on top. Below him was Little John. The next bunk over had Mickey on top and Daisy on bottom. The next one after that, Huey on top and Oswald on bottom. The fire place was in the middle. The one after the fire place up against the other wall near the far right door had Jose and Toad. Across from them was Robin Hood on top and Scrooge on bottom. Next to them was Louie and below him was Pete. Donald was next on top, and Marian was below him. Aladdin was next and Rat was below him. After that was Iago, no one was below him and Dewey, who decided not to fall and hurt himself, remembering that he was a bit of a roller, took the bunk below the parrot. Jasmine took the top bunk that Dewey was going to be in which was closest to the main door.
"What's the matter?" Iago said noticing Dewey move his stuff from the top bunk to the one below him. "Scared or something?"
Dewey nodded, "Yes, Iago, I'm scared, I don't want to fall and hurt myself."
"At least your being safe." Iago said.
"Wow," Aladdin said, "I'm impressed by that."
"Yeah well," the parrot said looking at him, "it's a recent change."
"Oh really, how recent?" Aladdin asked.
"Recent enough for you to not remember." Iago thrashed back.
"Okay, settle down you two." Sher Khan said, "There's no need for that."
"I got an idea," Dodger said, "let's tell a ghost story."
"Oh yeah, a ghost story!" Huey, Dewey, and Louie said in excitement.
"Does anyone know a good one, like a really good one?" Dewey asked, wanting satisfaction.
"Well, I do, but I don't know if I should-" Panchito started to say.
"No, go on." Dewey said, "It can't be that bad now could it."
Panchito didn't answer that question he simply removed his sombrero, twisted it in his hands, and shuffled his feet. "Actually," he said with a smile, "it can get that bad Senor Dewey, because it is that bad."
"Don't tell it then." Jasmine replied, "I don't want to hear it."
"Oh you have to now," Panchito said, "I've already started." He cleared his throat, got comfortable on his mattress, placed his sombrero in an Indiana Jones fashion and began speaking:
"When Senor John Work was still living and the Indian tribes still lived in the area, there was a little girl by the name of Annie. She was a pretty little thing: beautiful brown hair, a yellow dress, breathtaking blue eyes. The whole world was before her and spoke nothing ill of her. But her parents, who lived not too far from John Work, hated her. They abused the girl, bruised and even beat her. It got so bad that people started asking questions, wanting information. Well (and this is where it gets scary) one day, little Annie lost it. She grabbed a knife from her kitchen drawer and killed her mother and father in their sleep and then hung their bodies from a bridge. The very same bridge we passed on the way in. As she walked back across the bridge, she stabbed herself, stopping on a board. The only board on the bridge, it's still there. With all the strength she had left she jumped. A few days later, John Work came down this way and smelled something awfully foul, so he carefully made his way down to the rocks and saw Annie's parents, swaying in the wind, still dripping blood, and Annie, lying dead, her back broken from impact, and a knife in her stomach."
"That's so sad." Dewey said.
"Si, it is, but I'm not finished yet." Panchito said. "At night, if you walk on the bridge and step on that board, Annie's ghost will come and kill you, the only way to survive is to run down the hill. Run, run, RUN. And her name, is...KARMA!"
He screamed it, in the most demonic way he could. "W-w-w-what will she d-d-do?" Dewey asked, admittedly scared.
"Oh I'll tell you what she'll do." Panchito said, as he hoped from the bunk and slowly made his way to the light switch. "She'll do," he turned the lights off, "nothing, because she doesn't exist."
"N-n-n-nothing?" Dewey said.
"Si, nothing!" Panchito replied with a smile.
Dewey shook a bit still. Panchito laughed to himself and said: "Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of anyway, it's just a superstition."
Jasmine pulled out a flashlight and shone in Dewey's direction. "Look at the poor thing, you scared him half to death."
"Well," Panchito said, as he climbed back into bed, "at least I didn't scare him to death." He laughed and tried to go to sleep.
"Once there was a bunny named George." Jose said.
"No, not that bunny story!" Panchito cried out in protest.
"It's better than your filth!" The parrot remarked.
"I'd like to hear the bunny story." Dewey said.
"How about we all just go to bed." Dodger replied.
They all slept.
The wind blew up against the old windows. Rap, a tat, rap, a tat. Almost as if someone was tapping the glass. Panchito stirred and turned towards the window, opening his eyes for a moment and thought he saw the ghost of Annie, or Karma, standing outside the window looking up at him.
"That's funny," the rooster said to himself, "that almost looked like-" he took a second look and saw Annie's ghost, reminiscent of The Exorcist. Panchito made consistent eye contact with her, she with him, she laughed demonically. Panchito clucked sporadically and loudly, doing his species justice and raised his alarm.
"G-g-g-g-guys!" He said as he began his species habit, looking around a bit, "she's out there!"
No movement.
Annie then floated up into the air, still looking at Panchito. The rooster put on a brave face and stared at her as if in a staring contest. "I'm in a staring contest." He thought. It didn't work. The ghost girl then moved through the window and grabbed Panchito's shirt and pulled him up of bed.
"Are we going for a ride?" He asked hoping that she could take a joke.
Annie smiled, laughed, and sat the rooster down. She then disappeared. Panchito took a sign of relief.
"Boy," he said, "that was-"
Annie appeared again, this time, more like the Poltergeist Demon in the Closet and literally pulled Panchito out of the building, this time by grabbing his legs and pulling him out the window, which he broke, which caused everyone to shoot up.
"Guys!" Panchito called, "Ayúdame!"
Robin Hood jumped down from the bed, pulled out his bow and quiver and aimed for Annie's head. "Just hold still Panch, I'll get you out." He thought, he breathed slowly and let loose. The arrow went flying and hit Annie on target but it did nothing. Pete then got up and ran towards the rooster, hoping that a tackle or brute force would work. The only thing it did was make the portly man run into a bunk, forgetting that it extended past the window. How one could do this, we don't really know.
Mickey, Jose, Donald, and Scrooge all moved towards the left door and exited it, and tried to pull Annie's grip off the rooster. It too failed miserably.
"Just hold on Panchito!" Jose called. "We'll get you out of there in no time!"
"Holding on!" Panchito said, Annie pulled harder as Panchito's friends pulled harder. She then decided that the best course of action was to eat the poor feather fowl and leave, so she did that, or at least tried to.
Pete, who saw this, grabbed Panchito's hands and started pulling, Robin and Little John walked over to help.
"Alright," Pete said, "pull!"
They all did so. It was the hardest game of tug of war ever and Panchito was beginning to feel it.
"You're pulling my arms out of my sockets!" The rooster shouted.
"We can draw them in later, right now we have to get you out of there!" Robin said.
Panchito smiled at the forth wall breaking and began to whistle a song. "Sing a Happy Song" He then began to sing the song.
"Sing a happy song, sing a happy song, why don't you sing along, sing a happy song."
Apparently this is the most contagious song ever because soon, everyone, including Annie started singing it. Panchito smiled, hoping that it would make this girl go away, leave him alone, and stop her from eating him.
"You don't have to dance, sing a happy song. Come on, clap your hands, sing a happy song. Music's good for your soul, it can bring a real good feelin', good for the young and old, brighten up the darkest day, oh. It can be your release, it can supply you with peace, some peace of mind. Why don't you-"
Annie started singing the chorus: "Sing a happy song, sing a happy song. Come on sing along, sing a happy song. Why don't you dance awhile? Sing a happy song."
Panchito sang the next part: "You know, you can do it,"
he turned over towards his friends from in front and behind and looked them in the eye. Apparently that was the cue to start dancing. Yup. Causing that's what they did. It wasn't too shabby for a three in the morning musical number- but hey, they're Disney characters, what can I say?
Panchito continued singing: "Tell 'em all, 'cause it's easy, so easy to do. All I can do is sing it loud and hearty. Well come on, everybody let's get down and party."
Annie let go of the rooster and started dancing and singing with everybody else who sang the next part as they did a shimmy of sorts and hand motions.
"Sing a happy song, sing a happy song. Come on sing along, sing a happy song. Why don't you dance awhile, sing a happy song. Come on get involved, sing a happy song."
Mickey, Jose, Scrooge, and Donald slowly but surely made their way towards the road, Annie followed them and Panchito climbed out of the window and danced out on the porch in a 1970's disco style. He continued singing also:
"Music, make your life and make soul happy. Sing a happy song."
Mickey, Jose, Scrooge, and Donald continued dancing and singing to the road with Annie following and eventually going on her own to the bridge. The birds and mouse continued singing and dancing until Annie disappeared:
"Sing a happy song, sing a happy song? (Come on, chase all away) chase all your blues away, sing a happy song (Hey, now). Get on up and dance, sing a happy song (Y'all, y'all, y'all). Come on clap your hands, sing a happy song. You know, you can do it, tell 'em all 'cause it's easy, so easy to do all I can do sing it loud and hearty, well, come on everybody let's get down and party (Sing). Sing a happy song, sing a happy song (Sing, sing, sing). Come on, sing along, sing a happy song (Everybody now) Why don't you dance awhile, sing a happy song? (Happy song) Come on get involved, sing a happy song. Music, make your life, and make your soul happy. Sing a happy song. Music, music, music, music, music, music, music, music, happy music..."
Song: "Sing a Happy Song" by The O'Jays (1979).
Link: www. youtube watch?v=UZFXr9kyZCY
