A/N: This one came rather quickly, eh? Yup, some chapters are easier to write. I think… this story is going to be longer than I originally thought.
Thanks, The Empress, I didn't know about Mr. Krinklebine. Actually, I don't really remember The Cat in the Hat story for some reason, all I can remember is rain, the two kids, the hat with little cats in it, the cat, the Things… and some sort of mess. For some reason I keep thinking of snow, but I don't think it was snowing cuz I remember rain… Oh well, I'm probably just thinking of the Grinch. I like the live-action Grinch movie… better than Horton! !FLINCH! But I've never watched the Cat in the Hat one. I hear it's horrible, but I'd still like to see so I can judge for myself. Oh wait… I should probably stop rambling….
But wait… AquaMermaid6 I had that part written out BEFORE your review and everything! !shriekinterror! At least you didn't guess everything. Nyuknyuk.
Disclaimer: I don't own Horton Hears a Who.
It's Tough Bein' a Fish
by Zeakari
Chapter Four
Ned swam around the flask impatiently, hating that he had to be carried around. He wanted to have a Who body again so he could run along with LaRue and get his anxiety and access energy out of his system. Then again, he wouldn't even need to get rid of the stress if he had his body because then he wouldn't have the stress in the first place. That thinking was pointless, though. For now all he could do was swim in circles and try to keep from screaming in frustration…
LaRue had slowed from a run to a brisk walk as she gasped for breath. She wasn't in the best of shape, considering she was more interested in tinkering with inventions and such rather than exercising outdoors. She was still tired from the constant running around she had to do for about and hour earlier. This was part of the cause of Ned's distress, though most of it was the fact that his body was at a meeting while a fish's mind was in it. Joy.
When they finally neared the building, Ned had to resist the urge to throw his little fishy body of the flask and onto the street so he could wobble over to it himself. He knew better than to do that, though. It wouldn't exactly be a good thing to be accidentally squished under someone's foot. Plus he doubted he could make it up the large set of stairs, let alone go that long without water. From what he experienced in LaRue's lab, he could go for a little while, but that wasn't nearly enough. Anyway, the doctor was taking him so there was no need for him to nearly kill himself by trying to get there by himself.
They approached the door and she tried to open it, but it was locked. That was a bad sign. She quickly made her way along the side of the building, where luckily a window had been left open. LaRue leaned heavily against the wall, trying to catch her breath as silently as possible as she held the flask up. They peaked inside through the window. A feeling dread settled nicely in Ned's stomach as he realized they had just finished the pledge and the meeting was about to begin. In the center of the room stood Thidwick, shivering from the cold water and standing strange. He kept trying to keep his feet completely together (since he was used to having one tail fin rather than two feet), but it wasn't easy for him to stand that way. It would be foolish to barge in and snatch him up now. They would have to wait for now and hope that nothing horrible happens.
"Mr. Mayor, what are you doing?" one of the council members asked, raising an eyebrow at the Who's strange stance. Thidwick stopped fidgeting and gaped at him, honestly not sure what to say, let alone how to talk. The councilman actually grew a little nervous at from his blatant stare. "Eh… Never mind."
"Well then, let's begin, shall we?" VonFrood said, smacking the gavel on the counter to allow the rest of the Whos to sit. Noticing this, Thidwick sat down on the floor. "What are you doing? Get back up!" the green Who hissed at the confused once-fish. He stood back up, flailing his arms wildly as he nearly fell over from trying to keep his feet together. When he settled down, the councilman cleared his throat. "Now, let's start with the Eighth of Who-ly celebration preparations…"
Things went relatively well at this point. Whos from the chairs stood to give their suggestions, each called on one at a time. Some of their ideas and suggestions were pretty interesting too. Ned really wished he were actually part of this meeting, some of those people really deserved praise. Also, he had a few suggestions he would have liked to make himself. He and Mary Lou actually began to relax as it looked as though they were in the clear. The fools. Luck did not smile on them for long.
"Right. Mr. Mayor," the head chairman said, grinning wide as he turned to the fish-turned-Who. "What do you have to say on the conditions around town? The celebration is only a few days away and we want this all to go off without a hitch."
Thidwick stared at the Who, his mouth opening and closing stupidly. The councilman raised an eyebrow and his smile faded slightly as the Whos around them began to mutter. The unease was obvious. The two at the window caught a few words about the earlier fountain incident. It seemed as though people were beginning to think that their mayor going crazy. Ned began to tremble and his eye twitched as he watched this. His nerves were frayed enough as it was and this was starting to send him over the edge. He was going to have to try pretty hard to get his reputation back after people seeing him splashing around in the fountain and gawking like an idiot in the middle of an important meeting. At least something major had yet to happen... The keyword being yet. Hah.
"Mr.… Mayor?" the green Who leaned forward, his brows furrowing.
The pet opened his new mouth again, this time deciding to try pushing air through it, figuring now was as good a time as any for him to learn how to talk.
"Awha."
"Awha…?" the head councilman repeated in confusion. Thidwick, actually quite proud of himself, nodded enthusiastically. The Who frowned at this, becoming quite irritated as the Whos around them grew more nervous. "Mr. Mayor, stop being a boob and focus!" he snapped, knowing this was something that Ned hated to be called. If anything, that would snap him out of any act of idiocy.
That word caused Thidwick to recall something his owner would do on occasion in the office. He glanced around and saw a nearby Who holding a fat pen. He rushed over, tripping up as he tried to keep his feet together, and snatched the pen away from the flustered Who.
Ned's eyes slowly began to widen.
The 'mayor' shuffled back to the center of the room, holding up the pen triumphantly. VonFrood gave him a very strange look, making a small noise of confusion. Thidwick glanced at the pen again and swung his arm back.
The mayor began to stutter as cold shock ran over and over again through his veins. No way Thidwick…
"Yoar-sha-bewb!" (your the boob) Thidwick shouted cheerily before hurling the pen at the head chairman.
"NO!!" Ned shrieked, causing LaRue to slam the window shut just before the room's occupants could see them. "Oh sweet holy mother of Seuss, what did I do to deserve this!?" He swirled spastically within the flask, babbling hysterically.
"Mr. Mayor, please calm down!" the pink Who tried desperately to quiet the frantic once-Who.
Ned did not hear her, though, and he started to slam into the sides of the flask in a fit of temporary insanity. It was too small. He needed to get out. He dove to the bottom of the flask and shot out of the rim, catching the doctor by complete surprise. Her heart skipped a beat and she dove for the fish, trying to catch him before he fell to the unforgiving ground. She hit the concrete hard, the flask shattering as it did so too, but she felt no fish land in her arms. She glanced around. No fish. She looked down and her blood ran cold.
There was a sewer grate. With holes big enough to fit a fish through. And the fish was nowhere in sight.
"M-Mr. Mayor?" she called softly into the grate, unable to see inside. There was no answer. Her breathing became short and quick as panic set in. "MR. MAYOR!!"
A/N: Oh, poor Ned. But I can't bring myself to feel bad. What did he do to deserve such humiliation? He became my favorite character, that's what he did. My likeage for him is awesome.
