Chapter Twelve
Beatrice:
"Ah ha!" I exclaimed. "I found the bookcase!"
I ran towards the bookcase with its top touching the top of the wall.
Oh my goodness, I really want to have that bookcase.
I bet that once I graduate from college, I will have—
I can't admire that bookcase.
I have a mission to do.
I have to follow the note's instructions and get the information that I'm looking for.
…The note says that I have to follow the sign that says 'ROPE'.
What sign?
…Oh, it's hanging on to the knob of the top lower drawer of the bookcase.
It even has an arrow…which is leading me to where the rope is supposed to be.
The rope…is in…the drawer below the one with the sign hanging off of it.
I reach for the knob of the bottom drawer…and I carefully pull it open with a gentle tug.
"There's the rope." I said and took the rope out.
Now that I have the rope, I have to…open the door that's underneath the bookcase.
Okay.
According to the note, there's a hole underneath the door that's under the bookcase.
I'm going to try to open the door that's under the bookcase.
If I can't open the door, then I will have to use my telekinesis to move the bookcase and I will put it back after getting the information.
Crouching down to my knees…and down…to my belly.
Oooh, I see a handle sticking up.
I'm reaching for the handle…
I GOT IT.
I pull up the door…
*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*!
"Whoa!" I exclaimed.
Then, I felt my hair getting PULLED towards the hole!
*gasp*!
The hole is acting like a vacuum cleaner!
"The rope!" I exclaimed.
I reach for the rope, began to unroll it, and slid one end of the rope into the hole.
The rope quickly slithered down into the hole as the air sucked it in.
As I watch the rope getting pulled into the hole, I start to remember what else the toon badger's note said about the rope real carefully.
…I know it had something to do with paint.
…Oh, yeah!
I have to stop the rope from getting sucked in any further as soon as I see a ring of red paint!
Then, I have to wait twenty seconds after that.
…Oh, there's the ring of paint.
I snatch on to the rope.
Immediately after snatching on to it, the air in the hole stopped acting like a vacuum.
Okay, twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one.
"Time to pull the rope back up." I mumbled.
I grunt as I began to pull on the rope.
Oh, man, it feels a little heavier.
Oh, I hope that the information that I'm getting is not too heavy.
I mean, the toon badger's note did say that a bucket was going to be tied on to the rope…but I don't want the information, if it came in the form of books, to be so heavy that they'll rip my backpack open.
…*BUHN*!
That must be the end of the rope with the bucket.
I pull the bucket towards me and I look inside of it.
…Huh.
There are…six books inside of the bucket…and they don't look too thick…or feel too heavy to put in my backpack.
Oh, and there's a note attached to the top book.
…It says:
Nice job on finding the information here.
The only way for you to return to your home is really simple.
All you have to do is walk out of the library, walk to your right, walk towards the blue building that's close to the library, go to the alley of the blue building, look for the brick that has a white dot in the center, and push the brick in.
Okay, now I have a way to go back home without getting lost in Toon Town.
"Thank you, mysterious and friendly stranger." I mumbled as I took the books out of the bucket and stuffed them into my backpack.
*DING*!
Oh! That must be the DING that the toon badger's note talked about.
Oh, I better hurry before I miss the elevator. I thought as I quickly put my backpack on.
Immediately after thinking that, an elevator door slid open NEXT TO THE BOOKCASE.
I walk into the elevator.
Hmm, the inside is kind of similar to the elevator that I had to go in with Eddie Valiant during the time when Roger Rabbit was framed for killing Marvin Acme.
Do I know how to operate an elevator like the one that I'm in right now?
Thanks to observing Droopy operating the elevator, yes.
I close the elevator door and looked at the elevator lever.
"Hmm," I said out loud, "to make the elevator go up, I have to push the lever forward…and I believe that to make the elevator stop, I have to pull the lever to the center. I think that's right."
I push the elevator lever forward…
…
*TIME SKIP*
"Did you find what you were looking for?" The toon badger asked as I walk out of the elevator with satisfaction.
"Yes, sir." I replied.
"What did you think about walking all the way down that little room?" Ratty asked.
I chuckled.
"I honestly thought it was a little strange…but then again, I thought that Toon Town is meant to be different from the human world and that's how Toon Town works." I explained.
"Well said." Ratty replied.
"I'm really glad that the Toon Patrol information came into the form of books. I thought that I was going to get the information from newspapers."
"You don't like reading stuff from newspapers?"
"Oh, no, I do like reading stuff that are on newspapers. It's just that I'm afraid that if the information of the Toon Patrol were written and published on newspapers, everything that's written may be faded or disorganized."
"Oh."
"Now that the information is written in books, I can take the time to read everything that I would like to know."
"That's nice."
"Beatrice," The toon badger said, "before Ratty and I close the library, there's something that I have to tell you."
"What is it, sir?" I asked.
"Since you're the first human to check out information of the Toon Patrol, I have to warn you that you are about to know about how hard the lives of the Toon Patrol weasels were before they formed the Toon Patrol. You also might find it hard to swallow when you get to the emotional parts of the Toon Patrol history."
"Okay. I will also try to be aware of the emotional parts."
…
*TIME SKIP*
"All right, I see the blue building that the stranger's note talked about." I said after seeing the blue building. "Now I have to look for a brick with a white dot in its center."
Now that I left the library, I better go back home or Tommy and Dad are going to wonder where I am.
The last thing that I want is to make Dad really worried. I thought.
I gasp in realization.
"What if Greasy starts looking for me?" I asked out.
What if he was at my house and he starts looking for me? What if Greasy, Smarty, Psycho, Wheezy, and Stupid are looking for me in Toon Town?
Oh, my gosh!
That wouldn't be good!
Oooooh, it would also be very bad if Greasy and the others discover that I'm reading some information about them!
What if Smarty and Wheezy overreact and get mad at me for reading their pasts? What if Greasy stops showing up in my room because of feeling ashamed of not telling me more about himself and his past? What if Psycho and Stupid don't want to be friends with me and Tommy anymore because of my curiosity getting the better of me? *GASSSSSSP*! What if Smarty took all of the information that I found and BURNED IT UP?!
Oh, my goodness!
…Ugggh, what am I thinking?!
I mean, come on!
I know that Tommy and I are getting along with Greasy, Smarty, Wheezy, Psycho, and Stupid very well but I think that Tommy and I don't know them very well.
"In my personal opinion," I said to myself (like I was actually talking to someone) as I looked for the single white-dotted brick, "the best way to be friends with someone is to get to know them very well. It doesn't feel right to not know anything about that person once I'm friends with them."
It's true.
It really is.
Believe me.
…And so, I can't find the brick with the white dot in its center.
I groaned loudly in frustration.
"What if someone thought that someone was trespassing here and covered up the white dot?" I asked myself out loud. "Now how am I—? Oh, there it is!"
Ha, ha. Found it.
Now all I have to do is press the brick in.
…I push…the brick in…just as the note said.
…Nothing's happening.
I frown in confusion.
"What did I do wrong?" I asked myself.
I push the brick in even further.
…What the heck is going on?
"Is this brick thing somebody's idea of a joke?" I said out loud. "Because if this is a joke, then this isn't really funny and I'm not laughing."
Then, I shouted,
"I hope you're hearing what I'm saying! Whoever left me the note in the library and told me to come right here and push a—"
After noticing that my right shoe was untied, I put my right foot up on the wall…and the wall caved in, causing me to yell in surprise and shock and fall forward.
Wait, it's not CAVING IN.
It's SWINGING IN!
And I see my bedroom!
"Never mind about what I said!" I shouted.
I ran into my room, take off my backpack quickly, and placed it on my bed.
I sighed in satisfaction.
Finally, I'm back home…and it's almost five o'clock.
I made it!
"Beatrice?"
*GASP*!
Oh, no!
It's Dad…and I still see where I entered my room just a few seconds ago!
"Uh, yes, Dad?" I asked as I frantically used my telekinesis to shut the door that served as my exit out of Toon Town and hid my backpack under my bed.
"I'm going to run some errands right now and I'm going to pick up some pizza for dinner." Dad replied as he walked into my room.
Thank goodness that the exit is no longer visible.
"Okay, Dad." I said and made myself look like I was staring at my bedroom ceiling in thought.
"Do you want me to order a half meat-half veggie pizza?" Dad asked.
I looked at him and replied,
"Yeah, that'll be good."
"All right." Dad said with a smile. "I will be right back."
"Okay, Dad. Be careful."
After giving me a kiss on my forehead, Dad walked out of my room.
Three…two…one…
Whew! That was close!
With the help of my telekinesis, I take my backpack out from underneath my bed…and telekinetically bring it towards me.
I unzip my backpack manually and take out one of the books from the Toon Town Library.
I open the book.
"Huh?" I said in confusion.
Is that…?
Why, yes, it is.
I'm seeing…a black and white picture of…of Greasy.
Oh, my goodness.
He's not wearing his usual zoot suit, pants, and hat.
Instead, Greasy's wearing a white collared dress shirt, (probably) black pants, black sweater, and shoes with scratches on them.
Hey, remember when Greasy allowed me to see the top of his head?
Well, on that day, the top of his head was bald.
In the picture that I'm seeing right now, the top of Greasy's head is completely covered with black hair…except it's not greasy.
"Wow." I whispered.
So that's what Greasy looked like before he became a part of the Toon Patrol.
I turn the page of the book…
