It hadn't been easy getting Wembley to eat something after he was forced back to Fraggle Rock. Boober made him a new batch of peach and pepper pottage, and he just picked at it.
"Come on, Wembley," Boober said, trying his best to sound coaxing. "I made it just for you. I know how much you love peach and pepper pottage. Just one little bite, okay? Just for me? Your old pal, Boober? Please?"
Wembley sighed. He knew how hard Boober worked in the kitchen cooking up the meals the Fraggles ate, and he knew how much it meant to him to see the Fraggles enjoy his cooking. So Wembley picked up his spoon, and forced himself to eat some of the soup, just to humor Boober. That, and Red was hovering behind him, and he didn't necessarily want her to force the soup down down his throat.
"Awww, atta fella!" Red shouted, once Wembley swallowed. "See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No," Wembley said, with a sigh.
"Now, eat all your soup, like a good little Fraggle," Red said. "Then I won't have to shove it down your throat, now, will I?"
"Right," Wembley said.
"Never mind, Wembley," Mokey said, glaring at the pigtailed Fraggle. "Just eat as much as you can."
"We're only doing this because we don't want you to get sick, Wembley," Boober explained.
Wembley nodded, and forced down a few more spoonfuls, but that was about all.
"I'm done," he said.
"You sure?" Boober asked.
"Yeah," Wembley said, nodding. "I'm sure."
"Okay," Boober said. "Actually, I'm kind of glad you didn't fill up on this, Wembley. I'm making roast radish for dinner, and I'm going to make a salad out of the radish greens with radish dressing!"
"Oooh, that sounds yummy!" Red shouted. "Doesn't that sound yummy, Wembley?"
"I guess," Wembley said, shrugging, and then he walked off.
"Well," Boober said, as he dumped Wembley's leftovers into a pipe he used for garbage disposal, "at least we got him to eat something."
Later, Wembley was sitting on the floor of the cave he shared with Gobo, rolling Nevada's marble back and forth. Mokey knocked on the door, and walked in.
"Wembley, are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, Mokey, I'm fine," Wembley sighed, not bothering to look up.
"Are you sure? Gobo and Red were pretty rough on you."
"Maybe they were right. Sitting up there all day waiting for Nevada isn't gonna make him come back. I'm just afraid he won't come back, like his grandfather. He'll forget all about us."
"I'm sure that's not true, Wembley."
"But what if it is?"
"Oh, Wembley, I'm sure Nevada will come back to visit us again someday. But you have to be patient."
Wembley nodded, sighed, and continued rolling the marble back and forth. Gobo walked in just then.
"Hi, Mokey," he said. "Listen, Wembley, can I talk to you?"
"Okay," Wembley said, not looking up.
"I'll just leave you two alone," Mokey said. "Bye, Wembley. And stop worrying about Nevada!"
With that, Mokey left. Wembley barely noticed. Once she was gone, however, he stopped rolling the marble, and looked at Gobo.
"You're not going to yell at me again, are you?" he asked.
"I'm going to try not to," Gobo said. "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier, and for threatening to tear down the stairs, but I was just frustrated. It's just that we're all worried about you, Wembley. We know how much you miss Nevada, but moping around and starving yourself won't bring him back."
"I know, I know," Wembley sighed, and he began rolling the marble again.
"And playing with that rollie all day won't make him come back, either."
"You're not gonna take this away from me, are you? Because if you are, I won't let you!"
"Okay, Wembley okay! Calm down! I wasn't gonna touch your stupid old rollie, anyway! Sheesh!"
Wembley heaved a sigh, and put the marble in his pocket.
"I'm sorry, Gobo," he said. "I guess I haven't been myself today, huh?"
"That's an understatement!" Gobo shouted, picking up his gourd guitar and tuning it. Then he heaved a sigh.
"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean that."
Wembley nodded, took out Nevada's marble, and began rolling it back and forth again.
"What do you think Nevada's doing?" he asked.
"Probably telling his friends about the great fun he had with us," Gobo said. "And the great friends he met, too. After all, nobody can have more fun than a Fraggle!"
"Yeah."
"Come on, Wembley, you've got to snap out of it already! I haven't seen you like this since Mudwell died. It's not like Nevada's never coming back, you know!"
"Yeah, I know."
Wembley continued to roll the marble back and forth. Then he suddenly got an idea.
"Gobo!" he shouted. "I just had a great idea! Or kind of great, anyway."
"What is it?" Gobo asked.
"If Nevada won't come to us, maybe we can come to Nevada!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Maybe we can go into Outer Space and look for him!"
Gobo stared at Wembley for a moment in silence. Then he chuckled, and that built up to a laugh, and then he found he just couldn't stop laughing.
"What's so funny?" Wembley asked.
"Going out into Outer Space just to look for one Silly Creature?" Gobo asked, between laughs. "You've gotta be crazy, Wembley!"
"Well, why don't we?" Wembley asked. "Come on, Gobo, it's a great idea!"
"It's a stupid idea! Outer Space is so big, we don't know where Nevada is now, and I wouldn't know where to start looking."
"We have to start somewhere, right?"
"No, Wembley. We can't."
Wembley sighed, and went back to playing with Nevada's marble.
At dinner that evening, Wembley seemed to have his appetite back, much to the relief of Boober, Mokey, and Red.
"Looks like someone's making up for lost meals," Mokey said.
"Yeah, I'm really hungry," Wembley said.
"I'm glad to see that," Boober said. "Now we won't have to worry about you starving to death or being malnourished."
"He had a real crazy idea earlier," Gobo said. "He wanted us to go into Outer Space to look for Nevada ourselves!"
"What?!" Boober shouted. "Us go into Outer Space?! Wembley, whatever possessed you to come up with an idea like that?! Are you sick or something?"
"No, Boober, I'm fine," Wembley said, as Boober put his hand against the green Fraggle's forehead, checking for a fever.
"That's a ridiculous idea, anyway, Wembley," Red said. "Outer Space is way too dangerous!"
"I don't think it's so ridiculous," Wembley said. "After all, Gobo goes there all the time, and nothing's happened to him yet."
"Yet being the operative word, Wembley," Boober said.
"But . . . . but you guys . . . ." Wembley started.
"Now, now, Wembley," Mokey said, "you've had a very, very long day. Maybe you should go to bed early. A good night's sleep might be just the thing you need."
"Good idea," Gobo said. "And by tomorrow morning, you'll have forgotten this dumb idea of going into Outer Space."
Wembley tried to protest, but he thought better of it, just in case Gobo began threatening to tear down the Doozer staircase again. After dinner, Mokey insisted Wembley go to bed, and asked Gobo to make sure he did.
"I don't understand it," Wembley grumbled, as he climbed up the ladder to his bed. "Why does everybody think it's a dumb idea to go into Outer Space to find Nevada?"
"Because it just is, Wembley," Gobo said. "You've seen me get Uncle Traveling Matt's postcards plenty of times. You know there's a hairy beast out there!"
"But you said the hairy beast wasn't all that bad. In fact, you said he was kinda nice after you got to know him a little."
"That's not the point, Wembley! Look, You can't go into Outer Space, and I'm not going out there, either, and that's that!"
"Well, if you won't help me, Gobo, then I'll just go by myself!"
Gobo stared at Wembley for several moments. Then he began laughing hysterically all over again.
"I don't think that's so funny!" Wembley shouted.
"I'm sorry, Wembley," Gobo said, wiping one of his eyes. He had laughed so hard, his eyes began to water. "Just the idea of you in Outer Space alone! You've got to be kidding!"
"I'm not kidding! You just watch me! I'll go into Outer Space and find Nevada!"
"Come on, Wembley! You don't have any experience in Outer Space! If you're too scared to go into Outer Space to get my uncle's postcards, what makes you think you're brave enough to tackle the rest of it?"
"Well, you're not so brave yourself, you know! If you really were brave, then you'd go further into Outer Space than you normally would! You're the one who's too scared to go into Outer Space, not me!"
Gobo immediately stopped laughing, and glared at Wembley.
"I'm a lot braver than you are!" he shouted. "You've never even been to Outer Space!"
"Then why don't you go further into Outer Space?" Wembley asked. "Or are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid of Outer Space! You're the one who's afraid of Outer Space! Admit it, Wembley! You wouldn't last one day out there!"
"I bet I could if I tried!"
"Yeah, but you wouldn't even try! You'd set one foot in Outer Space, and turn right back around and head for home! And you know why, Wembley? It's because you're a wimp! You're just a little green wimp, that's why!"
"I'm not a wimp! At least I'm willing to go out there! You're the one that's a wimp, Gobo!"
Gobo glared at Wembley harder. He did not appreciate being called a wimp, and Wembley was starting to push him over the edge.
"Okay!" he shouted. "Fine! Go ahead and go out into Outer Space! Just don't come crying to me if you get yourself into trouble! Matter of fact, I don't care if you do get yourself into trouble! I don't care if anything happens to you out there in Outer Space! I don't even know why we're friends in the first place! Go on into Outer Space and get yourself killed! See if I care, you little wimp! You big baby! Just see if I care! Because I don't! I don't care what happens to you! I don't care!"
With that, Gobo stormed out of the cave, slamming the door behind him. Wembley stared after him for awhile, and tried to fight back the tears that were beginning to well up in his eyes, but he was unsuccessful.
"Fine with me!" he shouted. "That's just fine with me! I'll show him! I'll go out into Outer Space, and find Nevada all by myself if I have to! I'll show him who's a little wimp!"
Wembley couldn't stand it any longer, and he let out a sob. He buried his face in his pillow so nobody would hear him. He didn't want anyone to hear, and definitely not see, him crying, especially not Gobo. Finally, he wound up crying himself to sleep.
