Based on the Dragon Tales episode Get Offa My Cloud
The story begins in Lincoln's room. Lincoln is busy watching a cup with dirt in it.
Lana came into the room. "Hey Lincoln. Whatcha doing?"
"Hey Lana. My class is growing carrot seeds." Lincoln shows her the pack. "See? We plant the seeds, then the carrot grows way down in the dirt. We pull it up when it's all grown."
"Maybe the seeds will grow in my pocket. I've got lots of dirt in there."
Lincoln sighed. "It just takes time. Like forever."
"Boy, I bet that's frustrating." Lana then got an idea. "Hey, I know. Why don't you come hang out with us while you're waiting? You look like you could use some fresh air."
Lincoln gave it a little thought. "Come to think of it, I guess I could use a break."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!"
Lincoln then got out of his chair and followed his little sister downstairs.
Downstairs in the kitchen, the rest of the girls were with their parents. With Lynn Sr complaining about the grocery bill.
"Are you kidding me? How can you possibly charge that much for some lousy vegetables?! That's highway robbery!"
Lincoln came into the kitchen. "What's going on here?"
"Dad's in another one his moods," Lynn Jr explains. "He was trying to make a salad but the store keeps charging him extra for vegetables."
"Well no kidding!" Their father exclaimed. "What kind of lousy service is that? This isn't even reasonable!"
Lincoln looks to the audience. "I already know what dad's gonna say. 'Food prices are astronomical!'"
"Food prices are astronomical!" His father said right on cue.
"And now the 'back when I was a child' speech."
"Back when I was a child, we picked fresh fruits and vegetables. We should grow them here in the backyard."
"Honey, that's a great idea," Rita explains. "But I've got too much work to do today."
Lana stepped in. "What if we help?"
Both the parents were surprised. "Are you sure you're cool with this kids?"
"Of course. This will be a great bonding experience for us."
"Yeah," Lincoln agrees. "Plus I've got a pack of carrot seeds."
"And if I may intervene," Lisa stated, "I just so happen to be working on a special elixir that will help the produce grow faster and more efficiently."
"Well, okay then," Lynn Sr replies. "If you kids have got this handled, we'll leave you to it." Both the parents walked out leaving the kids alone.
"I guess we should get to work then," Lincoln suggests.
"You know what?" Leni said with excitement. "We should totally plant a whole fruit and vegetable garden of our own, complete with pumpkins, tomatoes, rutabagas and everything!"
"But Leni, all I have are carrots," Lincoln said.
"Don't worry. I got a whole bunch." Leni pulls out a bunch of fruits and vegetables from behind her back.
"Those aren't seeds," Lana states.
Lynn then came forward with two baseball bats in each hand. Everyone took a few steps back as she began smashing the produce with the bats, separating the seeds from the food. The seeds then flew into the air as she held up a few empty bowls. Each different type of seeds went into their own bowls.
"They are now."
Everyone was stunned as they gave Lynn a round of applause.
Out in the backyard, the kids found a big enough space to begin working.
"Alright, let's get to work."
"Aw," Lola complains. "Do I have to?"
"Yes Lola," Lincoln answered. "We all have to help out."
"You know, it's kinda ironic," Lana states. "You love flowers, and yet you hate dirt."
"I still don't see why I have to be involved."
"Because Lola," Lincoln further elaborated. "This is a family situation, and whether you like it or not, you're a part of the Loud family."
"Yeah," Lori adds. "That, and we've already blocked the door."
"Fine!" Lola grumbled.
"Okay," Lori ordered. "First we have to get the soil ready. Let's start by getting rid of all the rocks and sticks."
The kids all gathered together all the rocks and twigs that were in the yard.
"Now we just have to plant the seeds in straight rows."
Each of the kids grabbed a shovel and/or a hoe and began making straight lines in the dirt. (Of course, Lisa's were the most precise).
"Hey Lincoln! Look how fast I am!" Lana began running around dragging a shovel in her hand behind her.
Lincoln took note of this and was immediately not happy. "Lana no! Straight lines!"
Lana then stopped and took a look at what she did. "Oops." She then hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry."
Lincoln sighed. "It's okay. But next time, please watch what you're doing."
The kids (sans Lana) then finished burying the seeds into the ground. They also put up signs of what vegetables were which.
Lincoln wipes the sweat off his forehead. "Finally! We're done."
Leni took a look at the signs. "Yummy pumpkins, crunchy carrots, tasty rutabagas. I can't wait!"
Everyone then began to head inside. Unfortunately, Lana then approaches the garden and began pulling out all the stakes and signs out of the ground. She then saw that Leni and Lori were the last ones to head inside as she approached them.
"Here. You left your sticks. I got them all." Lana drops all the sticks on the ground and already, both Lori and Leni were upset.
"Oh-no!" Leni gasped. "Now we can't tell where everything's planted!"
"But I….."
"Oh Lana! Why don't you stop helping and just watch for a while?"
Lana felt even worse than before.
Later, everyone was busy fixing up the garden while Lana just sat under the tree watching.
Luna came by with a watering can. "Hey little sis. Whatcha doing here all by yourself?"
"I messed up the garden," Lana lamented.
"You did? It looks fine to me."
"That's because Lori and the others fixed it all up."
"Come on Lana. Tell you what. You can help me with the water."
"I'd better not. I can't do anything right."
"Oh no. Don't say that." Luna then took a seat next to her. "There's a lot of things you're good at."
"Well apparently gardening is not one of them."
"You don't have to know everything to be helpful."
"Aw you're just saying that to make me feel better, and just so you know, it's not working."
"Well you know Lans, some kind of help is the kind of help we all can do without."
Lana was confused. "You know? I can never understand you when you say things like that."
"Hey Luna!" Lori called. "Bring that water over here!"
"Coming dudes!" Luna turns to Lana one last time. "You coming Lana?"
"Nah," Lana pouted. "I'll probably just do something else wrong."
"Suit yourself." Luna brought the watering can over to the others.
"It literally took you long enough," Lori said.
"Well I'm here anyway."
"And I have the elixir right here," Lisa said holding a beaker.
Lincoln felt a little worried. "Uh Lisa? Nothing weird is gonna happen, right? There's not gonna be any mutant vegetables, or we're not gonna turn into vegetables ourselves or any weird surprises?"
"Negatory. I've had this tested weeks ago and it's completely stable. The only thing you'd have to worry about is pouring too much."
Lincoln then felt relieved. "In that case, go ahead."
Lisa nodded and put a single drop of the elixir into the water.
"You know?" Luan thought. "It would actually be pretty funny if veggies could talk."
"I know right?" Leni agrees. "Someone should totally make a TV show about it!"
Lynn rolls her eyes. "I think someone already did, Leni."
"There. It is finished," Lisa announces. Everyone tried to reach for the watering can, but the young genius stopped them. "Hold it! No reason to go overboard. A single drop on each seed is all you need. This elixir is a very powerful growth formula."
Everyone shrugged as if they were saying okay.
Lincoln turned to his sister Lynn. "Rock paper scissors for who gets to do the watering?"
"You're on bro!"
The two played Rock Paper Scissors. Lynn got paper while Lincoln got scissors. "Ha! Scissors beats paper! I win!"
"Dang it!" Lynn then shrugged it off. "Well played Link."
Lincoln then took the watering can and added a single drop to each seed. "Now what?"
"We wait a while for everything to grow," Lisa states.
"Hey, I know! Why don't we all go inside while we're waiting?" Leni suggests. "That way we can have lunch."
"Good idea Leni," Lincoln agrees. "And by the time we get back, the garden will be blooming."
Everyone started to head inside, but then Lincoln spotted Lana sitting under the tree. "Hey Lana. We're going inside for lunch. Why don't you come with us."
"No thanks. I'll just stay here."
"Are you sure? Cuz I can stay if you want me to."
Lana doesn't say anything.
"Okay I get it. You're still bummed out about being yelled at. It's okay. We know you were just trying to help."
"Lincoln I'm fine. There's nothing I wanna talk about right now. I just wanna be by myself for a while."
"Come on sis…"
"I said I'm fine! Just….go away and leave me alone."
Lincoln decided there was no use fighting with her. "Okay, Lana. I'll bring you a sandwich when I come back." Lincoln headed into the house.
As soon as everyone was gone, Lana made her way to the garden. "Come on little seeds! Grow! You can do it!"
Nothing comes out of the ground.
"You don't wanna be little forever, do you?"
Still no response.
"The others said that the seeds would grow soon. But soon was over a long time ago. Yes I'm quite sure that soon is over. And now it is later. Much later."
"Why are you so afraid? Go on and grow! Are you slow? We are your gardeners, you are our seeds. We shall attend to all of your needs." Lana then realized what she said. "Whoa! I didn't know I could rhyme like that. I guess Lucy's poems are starting to grow on me."
Lana then got an idea. "I know just what you need!" She ran over to get the watering can. She was about to pour it, but then stopped for a second. "Wait a minute. Is this one of those situations where you add too much and then something bad ends up happening?" Lana thought for a minute, but shrugged it off. "Eh, couldn't hurt."
Lana pours a lot of the water out of the can. "Here. Have a big drink." She then realized that she had poured too much. The ground began shaking and a giant beanstalk grew out of the ground. Lana got carried away by one of its leaves and was taken up to the sky.
Once she arrived, she found herself on a cloud. And to her surprise, she started bouncing when she jumped on it. "Huh, bouncy. Weird. Lisa always told me that clouds were just little drops of water. Boy is she gonna be stunned."
Lana then heard a voice coming out nowhere. "You know, I remember when I first got here. I loved bouncing around on the clouds too."
"Who said that?"
"Down here!"
Lana looks within the clouds and found two mice. One of which was tall and dressed in blue, while the other was smaller with a navy blue hat and a red coat. "Who are you?"
"The name's Tony. Tony Toponi," the taller mouse answered. "And you're here to rescue us, right?"
"Rescue you?"
"Yeah. So what did you bring? A helicopter? Hot air balloon? Ladder?"
"I'm sorry. I don't have any of those things. And how did two little mice like you get stuck up here anyway?"
"Well, you see, we both floated up in a soap bubble a long long time ago."
"Yeah," the younger mouse said. "We've been stuck in this cloud ever since. By the way, I never introduced myself." The young mouse took a bow. "I'm Fievel. Fievel Mousekewitz. What's your name?"
"I'm Lana. Lana Loud."
However, Tony was getting impatient. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you. Now that introductions are out of the way, can we get out of here, please?"
"Go where? We're way high up in the clouds." Lana then hung her head in shame again. "Besides, I only screw up."
"So what this means is we're all stuck up here with no way to get back?" Tony asked.
To which, Lana nods.
"I should have known this was too good to be true! First were the only ones up here who need help, and now this little girl comes up and all of a sudden, she can't help! Now we're all gonna be stuck up here for the rest of our lives!"
"No we won't Tony," Fievel said. "There has to be a way. Maybe we could…." Fievel then spotted the beanstalk close by. "...climb down! That's it! We could climb back down!"
The trio the looks down to the ground. Lana gulps. "All the way down?"
"What's the matter?" Tony asked her. "You afraid of heights or something?"
Lana then got defensive. "What?! Me?! Afraid?! Of course not! That's ridiculous!"
The two mice crossed their arms.
"Well…..maybe just a little bit."
The mice each raised an eyebrow.
Lana then realized they weren't buying it. So she gave up. "Alright fine! I am! I'm afraid of heights! I admit it! I got stuck in a tree once and I was too afraid to get down! There I said it!" Lana then broke down a bit.
Fievel came up to comfort her. "It's okay Lana. I know how you feel. Believe it or not, I know what it feels like to be scared. But one thing I learned is that sometimes, you just have to ignore your fear and go on."
Lana was still a little unmotivated.
"Tell you what, you can carry us. That way, we'll be there for you in case you get scared."
"Well…..okay."
The two mice then hopped into Lana's overall pocket. She prepared to climb down the beanstalk, but then a strong wind came in. "No! Not the wind!"
The wind began blowing the clouds away from the beanstalk. "Hey! We're moving away from the stalk," Fievel noticed.
"Let me tell you Philly, this ain't good!" Tony shouts.
Back down on the ground, the rest of the kids came out to check on the garden. They could scarcely believe their eyes.
"Amazing!" Luna said.
"Yeah," Leni agrees. "That magic water really works!"
Lisa however was confused. "I don't understand it. We only used one drop."
"It's almost as if someone used the whole can," Lucy added.
"Where is the watering can anyway?" Lynn wonders.
Lincoln then noticed the watering can wasn't the only thing that was missing. "Come to think of it, where's Lana? She was out here a minute ago."
"I haven't seen her," Lola shrugged.
"Well where could she be?" Lori wonders.
Luna then looked up at the beanstalk. "Uh-oh dudes."
"What is it Luna?"
"Call it a hunch, but something tells me that Lana might be up there!" Luna points to the stalk reaching right up into the sky.
"Wow. Talk about having your head in the clouds," Luan jokes. "But seriously, Luna may be right."
"Well if she is," Lynn said, "how are supposed to get her down?"
"I do have one suggestion." Lisa took a small backpack and placed it on her back. The then pulls a small string and two wings out of it.
"Whoa! Lisa!" Lincoln says. "What is that thing."
"This dear brother is my prototype wing-pack. (Patent pending)."
Lola began to laugh. "You expect to fly up there with that piece of junk?"
"It is not a piece of junk! It's a prototype."
"Oh please. These wings are plastic. You can't fly."
"It's made out of a terrific turbonic alloy, and I can fly."
"No. You can't."
"Yes I can."
Can't!"
"Can!"
"Can't! Can't! Can't!"
"I'm telling you I can fly up there with my eyes closed!"
"Okay then little miss smarty pants, prove it."
"Alright then I will. Stand back everyone." Lisa then powers up the wing-pack. "To infinity and….Whatever may be beyond that!" The pack then sent Lisa flying right up into the sky.
"Not bad," Lola says. "But that catchphrase stinks like eggs."
Back up in the sky, Lana is pacing back and forth trying to think of a way to get off the cloud.
"Let's see," she thought. "What would Lincoln do if he was in this mess?"
"Who's this Lincoln fellow?" Fievel asked.
"My big brother. He usually comes up with good ideas."
"Good ideas," Tony said. "Yeah, that's what we need. I'm sure you could think of one."
"Me?"
"Sure. You practically know a fella with a lot of good ideas."
"But all I do is mess up."
"Come on. Give it a try."
"Please?" Fievel begs.
"Maybe if I just keep thinking." Lana got back on her feet and began pacing again. Once she turned around, she accidentally bumped Tony into the watering can. A drop of water came out of it and fell onto Tony's tail.
"Hey! What happened here?"
Lana picks him up. "Tony! Are you okay?"
"Okay? This is the longest tail I've ever grown! It almost touches the ground!"
"...almost touches the ground! That's it!" Lana then knew just what to do. "You just gave me an idea!" Lana looks into the watering can. "Good. There's still some of that magic water left." She then took out some seeds from her front pocket. "And I still have a few carrot seeds left."
"And just how can you think of food at a time like this?"
"Come on Tony," Fievel said. "Give her a chance. I'm sure Lana knows what she's doing."
Lana took the seeds and buried them in the cloud. She then poured the rest of the remaining water onto it, and the seeds grew into a giant carrot that was so big, it nearly touched the ground.
Both the mice were amazed. "How did you do that?" Fievel asked.
"Carrots grow down. Not up," Lana answered. "Lincoln told me."
"Ha-ha!" Tony shouts in victory. "I knew you'd come through miss good-idea!"
Lana scoops the two mice into her pocket. "Okay guys. Hold on tight." Lana looks down to the ground and started to get nervous again. But then, she took a deep breath, grabbed onto the carrot and began sliding down.
Back at the Loud house, Lisa came back down from the sky.
"Sorry everyone. No luck. I can't seem to find Lana anywhere."
"Well she's gotta be somewhere!" Lola panics.
Just then, Leni spotted a giant carrot coming from a distant cloud. "Mmmm…...a giant carrot!"
"Carrot?" Lincoln took a closer look and recognized who was sliding down it. "Lana! It's Lana!"
"WHAT?!"
"I see her! She's sliding down that giant carrot! Come on!"
The kids all followed the carrot in the clouds. Back to Lana, she finally reached the ground. Once she hopped off, she just stood still with her eyes wide open.
"Woo-hoo!" Fievel cheers. "Lana, we made it!" Fievel then noticed that Lana was completely unresponsive. "Lana? Lana? Are you okay?"
"That….was…..AWESOME!" Lana snaps out of her trance and cheered in excitement. "I was having a blast! I can't believe I just slid down a giant carrot!"
"So you weren't scared?"
"Are you kidding? I was having so much fun, I didn't even remember I was scared of heights!"
"That's great!"
"That's not the only thing that's great!" Tony exclaims. "We're back on the ground!"
The two mice came out of Lana's pocket and began making snow angel in the grass (or in this case: grass angels). Just then, Lincoln and the rest of Lana's sisters came up.
"Lana!" Her brother hugged her. "Are you okay?"
"She's better than okay," Tony said. "She's our hero."
The others were confused. "Who said that?"
Lana picks up the two little mice. "Everyone, these are my new friends: Tony Toponi and Fievel Mousekewitz."
"This little girl has saved the day!"
"All by myself."
"Way to go Lans!" Luna praises. "I knew you had it in you."
"Yeah. I really did." But then her pride turned back to shame again. "Listen, guys? I'm really sorry I messed up the garden."
"It's okay sis," Lincoln assures. "We're just glad you're safe and sound."
"So am I."
"Yeah." Lori then began pointing out the big 'elephant in the room'. "But what are we gonna do with this giant carrot?"
"Looks like we're gonna need a lot of rabbits," Leni said.
"That won't be necessary," Lisa explains. "I might have a better suggestion."
Back at the Loud house, the kids were keeping an eye on the garden.
"I gotta hand it to you Lisa," Lincoln says. "Out of all the experiments you've come up with, this is by far one of your greatest."
Lisa felt rather flattered. "Much obliged Lincoln."
"You were right Lana," Lola says. "I really, really hate dirt. But, the vegetables look nice."
"They sure do. Now if you don't mind, I'm heading inside for a bit." Lana headed back into the house and upstairs to her room.
"Yo Lana!" The young girl looked down to see that Tony was calling out to her. "That garden of yours working out for you?"
Lana gave a thumbs up. "Sure is."
"Good. Listen, I just wanna say thanks for…..you know, rescuing us up there."
"No problem guys. You know? There are two things I learned from this."
"Oh yeah? What?"
"Well one of them is that you can always find a way to help someone, no matter what you're good at."
"What's the other one?" Fievel asked.
Lana held out a piece of cake. "Big carrots, make good carrot cake," she said while eating the cake slice.
Tony shrugged. "Eh, I'd prefer cheesecake."
So there you go.
Now there's something I would like to point out. For those of you who don't know, the two mice Tony and Fievel were actually named after the same two mice from the animated film franchise An American Tail (The first one directed by Don Bluth). In case you don't remember the actual Dragon Tales episode, there was a scene where Max is in the clouds and he met with a tiny little elf human named Squink. However, for this chapter, I decided to do something a little different. And for some reason, I kept picturing the Louds meeting Fievel from An American Tail, so I decided to include him in this story, and the rest is history.
Thanks for reading
Stay tuned.
