The friends walked in silence for a few more blocks; they were very close to Betty's home now. Without warning, Betty and Natalie grabbed Andie's arms. Betty shouted, "We're almost at my house now, BUMBLEBEE!!" As the tall girl yelled the Powerpuff name, Andrea heard a rustling in the distance. It was obvious that Betty's yelling of "Bumblebee" was some sort of signal. The sound of giggles and chuckles told Andrea that a good sized number of kids, probably about her own age, were running for cover.
The smallest fifth grader decided enough was enough. "All right, you two," Andrea demanded, "we're close enough that I'm gonna find out in a minute anyway! What's going on??"
A grinning Betty looked down at her petite friend and explained, "It's too late for you to do anything about it now, Bumblebee! You have fallen into our TRAP!"
"That's right, Micropuff Girl!" Natalie chimed in. "A few of us have got a great big bone to pick with the tiny little Powerpuff! We've got you now and there's no escape!"
The whole situation was just so silly, Andie couldn't help but grin. The trio was in front of the Harper home now, and Betty yelled out, "Prisoner ready for interrogation!" From behind every hiding place near the house -- trees, bushes, cars, the sides of the house itself -- boys and girls came running to Andrea and her friends. And every one of them was holding a copy of the latest Powerpuff Girls comic book! Amy and Jamie were each holding two comics, and as they ran up they handed their extra copies to Betty and Natalie.
"Guess what, Andie?" Betty asked as she put her free arm around her friend's shoulder. "The part of your story you've told us till now just won't cut it anymore. From now on, you want to keep all your friends happy with you, you'll tell us all what page of the comic, and what panel, for that matter, you were reading when Florina showed up!"
"And what's more," Debbie added, "you'll tell us all exactly what you were thinking when your fairy godmother first appeared!"
"And after that," Nicky spoke up, "you can put in a good word with Florina about letting some Powerpuff Boys visit Townsville!"
Andrea crossed her arms and tried to appear angry, but she couldn't stop grinning at the silly stunt her friends had pulled. After a moment, she blurted out, "YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST ASKED ME, NOW, COULD YOU??"
As the group laughed at Andie's comment, the door to Betty's house opened. "Betty?" Mrs. Harper called out. "Perhaps your friends would like to come inside for drinks and cookies!"
In the rec room of Betty's house, the boys and girls enjoyed cookies in the shape of the Powerpuff Girls, and a choice of limeade, pink lemonade, or blue raspberry punch. Betty had put on her own "Heroes and Villains" CD, and the music of Shonen Knife was playing.
"Andie," Natalie reminded her friend, "just before we got here, you said that Florina talked with you about one more thing at the comic store. You never told us what she said to you."
Andrea set down her punch and replied, "Florina wanted to ask me what lessons I'd learned from my experience as the Micropuff Girl."
Greg rolled his eyes. "That figures!" he said. "Everything a kid does, some grownup has to turn into a big educational experience instead of just letting us enjoy it!"
"I don't know, Greg," Jamie replied. "There were some okay lessons I learned just from hearing Andie's adventure. Like, just because you're small doesn't mean you can't make a difference."
Julie added, "Seems to me another lesson is that standing up to your enemies is half the battle; in fact sometimes that's all it takes to win!"
Andie got up and stood behind Betty's chair. Putting her arms around the bigger girl, she added, "One of the best lessons is that you don't always defeat your enemy by punching her lights out. Sometimes you defeat her by making her your friend."
Natalie called out, "Now THAT'S the best lesson of all!" The other boys and girls voiced their agreement.
As Andrea returned to her chair, she grinned. "Well, there WAS one lesson I learned that was even better than that!" she said.
"Really? What was it?" Nicky asked.
"Can't you guess?" Andrea teased.
"C'mon, tell us!" her friends all asked.
Andie looked around the room and drew a deep breath. "The most important lesson of all is this," she started. After a pause, she grinned and told the group, "It is better to have been a tiny little Powerpuff Girl for a day, than never to have been a tall!!"
(It was later on that Andie learned that the people two houses down heard the groans.)
THE END
The smallest fifth grader decided enough was enough. "All right, you two," Andrea demanded, "we're close enough that I'm gonna find out in a minute anyway! What's going on??"
A grinning Betty looked down at her petite friend and explained, "It's too late for you to do anything about it now, Bumblebee! You have fallen into our TRAP!"
"That's right, Micropuff Girl!" Natalie chimed in. "A few of us have got a great big bone to pick with the tiny little Powerpuff! We've got you now and there's no escape!"
The whole situation was just so silly, Andie couldn't help but grin. The trio was in front of the Harper home now, and Betty yelled out, "Prisoner ready for interrogation!" From behind every hiding place near the house -- trees, bushes, cars, the sides of the house itself -- boys and girls came running to Andrea and her friends. And every one of them was holding a copy of the latest Powerpuff Girls comic book! Amy and Jamie were each holding two comics, and as they ran up they handed their extra copies to Betty and Natalie.
"Guess what, Andie?" Betty asked as she put her free arm around her friend's shoulder. "The part of your story you've told us till now just won't cut it anymore. From now on, you want to keep all your friends happy with you, you'll tell us all what page of the comic, and what panel, for that matter, you were reading when Florina showed up!"
"And what's more," Debbie added, "you'll tell us all exactly what you were thinking when your fairy godmother first appeared!"
"And after that," Nicky spoke up, "you can put in a good word with Florina about letting some Powerpuff Boys visit Townsville!"
Andrea crossed her arms and tried to appear angry, but she couldn't stop grinning at the silly stunt her friends had pulled. After a moment, she blurted out, "YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST ASKED ME, NOW, COULD YOU??"
As the group laughed at Andie's comment, the door to Betty's house opened. "Betty?" Mrs. Harper called out. "Perhaps your friends would like to come inside for drinks and cookies!"
In the rec room of Betty's house, the boys and girls enjoyed cookies in the shape of the Powerpuff Girls, and a choice of limeade, pink lemonade, or blue raspberry punch. Betty had put on her own "Heroes and Villains" CD, and the music of Shonen Knife was playing.
"Andie," Natalie reminded her friend, "just before we got here, you said that Florina talked with you about one more thing at the comic store. You never told us what she said to you."
Andrea set down her punch and replied, "Florina wanted to ask me what lessons I'd learned from my experience as the Micropuff Girl."
Greg rolled his eyes. "That figures!" he said. "Everything a kid does, some grownup has to turn into a big educational experience instead of just letting us enjoy it!"
"I don't know, Greg," Jamie replied. "There were some okay lessons I learned just from hearing Andie's adventure. Like, just because you're small doesn't mean you can't make a difference."
Julie added, "Seems to me another lesson is that standing up to your enemies is half the battle; in fact sometimes that's all it takes to win!"
Andie got up and stood behind Betty's chair. Putting her arms around the bigger girl, she added, "One of the best lessons is that you don't always defeat your enemy by punching her lights out. Sometimes you defeat her by making her your friend."
Natalie called out, "Now THAT'S the best lesson of all!" The other boys and girls voiced their agreement.
As Andrea returned to her chair, she grinned. "Well, there WAS one lesson I learned that was even better than that!" she said.
"Really? What was it?" Nicky asked.
"Can't you guess?" Andrea teased.
"C'mon, tell us!" her friends all asked.
Andie looked around the room and drew a deep breath. "The most important lesson of all is this," she started. After a pause, she grinned and told the group, "It is better to have been a tiny little Powerpuff Girl for a day, than never to have been a tall!!"
(It was later on that Andie learned that the people two houses down heard the groans.)
THE END