(Ah, yes, I'm back! Well, this break wasn't too much longer than the one between chapters one and two-in fact, it might be shorter. I have another stupid reason--my busyness level right now, on a scale of one to ten, is about a seven. Which means I have free time, but I like to spend it doing fun things. Not that writing isn't fun--I love to write, which is why I've been a member of Fanfiction.net for almost two and a half years. But when I have had free time, I've spent it doing other things. Since I haven't written in a while, my style's not what it used to be. It's. Pretty. Choppy. Like. This. So bear with me, people, and the next chapter will be up within two months--I promise!)
The siblings got around pretty well with that diaper bag. They roamed through California, stopping at food pantries and the like and restocking it.
Now it was January. Yakko, who was by this time almost five, was having some trouble getting enough food for everyone again. Good luck for them didn't seem to last for very long.
Yakko felt someone tug at his pants. He looked down and saw Wakko sitting on the ground. ~Yakko. I'm hungry.~
"I am too," said Yakko impatiently, "but I don't have any food or money."
Wakko's answer was simple: ~Get some then.~
"Wakko, it isn't that easy," said Yakko with a sigh.
~Well, we're not going to get any just sitting here,~ Wakko pointed out. ~There's a park over there. There might be a fountain, and we can get coins out of it.~
"Well, alright," said Yakko. "You're right, it is better than just doing nothing here--wait! Wakko! Where's Dot?"
Wakko looked around furiously. ~I don't know! She was right here!~
Yakko looked behind every Dumpster and trash can. "Dot? Dot? Where are you? I am so STUPID! I shouldn't have let her get out of my sight!"
Wakko turned Yakko towards him so he could "hear" his thoughts. ~Yakko, get a grip on yourself. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself and concentrate on finding her!~
Now, no angry reviews. Dot was as safe as could be, although in a rather precarious situation. In her boredom, she had crawled off and gotten in an elevator of a nearby building. Underneath the people going to the thirty-ninth floor, she was unnoticed. The people didn't even hear her happy giggles.
Dot had gotten a lot better. While still small, she had a bit more baby fat which made her look healthier. When the people got out, she crawled out, too.
A door to an office was open, and Dot gleefully crawled in. There was a balcony there, and the door to it was open, also (yet another reason why you should keep doors shut!) and Dot, being the curious baby she was, ventured outside.
Dot looked around her. Of course, being on the floor, she couldn't see the hanging baskets of plants on the railing. She did, however, see the potted plants on the floor, only a bit taller than the bottom opening of the railing.
She made her way to the plant, and it became a game for her-to see if she could get the plant to fit through the opening.
Well, she did. The plant was launched into the air, only to plummet down thirty-nine stories.
Dot giggled. "Bye bye!" she said, her first words.
CRASH!
Everybody who was walking below (don't worry, it didn't hit anybody) looked up in surprise. Thinking it was some no-good teenager, they all had anger spread across their faces.
A small, black, furry face poked through the railing. The crowd's mood changed in an instant.
"Aww, how cute!"
"But what is it?"
"It's a baby!"
One smart guy noticed the most important thing, however. "Look! Its head is stuck!"
Dot was valiantly struggling to free her head from the bars, to no avail. The crowd's mood changed again, this time to horror.
"The poor dear!"
"Someone help it!"
Dot, in her frustration and fear, let out a high-pitched wail. About five people rushed up the stairs. "What floor is it on?" they all cried.
A man who had stayed behind cried, "They'll never find out! I'm calling a cherry picker!" He immediately ran to a pay phone, opened the phone book, and began to furiously dial, with Dot's high pitched screams not to far in the background.
"Dot! Dot! Where are you?"
Wakko ran up to Yakko. ~I couldn't find her.~
"Me neither. Oh, Wakko, what if she's hurt? I'd never be able to forgive myself. DOT! WHERE ARE YOU? Please, sis, please be alright!"
~Yakko, you're doing it again. Don't lose your sanity!~ Wakko couldn't help himself and added, ~Well, I guess it's a little too late for that.~
"Wakko, this is no time for sibling rivalry!" cried Yakko, glaring at his brother. But Wakko's eyes were awed and skyward.
~Whoa,~ was his one and only thought.
Yakko followed his gaze. A cherry picker was a block ahead of them, stretching up many stories. They didn't know it, of course, but that number was thirty-nine.
~Come on!~ cried Wakko, running ahead.
"Wakko! What are you doing!" Yakko yelled, nevertheless running after him.
~I just wanna see what they're doing,~ said Wakko, with average little-boy enthusiasm.
The brothers slipped into the crowd unnoticed. Looking up, they couldn't see much, because of the position of the sun.
But their sister, up on the thirty-ninth floor, now safely in a fireman's arms, could see perfectly.
"Yakko! Wakko!" she shrieked.
"DOT!" screamed Yakko, and rushed over to the cherry picker, attempting to climb it.
Someone in the crowed grabbed Yakko by the shirt collar. "Look, kid, don't climb on that thing, it's dangerous!"
"But my sister's up there!" screamed Yakko in retaliation, trying to break free.
"There's a fireman up there, he's bringing her down," said the man. Sure enough, if Yakko squinted, he could make out the shape of a man climbing down the ladder.
Wakko finally managed to push his way through the mass of people. ~Where is she?~ he cried silently.
"She's coming," said Yakko.
After what seemed like an eternity, the fireman climbed down. Dot looked positively giddy; she had just had a grand adventure, and for some reason, there were a lot of people witnessing it. The only thing that had dampened her spirits was the fact that her head was rather unpleasantly stuck between two bars.
Upon seeing her brothers, she cried out again, "Yakko! Wakko!"
The fireman held Dot out to Yakko, who accepted her gratefully--like a protective mother, he hugged her, kissed her on her forehead and cheeks, and said things such as "You scared me to death! Don't ever run off again, you hear me?"
Unfortunately, the news reporters were making their way through the crowd, right up to the happily reunited siblings. The man who had held Yakko back before was now in that newspaper reporter's face. "Don't you dare turn this horrific event into some cover story!"
"But the people will want to know about it!" proclaimed the reporter.
"These children do not deserve to be plastered on every newspaper!"
"Stories like this don't happen everyday!"
"I will not let you anywhere near--hey! Where did they go?"
During all the banter, the siblings had quietly slipped away, putting an abrupt end to the argument.
Yakko slumped against a wall of an alleyway, wiping his arm against his forehead. "Whew! What a day!" he exclaimed, almost breathlessly.
Wakko still stood, however, looking at Dot, still snugly tucked in Yakko's other arm. Yakko looked up at his brother.
~You know, Yakko, I don't know if you noticed it or not, but Dot said her first words today.~
"You're right!" said Yakko happily. "I was just so relieved, I didn't notice."
~It was kinda sweet,~ commented Wakko. ~Her first words were our names.~
Yakko laughed. "Yeah. Can you say our names again, Dottie?"
But Dot was fast asleep, the adventures of that day having made her weary. Yakko didn't break her gaze on her.
Wakko smiled, sat down next to them, and unconsciously grasped Dot's tiny hand. ~You really love her, don't you?~
Yakko looked confused. "Of course⦠what do you mean?"
Wakko shrugged. ~It's just the way you look at her. I should have said; I mean, I should have thought, "She's everything to you, isn't she?"~
Yakko smiled slowly. "Oh, you're wrong there."
It was Wakko's turn to look confused. ~Huh?~
"Actually, I should have said, 'You're only half-right there'," laughed Yakko. "But seriously, she's only half. YOU'RE the other half."
Wakko smiled, warmly and lovingly. ~Oh, duh. I should've known.~
Yakko, with Dot still asleep in his arms, managed to give Wakko a hug. He then pulled away, looking at his brother very seriously. "Do you understand where I'm coming from?"
~Jeez, Yakko! Of course I do!~ thought Wakko, even his thoughts sounding indignant. ~I think sometimes you forget something.~
"What's that?" asked Yakko.
~I'm an older brother, too.~
Yakko leaned back, taking it in. "Well, of course I know--I mean--you're--" He looked back at Wakko. "You're right. Sometimes I do forget. And because you're an older brother, too--"
~I know exactly how you feel,~ finished Wakko.
Yakko's smile faded. "No, you don't."
~Oh yes I do!~
"No, you don't. For one thing, you only have one younger sibling. I have two. And for another, you don't have to take care of them. Taking care of you and Dot is exhausting, and I'm not sure that I do a good job of it."
~Hm,~ thought Wakko. An odd grunting sound came from his throat, a sound of thinking. ~Well, I think you do a good job with me and Dot, considering you're four years old. But you do a terrible job of taking care of yourself.~
"What do you mean?" cried Yakko. "I take care of myself! I mean, I'm still hear, aren't I?"
~Only because of me and Dot,~ thought Wakko sadly.
Yakko turned away, not wishing to "hear" any more. Wakko, however, had more to "say", and turned Yakko's head towards him. ~So you were wrong, again. I'm an older brother to Dot, of course, but I'm also an older brother to you. I have to take care of you, because you won't.~
Yakko turned away again. "Shut up. I don't want to hear anymore."
Wakko felt defeated. ~Good night,~ he thought, but it was really only to himself, because Yakko wasn't looking.
The siblings got around pretty well with that diaper bag. They roamed through California, stopping at food pantries and the like and restocking it.
Now it was January. Yakko, who was by this time almost five, was having some trouble getting enough food for everyone again. Good luck for them didn't seem to last for very long.
Yakko felt someone tug at his pants. He looked down and saw Wakko sitting on the ground. ~Yakko. I'm hungry.~
"I am too," said Yakko impatiently, "but I don't have any food or money."
Wakko's answer was simple: ~Get some then.~
"Wakko, it isn't that easy," said Yakko with a sigh.
~Well, we're not going to get any just sitting here,~ Wakko pointed out. ~There's a park over there. There might be a fountain, and we can get coins out of it.~
"Well, alright," said Yakko. "You're right, it is better than just doing nothing here--wait! Wakko! Where's Dot?"
Wakko looked around furiously. ~I don't know! She was right here!~
Yakko looked behind every Dumpster and trash can. "Dot? Dot? Where are you? I am so STUPID! I shouldn't have let her get out of my sight!"
Wakko turned Yakko towards him so he could "hear" his thoughts. ~Yakko, get a grip on yourself. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself and concentrate on finding her!~
Now, no angry reviews. Dot was as safe as could be, although in a rather precarious situation. In her boredom, she had crawled off and gotten in an elevator of a nearby building. Underneath the people going to the thirty-ninth floor, she was unnoticed. The people didn't even hear her happy giggles.
Dot had gotten a lot better. While still small, she had a bit more baby fat which made her look healthier. When the people got out, she crawled out, too.
A door to an office was open, and Dot gleefully crawled in. There was a balcony there, and the door to it was open, also (yet another reason why you should keep doors shut!) and Dot, being the curious baby she was, ventured outside.
Dot looked around her. Of course, being on the floor, she couldn't see the hanging baskets of plants on the railing. She did, however, see the potted plants on the floor, only a bit taller than the bottom opening of the railing.
She made her way to the plant, and it became a game for her-to see if she could get the plant to fit through the opening.
Well, she did. The plant was launched into the air, only to plummet down thirty-nine stories.
Dot giggled. "Bye bye!" she said, her first words.
CRASH!
Everybody who was walking below (don't worry, it didn't hit anybody) looked up in surprise. Thinking it was some no-good teenager, they all had anger spread across their faces.
A small, black, furry face poked through the railing. The crowd's mood changed in an instant.
"Aww, how cute!"
"But what is it?"
"It's a baby!"
One smart guy noticed the most important thing, however. "Look! Its head is stuck!"
Dot was valiantly struggling to free her head from the bars, to no avail. The crowd's mood changed again, this time to horror.
"The poor dear!"
"Someone help it!"
Dot, in her frustration and fear, let out a high-pitched wail. About five people rushed up the stairs. "What floor is it on?" they all cried.
A man who had stayed behind cried, "They'll never find out! I'm calling a cherry picker!" He immediately ran to a pay phone, opened the phone book, and began to furiously dial, with Dot's high pitched screams not to far in the background.
"Dot! Dot! Where are you?"
Wakko ran up to Yakko. ~I couldn't find her.~
"Me neither. Oh, Wakko, what if she's hurt? I'd never be able to forgive myself. DOT! WHERE ARE YOU? Please, sis, please be alright!"
~Yakko, you're doing it again. Don't lose your sanity!~ Wakko couldn't help himself and added, ~Well, I guess it's a little too late for that.~
"Wakko, this is no time for sibling rivalry!" cried Yakko, glaring at his brother. But Wakko's eyes were awed and skyward.
~Whoa,~ was his one and only thought.
Yakko followed his gaze. A cherry picker was a block ahead of them, stretching up many stories. They didn't know it, of course, but that number was thirty-nine.
~Come on!~ cried Wakko, running ahead.
"Wakko! What are you doing!" Yakko yelled, nevertheless running after him.
~I just wanna see what they're doing,~ said Wakko, with average little-boy enthusiasm.
The brothers slipped into the crowd unnoticed. Looking up, they couldn't see much, because of the position of the sun.
But their sister, up on the thirty-ninth floor, now safely in a fireman's arms, could see perfectly.
"Yakko! Wakko!" she shrieked.
"DOT!" screamed Yakko, and rushed over to the cherry picker, attempting to climb it.
Someone in the crowed grabbed Yakko by the shirt collar. "Look, kid, don't climb on that thing, it's dangerous!"
"But my sister's up there!" screamed Yakko in retaliation, trying to break free.
"There's a fireman up there, he's bringing her down," said the man. Sure enough, if Yakko squinted, he could make out the shape of a man climbing down the ladder.
Wakko finally managed to push his way through the mass of people. ~Where is she?~ he cried silently.
"She's coming," said Yakko.
After what seemed like an eternity, the fireman climbed down. Dot looked positively giddy; she had just had a grand adventure, and for some reason, there were a lot of people witnessing it. The only thing that had dampened her spirits was the fact that her head was rather unpleasantly stuck between two bars.
Upon seeing her brothers, she cried out again, "Yakko! Wakko!"
The fireman held Dot out to Yakko, who accepted her gratefully--like a protective mother, he hugged her, kissed her on her forehead and cheeks, and said things such as "You scared me to death! Don't ever run off again, you hear me?"
Unfortunately, the news reporters were making their way through the crowd, right up to the happily reunited siblings. The man who had held Yakko back before was now in that newspaper reporter's face. "Don't you dare turn this horrific event into some cover story!"
"But the people will want to know about it!" proclaimed the reporter.
"These children do not deserve to be plastered on every newspaper!"
"Stories like this don't happen everyday!"
"I will not let you anywhere near--hey! Where did they go?"
During all the banter, the siblings had quietly slipped away, putting an abrupt end to the argument.
Yakko slumped against a wall of an alleyway, wiping his arm against his forehead. "Whew! What a day!" he exclaimed, almost breathlessly.
Wakko still stood, however, looking at Dot, still snugly tucked in Yakko's other arm. Yakko looked up at his brother.
~You know, Yakko, I don't know if you noticed it or not, but Dot said her first words today.~
"You're right!" said Yakko happily. "I was just so relieved, I didn't notice."
~It was kinda sweet,~ commented Wakko. ~Her first words were our names.~
Yakko laughed. "Yeah. Can you say our names again, Dottie?"
But Dot was fast asleep, the adventures of that day having made her weary. Yakko didn't break her gaze on her.
Wakko smiled, sat down next to them, and unconsciously grasped Dot's tiny hand. ~You really love her, don't you?~
Yakko looked confused. "Of course⦠what do you mean?"
Wakko shrugged. ~It's just the way you look at her. I should have said; I mean, I should have thought, "She's everything to you, isn't she?"~
Yakko smiled slowly. "Oh, you're wrong there."
It was Wakko's turn to look confused. ~Huh?~
"Actually, I should have said, 'You're only half-right there'," laughed Yakko. "But seriously, she's only half. YOU'RE the other half."
Wakko smiled, warmly and lovingly. ~Oh, duh. I should've known.~
Yakko, with Dot still asleep in his arms, managed to give Wakko a hug. He then pulled away, looking at his brother very seriously. "Do you understand where I'm coming from?"
~Jeez, Yakko! Of course I do!~ thought Wakko, even his thoughts sounding indignant. ~I think sometimes you forget something.~
"What's that?" asked Yakko.
~I'm an older brother, too.~
Yakko leaned back, taking it in. "Well, of course I know--I mean--you're--" He looked back at Wakko. "You're right. Sometimes I do forget. And because you're an older brother, too--"
~I know exactly how you feel,~ finished Wakko.
Yakko's smile faded. "No, you don't."
~Oh yes I do!~
"No, you don't. For one thing, you only have one younger sibling. I have two. And for another, you don't have to take care of them. Taking care of you and Dot is exhausting, and I'm not sure that I do a good job of it."
~Hm,~ thought Wakko. An odd grunting sound came from his throat, a sound of thinking. ~Well, I think you do a good job with me and Dot, considering you're four years old. But you do a terrible job of taking care of yourself.~
"What do you mean?" cried Yakko. "I take care of myself! I mean, I'm still hear, aren't I?"
~Only because of me and Dot,~ thought Wakko sadly.
Yakko turned away, not wishing to "hear" any more. Wakko, however, had more to "say", and turned Yakko's head towards him. ~So you were wrong, again. I'm an older brother to Dot, of course, but I'm also an older brother to you. I have to take care of you, because you won't.~
Yakko turned away again. "Shut up. I don't want to hear anymore."
Wakko felt defeated. ~Good night,~ he thought, but it was really only to himself, because Yakko wasn't looking.
