Forty - AR
Scott wandered past Virgil's bedroom. The door was open. Virgil was on his hands and knees peering under the bed.
"Whatcha doing?" Scott asked.
"Looking for frogs." Virgil's muffled voice said from beneath the bedclothes. "I'm not going to be caught out again."
"Are you still going on about that?" Scott asked. "It was only a joke frog after all."
"Yes it was." Virgil agreed. "But it'd been left on my pillow and what I didn't realise was that it was full of green slime type stuff. When I picked it up I squeezed it and it squirted slime all over my pillow and sheets. I had to change them and I couldn't do it by myself, not without spreading the slime even further. So I had to ask Grandma to help me."
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"She decided that since I needed help with changing the sheets, I needed help elsewhere. She's tidied my whole room. I couldn't stop her. It was like a tornado that cleaned instead of wrecking the place. She's put everything away so it would be easier for me. And now I can't find a thing!"
Scott tried to hide a smile. "Well that's not too bad."
"Not too bad! She's taken my paint smock to clean. She said she couldn't understand how I could work in it. It's only paint stains! And now she's not going to give it back to me until it's white! Imagine a white paint smock!"
"Oh." Now Scott understood. "I'm sorry Virgil." He seemed genuine.
"Why?" Virgil asked cautiously.
"It was me who put the frog on your pillow."
"You!" Virgil was devastated. "Why?"
"I had a lot of time to think and not much else to do while I was in the hospital." Scott explained. I remembered that I had this joke frog." he shrugged. "I decided that if I got out of there with my sight intact I'd put it on your bed. I knew you'd think it would have been one of the others that'd done it and thought it'd be interesting to see who'd take the blame. I forgot about the slime..."
Virgil looked hurt. "After all I did for you."
"I'm sorry Virg." Scott said guiltily. "Tell you what. I'll go see if I can get your smock back okay?"
"It'll be too late now. She'll have it soaking in something." Virgil said sullenly.
"Maybe not." Scott said hopefully. "I'll go and look." He quickly headed out of the room.
Gordon came out of his hiding place. "See I told you it must have been Scott."
Alan followed suit. "And all that time you were blaming us."
"Sorry guys. But you were the obvious choices!" Virgil said. "I would never have thought of Scott doing it. I think he genuinely did forget about the slime."
"Shame about your smock." Gordon commented.
A small smirk played across Virgil's face. "Yeah wasn't it. I hope he doesn't ask Grandma where it is."
"Why?" Alan asked, curious.
"'Cause she won't know." Virgil's smirk became bigger. "It's still in my room. I managed to get it off her before she took it away. I've hidden it in case she comes back."
"So he's looking for something that isn't there." Gordon grinned.
"Yep. How long before we let him out of his misery?" Virgil asked.
"Wait till he comes back with his tail between his legs." Gordon advised. "It's best to let these things take their course."
"I bow to your expertise." Virgil laughed.
Half an hour later Scott was back.
"Virgil!" he exploded, face like a thundercloud.
"Yes Scott." Virgil said innocently.
"I've just been talking to Grandma!"
"Yes Scott." Virgil repeated, his expression still beautifully innocent.
"She said you've got your smock. That you wouldn't let her leave the room until she'd given it back!"
"Did she say that?" Virgil feigned amazement. "Now that you come to mention it... it does ring a bell."
"Ring a bell? I'd like to ring your bell! I've just spent the last half hour going through the family's dirty laundry trying to find your blasted smock. It's not pleasant getting up close to Alan's dirty socks."
"I thought you were looking for a smock not a sock." Gordon had emerged from his hiding place again. "That's smock with a m..."
"How could you tell they were mine?" Alan asked indignantly.
"I couldn't tell whose they were. I just know they smelt. And I had to take everything out so that I could see what it was." Scott frowned at his two youngest brothers, who grinned engagingly back. "Where did you two come from?"
"Oh we were just waiting to see if we've convinced Virgil that it wasn't us who put the frog on his pillow." Gordon said.
"Yeah, nothing like a full confession to establish innocence." Alan chimed in.
"Fellas." Virgil said seriously. "I'm sorry for every false accusation I've made over this issue."
"Apology accepted Virgil." Gordon said magnanimously.
"So you put him up to this?" Scott asked. "Grandma didn't really tidy your room, Virgil?"
Virgil made a face. "Yes she did! And yes I can't find anything! And yes it was your fault! So I say we're even now. Peace?"
Scott's frown deepened and then relaxed into a grin. "Yeah. Peace."
Scott wandered past Virgil's bedroom. The door was open. Virgil was on his hands and knees peering under the bed.
"Whatcha doing?" Scott asked.
"Looking for frogs." Virgil's muffled voice said from beneath the bedclothes. "I'm not going to be caught out again."
"Are you still going on about that?" Scott asked. "It was only a joke frog after all."
"Yes it was." Virgil agreed. "But it'd been left on my pillow and what I didn't realise was that it was full of green slime type stuff. When I picked it up I squeezed it and it squirted slime all over my pillow and sheets. I had to change them and I couldn't do it by myself, not without spreading the slime even further. So I had to ask Grandma to help me."
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"She decided that since I needed help with changing the sheets, I needed help elsewhere. She's tidied my whole room. I couldn't stop her. It was like a tornado that cleaned instead of wrecking the place. She's put everything away so it would be easier for me. And now I can't find a thing!"
Scott tried to hide a smile. "Well that's not too bad."
"Not too bad! She's taken my paint smock to clean. She said she couldn't understand how I could work in it. It's only paint stains! And now she's not going to give it back to me until it's white! Imagine a white paint smock!"
"Oh." Now Scott understood. "I'm sorry Virgil." He seemed genuine.
"Why?" Virgil asked cautiously.
"It was me who put the frog on your pillow."
"You!" Virgil was devastated. "Why?"
"I had a lot of time to think and not much else to do while I was in the hospital." Scott explained. I remembered that I had this joke frog." he shrugged. "I decided that if I got out of there with my sight intact I'd put it on your bed. I knew you'd think it would have been one of the others that'd done it and thought it'd be interesting to see who'd take the blame. I forgot about the slime..."
Virgil looked hurt. "After all I did for you."
"I'm sorry Virg." Scott said guiltily. "Tell you what. I'll go see if I can get your smock back okay?"
"It'll be too late now. She'll have it soaking in something." Virgil said sullenly.
"Maybe not." Scott said hopefully. "I'll go and look." He quickly headed out of the room.
Gordon came out of his hiding place. "See I told you it must have been Scott."
Alan followed suit. "And all that time you were blaming us."
"Sorry guys. But you were the obvious choices!" Virgil said. "I would never have thought of Scott doing it. I think he genuinely did forget about the slime."
"Shame about your smock." Gordon commented.
A small smirk played across Virgil's face. "Yeah wasn't it. I hope he doesn't ask Grandma where it is."
"Why?" Alan asked, curious.
"'Cause she won't know." Virgil's smirk became bigger. "It's still in my room. I managed to get it off her before she took it away. I've hidden it in case she comes back."
"So he's looking for something that isn't there." Gordon grinned.
"Yep. How long before we let him out of his misery?" Virgil asked.
"Wait till he comes back with his tail between his legs." Gordon advised. "It's best to let these things take their course."
"I bow to your expertise." Virgil laughed.
Half an hour later Scott was back.
"Virgil!" he exploded, face like a thundercloud.
"Yes Scott." Virgil said innocently.
"I've just been talking to Grandma!"
"Yes Scott." Virgil repeated, his expression still beautifully innocent.
"She said you've got your smock. That you wouldn't let her leave the room until she'd given it back!"
"Did she say that?" Virgil feigned amazement. "Now that you come to mention it... it does ring a bell."
"Ring a bell? I'd like to ring your bell! I've just spent the last half hour going through the family's dirty laundry trying to find your blasted smock. It's not pleasant getting up close to Alan's dirty socks."
"I thought you were looking for a smock not a sock." Gordon had emerged from his hiding place again. "That's smock with a m..."
"How could you tell they were mine?" Alan asked indignantly.
"I couldn't tell whose they were. I just know they smelt. And I had to take everything out so that I could see what it was." Scott frowned at his two youngest brothers, who grinned engagingly back. "Where did you two come from?"
"Oh we were just waiting to see if we've convinced Virgil that it wasn't us who put the frog on his pillow." Gordon said.
"Yeah, nothing like a full confession to establish innocence." Alan chimed in.
"Fellas." Virgil said seriously. "I'm sorry for every false accusation I've made over this issue."
"Apology accepted Virgil." Gordon said magnanimously.
"So you put him up to this?" Scott asked. "Grandma didn't really tidy your room, Virgil?"
Virgil made a face. "Yes she did! And yes I can't find anything! And yes it was your fault! So I say we're even now. Peace?"
Scott's frown deepened and then relaxed into a grin. "Yeah. Peace."
