While walking towards the playground, I asked. "So, what makes Silver comparable to Mr. Krabs?"

"Well, admittedly," Jim began. "They do have a similarity of giving out orders. But Silver does so in a fair way."

"Hmm?" Mr. Krabs listened with surprise.

"So fair, in fact," Squidward added, pulling out a wad of cash. "He pays us very handsomely."

"KA-CHING!" Morph exclaimed, turning into a dollar sign.

"Oh, sure, the job's nice and the pay is rewarding." said SpongeBob. "But nothing can outshine the Krusty Krab, for it is the most perfect place in the universe."

The rest of us stared at him blankly until, finally, I said. "You know, there are other places that are beyond perfection, like McDonald's or Red Robin."

"Red Robin, yum!" Morph sang, multiplying himself into four little red robins.

"Yes, well, if we had our way," Squidward said. "Silver has my vote to be in charge of the Krusty Krab."

"I second that, Squidster." said Jim, who fist-bumped Squidward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your seahorses, boyos." Mr. Krabs said in front of us. "Now, Silver may have won you over with his charm and good pay, but if anybody's comandeering the Krusty Krab, it'll be me and only...

"Hey!" he said, upon seeing us moving along. "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talkin'! I have a point to raise here!"

While Mr. Krabs tried to catch up, little did we notice B.E.N. spying on us at the playground, using his eyes as binoculars.

B.E.N., short for Bio-Electronic Navigator, was a reliable robot, naviagting which way to go. That was, until, he lost his memory circuit and found himself literally dumped.

Fortunately, Sandy Cheeks, Foster City School's resident scientist, found him, took him in and fixed him up, with the promise of relocating his missing circuit, all while working on her other experiments.

On this day, B.E.N. was keeping an eye out when he heard the sound of panting that came from Dorothy Gale (from "The Wizard of Oz") as she hurried through the back gates with a little Terrier by her side.

"She isn't coming yet, Toto?" Dorothy said, kneeling down and running her hands through his fur. "Did she hurt you? She tried to, didn't she?

"Oh, here comes Uncle Henry and Auntie Em." she said, pointing an old pickup truck, which her uncle and aunt were driving towards Foster City School.

"HUZZAH!" B.E.N. cackled...then shrieked as he slid down the slide, then said. "I'm OK!"

"Sheesh." Spirit said as he and Rain watched. "And I thought the witching hour was two weeks ago."

As he said this, Donnie climbed on top of him, then leapt into the play structure.

"Hmm, so you think." Rain said to Spirit, who glanced at her annoyingly.

"Sorry about that." Eliza said, walking up to Spirit and Rain. "Donnie likes to cause mischief everywhere we go."

"He always does." added Darwin.

"Hmm, just like Mo..." Spirit began, only to cut himself short when he heard himself talking to Eliza. "Wait, you can understand us? With or without the Animal Talker?"

"Animal Talker?" repeated Eliza.

"What's that, some sort of new drink in the soda line?" asked Darwin.

"Uh, no." said Rain. "It's actually one of Sandy's experiments that can give any animal a voice when one drinks from it."

"Oh." said Eliza. "Well, yeah, I can understand what you're saying, just like every other animal I've met. No Talker required."

"Imagine that."

At the sound of the new voice*, Eliza, Darwin, Spirit and Rain turned to see Toto walk up to them...saying. "A lass with the ability to communicate with animals. Aren't you just a regular Dolittle."

"Actually, it's Thornberry, Eliza Thornberry. And this is my friend, Darwin."

"Spirit and Rain, that's who we are." Spirit said, introducing himself and Rain, who added. "And you must be Toto."

"Aye!" said Toto. "How'd you guess?"

Rain motioned towards Dorothy, who tried to talk to...

"Aunt Em! Just listen to what Miss Gulch did to Toto."

"Dorothy, please. Not now." Auntie Em said as she and her husband went to the back of the truck.

"But, Aunt Em..."

"Don't bother us, Dorothy, honey." Uncle Henry cut her off as he removed a tarp. "This old incubator's gone bad and we're likely to lose a lot of our chicks."

"Well, it's a good thing y'all came in time."

At the sound of Sandy's voice, the Gales turned to face her.

"How do, Mr and Mrs. Gale!" she greeted.

"Howdy-do to you, Miss Cheeks." Uncle Henry greeted back as he moved aside for Sandy to lift the old incubator from the truck, while Dorothy tried again to talk to...

"Auntie Em, Miss Gulch hit Toto right over the back with a rake just because she says he gets in her garden and chases her nasty old cat every day."

"Dorothy, can't this wait until later?" asked Auntie Em as she and Uncle Henry followed Sandy to her treedome.

"Oh, but he doesn't do it every day," Dorothy kept talking. "Just once or twice a week. And he can't catch her old cat, anyway. And now she says she's gonna get the sheriff, and..."

"Now, Dorothy, dear, you always get yourself into a fret over nothing." said Auntie Em. "Now, you just help us out or find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble."

Dorothy just stood there as the door to the treedome slammed shut in front of her.

Sensing that he's wanted, Toto said. "You'll have to excuse me. Me lassie needs me."

"Oh." Eliza said as the little Terrier took his leave. "OK, nice talking to you."

Once she saw her dog walking to her, Dorothy said. "Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It isn't a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away...behind the moon...beyond the rain...

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Dorothy's beautiful singing caught the attention of those playing in the school grounds, including myself, while I was playing tetherball with Morph, SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and Jim as well as calming Donnie, who fell from one of the play structures.

Luckily, Spirit managed to catch the wild boy with his teeth, placing him in Eliza's hands while watching Dorothy climb up another one of the structures.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why, then, oh, why can't I?

"That girl has the most beautiful voice." Patrick said with a sniffle...before Mr. Krabs whacked him, SpongeBob and Squidward out of it with a board that Morph had shapeshifted into. Jim quickly backed up when he did so.

"Will ya get yer heads out of the clouds? There's one more delivery to make." Mr. Krabs said, pushing SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward along, as well as pulling Jim away.

I watched them go, then turned to Dorothy as she finished her song in front of the rest of us.

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh, why can't I?

Author's Note:

*Since Eliza does have the ability to talk to animals, it would make sense for Toto to have a voice, especially when supposedly done well by Craig Ferguson.