Disclaimer: see first three chapters.
Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter 4! In this chapter, Aurora explores Chalk Zone, Rudy and Penny search for her, and Rudy finally reveals the full secret of Chalk Zone and explains why they've hidden it for so long. Enjoy!
P.S. Alas, I must concede defeat. I will admit that I was wrong, and that Nintendo Maximus was right, about Rudy's last name. It is, in fact, spelled "Tabootie". I will henceforth be using that spelling, and I will not stray from it.
Chapter 4: Exploring the Zone
Aurora walked down the long street, heading for the edge of the "city" she had found herself in. Finding the dirt path, she followed it for about a mile. Suddenly, she saw a giant fork sticking out of the ground, with the path splitting to either side. She took the left path, just like Chalk Grandpa had told her. A few hundred yards down the road, she could see a large red barn and a long, blue locomotive. Standing in the engine compartment was a tall, muscular man clad in blue and white that Aurora assumed was Snap. In the different compartments were various chalk drawings, all looking very nervous. She could see a long, sharp needle, a large bowl, and two stick figures. The needle had one large eye above its "eye"; the bowl had four claw feet, like an old-fashioned tub; and the stick figures were, well, stick figures. She ran up to the man in blue, who, she could now see, was wearing a train conductor's hat.
"Hello. Um…I need some help. I don't know where I am. Can you help me?" she asked.
"Why sure," the man said. "My name's Snap. I'm in charge of the Chalk Zone Tours, where we help you to find your place. What's your name?"
"Wait a minute. You're Snap? Oh, that's so weird! My mom and dad have told me tons of stories about you. Umm…no offense, but I expected you to be…"
"You expected me to be…what?" Snap said.
"Well, I expected you to be smaller. Shorter. Skinnier. And without so much muscle," Aurora said. "Dad has always said that you were shorter than him the first time he visited here, and he was, like, eight. Oh, I almost forgot. My name is Aurora."
"Aurora? Aurora Tabootie? Wow, you've really grown. Tell you what. Why don't you ride up here with me while I do my tour, then I'll show ya around. How's that sound?" Snap asked.
Aurora nodded eagerly. She had never ridden on a steam locomotive before, and was very excited. As they pulled away, Aurora stuck her head out the window to watch Chalk Zone whiz past at amazing speed. Soon, they passed the giant Quilting Quintuplets. The fourth one was yelling because she had lost her needle. The train stopped, and the needle got off.
"Louise!" Snap yelled to the enormous woman. "I've got a new needle for ya!" Louise immediately stopped screaming and picked up the giant needle. It laughed as she threaded it and began pushing it back and forth, back and forth between the layers of fabric. The train started up again, but soon stopped at a lumberyard. The two stick figures hopped out and walked up to the foreman. All around, Aurora could see stick men and women working with the giant saws and other assorted tools. The best thing about using stick figures was that if an arm or a leg got cut off, there was a pile of spare circles, ovals, lines, and assorted geometric shapes that were perfect for replacing the severed limbs. Once they were settled, the train was once again on its way. Finally, the train pulled back into the place from where it had left. The bowl climbed out, obviously very depressed. Suddenly, Bathtub Granny and her tub walked up.
"Well, what have we got here? A summer tub? I love it!" The bowl leapt happily before running to get filled with water. Going behind a bush, Granny switched tubs mysteriously. When she came out from behind it, she was in her new tub, with a leash tied around the other one. They contentedly walked off together. With the last one gone, Snap turned to Aurora.
"Well, I guess Dusty will wanna see you. So will Lilly. Why don't you come with me? We'll make sure you're safe. Chalk Zone is a dangerous place, especially lately. Especially if you don't have the magic chalk."
"What magic chalk?" Aurora queried.
"The chalk you used to make the portal. Don't tell me your mom and dad haven't told you yet."
Aurora shook her head, puzzled. "Dad and Mom told me stories about this place, but I never thought they were real. I just figured that they were made up. But when I saw that shimmering chalk on Dad's chalkboard, and I drew a big circle with it, there was an opening into Chalk Zone. I didn't even realize where I was until Chalk Grandpa told me."
"Well, then, we need to get you home now. There's some madman who's drawing all sorts of monsters to terrorize Chalk Zone. You're in danger."
*~*~*~*
Rudy and Penny walked into Chalk Dad's meat shop.
"Chalk Dad, are you here?" Rudy yelled.
The older man walked out of the back room, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Rudy! Penny! What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?" Chalk Dad asked amicably.
"We need to know if you've seen a teenage girl with long, brown hair," Penny told him anxiously.
"Hmm, let me think…well, there was that one girl…what was her name…Oh! Aurora Jones. Funny name, don't you think? Anyway, she came in here 'bout an hour ago, looking for the cow pasture. She was talking about some noodles, or something like that. She was the strangest chalk drawing I've ever seen."
"That's because she isn't a chalk drawing, Chalk Dad," Rudy said. "She's our daughter, though I have no clue why she would say she was related to Dylan."
Penny, though worried about her daughter, smiled a bit at the thought. It reminded her of the time she had to pretend that Rudy was her boyfriend because one boy in high school wouldn't leave her alone. Of course, this was after their trip to the Hahamas, where they met the Haha Men and encountered the Smooch.
"Rudy, it's possible she was looking for that drawing of a cow she made a few days ago. She told me that she had named it Moodles, because of macaroni-and-cheese. The cow produces the milk to make the cheese, and this particular cow had markings on it that looked like noodles. Anyway, she might have used the name Jones because she didn't know anyone here and didn't want to be in danger by using her real name," Penny told Rudy. He nodded solemnly.
"You're right, sweetie. Let's check with Snap; maybe he's seen her."
"Would you like some meat while you're here?" Chalk Dad asked, completely oblivious to the conversation.
"Sorry, but we've got to go. We have to find Aurora, before someone else does," Rudy said.
*~*~*~*
Snap and Aurora arrived a few minutes later at a large, opulent house at the better end of Chalk Zone. Snap opened the front door to reveal one of the largest foyers Aurora had ever seen—and she'd been to the homes of some of the most famous artists in the world. He walked in and a butler provided him with a scarlet-colored silk robe and a pipe. Obviously, Snap wasn't much of a smoker, because the pipe produced bubbles instead of smoke.
"Ummm…Snap?" Aurora asked nervously. "Where is everyone else?"
"Oh, they're upstairs. Charles, would you mind getting Dusty and Lilly for me?" Snap asked the butler. As he walked out of the room, Snap told Aurora, "All of the workers here are volunteers, even though they get paid handsomely. I've learned that being nice to them works much better than ordering them around. It's a very nice system. None of us are too lazy to do stuff ourselves, so the maids and butlers are allowed to come and go as they please. For some reason, they'd rather stay here all day and all night than go home."
"Hmm, very interesting," Aurora remarked. Indeed, she had never heard of such people. She imagined that someone had drawn them, perhaps trying to come up with ideas for a cleaning service or other business. Their sole purpose was to work for whoever hired them.
Soon after, a woman in a red outfit similar to Snap's walked down the stairs, a teenage girl in light purple close behind. The woman in red had curly brown hair hanging from under her mask. The girl in lavender was not wearing a mask, but had on the same style of clothing her mother wore, which looked like a longer version of Snap's "shirt". She looked to be about Aurora's age, maybe a few months older. Her hair was short, straight, and blonde.
"Who's that with you, Snap, dear?" the woman said curiously. "She looks familiar. Don't you think so, Lilly?"
The girl came forward to get a better look at Aurora. "She reminds me of someone. I don't really remember whom, but I feel like I've met her before. She kinda looks like Rudy Tabootie, but not really."
Aurora spoke at last. "Rudy Tabootie's my father. My name is Aurora Tabootie."
"Oh, my goodness! Aurora? Oh, it's so good to see you again! My, how you've grown!" the woman in red said happily.
"Whoa, wait a minute, lady. What do you mean, 'again'? Are you telling me that I've been here before?" Aurora was very confused.
"Why, of course! In fact, the last time you were here, you spoke your first word!"
"Really? What was it?" Aurora asked, suddenly intrigued by the reference to her personal past.
Snap stepped forward. "It was 'Blocky', which I still don't understand. How is it that Rudy's daughter's first word is the name of Rudy's first drawing?"
"Oh, please, Snap. You're just still jealous that Blocky got into the Tabootie Museum of Art and you didn't," the woman said. "You'll have to forgive Snap. He just can't stand it when any of Rudy's other drawings get more attention than he does."
"Dusty…" Snap seethed through his teeth. "Now isn't really the time, dear."
"Oh, yes! Of course. Now, what say we start looking for your parents? Hmm?"
Aurora was awed by their certainty that her parents were here looking for her. "What makes you think that they're even here?"
The lavender girl answered, "Mom and I saw them on our trip downtown today. They were talking to Rudy's Chalk Dad. They seemed really worried about something."
"Lilly, why don't you go upstairs and read a book?" Snap said.
"Oh, Dad, I want to go with you and Mom to find Rudy and Penny. Besides, Aurora and I have a lot of catching up to do!"
The four set out from the massive house toward the other end of Day Zone. Once they had thoroughly searched through Day Zone, they would move into Night Zone and continue the search. While Snap and Dusty were planning, Lilly was catching Aurora up on life in Chalk Zone, while Aurora was telling Lilly all about the real world, including everything about Dylan and the upcoming birthday party.
"Hey!" Aurora said. "I just got the greatest idea! Why don't you come to my party?"
"Well, I dunno. I've never been in the real world before. I'd have to ask Mom and Dad, and then your mom and dad would have to agree too."
"Well, it can't hurt to ask, can it?"
"I guess not."
*~*~*~*
While the three chalk drawings and teenage girl were planning their search mission, Rudy and Penny were doing some searching of their own. Snap and Aurora hadn't been at the barn, and there was neither hide nor hair of anyone at the train station.
"Where do you think they could be?" Penny asked nervously.
"I'm not sure," Rudy replied, "But I know we'll find her." Rudy was trying to sound confident, if only for his wife's sake.
"Why don't we ask everyone to help us look?"
"Good thinking honey." Rudy looked over at his beloved wife, noticing that she had tears threatening to fall from her dark chocolaty eyes. He enveloped her in his arms, holding her close. He gave her a soft kiss, lending her his strength so that they could carry on and continue the search.
"Aurora, wherever you are, know that we're looking for you," Rudy thought.
*~*~*~*
"Queen Rapsheeba! Great to see ya!" Snap said jovially as they met the beautiful singer/actress.
"Snap, my main man! How goes the good life?" Rapsheeba replied.
"Just fine, Rapsheeba! This is Aurora. She's Rudy and Penny's daughter."
"Hi," Aurora said softly. She was more than a bit nervous meeting all of these new people.
"Hiya, Aurora. It's great to meet ya."
"It's nice to meet you, too."
After talking for a few minutes, Rapsheeba promised to give Snap a call on his cell phone if she saw Rudy and Penny. They continued their trek, only to run into Biclops a little while later.
"Aurora?" Biclops wondered aloud.
Aurora asked, "How do you know my name?"
Biclops smiled. "Your father, Rudy Tabootie, has told me much about you, Aurora. Did you know that he saved Chalk Zone from being turned into a theme park?"
"Really? That's so cool!"
"Yeah, but I was the one who did all the work," Snap added. Dusty slapped him on the back of the head.
"I may not have been here when it happened, but even I know that that isn't true."
"Would you like to know what really happened?" Biclops asked. Aurora nodded her head eagerly.
Half an hour later, the story of Vinnie, his plans for "Vinnieland", and the love note from her grandfather to her grandmother was finished. Aurora was stunned.
"Wow. I never realized Dad and Mom did so much to protect this place. So are they still helping out here?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Ever since your father was eight, he's been protecting Chalk Zone from the drawings of maniacs and ignorant children. He's been vital to keeping Chalk Zone safe," Biclops answered. "And when he met your mother, she immediately began to help as well."
Suddenly, Snap's phone began to ring.
"Hello…Oh, hey Rapsheeba…you found them…at the Chalklate Chip Cookie orchard…Okay, we'll be right there…later!"
"Queen Rapsheeba found Mom and Dad? Great!" Aurora said happily.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"
*~*~*~*
"Mom! Dad!" Aurora joyfully yelled as they neared the Chalklate Chip Cookie trees.
Penny turned around at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Aurora? Oh, Aurora!"
Aurora ran toward them, laughing heartily. Rudy caught her in his arms and kissed her on the top of her head. Penny then gave her a large hug. Aurora was content to stay in their arms, but knew that this tender family moment wouldn't last long.
"Young lady! What provoked you to just leave like that?" Rudy said severely. "We were worried sick about you!"
"Just so you know, you're grounded for the next month! School and home only! No computer or television for you!" Penny added.
"But…what about my party?" Aurora asked, afraid of what she would hear.
Penny answered, "Just be happy we aren't canceling it. But your punishment begins the next day, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. "Umm, this may not be the best time to ask, but…can Lilly come to my party?"
"Well, your mother and I will think about it," Rudy replied. Suddenly, he looked up to see Snap and his family standing a few feet away. He motioned for them to join in on the reunion.
"Lilly just asked if she could go to Aurora's birthday party," Snap said. "We don't see any reason why not."
"Well, neither do we. I guess it's settled then," Penny replied. "We'll all come together to pick her up. How does that sound?"
Dusty said, "That sounds excellent. It will be good for the girls to have some time together."
The other three parents nodded in agreement.
Hey, it's getting late," Snap said, looking at his watch. "Why don't we all go to the Fireplug Ballet together?"
"Sounds great!" Penny said. Rudy and Dusty agreed, nodding their heads.
*~*~*~*
Later that night, after the Fireplugs had returned to their posts as silent sentinels, Rudy pulled Aurora aside to speak with her privately.
"Aurora, I want you to understand why your mother and I kept this place a secret from you all these years. You see, your Aunt Sophie and I, well, as far as we've been able to tell, we're the only ones who can use the magic chalk that's found here in Chalk Zone. Only true artists can. Your mother and I wanted to make sure you were a true artist before we told you about Chalk Zone. Of course, we had told you the stories to prepare you for it, but we wanted you to think that it was just a made up place.
"Recently, there's been someone who's been drawing monsters to terrorize Chalk Zone. We don't know who it is, but we know that they are aware that Chalk Zone is a real place. We've been able to figure out that they're drawing and erasing the monsters deliberately. Even though these monsters are made of chalk, they can still hurt or kill us while we're here. Your mother explained it to me once, but I didn't understand a word of it. Something about our atoms changing to a pliable state so that we will be accepted here on a subatomic level.
"Now that we know you have real talent, it's just a matter of seeing if you can use the chalk." Rudy handed Aurora the same piece of shiny chalk that was sitting on the chalk tray at the house.
"What should I draw?" Aurora asked.
"How about something simple, like a flower?"
Aurora took a deep breath and held the chalk in front of her. Closing her eyes, she tried to draw a straight line for the bottom of the pot. She slightly opened one eye, only to see a brown line hanging in midair. She opened her eyes fully and finished the pot, then worked on the flower. Within moments, she was holding a small potted daisy in her hands.
"Well, that answers that question," Rudy said. "This is excellent."
"Yeah, just wait until Dylan hears about this!"
"Aurora," Rudy said warningly. Aurora read his voice perfectly.
"Let me guess. This is one of those 'I-can't-tell-anyone-because-the-fate-of-Chalk-Zone-rests-in-my-hands' things, right?" Rudy nodded his head silently. "Figures. I finally have a cool job, and I can't tell anyone about it."
*~*~*~*
In a dark, underground laboratory, a man stood, drawing a horrible snake-like monster on a piece of sketch paper. He added the final touch; a large venom sac that led to the hollow spikes protruding from the monster's head and back. Satisfied with his work, the man set down his pencil and headed over to a large chalkboard. He picked up a brand-new piece of chalk and began to replicate his picture from the paper. He laughed maniacally when the chalk screeched, causing the large parrot in the nearby cage to squawk loudly.
"Hush, Sammy," a cold, raspy voice came out of the shadows. "All will soon be finished." The man stepped back from the chalkboard to get one final look at his monster. Happy with this latest monstrosity, he laid the chalk back in the tray. Another high-pitched, maniacal laugh escaped him.
"Rudy Tabootie, I hope you're ready for this one. Chalk Zone won't know what hit it." The cold voice held a note of glee.
*~*~*~*
Well, that's it for Chapter 4! I wanted to get this chapter finished before I left for Dayton this weekend. Think of this as a Hanukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa gift for you, the lovely readers! Without you, I wouldn't have a reason to write and post my stories!
BTW, 20 gold stars to whoever can correctly guess who the evil artist is!