Professor Utonium was settling down after a long day of lecturing at Townsville University. The archaic sound and light system had constantly broken down causing him to start over several times. By the time his lectures were over only the most dedicated students were awake. The others had lost interest and left, or simply fell asleep.
He was half dozing in his easy chair when a small, but insistant tug at his sleeve woke him out of his musings. Blinking, he looked down to see a small, blond girl standing there cradling a well worn storybook in her arms. Her bright expression and upbeat demeanor left no doubt as to who she was.
"Bubbles, what can I do for you honey?" Professor Utonium hoped it was something simple. Honestly, it had been a long day and all he wanted to do was just go to bed after smoking his pipe!
"Read me a story, please?" She held the book up for him to look at. Smiling, she expected him to take it. Instead, he responded, "Bubbles, please, not tonight baby, OK? I'm really exhausted. Would tomorrow night be OK?" He smiled gently at her, hoping the child would not be too disappointed.
She hesitated briefly, then floated up and kissed him goodnight. "OK, Daddy, I'll wait." Bubbles then took the book and floated off nearly colliding with her newest sister Bunny on the way out. Bunny had nimbly dodged out of the way and didn't even drop the piece of cake she was carrying. Bubbles saw the cake, but before she could remind Bunny that the Professor didn't like food in the living room she had already floated up to the Professor's chair!
Bubbles smiled at her little sister. She was so very curious, just like her and her sisters had been when they were first created. She watched, waiting for Professor Utonium to tell Bunny she wasn't supposed to have food in the living room. Instead, he picked her up and sat her in his lap! He even took, surprise, surprise...a BITE of her cake! She watched in stunned disbelief as he began to answer in great detail whatever question Bunny had. When it appeared that she was going to be there a while Bubbles turned away with a hurt expression on her face. She walked up the stairs slowly, not even bothering to use her powers to float, and left the storybook behind.
Bubbles entered her bedroom and saw her sisters on the bed. She plopped down sadly, but didn't say anything. She wanted to talk to Buttercup, but she looked typically way too annoyed to bother. Most times, it was best to leave her alone. Looking for someone to talk about Bunny, she tried talking to Blossom.
"Just now when I asked the Professor to read me a story, he said he was 'zawsted, or something like that, and he asked to me wait until tomorrow!"
Buttercup corrected Bubbles, "Yo, Bubble head, the word is exhausted, and it means he was really tired."
Before they could discuss the matter further they were startled by an overwhelming and piercing shriek! It was intense, deafening, and seemingly came out of nowhere. The effect on each girl was like a stranger sneaking up behind them and yelling BOO! The girls looked nearly frightened out of their collective wits! Bunny's sonic shriek, it seems, was especially deafening!
They shook their heads together and sighed loudly as one having known what had happened. It was an often repeated performance they were quickly tiring of! They looked about the room, and saw nobody. Listening carefully, Bubbles thought she heard a soft, muffled giggle.
Bubbles used a modified sonic shriek to locate Bunny. "Maybe the others can't see you when you're cloaked, but I can find you." Bubbles used her sonic shriek like a bat uses echolocation to navigate. "I know exactly where you are Bunny!" She pointed to their dresser over by the bedroom door. "There you are!"
Bunny decloaked and became visible, "SURPRISE" she shouted gleefully!
Her happiness was quickly drenched like a lit match being doused by a bucket of water. Bunny's sisters let her know the error of her ways, and perhaps a bit more intensely than they should have!
They tightly encircled Bunny like vultures and collectively scolded her! "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE TOLD YOU TO STOP THAT!"
"I was jus' havin' a bit of fun, guys!" Bunny looked hurt and apprensive. "Gee, you really should see the looks on your faces, it was funny!"
That was the wrong thing to say apparently, "WELL, IT AIN'T FUNNY, OK!" Buttercup looked nearly mad enough to slap her. "KEEP YOUR PLACE, ROOKIE!"
Bunny looked at Blossom and Bubbles for support, but their expressions suggested that Bunny had better take Buttercup's advice to heart!
Bunny was about to apologize to them when she heard the Professor calling for her to come back downstairs. "Hey guys, I'll...um...be right back...OK?"
Blossom gave her something to think about, "Maybe he wants to scold you for shrieking. Now, go!"
After Bunny had left Bubbles continued her discussion about the cake.
"Well, like I was saying earlier, he wasn't too tired to talk to Bunny, and he even let her eat her cake in the living room. He even took a bite!" Bubbles crossed her arms in irritation!
Buttercup scowled, "So, SHE took the last piece, I was looking forward to eating that! Yesterday, it was the last corn dog! What next?" She finished with a characteristic "HUMPPH!"
Blossom jumped in the conversation at this point while sarcastically admonishing her sisters in the process. "So what, YOU have to wait for a story, YOU lost a piece of cake and a corn dog...big whoop! Yesterday, she dumped the hard-drive on my crime computer. I can't even BEGIN to guess the amount of megabytes of data we lost ON EVERY CRIMINAL WE'VE FOUGHT!"
Buttercup asked a stinging question, "So, why did we create her again?"
The girls were about to discuss Bunny even further, but they were interrupted when she floated back into the room.
"Hi, guys, I'm back" She quickly floated over to her side of the bed and got in, rolled over and seemed to fall right asleep. Blossom rolled over on her side of the bed and clicked off the light. In the darkness none of the girls could see that Bunny was awake and desperately clutching a tear soaked pillow. Her eyes were tightly shut as she tried to keep her emotions under control. Bunny had never known such an inner pain, her sisters careless comments and insensitive attitudes caught her totally off guard and rocked her very existance. How she wished she'd never been created, what was the point? Being a powerpuff was no fun anymore!
Poor Bunny was going to enter the bedroom and try to apologize for the sonic screech like a proper powerpuff would. Sadly, she had been listening at the door cloaked, invisible, and had overheard the entire, thoughtless conversation! Hearing her name spoken by the others had caused her to stop and listen. Not the best way to learn the most important lesson about eavesdropping. If you're not ready to deal with what you might hear, then you shouldn't listen!
Bunny looked at the wall adorned with numerous tacked up drawings that Bubbles had placed there. The moon was full, and the light coming in was enough for her to clearly see the wall. One of drawings in particular really annoyed her. A crudely scrawled rodeo cowboy was riding a bucking horse and appeared to be having the time of his life. Bunny scowled at the cowboy, how dare he have fun! She stuck out her tongue, but still he smiled. Frowning, she covered her head with her pillow!
HIM was the crudely scrawled rodeo cowboy riding the bucking horse. He scowled at Bunny's gesture, sticking out one's tongue was so rude! No doubt the girls would be surprised as the cowboy smiled wickedly at the scene he'd just witnessed. The new puff was having problems settling in, how very delightful! That being settled, HIM returned to the horse to finish his ride.
THE NEXT DAY
"MITCH MITCHELSON!" Ms. Keane was at her wit's end with Mitch and his recent pranks. Lately, it seems, the boy had gotten even more troublesome. "I'm tossing this obnoxious thing away!"
Mitch had placed a remote controlled, electronic whoopey cushion under the seat of Ms. Keane's chair. The device was a simple sound chip activated by an infrared remote. It was a hi-tech twist on a classic gag. As Ms. Keane moved around he would trigger the control he had, thus causing her no end of embarrassment and annoyance! It was several moments before she had detected the source of the outrageous and intrusive sounds. Had her class been older they might have exercized some self control at Ms. Keane's problem, but being preschoolers, they behaved as predicted and had a good laugh at her expense! To their credit the Powerpuff Girls had not laughed, although Buttercup had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling. Ms. Keane's first panicked looks were utterly priceless! On the other hand, Brick, Boomer and Butch had nearly wet their pants laughing so hard!
Mitch scowled at his nagging teacher, the harpy had no idea of fun or mischief! First chance he got, he'd show her.
"FINE, TOSS IT!" He talked to her as if it didn't matter. Truth be told, it didn't. Tomorrow, he had stink pellets scheduled. All one had to do was to drop them on the floor so they would be stepped on, thus emitting waves of the most wretched odor. They'd be sorry! Every one of them!
"THAT'S IT, Mister, you're standing in the corner during recess!" Ms. Keane pointed angrily at the wall clock, its sweep hand just seconds away from the 9 o'clock relief. Mitch jerked back as if he was shot, "AWWW, MANNN!"
Bunny had been watching Mitch during his altercation with Ms. Keane. She was curious, and wanted to know more, to know why he would act so inappropriately! Humans were so strange, and lately, well, lately even her sisters had seemed a tad snappish or aloof whenever she asked a question.
As the other kids and Ms. Keane filed out for recess Bunny floated over to Mitch's corner. Mitch was surprised to see her. Actually, he was quite pleased to see her as Bunny was the only Powerpuff that took the time to really talk to him instead of just polite, but essentially empty, small talk that the others were fond of. Her sisters didn't really understand, that's all.
"Hi Mitch...you OK?"
"Hi Bunny, No, I'm feelin' ratty, just once I'd like to hear somebody say they were glad to see me, or that they liked me." Mitch looked pretty much like he didn't have a friend in the world.
"Well, I like to see you, I'm happy when we talk." Bunny smiled him, flicking her brown ponytail back absent mindedly. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Blossom, who was just exiting the building for recess. She frowned ever so slightly, but went outside anyway.
"You don't count, you're a Powerpuff Girl, you're supposed to be nice!"
Bunny was surprised and slightly shocked, "I don't...COUNT? Gee, make me feel better why don't cha?"
Mitch knew he'd stepped on Bunny's feelings by mistake, "Hey, Bunny, don't take it like that. I just...well...I get nervous when somebody is nice to me. I expect something to go wrong, it usually does. You're lucky, you have a family. My aunt tries to be nice, but I can tell, she really wishes I wasn't around. She's in her own world, she never listens, just quotes from the Bible all day, then plays Bingo most every night. She wound up with me after my folks died. Dad died before I was born, and mom died when I was really little...didn't they want me? I feel like the kid nobody wanted." Mitch finished with a glum, forlorn expression on his face that told Bunny he didn't feel wanted or loved at all.
"I think I understand, lately it seems my sisters are always mad at me. It's like they're jealous or something. I wonder sometimes...if they really like me? When I talk to them I feel like they really want me to finish just so I'll go away. Last night was really bad, I couldn't do nuthin' right! Come to think of it, the Professor is the only one that listens to me."
"Welcome to my world! You know, if I was running down main street with no clothes on I don't think anybody would even notice, or care!"
"Awww, don't feel that way, Mitch!" She briefly blushed at the thought of seeing Mitch streaking main street! "Everybody has a reason for being, everybody matters, at least that's what Professor Utonium says. You have to like yourself, and believe your life has a purpose." She reached out and gave him a gentle hug for comfort.
Mitch looked puzzled by the hug, but before he could respond to Bunny's startling, yet uplifting statement, he was interrupted by Bunny's sisters. They didn't look happy to see Bunny hugging him, either! Blossom had seen her hugging Mitch on her way out and had fetched the others to confront Bunny and Mitch!
Blossom's tone was sharp from the beginning, "Haven't we TOLD you that Mitch is off limits?"
Buttercup was joining in, "Yeah, he's nothing but a walking rap sheet, not good for NOTHING!"
Bunny was hurt, but held her ground for Mitch's sake. "Professor said everybody has a reason for living, that we all matter!"
Bubbles answered, "Yeah, his reason is to be a pest so others can feel better about themselves! What's the MATTER with that?" Buttercup smirked, actually pleased at the word joke by Bubbles!
Mitch just sighed and walked back to his seat as the return to class bell rang. Recess was over, and so was the conversation as far as he was concerned!
Buttercup turned on Mitch and shook her fist, and then shoved him to the floor near the corner where he had been standing! "You stay AWAY from her, ya dig!"
Bunny was near to crying, "HEY, you hurt his feelings, don't you TRUST me?" Her sisters just looked down at her like a king looks down on a serf. It was apparent that they, indeed, did not trust Bunny.
The older puffs were all silent as they returned to their seats leaving Mitch to pick himself up. Trying to salvage his dignity he yelled at the girls, excepting Bunny, of course!
"You're all BULLIES, picking on people. You think you're so high and mighty, but you have NO IDEA about how people really feel, what's really going on in their heads!"
If Mitch had looked up just then he would have seen a rather unique, red colored spider. As he walked away from the corner the spider dropped down from its silken cord in an air duct to peer at Mitch. All eight eyes were red as fire as the spider watched Mitch walk away. It smiled at the new knowledge, "The new puff has a boyfriend that the others don't like. How delightfully devious!" HIM's reverie was interrupted as he felt a tug on his cord. Looking up, he noticed a butterfly entangled in the web. Well, he was hungry, so back up he went. After all, prey was prey, be it human, puff, ruff, or otherwise!
