Bananas at Camp David
Note: CL fanfic. Rodney Rooster returns to a field trip to the legendary Camp David. Lazlo nearly drives the President bonkers.
"I'll take a dead genius over a live idiot any day."--Liz, IGPX
Chapter 1—Urgent News from Washington, D.C.
It was a perfect day without a cloud in the sky. Scoutmaster Lumpus was laying back on a hammock taking a siesta. Every so often, he would sip on a glass of ice-cold raspberry lemonade.
"Ah, this is the life. No campers bugging me and not a care in the world.", Lumpus thought to himself. He sighed rhapsodically and was suddenly jarred from his peaceful state.
"Sir, the President just called.", Slinkman said, trying not to show too much emotion despite the fact that he was practically bursting with anxiety. Immediately, Lumpus sat erect and jumped onto his feet, saluting.
"Well, out with it ! What did the man say ?", Lumpus questioned, his voice margining on manic.
"He has invited both Camp Kidney and Acorn Flats to Camp David. He was so impressed with the excellent record of positive experiences for the campers.", Slinkman said, doing his best to supress a smile.
"What are we waiting for then, Slinkman ? Round up all of the campers and tell 'em, we're going to Camp David !", Algonquin responded, rushing to his cabin. Faithfully, as usual, Slinkman followed and they made the announcement. Soon, Gus had arrived and set the wheels of the bus in motion as all of the campers broke into patriotic athems.
Chapter 2—Bienvenido a Camp David
Every camper was all atwitter with excitement, especially Rodney. Rodney hadn't been at Camp Kidney for a while and he had missed his American friends. Girls and boys were mingled about in the bus and there was a new camper aboard from Acorn Flats.
"Who is the lovely lady talking to Nina ? I haven't seen her before.", Rodney said, suddenly blushing.
"I'm not sure, but maybe you'll get to talk to her later, ah ?", Lazlo said, nudging Rodney in the rib playfully. Rodney chuckled. He didn't consider himself shy but he found himself entranced by the Asian girl's gorgeous purple eyes. Rodney couldn't answer Lazlo's question, but he would think of a way to approach the ravishing peacock.
When the campers had arrived to Camp David, they were running around seeing how impressive the camp was. Realizing where they were, however, the campers were roused back into reality and presented themselves accordingly. They weren't sure on when the President would come to meet them, but they had to respect the camp and obey the rules.
It was not hard to do as they were told and act accordingly, but it was difficult to sleep knowing that soon they would be meeting the President himself.
Chapter 3—Scoutmaster, Control Thy Campers !
The next day, the campers were introduced to the most important man in America. Although many of them admired the President, he was far too formally dressed to be hosting the festivities during the coming afternoon. The President didn't seem to know what "hip" or "cool" meant, and he didn't seem to be too terribly bright. Despite this, the children respected him. After all, he was responsible for running the country.
There was a point when Lazlo couldn't hold in his laughter any longer though. He had been dying to tease the President about his terrible quoiffer (which was nothing more than a badly placed toupee).
"Is something funny, son ? Do I have a piece of cereal in my teeth ?", the President questioned, seemingly becoming a little aggitated.
"No, but you might want to check your hair...", Raj responded, barely audibly.
"What ?", the President questioned, wondering if he had heard what the pink elephant had just said to him. At that very moment, the campers began singing Purple Toupee and then the President became extremely enraged.
Not wanting to have a melt down in front of the "impressionable" campers, the President asked polietly if he could be excused. He brought Algonquin and Slinkman to the side to have a powwow with them.
"Lumpus, your campers, despite how "marvelous" you say that they are...They're out of control ! I've had it up to here with their shennanigans. Either get them under control or you can read...my...lips...You'll never be allowed into Camp David...EVER.", the President said through gritted teeth. At that moment, Lumpus swallowed, hard. It would be quite a task to get the campers to behave. It would be like coralling cats or teaching a chicken how to collate files.
Chapter 4—We'll Be Ever So Good
The day hadn't been a positive reflection upon either the campers of Camp Kidney nor on Acorn Flats. Even though Penelope, the newest camper on the scene hadn't been on her best behavior, she had to admit that it had been fun to sing one of her favorite songs and tease the "chimpanzee man". However, she realized, like all of the other campers, that if they weren't obedient that they would never be allowed into Camp David never ever ever again.
Being more bold and less apprehensive, Rodney had an excellent idea. Rodney had to admit that he had participated in the mockery but he would make up for it.
"I know this sounds ridiculous, but what if we try good old fashioned manners ? I can teach you. I know all the rules. Does anyone else know the rules of ettiquite so they can assist me in my task ? ", Rodney said, overlooking all of the campers. Proudly, Penelope came forward and introduced herself.
"Repenting for my past sin of mockery, I will assist you. My name is Penelope. I've already heard about you, Rodney. Pleased to make your acquaintence.", Penelope said, bowing.
"Ah, excellent. We already have someone who knows the essentials ! Brilliant ! Now, let's get started, there is much work to do !", Rodney exclaimed in elation. All of the campers applauded. Penelope was holding Rodney's hand without even realizing it and once they both came to the realization, they blushed profusely. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and perhaps something more.
Chapter 5—Polite Society
It was a quick, crash course in etiquitte, but the campers learned instantly from the teachings of Rodney and Penelope. A second bonfire was held that very evening and the campers presented themselves to the President once more. The President still didn't know the meaning of the word "entertainment", but one had to give him an "A" for effort. The best time the campers had was listening to his tales about the White House around the fire as they roasted marshmallows to make S'mores. Penelope had never had S'mores before and absolutely adored them. She was intriegued as to what her next American experience would be after meeting the President, asking him questions, eating S'mores with him and getting his autograph. She was able to get a lot of autographs so she could send them to her family. She knew they would be chatting an awful lot about the autographs once they arrived in the village and she chuckled at that thought.
Epilogue
For all of their efforts, all campers received badges in etiquitte thanks to Rodney and Penelope's guidance. The credit went to those two because without their help, the campers from both campsites would've never gotten those nifty badges. Rodney wasn't certain whether he would see Penelope again but he knew he would give her reminders of how much he cared about her as often as he could. Knowing Penelope and her appreciation for gifts and generosity, she would be impressed.
Lumpus was pleased with how well everything had gone at the Camp as soon as everyone was back at their respective cabins. They were home once more. Lumpus had a new prized possession that was sitting next to his ship in a bottle. It was a photo of the President and him together, sharing a friendly embrace. Not a lot of people could say that they had been fortunate enough to hug the Head of State. He chuckled at how lucky he had been and just how he could boast about seeing the President and Commander Hoohah hadn't. Knowing Hoohah, he'd whine, moan and complain for not getting to go with them.
It had been an unforgettable week for everyone at the campsites. They would not soon forget the incredible time they had spent with the Head of State. But better and more exciting things were just around the bend for Lazlo and his friends. What adventures he and his friends would have, well, only time could tell but fun was never far behind with Lazlo at the helm.
The End
November 20, 2005