AUTHOR'S NOTE: Gotta love writer's block, right?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "Criminal Case," the only characters I do not own are Wilbur and Amy.

STORY #29: Pranks

STORIES OF REFERENCE: Pride and Justice

NARRATORS: Diana and Wilbur

AUGUST 11, 2059 – WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT, USA

DIANA'S POV

I heard knocking on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Wesley."

I got off my bed and walked to the door. I opened it to reveal my ten-year-old brown-haired brother.

"What do you need?"

"I want to show you something," Wesley answered, casually walking in my room and plopping on my bed.

"What did you want to show me?" I asked.

"I'm going to show you a trick."

I watched Wesley take out his phone before I sat down next to him. But something wasn't right: before he unlocked the phone, I saw a picture of our mom in a green dress.

"Wesley, this is Dad's phone! Why do you have his phone?"

"I just told you, I'm going to play a trick on him!"

"How are you planning to do that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Dad hates being tricked on."

"Hey, Diana, this is Wilbur's son you're talking to!"

"Wesley, I'm the sneaky one," I replied with a flat expression. "What makes you think this is going to work?"

"I'm going to ask Dad if you can take me to the movies. He's probably going to say 'no,' or… 'yes.'"

"He might say 'yes,' Wesley. I don't think this prank of yours is going to work. The movies sound fantastic to a fourteen-year-old girl who is taking her ten-year-old brother with her."

"Darn it. You're right. Well, do you have any other suggestions?"

I pondered for a few minutes.

"I think I might have an idea. I know how Dad talks. Let's change 'no' to 'yes.'"

I messed around on our dad's phone for some time.

"And then, we can change 'not' to 'yes,' in case he uses the word 'absolutely.' Let's also change 'cannot' to 'may.'"

"Let's do 'may not' to 'may,' too," Wesley suggested.

"Good idea. Now, we need to put his phone back where he can easily see it."

"Karr, have you seen my phone?" we heard Dad yell from the room next to mine. "I can't find it anywhere!"

"Wes, quick, go downstairs and put the phone on the living room chair!" I told him.

"Is it in your room?" I heard Mom yell from downstairs.

I watched my brother run out of the room before I went ahead and put on my shoes.

"No, I'm looking all over our bedroom!" Dad answered. "It's not here!"

It took a few minutes before he ran back in my room.

"Wilbur, I found it!" Mom yelled just as Wesley closed the door.

"Are you going somewhere, Diana?" Wesley asked.

"We are going to the park," I answered with confidence. "We'll do our little prank there. And I have just the idea to fool Dad."

"Are you ready?" I asked after we took a seat at a table in the pavilion.

"Show me your sneakiness, Diana!" Wesley replied enthusiastically.

I took out my phone and found a text from our dad.

"Dad texted us already," I told him as I opened the text.

WRobinson23: Where are you at? Is Wesley with you?

I rapidly replied to his text.

WonderWoman45: Yes, Wes is with me. We're at the park.

"That's it?" Wesley asked as I set the phone down.

"I want to see what he says," I replied as I heard my phone go off.

WRobinson23: I'm glad you two are spending time together before school starts! Have fun!

"This is where the fun begins," I said with a snicker as I typed my message.

WonderWoman45: So, Dad, Wes wants to go snorkeling out on Long Island Sound. Can we go?

"What's snorkeling?" Wesley asked.

"It's like scuba diving but without the tank," I explained. "All you need are goggles, a snorkel to breathe through, and swimming fins. But we're not really going snorkeling. I just want to see how he reacts to it."

WRobinson23: Absolutely yes! You may go snorkeling. It's too dangerous!

"It's too dangerous," I said out loud with a smirk on my face.

"It worked!" Wesley exclaimed when my phone went off again.

WRobinson23: I have no idea why my text got sent to you like that. But yes, you may go snorkeling. Besides, you don't have the proper equipment!

"Diana, that is genius!" Wesley exclaimed again as we both fell into a fit of laughter.

"Let me send him another one," I replied.

WonderWoman45: So, where can Wesley and I get the proper equipment? Do you have any ideas?

"I love how you sent an innocent smiley face at the end of that text," Wesley said, and we burst into another fit of laughter before our dad texted us back.

WRobinson23: DIANA! You are yes going to go snorkeling! And why does my phone keep changing 'yes' to yes?

Wesley and I cracked up even harder to the point where we're clutching our stomachs, but the phone rang: our dad was calling me.

"Hey, Dad!" I said innocently. "So, where's the snorkeling gear at?"

"Cut the crap, young lady," Dad answered angrily on the other line. "I don't know what is going on with my phone right now, but I've been trying to tell you three times now, NO you are NOT GOING snorkeling. What if a tidal wave comes and takes you and Wesley away?"

"Dad, there are no tidal waves in Connecticut," I replied with a flat expression.

"That's not the point, Diana. You are not going snorkeling, and that's final. Now, have fun at the park, and I'll see you two later. I love you."

"We love you too, Dad," I replied innocently before hanging up.

"I take it that means the snorkeling idea is out?" Wesley asked.

"Unfortunately."

"It was still funny," Wes replied before stifling a laugh.

"What else could we ask him?"

WILBUR'S POV

"YEESH!" I exclaimed as I hung up the phone on my daughter.

"Let me guess: kids?"

I turned to my left to see my boss, Amy Young-Crane, standing at the doorway with a smirk on her face. I nodded my head while raising an eyebrow, and she chuckled in reply.

"What did Diana and Wesley do now?" Amy asked.

"Oh, Diana just asked me if she can take her brother to snorkel in Long Island Sound," I explained. "I tried to text her three times that she couldn't, but for some reason my phone is telling her yes."

"Snorkeling in Long Island Sound?" Amy replied, scratching her grey head. "There's nothing exciting about Long Island Sound."

I heard my phone go off, and I found a text from Diana.

WonderWoman45: Can Wesley and I go to a party?

"Diana?" Amy asked.

"Yep. This time's she's asking if she can go to a party with Wesley."

I typed my message back.

WRobinson23: What kind of party?

"A party might be fun," Amy said with a smile. "Just don't forget your reports, Wilbur."

"I won't. I promise."

Amy and I exchanged smiles before she left my office, and my phone went off again.

WonderWoman45: It's a costume party. Can we go? Please?

I raised an eyebrow as I texted my response.

WRobinson23: I don't know. May you?

"Wait, what?" I asked out loud after I read what I sent.

WRobinson23: I mean, MAY you? Darn autocorrect.

"Okay, seriously, what is going on with my phone?" I asked myself before my phone rang again.

WonderWoman45: MAY we go to the costume party, please?

WRobinson23: What time is this party? Who is going to be there?

I relaxed in my chair and typed in my report from this morning, and then I heard another text ring through.

WonderWoman45: Friends of Wesley's and friends of mine.

WRobinson23: I'm yes sure about this. I'd rather you yes. It's not a coincidence that both friends of yours AND friends of Wesley's are going to be at this party.

After I sent it, I reread the text to be sure I was typing everything in correctly.

"Okay, something is up, and I'm going to get to the bottom of this," I told myself with determination before my phone rang again.

WonderWoman45: Well, if you're sure about this. We'll be home in time for curfew.

"Alright, that's it."

I dialed my wife, who did not hesitate to pick up the phone.

"Hey, honey."

"Hey, Karr. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Please call Diana and tell her that she CANNOT go to the costume party."

"What costume party?" Karena asked. "I don't know of any costume party."

"Something tells me there really isn't one."

"What do you mean?"

"I think my phone has been tampered with," I explained. "First, Diana asked me if she could take Wesley snorkeling. I tried to tell her no, but my phone told her yes. I had to call her to tell her no. Then, she asked about the costume party. Let me pull up a text I sent."

I paused, looking for the last text I sent my daughter.

"Here it is: I'm yes sure about this. I'd rather you yes. It's not a coincident that both friends of yours AND friends of Wesley's are going to be at this party."

"Wilbur, your phone definitely got tampered with," Karena replied, and there was a pause. "Do you remember the story you told me of you pranking your dad on April Fool's Day?"

"I had changed one of the words to—wait a minute! You might be onto something!"

I went into my settings and into my keyboard text replacement, and I found the words that I had meant to type out and their shortcuts.

"Karr, you're right. Diana must have changed the words on me while I was looking for my phone. I'm going to give her a good talking to when I get home."

"I'll leave you to your work then while I call Diana. I love you."

"I love you too, Karr. I'll see you soon."

I hung up the phone, and I finished my report. Then, I heard my phone going off again, and there was a text from Wesley.

WesleyoftheWest49: Hey, Dad, may I go fishing with Diana?

"Fishing?" I asked with a weird look on my face.

WRobinson23: Fishing? You don't like to go fishing.

WesleyoftheWest49: I thought I'd give it a try. And maybe go swimming in Long Island Sound with the other fishes.

I scrunched up at that last text before replying.

WRobinson23: We've already established this, Wes. You are yes going snorkeling in Long Island Sound. As far as fishing goes, I'm yes sure about that. I don't know how to fish myself.

"Argh!" I exclaimed as I read the text.

WRobinson23: I need to fix this stupid phone.

I got into my settings and back into my keyboard shortcuts and deleted all of the shortcuts that Diana had made earlier. Then, I received another text.

WesleyoftheWest49: Can I ask Russell to take me fishing?

I put a big smirk on my face as I texted him my answer.

WRobinson23: Russell is NOT going to take you anywhere. You and Diana are going to have a good talking to when I get home. I can promise you that!

DIANA'S POV

"Uh-oh."

"What?" I asked. "What happened?"

"Dad found out," Wesley answered. "We're in trouble."

"What did the text say?" I asked.

"Russell is NOT going to take you anywhere. You and Diana are going to have a good talking to when I get home. I can promise you that!"

"That's not good. Maybe we should go to Long Island Sound and just sail to Florida."

"And have Dad send out a 'Missing Person' alert? We'd be caught by the police!"

I groaned, knowing my brother was right.

"And besides, Dad loves us. When has he ever done something wrong to us?"

"You're right, Wes. We'll go home and tell the truth to Mom, at least."

We took the monorail home, and we hesitantly went through the front door.

"Hi, honey!" we heard Mom yell from the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," we replied at the same time.

"Oh!"

After a few seconds we saw our mom emerge from the kitchen.

"Hey, kids. I'm glad you made it back safely."

"Mom, we need to tell you something," Wesley started.

"Let's sit down," Mom suggested, and we all took our places at the table.

"It was my idea to prank Dad," Wes explained. "Diana simply helped me replace certain words with others. The snorkeling was her idea."

"And then Wes asked Dad if he could take him fishing," I chimed in. "And that was when Dad found out about what we did to his phone."

"So, whose idea was the costume party?" Mom asked with a smirk, to my surprise.

"Both of ours," I answered.

"Wait, how did you know about that?" Wesley asked with shock in his voice.

"Your dad called me and asked me to call you kids to tell you 'no,' remember?"

Wes and I exchanged glances while our mom let out a laugh.

"Kids, I knew you had tampered with your dad's phone," Mom explained with a smile. "Although your dad thinks Diana did it all. But now I know."

"Are we in trouble?" Wesley asked.

"Not with me. But I can't say the same for your dad. He hates being pranked."

"And that's why it's so funny!" Wesley replied.

"You know, he was pranked at his own bachelor party," Mom said with reminiscence.

"Oh, this I've got to listen to," I said out loud with a smirk before she continued.

"One of my bridesmaids decided to give him a call and have him go through a hearing test. Of course, she put the conversation on speakerphone. My bridesmaid gave him some phrases to repeat back to her, and then she had him put the phrases together. Your dad said over the phone, 'I am a total buttwad.'"

Wesley and I cracked up laughing with our mom.

"He must have been angry," I said while still laughing.

"He was so angry that he and his groomsmen baked a banana crème pie together and threw it at that bridesmaid's face when we got back. I guess your father still doesn't know the meaning of 'let it go.'"

"Let it go?" Wesley asked. "He does that."

"Not with pranks. Trust me, your father will carry a grudge with him for a long time if he were pranked. Thankfully, it's from you two, so he may not carry a grudge at all."

"You think so?" I asked with hope in my brown eyes.

"I know so."

Wesley and I were still sitting at the table an hour later when our dad came home.

"Hi, Dad!" we innocently said with smiles on our faces.

At first, our dad had a menacing look on his face. But, when he saw our smiles, his frown turned into a smile, and he started to laugh.

"Normally, I'd be disciplining you two on pranking me," Dad told us. "But you're my kids. I can't stay mad at you forever. But I would like the truth. Whose idea was it to take my phone and prank me?"

"It was mine," Wesley confessed. "But Diana helped me. I took your phone, and Diana was the one who replaced the words."

"You were pretty convincing when you told us we could go snorkeling," I chimed in.

"At first, I thought someone had possessed my brain to say both something positive and something negative in the same text," Dad said with a laugh. "Yes, you can go, but it's too dangerous. Who texts something like that?"

"Someone who longs for adventure?" I asked.

"So what gave it away?" Wesley asked. "I mean, besides Mom?"

"Well, something really got fishy when I tried to text you that you are not going to go snorkeling, but my phone changed it to you are yes going to go snorkeling."

"So why did you keep texting us if you knew something was wrong?" I asked.

"Because I thought the latest update was funky," Dad explained with a chuckle. "You can't trust all the technology. And besides, if my texting you was entertaining to you, I didn't want to ruin that entertainment at the time."

"So much for a 'good talking to,'" Wesley said, and we all laughed.

"While I'm not happy that you took my phone and did some things to it, I understand that it was all in good fun."

Wesley and I both blew a sigh of relief.

"What was that about?" Dad asked with amusement in his voice.

"Mom told us the story about your banana pie," Wesley answered.

"And considering we're your kids, we were expecting to get yelled at," I chimed in.

"I sounded pretty convincing when I said 'yes' to snorkeling, was I?" Dad asked with a chuckle.

"You also sounded convincing when you said, 'cut the crap,'" I replied.

"Well, what do you say we go get some ice cream?" Dad suggested. "It's my treat."

"I'm down for ice cream any day," Wesley answered with a big smile.

"Let's go!"

The three of us got up and walked out the door to our favorite ice cream restaurant and enjoyed the rest of our night prank-free.