Hey, guys! This is my six-year anniversary of joining FFN! To celebrate, here is my first official story in this collection. Here some notes on this one:
1. It's based on a World of Cars story of the same name with added details and OCs and changed dialogue.
2. That means Bubba, Jud, Buford and Cletus also belong to Disney and Pixar. All of other characters you don't recognise belong to me.
3. I based Mater's age on the date of birth shown in his passport in the end credits of Cars 2 (January 12th 1957, the same as John Lasseter's, the director of the first two Cars movies).
So, without further ado, this is...
Hoodwinked
1967
A lot of cars- and the occasional human- remembered the day they arrived in Radiator Springs vividly. Not Tow Mater. Like Fudge, he was born and raised in Radiator Springs. Sadly, his parents had died when he was very young, so he was mostly raised by Sheriff. Even so, Mater had always been the hyper, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky tow truck we all know and love.
When he was ten years old, however, quite a few things were different. He looked different. He was shiny and bright blue without a lick of rust anywhere to be seen. All of his parts were intact and he even had a hood!
His friends were different too. Although, a lot of the same residents were around, they were older than Mater and he preferred to play without grownups around. They didn't really understand his sense of humour. (He insisted that Lightning McQueen is and always will be the best-est best friend he'd ever had, but these children were great too. He didn't have a best friend, just a big group of close friends.) Luckily, on days when they were all busy, the grownups let the older children play by themselves as long as they stayed out of trouble (which normally meant leave the tractors alone). The children tended to find trouble anyway, but the grownups were too busy to keep an eye on them all the time.
This particular day, the first day of summer vacation in 1967, was no different. The children, especially Mater, were thrilled to be finished with school for another year. They liked school- for the most part, anyway- but there was nothing like playing from sunup till sundown. Even better, Mater's cousins, Jud, Buford and Cletus, had arrived to spend a few weeks in Radiator Springs.
It was a glorious, blue-sky, sunshine-y, grownup-free afternoon and the older kids were hanging out by the lake (which was no longer there; unfortunately, it had dried up with the tourist flow). All of them had gone swimming, except for Mater, who couldn't swim, and were now participating in other activities. Connie Donovan and Janice Morrison, who were both nine, were swinging back and forth on a tyre suspended from a rope, tied to a tree. The higher they went, the louder they squealed.
Eleven-going on-twelve-year-old Robert Morrison and the two Donovan boys- ten-year-old Frankie and eight-year-old Davey- were tossing a football back and forth between each other and Bruce the dog. He had been swimming too and his fur was just as wet as the children's paint/skin.
Irene Donovan, who was eleven, was sat in the grass, reading Little Women. Even though there was a lot of shouting, squealing and laughing going on around her, she was so engrossed in her book that she barely paid any attention. Nearby, Jud, Buford and Cletus were also relaxing the grass, but they weren't reading. They just parked there with their eyes closed.
And what was Mater doing on this particular day? Why, one of his favourite activities, besides tractor tipping: fishing! There wasn't much Mater liked better than dipping his tow hook in the water and waiting for a bite. If he didn't get one, he'd just dig through the lake, eager to see what treasures he could find. He came up with quite a collection over the years: deflated tyres; broken rearview mirrors; rusty hubcaps; old, torn sneakers, even Miss Katherine's diamond engagement ring, which she had lost on a stroll by the lake a few months earlier. She was overjoyed when Mater had returned it to her.
On this particular day, Mater was working on a new casting technique he'd been practicing for weeks. After spending half an hour making sure it was perfect, Mater decided he was ready.
"Hey! Everybody!" he hollered.
Connie and Janice slowed down on the tyre swing and looked at Mater. Robert froze, the ball raised over his head and Frankie, Davey and even Bruce followed suit. Irene glanced up from her book reluctantly. Jud, Buford and Cletus opened their eyes. All eyes were on Mater, both curious and expectant.
"I done created a new fishing technique!" Mater announced.
Immediately, that got all the boys interested. They all liked to fish too.
"Great!" Robert grinned. "Let's see!"
Mater grinned too. "I ain't braggin' or nothin', but watch this!"
Everyone watched as Mater swung his tow cable in the air a few times, flipped it over his roof and plunged it downwards... THWONK! Unfortunately, Mater had plunged his hook too early and his hood got caught on his hook. Before he had time to react, he catapulted his hood into the water!
Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. Then Connie started to clap uncertainly.
"Did... you mean to do that?" Buford questioned finally.
"Shoot, no!" Mater exclaimed. "I done lost my hood!"
"You're gonna get in so much trouble, Mater!" Davey taunted, but he did look concerned.
"Do you have any idea how much hoods cost, Mater?!" Irene demanded, sounding very much like a parent. She was the smartest and most mature of the children. Unfortunately, she knew it and sometimes used that as an excuse to talk down to the others. She shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe you could be so careless!"
"Sheriff's gonna kill you", Connie added worriedly. Her eyes were huge.
"Only if he finds out!" Cletus pointed out.
Irene rolled her eyes. "You guys really think Sheriff won't notice when Mater comes back to town without his hood?"
"We'll find it, stupid!" Frankie snapped.
"Yeah, we'll all help!" Janice agreed as she and Connie jumped in the water. Frankie, Davey and Robert were quick to follow while Mater dipped his tow hook in the water. He wasn't about to try his new casting technique again anytime soon.
"Not me!" Irene responded, sounding like she'd had enough of everyone. She stood up in a huff, Little Women cradled under her arm. "I'm going home to read in peace!"
It took all afternoon, but after a long day of swimming, diving and fishing, Frankie and Mater managed to haul the hood out of the lake. They noticed that the hood was slightly dented.
"D'ya think Sheriff will notice?" Mater quizzed the others worriedly.
Janice eyed the hood critically. "Maybe", she announced finally.
"But then again, maybe not", Buford added hopefully.
"I like dat", Mater declared.
By then, the sun was setting.
"Well, I'm plumb tuckered out!" Jud proclaimed.
"Me too!" all of the kids chimed in.
"We better get goin' to Flo's for dinner", Connie commented worriedly. "The grownups are gonna be worried about us. Besides, I'm starving."
"Me too", everyone else repeated.
"Wait!" Mater exclaimed. "Help me make sure mah hood is on right first!"
"Well, well, well", an intimidating voice called from behind them. "What are you babies up to? Fishin' for junk again?"
The kids gasped. They didn't have to turn around to know who it was: Bubba. He was a tow truck like Mater, only bigger, stronger and meaner. He was a teenager, who didn't live in Radiator Springs, but liked to hang around town, picking on the younger kids and generally causing trouble. His favourite thing to do was challenge them to a race, knowing he'd always win.
"Who're you callin' a baby?!" Robert demanded angrily.
"You. Baby."
Before any of the kids could do anything else, Bubba yanked Mater's hood away from him.
"Hey!" the younger tow truck yelped.
"You better give that back, Bubba!" Janice ordered. "That doesn't belong to you!"
Bubba merely laughed. "Or what?!"
Janice froze. She didn't have an answer to that. None of them did. Their parents had always said they should stand up to Bubba, but it was hard when they found him so intimidating.
Without warning, Bubba tossed Mater's hood far into the distance. It was caught by another tow truck, one of Bubba's friends whom the group didn't know.
"Give it back!" all of the children shouted in unison.
For about ten minutes, Bubba and his buddy tossed Mater's hood back and forth between each other. The kids ran after them, hoping to catch it. Even Bruce got in on the act. Unfortunately, not one of them was successful in returning it to Mater. To make matters worse,when Bubba and his friend got sick of their game, instead of giving the hood back, they hurled it high into the trees.
"It was nice playing with you kids!" Bubba taunted. Then he and the other tow truck took off, laughing hysterically.
"Look what he done did!" Mater cried, sounding hurt, angry and worried. None of which were like the easygoing tow truck.
"Now, what are we gonna do?" Cletus wondered in a whiny voice.
Frankie and Robert tried to climb the tree, but it was no use. The branches were too far apart.
"Irene was right", Mater decided dejectedly. "Sheriff is gon' kill me."
"And so are all the other grownups", Davey added with a sigh.
"We will remember you, Mater", Frankie chimed in.
Mater felt his lower lip quiver as he imagined the lectures he'd receive from all of the adults.
"Do you have any idea how much hoods cost, young man?" they'd repeat Irene's words. "Do you think they just grow on trees?"
Glancing up at the tree, Mater had to laugh. It sure looked like they did. The others laughed too when Mater told them what was so funny.
However, the laughter was short-lived. Bruce's bark signalled that an engine was approaching.
"Oh, no!" Connie groaned. "Our parents sent someone to get us! We're all gonna get in trouble!"
"Or maybe it's Bubba coming back to finish the job!" Davey suggested fearfully.
"It could be!" Connie realised in a panic. "What are we gonna do?!"
Before they could make a run for it, Red appeared from behind the trees. Relief washed over all of the children. Red was an adult, but he was a little bit younger and a lot quieter and kinder than most of the others. He also wasn't as strict, so they weren't afraid of him.
"Red! Thank goodness you're here!" Janice ran up to him. "We need your help!"
At the same time, the fire truck happened to glance up and spot Mater's hood in the tree. "How did that get up there?" he wondered.
"It was Bubba!" Mater shouted, sounding like he was about to cry. "He done stole mah hood! We gotta get it back before Sheriff done finds out!"
Red looked at them sympathetically. Being so shy and timid, he hated bullies more than anything. "Robert, you can climb up my ladder and go get it", he nominated the oldest child.
Mater beamed gratefully. "Gee, thanks, Red!"
"Thanks, Red!" the others echoed.
So, Red lowered his ladder and Robert climbed up slowly and carefully.
"So, how did Bubba take your hood, Mater?" Red wanted to know.
Tentatively, Mater recounted the whole story. Red just smiled in sympathy.
Even so, Connie hissed, "Mater! I thought we weren't telling grownups!"
"It's okay!" Frankie piped up. "Red's a good guy. He won't tell, will you, Red?"
Red shook his front.
Unfortunately, that was when Alice showed up.
"Just what do you children think you're up to?!" she demanded sharply.
They all turned to stare at her, not one of them able to answer. The kids loved Alice and she loved them back just as much; it was just because she loved them that she was so strict. Robert and Janice were especially intimidated by her. Since their parents died a year earlier, everyone in town took care of them, but William and Alice were their legal guardians.
Alice looked at them expectantly. "Well?"
There came a chorus of, "Nothin' Mrs. Alice", or "Nothin', Nana."
"That doesn't look like nothing to me." Alice pointed to Mater's hood, which Robert had just pulled out of the tree. "What on Earth is that doing up there?"
"It was-" Mater began as Robert scrambled down the ladder.
"You are much too old to be playing these silly games!" The human woman, who was nearing seventy, shook her head in disapproval as Robert jumped down from the ladder and hit the ground with a thud. "Do you have any idea how much hoods cost?! You really need to be more considerate, all of you!"
"But-" Mater tried again.
"And Red", Alice went on, "I am surprised at you! You must know better. Don't encourage them next time."
Red merely nodded, his eyes spewing with tears. He hated getting into trouble as much as the kids did. Fortunately for him, that didn't happen very often.
"Your parents are expecting you home soon", Alice informed the children. She jerked her head to one side, an action that meant the same as her one word command. "Go."
The children and Red were quick to flee.
"That was close!" Cletus sighed with relief.
"I think dat was a bit closer than close!" Mater countered.
The anxious, tired and hungry children started to make their way back to Radiator Springs with an equally anxious, tired and hungry Red.
"What's that noise?" Jud wondered.
"What noise?" everyone else asked.
That was when Mater became aware of a rattling noise coming from his hood.
"Nothin'", he lied.
"That rattlin' don't sound like nothin' to me", Jud countered.
"It's your hood, Mater!" Buford gasped.
"There's no way Sheriff won't hear that!" Davey shouted. "You're dead, Mater!"
"Maybe dere's a way to stop it", Mater suggested.
Mater tried squeezing his hood tight. Didn't work.
Mater tried creaking it open a little. That didn't do anything either.
Mater tried many different things, some were his own ideas while some were suggestions that the others shouted out to him. Nothing seemed to work.
Finally, Mater had one last idea. It was so crazy that it just might work. He rolled forward an inch before tearing off down the road... backwards.
"Whee-hee!" he screamed excitedly. "It worked!"
Not only that, but it was more exciting than a ten-car pileup on a one-way road. Needless to say, the other kids were amazed.
"Go, Mater!" Robert exclaimed.
"That looks like fun!" Davey remarked.
"I wish I could do that", Cletus chimed in.
"Some day", Mater vowed. "I'm gon' be da world's best backwards driver!"
Maybe some day, he would be. However, today was not that day. Mater wasn't really looking where he was going, so he was the only one who didn't notice who was approaching.
"Uh-oh!" Cletus gulped. "Do y'all see what I'm seein'?"
"MATER!" everyone screeched. "Look out!"
Too late. Mater crashed into someone or something behind him. He gulped too. "Uh-oh!"
"Watch where you're goin', ya pipsqueak!" Bubba yelled. Then he noticed Mater's hood back where it belonged. "What?! How did you get that back?"
Silently, all of the children pointed to Red. He backed away fearfully. He was just as scared as Bubba as the kids were.
"Well", Bubba growled, "I guess it's time for a race then." The others were scared enough, but got even more so as Bubba continued. "And to make things even more interestin', the winner has to buy the loser a tank of gas. I could really go for some high-octane fuel."
This didn't look good. Bubba would, no doubt, be merciless. Besides, Mater had spent all of his money on ice cream.
Though, Mater was suddenly more angry than scared. He was sick of being pushed around by Bubba. It was time to stand up for himself and he knew just how to do it.
"I'll race ya, all right", he agreed, much to the horror of his friends and cousins. "But... ya think ya can beat me if we race blindfolded?"
Bubba scoffed. "No question."
"If we race on two wheels?" Mater suggested.
"No problem."
"How 'bout if we... race backward?"
"Whatever!" Bubba scoffed again. "I can beat you any day, any way!"
The other children smiled. They were still afraid of how this might turn out, but they were most definitely intrigued now too. They just hoped Mater knew what he was doing.
The first thing the children did when they got back to town was make sure no grownups were around. Luckily, they weren't. There was a meeting for the board of tourism and town expansion. Even though, there was no official board, that normally meant that Stanley, Lizzie, William and Alice were there. Plus, on this occasion, Flo, Ramone, Sarge, Fillmore, Ethel, Susan and Miriam decided to join them as well. Luigi and Guido were busy in their tyre shop. Sheriff was on patrol just outside of town. The younger Donovan girls- seven-year-old Suzanne, five-year-old Molly and their seven-year-old cousin, Agnes- were playing with their hula hoops in their backyard. Irene was sat close by, still reading Little Women. Peter was busy doing inventory in his clothing store. Ten-year-old Julia Donovan had taken four-year-old Billy Donovan and three-year-old Victoria Morrison to the field to feed the tractors. Jonathan was still in Vietnam.
"The coast is clear!" Janice reported, running back.
"Perfect!" Mater declared.
Everyone was quick to agree on a course: up Main Street, spin around the Stanley statue twice (which had been put up eight years earlier to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of when Radiator Springs was founded) and back down Main Street, straight towards the finish line. Even Bubba agreed quickly. Probably because he thought it didn't matter how they did things; he was going to win, no matter what.
Jud was especially eager to be the starter, so everyone else let him.
"On your marks!" he hollered. "Get set... GO!"
With those magic words, Red rang his bell and the two racers were off and away.
Bubba rocketed into the lead and immediately, everyone became nervous. What if Mater didn't win? Not only would he have to buy Bubba's fuel when he didn't have any money, but the bragging and taunting would be endless. Mater had to win. He just had to win.
"Come on, Mater!" the other kids cried anxiously.
Gradually, Mater began to close the gap. He got closer and closer to Bubba. His friends and cousins held their breaths.
Finally, he was right behind Bubba as they got to the Stanley statue. That was when the race took a turn for the worst... for Bubba, that is. He was quick to discover that driving backwards was a talent... one he didn't have! Halfway around the Stanley statue, he began to get dizzy. He lost control and collapsed into a heap by the side of the road!
Mater grinned. He had seen what had happened and took great joy in claiming the lead. He rode down Main Street effortlessly and leapt across the finish line. The other children honked, clapped and cheered.
"You did it, Mater!" Davey exclaimed excitedly.
"That showed him!" Connie proclaimed in admiration.
"Mater, Mater, MATER!" they all chanted.
An ecstatic Mater couldn't help showing off a little bit. He did a little victory dance. That turned out to be a problem. Why? Because his hood popped clean off!
"Uh-oh!" he exclaimed.
"Shame on you, Mr. Tow Mater!" an angry voice called out. "Have you learnt nothing?! You put your hood right back on this instant!"
"Sorry, Mrs. Alice." Mater placed his hood back on.
"And just what is going on here?" Sheriff demanded.
All of the children froze. All of the adults who lived in town were glaring at them, demanding an answer.
"It wasn't us!" Mater insisted. "It was Bubba!"
The children tried to explain to their parents what had happened, but it was like talking to a wall. So, the next day, Mater, Jud, Buford, Cletus, Robert, Janice, Frankie, Connie and Davey were all sent to pick up trash in and around town. Since it was clear that he knew about it, Red was the one nominated to keep an eye on them. For a long time, nobody spoke.
Finally, Mater broke the silence. "Sorry I done got y'all in trouble", he murmured softly.
To his surprise, Frankie grinned. "You kiddin'? This is the most fun I've had in a long time!"
"It was great how you stood up for yourself against Bubba", Connie added.
"Yeah, I could never do that", Janice chimed in.
"Bubba ain't a nice fella", Buford commented. "Is he always like that?"
Robert groaned. "You have no idea!"
"Did you see the look on his face when he lost control?!" Davey laughed.
"Yeah!" Janice laughed too. "He was like-" She imitated his face.
Pretty soon, all of the kids were chattering away about their adventure the previous day, laughing hysterically.
"Well", Red piped up, "I don't think Bubba will be bothering you again any time soon."
"No, but if he does", Davey began dramatically.
The laughter continued as they plotted ways to extract revenge on Bubba.
2009
"And dat's the story of how I done lost my hood for da first time and how I became da world's best backwards driver!" Mater concluded.
Fudge clapped and cheered. "Yay, Mater!"
"I remember that", Red spoke up quietly. He was smiling a little, so he must have forgiven Mater for getting him into trouble.
"That guy, Bubba, sounds really mean!" Fudge voiced her opinion, shaking her head. She'd been teased by other kids who came through town quite a few times, but with no other kids around, she didn't have a regular bully (or friends, unfortunately).
"Yeah, he was!" Mater agreed. He was about to launch into another story when Lightning spoke up with a question.
"So, if that's the first time you lost your hood, how did it end up in Carburetor Canyon?"
Mater grinned from mirror to mirror. "That there is another story altogether!"
How was that for the first story? I'll go back to the present occasionally, but I don't want to do that too much.
Any requests? I've only finished one other story and started a third. I have a few more ideas, but nothing set in stone. So, if you have a request, please feel free to let me know. And please review, of course.
