CHAPTER 1: "WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE, BUT LUCY DID!" or "BURN BABY BURN; BLANKET INFERNO!"
It all started a couple of months ago. Franklin's father had agreed to take us on a camping trip for the weekend. In addition to Franklin was myself, my sister Sally, Snoopy and Woodstock, of course, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie. We settled at a cabin that Franklin's parents owned in the wilderness. Franklin had told me he and his father always went fishing there. The cabin sat on a lake which was a beautiful sight. The backyard was large and even had a fire pit where we would roast hot dogs and marshmallows for s'mores. The Saturday we were there went smooth. Aside from getting the hook in my fish line tangled, with the usual barbing from Lucy, things were pretty good that day. But Lucy had an agenda of her own, unbeknownst to us. It would manifest itself later that night during the weenie roast.
We were cooking hot dogs over the fire pit. Snoopy, of course, found a branch with multiple ends so he could roast enough hot dogs to feed all of us twice. Things were going pretty smooth, so far.
"So who knows any good stories?" asked Marcie.
"I can tell some great ghost stories," offered Peppermint Patty.
"Please don't!" said a worried Sally. "I scare easily."
"Don't worry, Sally," I said. "These stories aren't real." Lucy would have to sneak up behind me wearing a mask, making me jump and nearly lose my hot dogs.
"You were saying, Charlie Brown?" she said, nearly laughing.
"Good grief!" I groaned.
"As much as I like torturing you, Charlie Brown," Lucy began, "I actually have an even more important task to do. I'm just waiting for the right moment to strike." I wondered what she was talking about. That's when Franklin walked up.
"We need someone to grab more wood for the fire," he said.
"I can do it," Peppermint Patty volunteered. "THEN we can get to the ghost stories!"
"Oh no," said Sally, shaking in her shoes.
"Come on, Franklin," said Patty. "Let's grab some more wood." And Franklin and Patty went to grab some wood.
"I'll come help you," Linus offered. I think he didn't want Sally trying to make a play for him. "Charlie Brown, Schroeder, you guys can stay with the woman folk."
"Watch it, little brother!" warned Lucy. "It's the 21st Century and don't forget it!" And Franklin, Peppermint Patty, and Linus went to grab the wood for the fire. It was then that Lucy watched as her brother along with Patty and Franklin went out of sight. She saw that he left his blanket behind. Linus loved that blanket more than life. He loved it even more than the Great Pumpkin, himself. For the longest time she had been trying to get him to give up dragging that blanket around everywhere he went. I admit, especially during baseball games, it can get in the way, but it was still his blanket and Lucy had no right to force him to give it up. But try telling Lucy that. You either get ignored or back-handed by her for your troubles. You'd be lucky if you got the former.
"Now is my chance!" she snickered.
"For what?" I asked.
"To get rid of Linus's blanket, you blockhead! He's been dragging this around for too long. It's now or never!"
"You know how he's going to act when you do this, Lucy," said Schroeder. "Just let him ween himself off of it!"
"Don't you guys get it?!" asked Lucy, losing patience. "Linus will NEVER get rid of this thing. It's like an alcoholic who needs a bottle of booze. It's like a compulsive gambler who can't stop making bets. This blanket is Linus's addiction and he needs to get off it cold turkey!"
And our greatest fears at that moment was happening. Linus, along with Franklin and Peppermint Patty came back in time to see Lucy holding the blanket. Linus dropped the wood he was carrying.
"What are you doing with my blanket?!" he demanded.
"What do you think, Linus?" sneered Lucy. "I will successfully rid you of this thing once and for all!" And without hesitation she threw the blanket into the fire!
"MY BLANKLET!" wailed Linus. He tried to go retrieve it from the flames. Schroeder and I had to restrain him.
"Linus, don't do it!" I said. "You'll only burn in there!"
"He's right, Linus!" added Schroeder. "Maybe your mother will get you another one!"
And we all looked helplessly as Linus's blue blanket burned into nothing but ash. Lucy wore a sick smile of satisfaction on her face. The rest of us looked in horror.
"Are you insane, Lucille?!" shouted Patty. "You know how much your brother loved that blanket! Sure, he may have needed to break the habit, as you put it, but THIS was not the way to do it!"
"Anyone else would have broken it normally," Lucy countered, "but Linus was addicted to it. He used it as a crutch. If it were a teddy bear, I may have shown some leniency, but it was a stupid blanket; something you use in your bed to cover yourself at night! Not something you brought along EVERYWHERE you went! I make no apologies for what I've done. It was for his own good. I'm his sister. I know what's best for him."
All of us were upset with Lucy for what she did to her poor brother. But our attention went from Lucy to Linus. He had a glazed look in his eye. He didn't go into the usual hysteric he'd usually would when Lucy took his blanket from him. It wasn't coming back this time. It was destroyed in the fire. It was kind of like when Snoopy's doghouse went ablaze itself years earlier. There was nothing left. Linus wouldn't say a word for the rest of the weekend. He got up and went to bed quietly.
"You'll thank me later, Linus," Lucy called out to him.
"That's enough, Lucy!" warned Franklin. "You've done enough to him tonight."
"I don't think I'm in the mood for stories now, sir," said Marcie to Patty.
"Yeah, the night's been ruined by this," agreed Patty, glaring at Lucy.
"Well, we all better call it a night, then," said Franklin. And we all went into the cabin and went to bed. In the boys room, I saw Linus. He was lying in bed, but his eyes were wide open. He was almost catatonic. I worried about him.
NEXT CHAPTER: LINUS'S THREAT