Chapter 1: The death anniversary
It was just an unusually silent afternoon at the Pixar All Stars house. it was super silent that Francis and Dot were wondering as to why Heimlich had cancelled the bug circus performance that he, Francis, Rosie, Manny, Gypsy, Tuck and Roll were to have on that day. Even Lenny and Wheezy weren't making their jokes at all. Confused, the 2 bugs gathered around with Lenny, Wheezy, Heimlich and Jacques (in his water bowl).
"Hey," Francis said to them. "why's this place all silent?" "we're quite surprised that you guys aren't rehearsing, Heimlich. you're usually saying to them It doesn't matter the occasion, we're still rehearsing." Dot said to them.
Heimlich heard their comments about not practicing but couldn't even answer them. he was shaking nervously and tear drops were beginning to appear in his eyes. Francis and Dot wondered what was happening to make him all shaky, depressed, heartbroken and sorrowful. Lenny, Wheezy and Jacques were almost the exact same way but not shaking as bad as Heimlich was.
"Hello? you guys?" Dot asked them.
"Francis? Dot?" Heimlich said to them.
"It's August 16." Lenny said to them.
"What's the matter with August 16?" Francis asked them..
"Francis," Woody said to him. they don't even know about it."
"Know about what?" Buzz asked them.
"August 16, 2005," Wheezy shook a bit. "was the day that... that... that..."
Wheezy couldn't hold it in any longer. sobbing silently, he broke down into a fit of tear drops and buried his face into his flippers. Heimlich supported him and he was about prepared to begin sobbing a bit as well too. Francis and Dot now understood. something terrible and horrible must've happened that struck the 4 of them and getting them heartbroken.
"What happened on that day, Lenny?" Dot asked him.
"You heard about our previous voice actor, Joe Ranft, right?" Lenny asked her.
Another sob from Wheezy. the others looked right at him.
"Yeah right." Francis said to them. "wasn't he the young man who worked on Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, the Brave Little Toaster, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast?"
"He was also our best friend for life." Jacques said, wiping away a tear drop.
"'He was?" Dot asked them. "did...he pass away in a car accident or something?"
Another sob, this time more high-pitched, emerged from Wheezy's beak. Francis and Dot gasped depressingly and put their hands right over their mouths. they only remembered him acting this crazy right after Bonnie Anderson went missing. if talking about Joe Ranft made him this way...
"You're absolutely right, you guys." Wheezy said to them as Heimlich covered his beak in order to muffle out his bitter sobbing.
"Ze news about Joe's pahsseeng," Jacques said to them, "spread ovair ze next few days. everybahdy wahs depressed, heartbrahken ahnd sahrrowful. ahll of us peexahr ahneemahted friends went to hees memahrial service."
"But we didn't just go 'cause he was our best friend for life," Wheezy said to them.
"We went for the Ranft family's respect," Lenny said to them. "everybody really loved Joe more than we do."
"We understand," Francis said to them. he and Dot had began to tearing up a bit while they were explaining the entire story.
"It sounds tragically depressing." Dot said to them.
"It sure vas," Heimlich said to them. "und zat's exactly vy ve're all silent on this day."
"17 years ago, we lost our best friend for life." a peculiar Tom Hanks like voice said to them. they all looked right at the door where the other Pixar animated friends were standing.
"We'll never forget that entire day." Buzz said to them.
"Joseph Henry Ranft was our best friend for life, Francis and Dot." Rex said to them.
"Yeah, we all miss him more than anything." Slinky said to them.
"Look at us today, you guys," Lenny said to them. "Joe's passing brought us closer together as always. and his brother, Jerome saved his dream vision."
"By what you all said, we just wish we knew him more often." Francis said to them. Mr. and Mrs. and Potato Head looked right at 1 another.
"Last March on Saturday the 13th, was his birthday memorial. he would've been 61 years old by now." Slinky said to them.
"Group snuggle!" they all said to themselves at the exact same time.
Grinning, they come right out on the grass in the backyard and they all came around, consoling others and silently praying in their minds that Joe Ranft remembered them wherever he was for they all knew that he was in a much better place in the skies of heaven right now.