Once Upon a Time, Charlie Brown
Chapter 1: Sun, Rain and Snow
It had been a long day at the Peanuts Gang's school, and Charlie Brown, Heather, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus, Sally, Franklin, Marcie, Kristen and Tosha were listening to Shawn's wild theory whilst Pigpen was happily playing outside and making mud pies with the Barney doll. Peppermint Patty was also in the classroom, napping on one of the nap mats and clutching Cupcake.
"So, say it again, will you?" Franklin said.
"I'm telling you, those ARE magic words, Franklin." Shawn explained, adjusting his glasses.
"I don't think so, Shawn." Linus doubted.
"No way." Tosha agreed.
"It's as outlandish as the Great Radish!" Marcie exclaimed.
"Okay. I'll prove it." Shawn said. "Just give me one minute."
"It's a pumpkin, Marcie." Linus corrected.
"Whatever. I believe it, though." Marcie shrugged as Shawn left the classroom.
As Shawn made his way to the treehouse, he rang the bell and called out to Carlos, with the two-way can system. "Okay, remember, the magic words are 'Once Upon a Time'."
"Hi, Shawn. What're you doing?" Pigpen asked.
"You'll see, Pigpen." Shawn smiled as he ran back in the classroom.
"What do you think, Barney?" Pigpen wondered as he held the Barney doll close to him before impersonating his voice. "I think something tee-rific is gonna happen."
Once Shawn was back in the classroom, he advised everyone to grab an umbrella and follow him outside, singing a song about marching.
Barney's friends and Peanuts Gang:
Oh, when we march,
it's so much fun.
It's fun to march with everyone.
Oh, it makes us feel real happy
when we march with everyone.
Oh, when we march,
we love the beat.
It's so much fun to lift our feet
As we're marching all together,
when we march, we love the beat.
Oh, when we march,
we hear the drum
as it plays it rum tum-tum-tum.
Oh, we love to march together,
when we hear the marching drum.
Oh, when we march,
we march somewhere.
Our marching takes us here to there.
Oh, we love to keep on moving
when we march from here to there.
As the kids finished their song about marching, Pigpen applauded. "That was a beauty, Barney."
As the Barney doll came to life, he said, "It sure was. Hi, everybody."
"Hi!" everyone smiled.
"Wow, that was some very fancy footwork. Marching here, marching there, marching, marching everywhere. But, Kristen, why do you all have umbrellas on such a sunny day?" Barney wondered.
"To keep rain off, of course." Kristen said.
"Oh, of course. But why do you think it's gonna rain?" the purple dinosaur asked.
"Because I'M going to say magic words and make it rain." Shawn said.
"Oh, I see. Where did you learn these magic words?" Barney wondered.
"In school, from Miss Othmar." Linus and Shawn said in unison.
"She said four of the most magical words to ever know are 'Once Upon a Time'." Pigpen explained.
"Shawn heard them, so he's gonna make it rain." Sally said.
"Fat chance." Lucy huffed. "He lost his marbles, Barney."
"I don't know, Lucy, those ARE very good words, but I don't think the teacher meant you could do real magic, you guys." Barney said.
"Told you!" Lucy said, sticking her tongue out at Shawn.
"Once Upon a Time, it started raining on a sunny day." Shawn called out as Carlos, Snoopy and Frieda turned on a big hose, from the treehouse.
"Hey! It really IS raining!" Barney exclaimed as Pigpen hid under Tosha's umbrella.
"And it's STILL a sunny day." Tosha smiled before realizing Pigpen was trembling. "What's wrong, Pigpen?"
"I was hoping this was a joke." Pigpen whimpered.
"I wonder if Linus' magic can collide with it." Lucy said. "Say the words, Linus."
"Oh no! Not I! No way!" Linus denied.
"Fine." Lucy huffed as she, the rest of the Peanuts Gang and Barney's friends began to sing.
Barney's friends and Peanuts Gang:
Rain, rain, go away.
Come again another day.
All of us just want to play.
Rain, rain, go away.
Barney, Barney's friends and Peanuts Gang:
It's raining, it's pouring
And Patty is snoring
She went to bed and bumped her head
And couldn't get up in the morning
Barney:
It's raining, it's pouring
Barney's friends and Peanuts Gang:
Rain, rain, go away
Barney:
And Patty is snoring
Barney's Friends and Peanuts Gang:
Come again another day
Barney:
She went to bed and bumped her head
Barney's friends and Peanuts Gang:
All of us just want to play
Barney:
And couldn't get up in the morning
Barney, Barney's friends and Peanuts Gang:
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day,
All of us just want to play,
Rain, rain, go away
As Carlos, Snoopy and Frieda turned off the hose, Barney and all the kids (except for a drenched Pigpen), were giggling and laughing at the 'magic'.
"See? The words really ARE magic." Shawn proved.
"I guess so." Marcie shrugged. "I needed SOMETHING to believe in, though."
"That was fun!" Franklin said as Pigpen shook off all the 'rain water' that got on him.
"Maybe it was gonna rain anyways." Barney suggested.
"Sounds plausible." Lucy smirked.
"Then let me try something else." Shawn said. "Can someone give me an idea, please?"
"Like what? Lemon drops and gumdrops?" Linus giggled.
"That WOULD be tasty rain." Pigpen said as he perked up.
"Great idea, Pigpen. Once upon a time, it started to rain LEMON DROPS AND GUMDROPS!"
From the treehouse, Snoopy worked up a bit of the Great Houndini's magic and lemon drops and gumdrops began to flake down onto the ground.
"Now THAT would be magic." Franklin said.
"Raining candy. That's silly." Sally laughed before a bubble landed on her nose.
"LOOK! There're lemon drops and gumdrops everywhere!" Tosha said.
"WAHOO!" the kids and Barney cheered.
"And they tickle." Charlie Brown giggled.
"I like this kind of rain." Kristen smiled.
"One of us should go wake up Peppermint Patty. I'll be right back." Schroeder said, heading back into the school.
"RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!" Linus chanted as the rain stopped and a pile of candy laid on the ground. "I guess it also works on lemon drops and gumdrops."
Once Schroeder returned with a sleeping Peppermint Patty on his back, the rest of the kids said the magic words and more of the candies fell from the sky.
"Mmm…" Franklin said. "Lemon drops are MY favorite."
"I never knew that it COULD rain candies, Barney." Marcie said.
"Neither have I." Barney replied.
"Shawn's pretty magical, but not as much as you, Barney." Charlie Brown smiled.
"I can make it rain candy ALL DAY if I want to." Shawn said, jinxing it as the candy rain ended.
"Then WHY have all the lemon drops and gumdrops stopped?" Tosha wondered.
"Linus, did you say 'Rain, rain, go away'?" Pigpen asked
"No. What happened?" asked Linus, collecting the candies in his umbrella.
"Because the mini fridge is all out of candy!" Frieda called out as Carlos sheepishly blushed and Snoopy whimpered.
"Snoopy! Frieda! Carlos!" the kids and Barney sighed. "Shawn…"
"This sucks." Franklin sighed.
"Magic words, huh?" Marcie and Kristen teased.
"Just kidding." Shawn said.
"Hi Frieda." Barney waved. "Hi Carlos."
"Hi guys." Frieda waved.
"Hi everybody." Carlos smiled.
"HEY!" Snoopy exclaimed.
"I guess we won't be needing these umbrellas anymore." Tosha said. "Unless Shawn, Carlos, Frieda and Snoopy have MORE weather jokes planned."
"Au contraire." Lucy denied, preparing to whack Frieda, Carlos, Snoopy and Shawn with her umbrella.
"You wouldn't hit a kid with glasses, would you?" Linus reminded Lucy.
"It'll be a first!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Speaking of firsts, Lucy, this is the first time I've ever seen Pigpen so clean." Shawn explained.
"I wonder why." Sally said as everyone walked back to the classroom. Schroeder put a still asleep Peppermint Patty on a nap mat and made sure she had Cupcake with her.
"That was pretty funny. We had sunshine and rain and lemon drops and gumdrops." Heather smiled.
"We also have wind." Linus said, turning on a fan. "See?"
"That's right. It seems we had every kind of weather except…snow." Charlie Brown flirted with Heather.
"Hmm…once upon a time makes magical things happen, huh? I'd like to test that theory." Marcie realized. "I wonder…once upon a sunny day, it began to snow…it began to snow candy bars and milkshakes."
"In your dreams, Johnson." Lucy groaned before a familiar red door spun into the classroom and when it opened, snow came out of it.
"Well, now we got snow." Carlos exclaimed.
"And candy bars." Frieda recalled, pulling some candy bars.
"AND milkshakes." Sally reminded as Snoopy handed her a strawberry milkshake.
"Told you so, Lucy." Marcie smirked. "Once upon a time ARE magic words. Just like Shawn said."
"Where's the snow coming from?" Shawn asked everyone.
"Marcie!" Lucy exclaimed. "She said what you said, Shawn!"
"Look! It's our good friend Stella the Storyteller!" Franklin happily said as Stella, dressed in winter clothes and snowshoes, entered the class.
"Hallo." Stella smiled.
"Hallo?" the rest of the kids asked.
"That's how they say hello in Norway." Stella explained. "And that's where I just came from. It's just a bit snowy there today."
"I KNEW IT!" Lucy declared, punching Marcie in the shoulder. "HA! In your face, nerd!"
"May I help you with your bag, Stella?" asked Barney.
"Why thank you Barney." Stella smiled.
"Is it winter in Norway?" Sally innocently asked.
"Not really, Missy Brown, but in some parts of Norway, it's cold and snowy ALMOST all year round." Stella said as Carlos and Linus helped her with her coat. Barney pulled up a chair for her. "Thank you. And thank you, Barney."
"You're welcome." Barney smiled.
"My toes feel just like icicles."
"Let us help you with your snowshoes." Schroeder insisted.
"Why, thank you." Stella smiled as Schroeder, Lucy, Shawn and Tosha aided Stella with her snowshoes. "When I was in Norway just now, I thought I heard some little boy and little girl say 'Once Upon a Time'."
"We did." Marcie smiled happily as Shawn agreed.
"And that reminds me of a story." Stella said. "In fact, 'Once Upon a Time' reminds me of ALL my stories."
"I'm not surprised." Marcie giggled.
"Those ARE the four words that tell us we're about to hear something wonderful." Barney agreed.
Barney:
When you say the words, "Once upon a time,"
Then you know a story will be told.
Stella:
When you hear me say, "Once upon a time,"
A wondrous adventure will unfold
Barney, Marcie and Stella:
Once upon a time means it's time to pretend,
Let your imagination go on a journey into storyland
To hear a tale from long ago
Barney, Barney's friends, Peanuts Gang and Stella:
Once upon a time, once upon a time
Means a story to tell, a tale to share
With everybody, everywhere
Once upon a time, once upon a time
Means a story to tell, a tale to share
When you hear the words, "Once upon a time"
"You know the words 'Once Upon a Time' open the door to all sorts of stories and imaginary adventures." Stella said.
"Like Jack and the Beanstalk!" Shawn, Charlie Brown and Linus exclaimed.
"Little Red Riding Hood!" Kristen, Heather and Sally smiled.
"Johnny Appleseed!" Carlos, Schroeder and Pigpen said.
"The Three Bears!" Tosha, Lucy and Frieda agreed.
"Peppermint Patty LOVES Hansel and Gretel, The City Mouse and the Country Mouse and The Gingerbread Boy." Marcie smiled, looking over at Peppermint Patty. The tomboy was still in a blissful slumber on the blue napping mat.
"And I believe all of them live happily ever after." Barney smiled.
Barney and Stella:
Once upon a time, once upon a time
Means a story to tell, a tale to share
With everybody, everywhere
Barney, Barney's friends, Peanuts Gang and Stella:
Once upon a time, once upon a time
Means a story to tell, a tale to share
When you hear the words, "Once upon a time"
When you hear the words, "Once upon a time"