Now, while this episode is going to start out with 'The Baseball', I'm going to go back to a plot I've been doing for the past twenty-five chapters, and before you ask, YES, people, I am going to resolve that plot once and for all! Anyway, enjoy!
It's been a while since I saw Arnold going into another one of his trances, but here he was, stuck in yet another trance. I couldn't help but giggle at that as we were finishing up our Sunday ball game... our first Sunday baseball game of the summer, may I add. But this time, he was more focused on the game. Guess he's doing his best to avert his trances as best as he could as Harold threw another ball, Arnold swung the bat, but missed as I caught it.
"Strike one!" I called as I threw the ball back to Harold. I turned to Arnold, "Keep focused, buddy, you're doing all right."
Arnold gave a small smile, but then turned to Harold as Harold smirked. "Well, well, Ah-nold, just you and me."
I had to groan. Even after Harold and Arnold have made up somewhat, Harold is still using the old nickname for Arnold. Oh well, at least Harold is just using the nickname in sports events.
"Your old stick against my brand new triple stitched imitation major league baseball." Harold said cockily, which had me rolling my eyes.
Harold then threw the baseball as Arnold took a swing... and... what the heck? The ball just... moved itself around the bat, up Arnold's head and landed in my glove? What the heck?
"Okay, did anybody see what just happened?" I said, looking around. "Anybody?"
Nobody responded, nor did they pay attention, they were just focused on me. I sighed. "Never mind. Strike two."
As I threw the ball, that little improbability on the throw reminded me of another thing... I needed to get Nadine, Phoebe and Curly to check out the folded up basketball court where Tucker usually practiced. We need to check it out, and find Tucker!
Anyway, Arnold's team kept cheering as Arnold positioned himself.
"Oh, Ah-nold, who do you think you are? Mickey Kaline or somethin'?" Harold mocked.
"Yeah... that's right." Arnold smirked. "I'm Mickey Kaline."
Harold then threw the ball... and Arnold swung... and hit it right up to the sky. Everybody stared in amazement as the ball landed. Truly... a moment of greatness...
Which got spoiled because of Harold's whining. "My ball, my ball, my brand new ball!"
"Big baby." I muttered.
After our little game, Arnold and the other team decided to hang out with his team to celebrate. Well, both teams were invited, but I decided to skip out on this one. I had to pull Nadine, Phoebe and, much to my dismay, Curly, as I explained what I witnessed.
"Yeah, you weren't the only one who noticed that." Phoebe explained as Curly just put crosses on us. "It just seems improbable for a baseball to do those moves!"
"I mean, it's clearly obvious that this is just impossible that Harold is good with that ball!" Nadine frowned. "How can a ball simply do all that on its own?"
"Don't you see, girls? It's a sign! A sign that we must put our plan into action!" Curly explained.
"Plan? What plan?" I asked.
"The plan to go back to that folded up basketball court and rescue Tucker Wittenberg and my own sister from the void!" Curly said. "But we need to prepare for today. Tomorrow... the rescue mission is set!"
We just raised our eyebrows. Could we do this?
The next day, around two in the afternoon, we were back at the folded basketball court as we looked up at it. "Are you ready?"
Nadine, Phoebe and Curly nodded as we all grabbed an edge. "On three..."
We paused.
"Three." I said as we grunted a little bit, but we finally got the basketball court opened up a little bit... that... and plenty more things. We all gasped as we saw an inkling of darkness and a lot of items like missing toys and socks.
"Whoa..." Phoebe said. "You think this is a house just painted to look like the court?"
"Who knows?" I said as we looked closer. I paused... as I then turned to the others. "On second thought, maybe we should just forget about Tucker and Curly's sister, since... well, nobody else remembers Tucker anyway. And if the world decided he was a mistake and if Lana Vail wanted him, and we-"
Phoebe just glared as she pushed me in. "Get in there, you coward!"
Nadine, Phoebe and Curly then jumped in after me as we looked around the place.
"A lot of things that Lana has put away and wiped everyone's memories from... okay, here's the thing, you go ahead and find Tucker! I'm going to look for my sister!" Curly said as he ran off.
I nodded as I turned to Phoebe and Nadine. "Come on, girls!"
We then started looking around the place as we decided to look.
We looked around by toy, by toy, by toy, but we just couldn't find Tucker. But we couldn't give up. We needed to rescue him!
And by four in the afternoon, we had looked around every corner... until finally... we saw him. He seemed frozen... in place, holding a basketball.
"Tucker?" I asked as we approached him.
"Hello?" Nadine said as she touched his shoulder.
All of a sudden, Tucker seemed to be unfrozen as he looked around. "Huh, what, where, when, who?"
Tucker then turned to see us, and smiled. "Oh, you must be Arnold's friends! How are you doing?"
We all sighed in relief as Phoebe said, "Thank goodness you're okay. We were so worried."
"We finally remembered you..." Nadine said.
"...after two months... and we only did your rescue a month later. So we found you in three months after the basketball season was over." I said.
"Sorry about that." Nadine said.
"Worried? Three months? I saw you guys just a couple of days ago, March 18th!" Tucker smiled.
"Uh, Tucker, it's June 7th." I said.
"No it isn't, you're joshing me!" Tucker laughed... before looking at us, seeing our concerned faces. "Though... come to think of it... I do remember seeing a high school kid who was impressed by my skills and nobility, and he took me to these places I liked... then I was delivered to a woman who wanted to play... girls... what happened to me?"
"You got kidnapped by a street gang whose leader was an adult woman interested in kids." Phoebe explained. "When missing reports started to go around, she wiped the memories of everyone that knew you personally, except for a few details... especially your parents."
"My parents... don't remember who I am?" Tucker said in horror.
"But if we can get you back to the police, you can tell them where you saw Lana Vail, they can get busted, she can get everyone to remember you, and your life will be as is." I said.
"Yeah, sorry we couldn't find you sooner." Nadine sighed.
"Okay, we're gonna get you to the station, all right?" I said. "You can tell the police what happened."
"Thanks." Tucker said as he went with us into the small dark area of toys.
"Okay, Tucker, we just got to get back through that big hole in the area, and you're home." I said.
"You mean the door that's about to close itself slowly?" Tucker pointed to a small door about to slowly shut.
"Yes, that do- OH GOD, THE DOOR'S CLOSING!" I screamed as I grabbed Phoebe. "Nadine, take Tucker and let's go!"
"Sis! Sis!" I heard Curly yell as we started running.
"Curly, we have to go!" I yelled.
"I'm not leaving without... there she is!" Curly smiled in delight. "Sis!"
We turned to each other as I said to Phoebe, "My guess is... Curly's sister is a brown haired girl with a flower on her head, a nice blue dress on her..."
"I'm saying red hair with white shirt and blue skirt." Phoebe said.
We then saw Curly approaching us... with a Barbie doll in his hand. We stopped short as I said, "Uh... what?"
"Guys, I would like you to meet... my sister!" Curly smiled as he pointed to the Barbie doll. "I call her 'sis'."
"...That's a Barbie doll." Nadine said.
"You mean all this build-up on your sister is really your missing doll?" I glared. "Okay, maybe I should have seen that coming."
"I can see why the world thought it was a mistake." Phoebe said, weirded out.
"Okay, you got Tucker, I got my sister, let's get going!" Curly said as he started to run out.
Tucker blinked as he turned to us. "Is he always this delusional?"
"You have NO idea." We sighed.
We ran and ran, but we quickly jumped out of the door just in time before the basketball court closed up, leaving once again the folded up court.
We took a deep breath, in and out as we took Tucker by the arms, Nadine saying, "Okay, Tucker, let's get you to the police station and you can tell them what happened..."
He nodded as we went over.
Pretty soon, me, Phoebe and Nadine were sitting down at the police station, waiting for any news on Tucker. A moment later, Officer Pudney came out with Tucker as she said, "Thank you for telling us everything, Tucker. Your information regarding the Lana Vail case will surely bring this to court."
"Will... will she be brought to justice?" Tucker asked.
"At this point, we don't know for sure, kid." Officer Pudney explained. "Fortunately, your parents have been called up regarding that they've found you... and you'll be home with them soon."
"Thanks." Tucker said as he turned to us. "Rhonda, Nadine, Phoebe... you girls just saved me from being forgotten. How can I thank you?"
"No thanks are necessary." I smiled. "Just know that if you ever need us, we're usually walking with Arnold and Gerald."
Tucker smiled. "Still, thanks."
It was a good day for all of us today.
Later that night, at my house, me, Phoebe and Nadine were laying down around my room as I was looking over a James Bond book... Icebreaker, I believe I was reading.
"Say, Rhonda?" Nadine asked.
"Hm?" I looked up from my book.
"You ever think Lana will get busted for her actions?" Nadine said.
"I hope so. If it means she won't be around to torture Arnold or kidnap little kids anymore, that means it's one less predator on the loose to worry about." I said.
"Well, I'm glad we managed to do Tucker's rescue mission." Phoebe said. "Though I guess we should have seen Curly's sister being a doll coming."
"It's still pretty funny though. All that build up." I said. "Anyway, girls, let's not worry about it anymore. Tucker's safe, he's home, his parents are slowly starting to remember him, let's just relax today and enjoy a good book..."
The girls smiled as Phoebe turned on the radio for the news report as it said, "And tomorrow is going to be the hottest day in Hillwood City. Hot, hot, really hot that you can fry an egg on the concrete. So try to keep cool..."
There's the thirty-fifth episode! How do you like it? And that should resolve the Tucker plot once and for all! Expect Tucker to make a lot more apperances in later episodes! Anyway, read, review, criticize and suggest, folks!