Ch.3
A Hayride with Howdy
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Pashmina sat in her cage in June's room, staring out the window. The moon was out, surrounded by an array of twinkling stars. "Howdy should be here soon." She couldn't help but shudder as memories of the previous night invaded her mind.
"I hope tonight goes better than last night," said the pink scarf-wearing hamster to herself. "It was going so well, but after a dinner like that…I can't believe I got food poisoning like that! At least I don't have to stay on the toilet anymore." She paused her monologue as the sound of pebbles pelting the window reached her ears. Exiting her cage the girl hamster walked to the window to see Howdy standing on a tree branch outside.
"Good evenin' gorgeous," greeted Howdy. "Ye ready t' go?"
After a few minutes, the two were walking down the grassy flooring of the park. Pashmina rarely went to the park at such a late hour, especially since there were no lights around. The dark was quite a scary entity, for one never knew what was just around the corner.
Howdy grasped the girl hamster's paw, causing her to feel a bit easier. "Don't worry Pashmina. "nothin' bad's gonna happen, not while I'm around. If a cat shows up, I'll kick its oversized butt 'til there ain't a stitch of fur left on it."
For the first time in a while, possibly the first time ever, Pashmina found herself giggling at Howdy's words. "Thanks Howdy."
The boy hamster blushed happily, glad to see his date was having a good time. "Anytime beautiful." As guitar music filled the two hamsters' ears, Howdy led Pashmina around one of the trees. "We're here!" Jingle sat on the back of his pig companion Herbert, who had a wheeled cart filled with hay attached to him. The wandering ham strummed gently on his guitar, filling the night's natural orchestra with his peaceful melodies.
"Yer chariot awaits," added Howdy as he led the girl hamster to the cart.
"How did you plan all of this?" asked Pashmina as Howdy gave her a boost onto the cart.
"I watched over Herbert fer th' past week," explained Howdy as he hopped onto the cart. "So Jingle owes me."
"Hopefully this will pay my debt," added Jingle to Pashmina. "So prepare yourself for a night you'll never forget." With a gentle nudge from Jingle, the pig began to walk, pulling the cart and the hamsters in it.
"Okay, so it's not exactly a horse-drawn carriage, but I never knew Howdy could be so romantic," thought Pashmina as she settled into the hay. It gave off a pleasant aroma. Combined with Jingle's music, the gentle night sounds, and the star-lit sky, it was a feast for the nose, ears, and eyes.
Howdy looked over at his date, a grin coming to his face as he saw her smile. "Yer doin' good Howdy! Now it's time t' impress her with yer best jokes yet! Good thing I saw that joke book lying around at the Clubhouse. Watch out Pashmina, 'cause after my jokes, you'll be laugh off that cute butt of yers!"
Meanwhile, sitting high above in the trees, Dexter chuckled wickedly to himself. "Oh Howdy, you honestly think I believe that all the misfortune caused last night was mere coincidence? Only you could cause such a wonderful date to go sour. You think you're the only one who can sabotage dates? Well two can play at that game!" He gazed at the cover of the book The Best Jokes Ever. "I didn't even have to sabotage your jokes. You can mess those up well enough on your own! However, I'll do all I can to win!" He ripped off the cover of the book, revealing the true cover: The Worst Jokes Ever.
"Hey Pashmina," said Howdy. "What's an archeologist?"
The girl hamster shrugged. "Um, I have no idea."
"Someone whose career is in ruins!" exclaimed Howdy before bursting into laughter. "Get it? Ruins!" However, the lack of laughter from the girl hamster caused him to chuckle nervously. "Hehe, yeah, that wasn't that funny. I know! How do two snails fight?"
"I don't know," replied Pashmina.
"They slug it out!" proclaimed Howdy. He fell on his back from laughing so much, while Pashmina simply sighed with annoyance. Even Jingle sweat dropped and Herbert gave an agitated snort.
The country hamster once again chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah, that was a stinker too, but ye know wot they say: third time's th' charm!"
The next twenty minutes were filled with the worst jokes Pashmina had ever heard. She struggled the urge to throw herself out of the cart and run home. "Poor Jingle and Herbert. I didn't mean to make them suffer through this. This is exactly what happened last night. It starts out good, but ends badly! Why does history have to repeat itself!"
Skulking behind the bushes, Dexter giggle like a stereotypical evil genius. "All is going according to plan. Please forgive me Pashmina for subjecting you to the slop Howdy calls 'jokes'. Don't worry, I plan to end this fiasco of a date here and now!" He pulled out a blowgun. "I spent quite some time learning to use this, all in the name of love. I'm not one of animal cruelty, but it'll only feel like a tiny poke."
"Okay, um…maybe sixty eighth time's the charm," Howdy said hopefully.
"I know combining rhymes and violence lacks class," said Jingle as he glared out Howdy. "But say another word and I'll kick your…" Herbert squealed as Dexter's dart met its mark. Although the dart didn't really hurt, it was certainly enough to startle him.
"Whoa, Herbert, what's up?" asked Jingle. "You sound like a frightened pup!"
"An' ye think my jokes are bad," muttered Howdy as he sweat dropped. Herbert suddenly took off full speed, forcing the hamsters to hold on for dear life.
Howdy clung to the side of the cart with all of his strength. "Can't ye stop this crazy thing?"
"I dunno if I can!" shouted Jingle. "I was kinda hoping you had a plan!"
From behind one of the many bushes in the park, Dexter performed a short victory dance. "Ha! Take that Howdy! I hope you have a fun trip!" However, his celebration was cut short as a sudden thought came to him. "Oh cats! Pashmina's still on the cart! I'm coming Pashmina!" Dexter took off full speed after the cart, not noticing that Pashmina had fallen out shortly after Herbert's freak out.
The girl hamster hauled herself off the ground, taking a moment to dust herself off. "I guess that's the end of my date." She groaned as she began to walk home. "This walk is gonna stink."
Since she now had a lot of spare time on her paws, she began to compare the two dates. "Let's see, Dexter brought me to a fancy restaurant with an incredible view while Howdy brought me on a hay ride which also had a great view. Both were romantic, but then it just went downhill from there. I learned a lot about the two, but I could never date either of them! And now they expect me to choose by tomorrow!" Pashmina groaned as she buried her face in her paws. "Nice going Pashmina. You've gotten yourself into quite a mess." She instantly looked up as the sound of a motor reached her ears, looking to her right, Pashmina saw a red rally car speeding down the park. It came to a screeching halt in front of her. The window of the driver's side lowered, allowing Pashmina to see the driver.
"Seth, what are you doing here?" asked the girl hamster.
"I'm just out for a drive," answered the sand-colored hamster. You're lookin' a bit lonely. Need a lift?" Not wanting to stay in the spooky darkness of the park anymore, Pashmina nodded before sitting herself in the passenger's seat. The car suddenly shot forward with increasing speed, causing the frightened girl hamster to grab her seat.
"What are you doing out so late?" asked Seth, taking a sharp left turn. Pashmina swore the car was only on two wheels for at least three seconds. "Isn't your human worried?"
Pashmina tried to recompose herself. "Well, she's out of town. She's coming back late tonight." Pashmina released a squeak of fear as the car went over a hump, causing the car to go airborne momentarily. "I was on a date with Howdy."
"And he didn't offer to take you home?" asked Seth. "That's doesn't sound like a good date."
"You don't know the half of it!" groaned Pashmina as she massaged her temple. "They were both disasters! I can't choose between the two! I don't know what to do!"
Seth sighed as he made a quick right turn. "Look Pashmina, I didn't wanna do this, but my little bro Kai is way too shy to ask you himself. Will you go on a date with him?"
"A date?" asked Pashmina, trying her beast not to pay attention to the rising speed. "Um…I dunno."
"Come on," begged the older hamster. "It doesn't have to be long. A couple of hours will do. It'd really make his day."
Pashmina nodded. "Well, I guess so, but we're going as friends, okay?"
"Fine by me," replied the sand-colored hamster as he came to a screeching halt. Pashmina thought the seat belt was giving her the Heimlich maneuver. "He'll pick you up at noon. Does that sound okay?"
The girl hamster rushed to get out of the car, not wanting to stay in the rollercoaster-of-death-like contraption. "Sure! That's great!"
"Awesome!" exclaimed Seth. "Don't worry, you won't regret it!"
Pashmina waved as Seth sped away like a red arrow. Once again, she buried her face in her paws. "Too late."
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Please R&R!
