First Try
As the sunlight started to fall down upon the group, Brittany dropped to the ground and transformed. Within minutes she was a harmless girl lying asleep on the ground. Alvin gently bent down and scooped her up in his arms. Alvin, Theodore and Eleanor had all taken shifts to watch Brittany last night. They had decided to let Jeanette and Simon finish sleeping, so the three of them had brought Brittany home themselves. Eleanor and Theodore opened the front door and Alvin carried the sleeping girl inside. Asleep she was so peaceful and calm, Alvin couldn't help but smile at her. Looking down on the face of the most beautiful girl in the world brought joy to his heart. Then that joy turned to sorrow when he realized that this was not the girl he cared for. This was just a shell. This girl was just an anger driven monster, she only looked like Brittany. The Brittany he cared for was locked away inside herself, hidden from the world by the monster that now had possession of her body. He gently placed her in her bed and tucked her in. Theodore and Eleanor smiled. It was a very sweet scene to watch, even if Brittany would murder him if she knew.
"Let's go" Alvin said softly. As they all turned to leave, he gently stroked Brittany's cheek. She let out a soft moan then rolled over in her sleep. Alvin smiled. Hopefully soon, he would be able to be with that girl he cared for. They just needed that cane. The trio headed downstairs and trudged back towards the Chipmunk's house. As they arrived they found that Simon and Jeanette were still asleep in the tree house, still wrapped in each other's arms. The site was quite touching, and none of the three had the heart to wake them up and bring them inside. Instead they quietly gathered up their own sheets and re entered the house. The clambered into their sleeping areas and soon fell asleep. For once, they didn't have to wake up early for school. As much as they wanted to start trying to get a hold of that cane, sleep was something they wanted more just then.
Sometime after they had dozed off, Dave poked his head in the doorway. He was about to head off to do some errands, and just wanted to check on the kids before he left. He was curious as to why Jeanette and Simon were missing. Wanting to make sure everything was alright, Dave started to look around the house. They weren't in the den, they weren't in the kitchen and they weren't in the front yard. Now Dave was getting worried. Where could the two chipmunks be? He rushed into the backyard to see if he could find them. Seeing no one, he turned to leave when he heard a noise. A soft snore. He turned back and realized that the yawn had come from the tree house. Quickly, Dave climbed up the ladder and peered in through the entrance.
"That's so sweet" he said quietly giving a large smile at the site of Jeanette and Simon. Quietly Dave climbed back down the ladder and headed toward his car.
"Well, I'm not sure why they are asleep in the tree house, but at least they are safe" Dave thought to himself relieved. He entered the vehicle and started the ignition. Within minutes he was gone.
A few hours passed, and the sun rose until it was shining brightly high in the sky. Simon let out a quiet yawn and slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment for him to adjust to his surroundings. He wasn't in his room. He was lying in the tree house with a blanket wrapped around him. He felt movement next to him. He looked down to see Jeanette still asleep snuggled up close to him. Slowly the events of the night flowed back into Simon's mind and he gave a smile. He and Jeanette had feelings for each other. The blue-clad chipmunk let out a happy sigh then lay back down next to the brunette Chipette. He slid his arm around her and she subconsciously moved closer to him.
"What is going to happen now?" Simon thought to himself as he watched the slow rhythms of the sleeping girls breathing. She was so calm and peaceful, but she was always like that. She never yelled or fought. She never got angry or annoyed. She was always so quiet and shy. It was one of the qualities that Simon loved about her. He let out another sigh. He had completely forgiven her for what happened. He didn't care what purpose the date had been for anymore. Now he just focused on the fact that she had enjoyed it and had feelings for him.
"Should I ask her out? I wanted to so badly, but after last night… should I risk something like that yet? Our relationship was already hanging by a thread. Could I risk it? We could become so much closer. But what if we didn't?" Simon thought to himself. This was a very delicate situation. After last night, he knew that they cared for one another, but how would she react? After last night Simon didn't want to do anything to endanger their relationship any further. He had forgiven her, but he still felt… he couldn't describe it. There was no hate, no resentment, not even hurt towards her, but he just couldn't bring himself to tamper with their relationship again.
"No, not yet. With time, we will both be stronger. Then we can be together. Until then, we will just be closer then friends. Anymore and I risk destroying everything we both just tried so hard to save last night" he decided in his mind. He just couldn't push this too fast. Everything was hanging on by a thread. If he did anything to disturb that thread, the effects could be disastrous for both of them. Simon felt a little disappointed by the decision, but it was for the best. He slowly put his free arm under his head and lay resting and the girl of his dreams snuggled close to him. Some day they would be together. Until then, they would just have to see how far they could go.
Alvin stirred in his bed. Within minutes he opened his eyes and sat up. He felt refreshed. It felt good to clock in some decent sleeping time after such a busy week. He stretched his arms out then slid out from under his covers and placed his feet on the wooden floor. Eleanor and Theodore slowly began to stir as well, and soon they were also awake.
"Good morning you two" Alvin said as watched them clamber out of their beddings.
"Good morning Alvin" Theodore said happily.
"Good morning" Eleanor yawned. Both of the younger chipmunks then turned from Alvin and back to each other. They both smiled and pulled each other into a hug.
"Good morning" they said simultaneously. Alvin gave out a chuckle as he watched the cute couple. Both of them noticed and blushed, but they finished their morning hug none the less. As they broke apart Theodore leaned over to Eleanor and whispered in her ear.
"You are still really cute in those pajamas"
Eleanor blushed and gave a giggle. She would never stop loving it when he said that to her. Alvin smiled at them. They were perfect for each other. Suddenly his stomach growled loudly. Eleanor and Theodore both looked at him and laughed.
"Why don't we go make some breakfast" Eleanor said.
"Sounds good to me. While you do that, I'm going to go check on Simon and Jeanette" Alvin announced, only just remembering the two of them still in the tree house. Eleanor and Theodore nodded before scuttling out of the room. Shortly after, Alvin heard the rattle of pots and pans from the kitchen. The red-clad chipmunk grabbed his cap and slung it on his head before he left the room and headed out to the backyard. He didn't hear any noise from the tree house so he assumed that the two of them were still asleep. Quietly he climbed up the ladder and peeked in through the doorway. Jeanette was still asleep. She had curled even closer to Simon, who had wrapped his arm around her. He glanced up and noticed Alvin smiling at them through the doorway.
"Morning" he said quietly. Alvin quietly climbed up the rest of the ladder and entered the room, but he didn't get too close in case he woke up Jeanette.
"I see you slept well" Alvin chuckled lightly. Simon blushed as Alvin looked down at Jeanette still holding onto him.
"Yeah we did. I forgave her Alvin, and I forgive you and Eleanor as well. You were only trying to help Brittany, and besides, I enjoyed the date and so did Jeanette. That's all that really matters" he smiled. Alvin's smile widened.
"Good for you Simon. Eleanor and Theodore are just making some breakfast. I'll tell them to save some for you and Jeanette" Alvin said before he departed. He gave one last smile at his little brother and the girl curled up next to him before he climbed back down the ladder and entered the house.
As he entered the kitchen he found Eleanor and Theodore busily preparing some pancakes.
"How are they?" Eleanor asked. Alvin smiled at her.
"They are fine. Simon forgave Jeanette, and us, last night. All that matters to him now is that they both enjoyed the date" Alvin said happily. Theodore and Eleanor smiled at him cheerfully. At least now they had fixed one problem. Now came the hard task of the next. Getting that cane. Theodore lifted the pan off the stove and brought it over to the table while Eleanor grabbed some plates. Alvin took a seat at the table and wait patiently. Once the two chipmunks were ready, Theodore served the pancakes onto their plates. Alvin took in the wafting aroma from the pancakes. They were cooked to perfection.
"This smells great, good job guys" Alvin complemented and the younger chipmunks smiled at him in appreciation. They all took a seat at the table and began to eat the food.
Jeanette started to stir. Slowly she opened her eyes. After she got over the glare of the sun she looked around. Simon was holding her gently. He was staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Jeanette blushed. She always liked watching him think. Slowly he turned his head to face her. He was a little startled that she was awake, but he smiled none the less.
"Good morning Jeanette" he said quietly then gave her a hug. Jeanette blushed again.
"Good morning Simon" she replied as he released her. He smiled at her again.
"Did the other's let us sleep all night? I don't remember waking up for a shift" Jeanette asked as the two chipmunks stared up at the ceiling.
"I don't think they woke us. I think they must have watched Brittany alone last night" Simon said as he turned to face Jeanette. She smiled at him.
"That was nice of them" she said quietly. Simon nodded. After a while the two sat up and started to gather their sheets.
"Alvin said that Eleanor and Theodore would make us some breakfast" Simon said. He led the two of them out of the tree house and back into the house. They headed up stairs and put their stuff in their room, before going back down and entering the kitchen. Eleanor, Theodore and Alvin were all eating their pancakes and laughing, discussing something that had occurred with Brittany.
"Then she threw me into a tree. Thinking back, that was quite a funny situation" Alvin chuckled as he took another bite of his pancakes. Eleanor was about to say something when she noticed Simon and Jeanette enter.
"Hi guys, slept well?" she asked giggling. Jeanette and Simon both blushed.
"Quite well thank you" Jeanette said before she and Simon joined the others at the table. Theodore retrieved the pan and served the two their share of the pancakes. Soon Simon and Theodore were crying with laughter as the other three recounted their tale about Brittany.
"So you actually flew into a wall?" Simon laughed holding his sides. Alvin's face went red, but he chuckled.
"Yep. Let me tell you, that hurt" he said, wincing as he remembered sailing over Brittany's head and slamming face first into the wall.
The five of them sat happily together for a while eating their breakfast. When they finished they all got dressed and met back in the den. The mood had now changed from fun and happy to serious. Now was the time. They were going to get that cane.
"Alright guys, now it's time for action" Alvin said sternly. Everyone nodded.
"What's the plan?" Theodore asked.
"We are going to follow him around. If at any moment you see him put that cane down, grab it. As soon as we get that cane we'll take it to Brittany and bop her with it. If this works we'll have cured her. We just need to stay focused and hope for the best" Alvin said. He put his hand out.
"Who's in?" he asked. One by one everyone placed their hand over Alvin's.
"We all are. Now let's go get that cane!" Simon said loudly. All five chipmunks headed outside and crept up to the bushes along the fence. The peered over to see Mr. Talbot. The man was tall and rather thin. He had a long nose and wild red hair; however his demeanor was far from wild. He was in fact very scary. He sneered at children that approached him and he hated speaking to anyone. The only thing that anyone really knew about him was that he prized his plants in the yard. He grew some very rare plant species. As the group watched quietly, Mr. Talbot exited his front door, cane in hand. He locked the door and started to walk off down the street, heading for the direction of town.
"Quick after him" Alvin said and the group began to sing.
One way or another I'm gonna find ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna win ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna see ya
I'm gonna meetcha meetcha meetcha meetcha
One day, maybe next week
I'm gonna meetcha, I'm gonna meetcha, I'll meetcha
I will drive past your house
And if the lights are all down
I'll see who's around
One way or another I'm gonna find ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna win ya
I'll getcha, I'll getcha
One way or another I'm gonna see ya
I'm gonna meetcha meetcha meetcha meetcha
One day, maybe next week
I'm gonna meetcha, I'll meetcha
And if the lights are all out
I'll follow your bus downtown
See who's hanging out
One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
I'm gonna give you the slip, a slip of the lip or another
I'm gonna lose ya, I'm gonna trick ya
One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
I'm gonna trick ya trick ya trick ya trick ya
One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
I'm gonna give you the slip
I'll walk down the mall
Stand over by the wall
Where I can see it all
Find out who ya call
Lead you to the supermarket checkout
Some specials and rat food, get lost in the crowd
One way or another I'm gonna getcha, I'll getcha, I'll getcha getcha
getcha getcha
Where I can see it all, find out who ya call
One way or another I'm gonna getcha, I'll getcha, I'll getcha getcha
getcha getcha
Where I can see it all, find out who ya call
One way or another I'm gonna getcha, I'll getcha, I'll getcha getcha
getcha getcha
Where I can see it all, find out who ya call
Throughout the day, the group followed Mr. Talbot everywhere. He headed to the park for a while and sat down on a bench. He closed his eyes and listened to the birds. The group slowly crept towards him. Their eyes widened when they noticed him lay the cane down on the bench next to him. After dropping the cane he started to fiddle with his tie. He was wearing a casual suit, and his tie was undone. He started to play around with it and get it back into shape, and the gang saw their chance. Quietly they tiptoed towards the bench from behind Mr. Talbot. They all ducked down behind the seat and Alvin rolled underneath it so he could reach up with his arm. He slowly stuck his arm out from underneath the seat and edged his fingers towards the cane. They were centimeters away from it. Any second and he would have possession of it. Suddenly Mr. Talbot let out a satisfied grunt as he looked at his completed tie. Alvin noticed his head start to turn and he immediately retracted his arm. Talbot grabbed the cane back from its resting position and hopped off the bench. He began to stroll off and Alvin silently cursed.
"Drat, we were so close" he sighed. He rolled out from underneath the bench.
"Ok, let's keep following him, we may get another chance" Simon said as he noticed the absence of the cane in Alvin's hands. The group nodded and they proceeded to follow Talbot. His next stop was a book shop. As he entered, Alvin and the group watched from afar.
"Ok Simon, Jeanette, this is your element. Use your knowledge of the bookstore to get the upper hand and swipe that cane" Alvin instructed. Jeanette and Simon looked at each other and sighed.
"Alvin, we go to book shops to buy books to read. Exactly how will our knowledge of the book shop help us grab his cane?" Simon said dryly to his older brother. Alvin looked annoyed.
"I don't know. You're supposed to be the smart one. You tell me" he said in a huff. Simon just looked at him for a minute before shaking his head.
"Come on. Let's go before he gets his book and leaves" Simon said and he waved the group forward towards the store. As they entered they saw Talbot head towards the back of the store. The book shop had a very simple layout. There were five large aisles with rows of books along them. The group spotted some wheeled ladders that could roll along the shelves and let workers reach the highest shelves. Quietly the five chipmunks tiptoed through the store and along the aisles, drawing closer and closer to Talbot and his cane. As they peeked around a corner, they spotted him. He was browsing through a book, and his cane was resting against the shelf next to him.
"Now's our chance" Alvin whispered. Quietly the five approached him, making no noise what so ever. Talbot was completely oblivious to the chipmunks sneaking towards him. The book he was browsing was quite interesting; his entire focus was on its content. As quietly as he could Simon reached down and grabbed the cane from the shelf. The group tiptoed backwards and returned to their hiding place in the aisles.
"Yes, we got it!" Alvin cried out.
"Shhh, everyone we'll hear you" Simon whispered angrily. Alvin huffed, but he remained silent. Quietly the group headed towards the front of the store. They were about to emerge from the aisle when the unthinkable happened. A man on a wheeled ladder was re stocking a shelf. Suddenly he lost his balance and he fell off the ladder, landing with a groan on the ground. The ladder rolled forwards, straight into Simon. As it hit him he fell to the ground and the cane flew from his fingers.
"Grab it!" Alvin cried. The group started running around in circles trying to make a grab for the cane. Theodore and Eleanor ran into each other and fell to the ground. Alvin made a dive but missed and instead he banged into the bottom of a shelf and an entire row of books tumbled out on top of him. Jeanette put out her arms and, caught it! However she was so excited from her achievement that she failed to notice the book in front of her and as she stepped forward she tripped and the cane flew over the aisle into the back of the store. The group all scrambled to their feet and raced toward the back of the store. They couldn't believe what they saw. The cane had landed directly behind Mr. Talbot. The old man placed his book back on the shelf. He reached down to grab the cane, but found it was gone. He turned around and saw it on the floor.
"That's odd. I guess it must have toppled over. Weird I didn't hear it" he muttered to himself as he picked the silver headed cane up and exited the store. Realizing that she had just lost them the cane, Jeanette was crestfallen. Simon wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry, we'll get another chance" he said kindly she looked up at him and smiled.
"Now let's get going" Alvin said as he led the group towards the store exit. They followed Talbot for a few more hours. He seemed to just be taking a stroll through town and it was tiring the group out.
"Is he ever going to stop and take a rest? My feet are getting sore" Theodore whined. Eleanor nodded in agreement.
"Look, I know this is hard, but we are doing this for Brittany. As soon as we grab that cane we can have a rest, but until then we have to stay focused" Alvin said firmly. Theodore looked disappointed, but he nodded his head and continued on. As the group walked, Jeanette started to let her mind wander. She began to think about what was going to happen between her and Simon now. Ever since they had woken up, their relationship seemed strange. He had given her a hug when they first woke up; however since then, he had barely said anything to her. When he did speak, it wasn't anything comforting or romantic; instead he was acting as though they were nothing more than close acquaintances. Barely even friends. Jeanette wasn't sure where the two of them stood after last night, but she didn't think that this would be the reaction.
"Perhaps he still feels hurt. Maybe he hasn't really forgiven me. Maybe he doesn't feel anything for me anymore" Jeanette thought to herself sadly. She hung her head low as she walked. No one else noticed, except for Alvin. He slowed down his pace so he was next to her.
"What's wrong Jeanette? You should be happy, we may be able to cure Brittany" Alvin asked. The brunette Chipette glanced up at him.
"Oh it's… nothing" she mumbled. Alvin's expression became concerned.
"Are you sure? Because it certainly doesn't seem that way" he said. Jeanette let out a sigh. She looked at him, then glanced in Simon's direction. Alvin watched it and realized that Simon was on her mind.
"What's wrong? I thought you two made up for everything last night?" Alvin asked, a little surprised that she would feel upset after their reconciling.
"We did but… he just hasn't said much to me all day. I just feel that… if we are in a relationship, why is he treating me like nothing more than a friend" she said sadly. Alvin's concern remained on his face. He had thought from what Simon had told him that morning that the two were now on good terms. So why would he not want to talk to Jeanette? Alvin turned back to her. She had resumed keeping her head hung low as she walked.
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Alvin asked. Jeanette looked up at him.
"No. I barely no where we stand as it is. If I go pushing, it might ruin everything. No, I just have to… I just have to wait and see what happens" Jeanette said quietly. Alvin still looked concerned, but he nodded his head.
"Hey look, he is going grocery shopping!" Theodore said excitedly as he spotted their target walk across the road into a grocery store. Simon, Theodore and Eleanor all rushed forward to follow him. Alvin turned back to Jeanette.
"Come on, let's worry about this first. As soon as we have tried the cane on Brittany, we'll sort this out between the two of you" Alvin said kindly. Jeanette smiled and nodded, then the two of them joined their siblings and rushed into the grocery store. The store was huge. Gigantic aisles loomed over them and hundreds of busy shoppers whizzed past with their trolleys. None of them could spot Talbot and the cane through all the chaotic shoppers.
"How are we going to find him?" Eleanor asked trying to spot sight of their target.
"I guess we should all just pick an aisle and start searching. If you see him, follow him and if he puts down that cane, grab it and wait outside the store" Simon suggested. Everyone nodded then departed for an aisle. Theodore immediately headed for the sweets aisle. He looked at all the different candies and chocolates all on the shelves and his stomach started to rumble.
"Oh, I am so hungry. I hope we get that cane soon. I want to have my lunch" he whined as he kept walking. As he trudged along, suddenly he saw his target. Mr. Talbot had just wheeled a trolley into the aisle. His cane hung delicately off the side. Mr. Talbot seemed to grumble as he walked through the aisle. He looked as though he had no intention to buy anything from it. Theodore looked around and headed over to some sweets so he would look like a regular shopper. Talbot looked at him for a moment then walked right passed him. Theodore turned and watched him. He quietly started to walk after him when suddenly something caught his eye. A lollipop sat on one of the shelves. The lollipop was as big as he was, and for today only it was only $1. Theodore's mouth started to drool.
"Wait, no I need to stay focused!" he thought to himself and he turned to follow Talbot again. He took about five steps before immediately turning around and rushing back to the lollipop.
"I must have you!" he cried. He grabbed it off the shelf and headed for the registers.
Simon walked along a magazine display. He turned to look at one. The front cover had some sort of super model on it. Simon just looked at it and shook his head.
"Some of the trash that people read. Why can't everyone just curl up with a nice novel" he sighed to himself as he strolled along the aisle. Suddenly he heard a trolley behind him and he turned to see Mr. Talbot enter the aisle. The old man looked at him for a moment before continuing passed. Simon noticed the cane hanging from the side of the trolley.
"Now's my chance" he whispered to himself. He tiptoed behind Talbot. The man suddenly stopped in place and turned to grab something from the shelf he was next to. Simon quickly dashed forward and grabbed the cane. However his victory was short lived. No sooner had the wooden stick touched his hands, had a trolley rushed around the corner and smacked into him. Simon went flying backwards, dropping the cane. He flew straight into the magazine rack and the entire display fell on top of him. The cane fell down and landed back on the side of the trolley. Mr. Talbot placed the item in his trolley then started to walk off. Simon sat up dazed. He waited until his head stopped spinning.
"Great… ooh, look the library is going to be donating some books next week" Simon said as he picked up one of the magazines and started to read the article.
Eleanor walked through the kitchen supplies aisle.
"Wow, I could sure use a new baking tray" she said as she looked at the sparkling tray on the display. She was about to look at some more kitchenware when she spotted Mr. Talbot enter the aisle. Eleanor pretended to look like she was buying something while he passed her.
"Alright, here goes nothing" she said quietly and followed after him. He suddenly came to a stop at a silver platter. He glared at it temporarily before moving on to some stainless steel cookware. Eleanor walked alongside his trolley for a moment. He looked at her but gave no other sign that he cared she was there.
"Hmm, I've been needing to buy some more knives" he said to himself when he approached a set of the sharp utensils. As he started to look through them to find the right size knife he wanted, Eleanor grabbed the cane and started to rush off back down the aisle.
"Yes, now to just get outside and, ow!" she cried out. She had been so focused on running towards the end of the aisle, she didn't notice as a large wooden spoon fell off the display and bonked on the head. She closed her eyes and started to rub her head, however she didn't stop running. With her eyes closed, she didn't see the stack of pots and pans on a display in front of her and she ran straight into them. The pots tumbled everywhere and one landed straight on her head. She was about to try and pull it off when another one conked on top of the first. The sudden vibration was so strong that Eleanor's entire body started to vibrate. Because of this, she lost her gripping on the cane. One last pot fell down and smacked it out of her hands and it flung across the room, landing safely on Mr. Talbot's trolley. Eleanor couldn't stop shaking in place. She tried to take a step forward, however the pot was still on her head and she couldn't see. Her foot got caught in another pot on the ground and she stumbled back and hit the wooden spoon shelf.
"Uh oh" she gulped as she heard movement above her head. Moments later a huge group of wooden spoons fell from the shelf and pelted her pot covered head. She fell to the ground in a daze. Mr. Talbot heard all the commotion and stared as Eleanor lay in the pile of pots and spoons.
"Clumsy kid" he mumbled before grabbing his knives and walking off. Eleanor lifted the pot on her head so she could see. Stars raced passed her eyes, but she spotted Mr. Talbot disappear around the corner.
"I am so never buying cookware from this store anymore" she grumbled as another spoon fell down and knocked the pot back over her eyes.
Jeanette potted along through the fruit and vegetable section of the store. The cabinets of fruit and vegetables were cooled, and the cold air kept fogging up her glasses. For the third time since she had entered the aisle, Jeanette removed the spectacles and wiped them on her sweater in an attempt clear away the fog. She placed them back on her eyes to see that Mr. Talbot had started walking through the aisle. She spotted the sparkling silver wolf head on top of the cane as it hung from the side of the trolley. Quietly Jeanette approached Mr. Talbot. He parked his trolley and walked over to grab a bag to place some fruits and vegetables in. Jeanette tiptoed towards the trolley and snatched the cane. She started to hurry away, however her glasses fogged over again. Not wanting to stop in case she was spotted, Jeanette tried to see through them as best she could. She could make out what looked like a door and she started to rush towards it.
SMACK!
What Jeanette had thought was a door was actually an advertisement that had been pasted to the wall. Jeanette crashed straight into it. As she stumbled back her glasses fell off. With the fog she could barely see, but now she couldn't see at all. She started to fumble around trying to find them. At last she grabbed a hold of them, but as she lifted them up, she accidentally banged against a support for a table of broccoli. The table collapsed and the entire display fell on top of her. She let out an oof as she was buried in the mountain of green food. The cane skidded across the floor, stopping just in front of Mr. Talbot's trolley. The old man returned and noticed the cane.
"Must have fallen off, I'll just keep it inside the trolley" he said to himself as he retrieved the cane and placed it inside his trolley. He grabbed some fruits and vegetables and walked off. A few minutes later, Jeanette managed to scramble out of the mountain of vegetables. She let out a sigh as she spotted Mr. Talbot heading for the final aisle of the store.
Alvin poked his head out from behind a huge leg of lamb. He had been headed to the meat section to see if he could find Mr. Talbot, but so far he hadn't had any luck. He was about to head for another section, when he heard someone speaking.
"Yes, I'll take some bacon and that chicken looks pretty good"
He looked towards the delicatessen and spotted Mr. Talbot ordering some different meats. Alvin crept towards the old man who was focusing on the butcher cutting his meat for him. Alvin spotted the cane resting inside his trolley. There was no way for the red-clad chipmunk to climb inside the trolley without it moving and gaining Talbot's attention. He started to look around to see if he could find something to help. He smiled as his eyes fixed upon the shelf behind the old man. Trying not to draw attention, Alvin climbed up the shelves until he was on top. He looked down and saw he had a perfect jump angle for Talbot's trolley.
"If I can land in that trolley, I can grab the cane and run before he has a chance to stop me" Alvin grinned to himself. He positioned himself ready to dive.
"Here goes nothing" he said and jumped from the shelf. He fell through the air straight down towards the trolley. Suddenly, Mr. Talbot accepted the meat from the butcher and pushed his trolley out of the way.
"Wwwwhhhhoooooaaaa!" Alvin cried seconds before he slammed down onto the ground. He groaned as he got to his feet.
"I am not doing that again" he mumbled as he tried to get his balance back. Mr. Talbot headed over to a cooled cabinet where a selection of steaks and other meats all sat in a row. He started to inspect them all for quality before he chose one. Alvin stumbled over to him, still dazed from his crashed landing. He looked around and had another idea. Connected to each shelf was a long, thin plastic bar that displayed prices. Alvin snuck over to a nearby shelf and tugged the bar off. Silently he stuck it through the wires making up Talbot's trolley. He managed to hook the cane to the bar. He pushed down and the bar flicked the cane up and out of the trolley, without making a sound. Alvin snatched it in mid air and rushed off.
"Yes yes yes!" he cried as he headed for the front of the store. He was almost there when a woman walked in front of him carrying a frozen chicken. Some water dripped from the frozen bird and landed directly in front of the oblivious Alvin. His foot slipped on the water and he slid across the floor.
"Nononononono!" he cried when he realized what was about to happen. He tried to regain his footing, but it was too late. Alvin slid straight into a display of egg cartons. The eggs all tumbled and broke. Egg goop drenched the poor red chipmunk.
"Oh this is disgusting. At least it can't get any worse" he muttered to himself as he stood up and tried to brush some of the goop off. He started to head in his previous direction, but he slipped again, on the same bit of water. The cane went flying out of his hands as he started to skid again.
"Oh no" he sighed as he slid straight towards a display of packaged flour. The cane arched gracefully through the air until it came to a stop inside Mr. Talbot's trolley. The old man selected a large steak from the display, placed it inside his trolley and headed off towards the front of the store. He noticed a display of eggs had toppled over and a billowing cloud of flour appeared behind another display.
"They need to clean this place better" he grumbled as he headed to a checkout and paid for his things.
Theodore waited in a line at one of the registers so he could pay for his lollipop. He reached inside his pocket and pulled outt the $1 slip of paper he needed (I'm not American so I don't know whether you use paper money or coins for $1 over there).
"Theodore, what are you doing?" someone asked behind him. He turned to see Simon standing behind him. The blue-clad chipmunk's glasses were crooked and he had a magazine stuck in the collar of his sweater which he was tugging at to remove.
"I'm just buying this lollipop" he said happily.
"What about Mr. Talbot? Did you get the cane?" Simon asked, still not having much luck pulling out the magazine.
"I… uh… oh" Theodore said remembering the purpose for being at the store. He dropped his head sadly. Simon let out a sigh.
"Don't worry about it Theodore, but one day you are going to have to put something more important above food" he said. Theodore looked at him and nodded. Suddenly they heard a clanking noise. They turned to see Eleanor approaching them. She had a pot stuck on her leg and one over her head which she was struggling to pull off.
"Eleanor, what happened, why have you got a pot on your head?" Simon asked as he abandoned the magazine in his collar and started trying to help the small Chipette remove the pot from her head.
"I didn't see a display of them and I… ran into it" came her muffled reply from underneath the pot. Theodore joined Simon in helping to remove the pot. They both gave a heave and the pot finally came off. Eleanor felt around her hair for a moment then let out a sigh.
"Thanks for that" she said as she now turned her attention to the one stuck to her foot. Simon and Theodore were about to give her a hand when Jeanette approached them. Her clothes were covered in green leaves.
"What happened to you?" Simon asked as he helped her brush them off.
"My glasses fogged over and I knocked a table of broccoli on myself" she said quietly. Her face went red from embarrassment. Suddenly she noticed the magazine lodged firmly in Simon's collar.
"Why have you got a magazine in your collar? She asked pointing at it. Now Simon blushed.
"I was… uh… knocked into a magazine display" he said, now once again trying to pull it out. The four of them all began to discuss the situations that they had just encountered. Eleanor was a little annoyed at Theodore for abandoning the goal of grabbing the cane, however when he showed her the lollipop her eyes widened and her mouth started to water. Theodore giggled then offered to share it with her. The group were about to get ready to head off when they all realized something.
"Where's Alvin?" they all asked at once.
"Here" came a reply from behind them all. They turned and burst out laughing. Alvin was covered in flour and egg from head to toe. The mixture of the two had hardened and now the goo was stickier than ever. The mixture clung to his fur like glue. He crossed his arms annoyed when everyone fell to the ground holding their sides laughing. Simon had tears in his eyes.
"Yeh yeh, very funny" he grumbled.
The afternoon sun slowly started to set, giving a warm orange glow. The five chipmunks sat miserably on the Chipmunk's door step. All of them had their heads in their hands.
"I can't believe we couldn't get the cane" Alvin grumbled. After they had left the grocery store, they found that Talbot had disappeared. They searched for a while, but couldn't find him anywhere. Now the five just sat sadly, knowing that soon they were going to have to dog watch Brittany again for the night. Simon was about to let out another sigh, when suddenly he saw something that brought a smile to his face. Mr. Talbot was walking into his front yard with his groceries, and the cane. The old man was heading for the front door when he stopped. He instead headed over to his garden and smelled his plants. As he was doing so, something in one of the shopping bags shifted and caused him to lose a grip on his cane and it fell. He made a grab for it then yelped in pain. His hand had brushed across a sharp exotic plant and now it was bleeding. He clutched the hand for a moment as the blood trickled out. Quickly he scurried into his house to bandage the wound, however he was in such a hurry that he didn't notice he had left his cane lying on the ground. Simon's eyes widened as he watched.
"Guys! He just dropped the cane, quick we need to grab it!" he cried out and sprinted towards the yard. Everyone spotted the cane on the ground and immediately rushed after him. The blue-clad chipmunk bent down to pick up the cane, and then he spotted the blood on the plant.
"Well, it is rare that I can collect blood samples for my experiments" he said to himself. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small beaker. He held it under the plant and let a few drops of blood drip inside.
"Forget that Simon, quick we need to go bop Brittany before it gets too dark!" Alvin cried and he snatched the cane out of Simon's grasp. The five of them turned and fled the yard, rushing as fast as they could towards the Miller house. As they approached the front door they all stopped.
"How are we going to get her?" Jeanette asked, realizing they couldn't just barge into the house and hit her with it. Alvin thought for a moment.
"Quickly, knock on the door. I'll stand to the side of it and when she opens it I'll swing the cane down and bop her head" he instructed. He took up position next to the door and watched as Jeanette knocked. Moments later they could hear and angry voice yell 'Coming!'
The door swung open and Brittany emerged.
"What do you wa…" she started when suddenly the cane swung down and connected with her head.
That's it for this chapter. This is actually the longest one I have written so far, which I find strange because I didn't really plan this one out that well… Anyway, what will happen now? Will Brittany become cured from the curse of the werewolf, or will she just be madder than ever? Find out next update!