The Farmer's Festival: A Skitchy and Juniper Fanfic
Note: In case you haven't noticed, Happy Tree Friends belongs to Mondo Media. Skitchy and Juniper are mine, though. Also appearing in this chapter are Pop, Cuddles, Petunia, Giggles, Toothy, Handy, Russel, Nutty, Lumpy, Mole, and Lammy.
Skitchy's house…
A shrill alarm clock woke the slumbering skunk at 5:00 the morning of the farmer's festival. Skitchy blearily shut off the early racket and shuffled into the shower. As he went about the rest of his daily morning routine, the orange skunk's thoughts turned to what lay ahead of him for the day; specifically the farmer's festival itself.
I wonder what it will be like this year… will Petunia win the Flower Gardening Prize again? And if she does… will I be able to talk to her? Will I regardless? And will Juniper be there? We haven't seen each other much since last year. Hmm… maybe I'll enter the pie-eating contest… I've been thinking of doing that…
Lammy's house…
The cute little lamb with the bow in her hair sat down at her kitchen table to enjoy some all-natural oatmeal. She smiled as she tasted its steamy goodness, and thought about the farmer's festival.
Petunia invited me to join her at the farmer's festival today… but I'm a little nervous about going. I've never been to one before, and I'm afraid that people won't like me… also, I don't know anything about farming. Oh well, I'll just make the best of it. I'm sure it'll be fun if Petunia's there!
Handy's house…
The amputated beaver slept soundly. He never was one to get excited over something like the farmer's festival, and since no one had asked him to volunteer or build anything for it, he gave himself the day off and decided to sleep in.
Petunia's house…
The navy skunk took extra care with her appearance on this particular morning, because she wanted to impress the boys at the festival.
Then I'll walk around with somebody on my arm and make Skitchy jealous! She thought. That'll teach him for the way he's been acting around me!
Petunia put on more perfume than usual, and sauntered confidently toward Lumpy's farm, where the festival was being held.
The Farmer's Festival…
Lumpy's farm was packed with every Tree Friend imaginable. They were eating fresh fruits and vegetables, playing carnival games such as ring toss, and just generally having a great time. Skitchy wandered alone at first, but then spotted his friends Cuddles and Toothy over by the squirt gun race.
"Hey guys," the orange skunk waved to the two.
"Oh, hi Skitchy," greeted the yellow rabbit merrily. "Wanna race me and Toothy?"
"Sure!"
And that's what they did, with Cuddles winning by a hair. After the race, the three set off to find more fun games and look at oddly-shaped gourds.
In another part of the fairgrounds…
Petunia strutted around the different booths and stands, trying to attract the attention of some handsome member of the opposite gender, when she spied a face she'd never seen before examining a bushel of corn. Even though the face happened to be female, the stranger still made the skunk curious, so she went over to introduce herself.
"Hi there," she began with a friendly smile while holding out her hand. "My name's Petunia. I haven't seen you around before. Is this your first time to the farmer's festival?"
The light green beaver gave the cheerful blue skunk a look of pure malice, telling the friendly female in no uncertain terms that she needed to be left alone. Taking the hint, and being understandably shaken from the beaver's harsh glare, Petunia backed off and walked on while the beaver continued her perusal of the various vegetables.
Fortunately for Petunia, she soon found Giggles trying to make a basket at the Super Hoops game and the two walked around the farm together for hours.
Back at the vegetable stand…
Juniper the beaver inspected the various baskets and boxes full of a cornucopia of different vegetables and fruits that the farmers from all across the land had for display and sale. She meticulously weighed, measured, and felt for imperfections of all types of grown edibles. To her, it was very serious business indeed. The mint green beaver's straw hat shaded her shrewd eyes as she peered into the diverse containers, and the basket she had hung on her left elbow was already half full of excellent produce.
"May I help you with anything, miss?" asked a merry female squirrel from behind a folding table.
"No, thank you," she responded with an obvious lack of emotion. "I'm afraid your wares are not up to my high standards."
Juniper walked off as the vendor thought what a cold b-tch…
At the Maize Maze…
Mole stood adjacent to a wooden sign painted in bright colors that read "Cron Meaz". Apparently the sightless subterranean rodent constructed it all by himself… and he can't spell. There to try out the dubious course were Toothy, Skitchy, and Cuddles. The three friends entered the maze, and decided foolishly to split up at a three-way fork, each going off on their own separate path. Cuddles took the middle, Toothy went right, and Skitchy chose left.
The purple beaver was a little nervous at the slim size of the trail beneath his feet, but pressed on regardless. After several seemingly random turns and twists, Toothy realized that he was lost. Panic began to set in.
Cuddles' trail was wide, straight, and… boring. The adventurous rabbit yawned at the simplicity, and eventually decided to go back the way he came in. At the entrance, he decided to wait for Skitchy and Toothy to show up. In the meantime, he chatted with Mole.
The path picked by the orange skunk was so full of curves and circles that it actually made Skitchy dizzy after a while. As he walked in deeper, the narrower the dirt track became, until it tapered off and disappeared completely. Skitchy turned around to retrace his steps, but found that he had lost the path. The skunk's breathing sped up, and he began to sweat and become very anxious.
Toothy began to jog, and then run as he became more and more frantic. The loss of direction and enclosed environment had combined to create an intensely claustrophobic state for the poor beaver. He tore through the rows of corn towering above him with reckless abandon. Somehow he found Skitchy doing likewise watching him run adjacent and matching his speed. The skunk and beaver continued their mad race while searching desperately for the entrance/exit of the poorly constructed maze. After much exertion and fear, the two finally reached Mole and Cuddles at the portal of doom. The yellow rabbit had fallen peacefully asleep, and Mole was just sitting motionless on the straw-covered dirt. Toothy and Skitchy panted and hunched over as they tried to catch their breath after the grueling run. The beaver glared daggers at the snoozing bunny once his respiration had regulated, but the skunk just started to walk away.
"Hey Skitch, where you going?" Toothy asked.
Skitchy just shrugged and kept on truckin'. Toothy shrugged in kind, and began shaking Cuddles awake in irritation.
At the flower section…
Petunia and Giggles had finished their browsing, and set up a small flower stand. On display were petunias, roses, lilies, daffodils, tulips, and a few other varieties. A few visitors to the farmer's festival passed by and some bought a few of the flowers. Some time passed, and Juniper's signature straw hat came into Petunia's view.
"Uh oh," the skunk nudged Giggles. "That's the beaver chick I was telling you about."
"You mean the one who snubbed you when you tried to make friends?"
"Yeah, she was totally rude! Wait, shut up, here she comes."
Juniper approached the modest flower display, and the two females. Petunia cringed slightly as the beaver perused her beautiful flora.
"Your azaleas are perfect," Juniper noted without looking up at the shopkeepers. "And I must say that great care has been put into the petunias, however… the roses are a tad wilted, and your tulips seem… faded."
She looked up and gasped at Petunia's scowling face.
"You leave her alone, you… you…" Giggles defended her best friend. "You… ice queen!"
Juniper looked shocked and then hurt by the chipmunk's harsh words. She hung her head and turned to go, when her way was blocked by Skitchy.
"What's going on here?" the skunk asked the two girls at the makeshift counter. "Why all the commotion?"
Skitchy looked at the heartbroken beaver and gasped in surprise.
"June!" he exclaimed. "I wondered if you would be here! …What's wrong?"
"Skitchy…" she sniffed. "It's… good to see you…"
The male skunk looked up from Juniper to Giggles and Petunia, who looked embarrassed and a little sorry for their actions. Skitchy's eyes were narrowed in disappointment at the two flower sellers, and the shadow created by the brim of his trucker cap gave the skunk's glare a sinister edge.
"What did you do to Juniper?" Skitchy accused, a growl in his throat.
"Uh…" Giggles started, thrown by the emotional reactions of the beaver and skunk. "I-I… I'm sorry!"
The pink chipmunk began to cry, and she ran off in shame and confusion. Petunia was fed up, and stood resiliently with her arms folded and a scowl on her face.
"I didn't do anything," the blue skunk retorted. "She's the one who acted all snobby when all I tried to do was introduce myself!"
Skitchy's eyes softened a bit as understanding crept into his sensitive mind. He took Juniper by the hand and led her away from the altercation without a word to Petunia.
What just happened? the air freshener-wearing skunk pondered. Did Skitchy… know that freaky chick? It sure seemed like it… Oh, I get it… that's why he acts so reserved around me! He already has a girlfriend and he's trying to stay faithful! Well, I respect that… shame that beaver's so ugly, though…
With all these suppositions whirling in her head, Petunia nodded with newfound certainty and brought her attention back to her work.
Behind the hammer game…
Juniper and Skitchy sat with their backs against the unoccupied bell meter. The beaver cried while the skunk put his arm around her shoulders lovingly.
"It's okay, June," Skitchy comforted. "It'll be all right… I know you have a hard time with meeting new people…"
"It's not just that…" she whispered. "I… get so… focused… and if someone interrupts…"
"I know, I know," Skitchy consoled. "You should rest now… don't think about it… it'll be okay…"
The two sat huddled there in silence for almost thirty minutes as Juniper composed herself. She stood, and they walked off into the crowd, healed feelings recovered by the noise and aplomb of the festival.
The pie-eating contest…
After parting with Juniper, Skitchy walked to where the pie-eating contest was about to begin. The orange skunk's confident smile slowly turned into a slight frown as he saw the other competitors. Lumpy, Russel, and Nutty sat at their assigned places with the regulation bibs fastened securely about their necks.
It was common knowledge that Nutty and Lumpy were pie masters (indeed, the neon squirrel had won the last three consecutive contests held by the Farmer's Festival Associates), and Skitchy's hopes for victory sank at their attendance.
He took his seat, and the contest judge stepped up to the microphone.
"Welcome everyone to the 11th annual farmer's festival pie-eating contest!" announced Pop, who had been elected to preside over the proceedings. "As you may know, the flavor of the pies this year will be apple! Also, the time limit has been altered from previous competitions. Instead of ten minutes, the FFA has decided to shorten the length of competition to eight minutes. On my mark, the competitors may begin their feast. Three… Two… One… Go!"
The four instantly threw their eager faces into the flaky crusts (Skitchy having removed his glasses and hat so as not to ruin them), and the timer ticked away as they set about their rapid chewing. After finishing his first pie, Skitchy spared a second to peek at his rivals' progress. Lumpy was daintily cutting his first pie with a knife and fork, apparently oblivious to the fact that it was a contest. Russel was making the same amount of headway as Skitchy, and Nutty… was already on his fourth. Sighing, the tangerine skunk continued eating away.
Oh well, he thought. At least I get free pie…
The buzzer rang for the end of the time limit, and two of the four stopped eating. Nutty and Lumpy ignored the sound and continued to stuff their faces.
"That's it! Everyone drop your pies and prepare for the counting!" Pop boomed over the speakers.
Someone had to go in and forcibly remove the pies from Nutty's vicinity, and then explain to Lumpy that he had to stop eating now.
"All right, the tally has been taken, and the winner this year is… to no one's surprise… Nutty!"
The lime squirrel giggled manically as he was handed a gold trophy with a pie crowning it. To his dismay, the gold pie was not edible, and he discovered this after losing a couple teeth trying to bite it.
"Now it's time for the sack races," Pop declared. "So everyone who will be participating in this event, please assemble over on the southeastern field!"
Skitchy returned his bib and put his hat and glasses back on. Then he walked in disappointment over toward a cotton candy stand where Juniper was waiting for him holding two sticks of the sugary pink stuff.
"So how'd it go?" the mint beaver inquired good-naturedly.
Skitchy shrugged, and accepted the proffered cotton candy gratefully.
"Well that's too bad…" Juniper noted. "But on the bright side: free pie!"
Skitchy smiled, and then the two laughed together and walked around the premises, enjoying the late afternoon.
Flashback…
A very young Skitchy without any spectacles or headwear whatsoever is playing in a sandbox with a red plastic shovel. Juniper at the same age and also without a hat totters over to join in the fun. The two smile and laugh together, until their respective parents part them.
The present…
Petunia was joined by an uncomfortable Giggles who smiled weakly at the fuming skunk.
"Sorry about running off like that…" the chipmunk apologized. "I- oh, hi Lammy!"
Petunia turned to see the lavender lamb admiring the flowers displayed attractively in baskets before the skunk and chipmunk.
"Hi Giggles! Hi Petunia!" Lammy responded cheerfully. "Your flowers are gorgeous! Which ones are yours, Petunia?"
"All of them," the ocean blue skunk replied proudly. "Giggles doesn't really garden much, but she does care about the environment a lot, and she helps me out with projects involving organic stuff."
"Wow! I wish I could grow such beautiful things!" Lammy gaped in awe at the colorful petals and perfect stems. "Whenever I try to plant anything, I always forget about it and it turns out baaaad."
Giggles smiled a little at Lammy's pronunciation of "bad", but Petunia took no notice.
"Well Lammy," she began. "When you first plant the bulbs, you need to remember that different kinds of flowers require unique levels and types of soil. What have you tried to grow?"
As Petunia instructed the novice gardener on the finer points of flower gardening, Giggles yawned and let her mind drift away.
At the sack race…
Juniper entered the race just moments before it began, and Skitchy cheered her on from the sidelines. Juniper jumped for joy as she crossed the finish line in second place. Skitchy embraced her as they shared the moment.
Closing time…
Giggles, Petunia, and Lammy walked out of the main gate together with the two interested in flowers still gabbing away about them while the chipmunk felt like a third wheel. Her wandering eyes landed upon Skitchy and Juniper who were leaving at the same time a few feet away. Giggles frowned and shook her head at the sight of the two cavorting so.
Meh, she thought. I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes… I'll find somebody for Petunia, and then she'll be happy… she'll know that feeling I get when I'm with Cuddles… yeah, I'll get started on that first thing tomorrow…
The two groups diverged from each other and neither Lammy nor Petunia spotted Skitchy with Juniper. Giggles would have told her best friend, but she didn't want to upset the skunk so she let sleeping dogs lie.
"Thanks for today, Skitchy," said Juniper as they walked through the gate and paused. "I really had a great time."
"You're welcome," the skunk smiled congenially. "I'm sorry about what happened at the flower place, though."
"No, it's okay," she reassured him. "It's not the first time I've experienced something like that, you know. And I still had fun, so it all worked out in the end."
"Yeah…" Skitchy smiled. "You're my best friend, you know that?"
"I know," Juniper smiled back. "See you next year?"
"Count on it!"
The two parted in almost opposite directions, waved merrily as they did so.
When Skitchy came to his home, he reflected on the day and was glad to have such a good friend as Juniper. Then he thought about Petunia's feelings, and what she must think of him.
I should've explained to her about Juniper, he reflected. She probably thinks that I'm June's boyfriend! I'd better tell her the truth…
With these thoughts in mind, the marmalade skunk entered his house and soon fell asleep under a cloud-patterned blanket.
To be continued…