Chapter Thirteen part one

(Here it is, the first part of the thirteenth chapter! Oooh, it sounds creepy…if you're a strong believer on Friday The 13th, a big fan of the horror movie Friday The 13th, or a big fan of Halloween, if this makes any sense.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter…and life.

Try out the new Who Framed Roger Rabbit forum if you can or want!

-imaginarytoon1)

Beatrice:

As soon I said that I was afraid of cinnamon, Wheezy choked and coughed on the smoke from his giant cigar, Psycho looked at me with shock, his hair becoming the spikier than before, Stupid's jaw dropped in surprise, Slimy and Flasher…I don't what they were doing, Greasy looked at me with surprise, and Smarty did a spit take, spitting water on me.

Then, simultaneously, the weasels, even Greasy, began to laugh their heads off while I wiped Smarty's water off of my face in disgust.

Smarty fell out of his chair and I watched him roll around on the floor while laughing. Greasy, however, was trying his very best…or his very worst…to settle down and not laugh anymore. Psycho didn't fall out of his chair but he was rolling on the edge of the table, laughing like a maniac.

I gave the weasels an irritated and angry look and I told them that I would like to move on with the challenge. But, of course, the weasels continued to laugh and didn't even stop to listen.

What I said was really true. I really am afraid of cinnamon.

I knew that the weasels were going to laugh at me and I shouldn't have told them that I was afraid of cinnamon. I feel awfully stupid right now.

But as the other weasels were laughing their heads off, Smarty crawled up the table and in between laughs, he said,

"'Synonym'?! HA, HA, HA, HA! You're afraid of…ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!...'synonym'? THAT SPICY BROWN STUFF THAT YOU PUT INTO 'SNAPPLE' PIE?! OH, HO, HO, HO, HO! THIS IS TOO GOOD! HA, HA, HA, HA!"

"Well, I have a good reason to be afraid of CINNAMON!" I replied. "And I would like to move on the next part of the challenge."

"Not until…*cough, cough*…ha, ha, ha, ha!...Not until you give us the reason why you're afraid of cinnamon!" Wheezy laughed, coughed, and…wheezed.

I opened my mouth to say the reason behind my fear of cinnamon but I shook my head and I did a face-palm. My cheeks were still burning of embarrassment.

All of the other weasels, except for Greasy (who just stopped laughing all of the sudden), continued to laugh while I rolled my eyes and I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment. Greasy puts his hand on my left shoulder and asked me if I was all right.

"I shouldn't have shared my fear and I feel awfully stupid." I replied.

"But why are you afraid of cinnamon?" Psycho asked while trying to settle down with the others.

My brain says, "Don't tell them or you'll make things worse", but my mouth makes the words slip out of my mouth. As I explained, the other weasels were trying to calm down and listen and trying their best…or their worst…at stifling their rounds of laughter.

"I was at a relative's house and she was making breakfast. While preparing a dish, she poured an enormous amount of cinnamon on top of it. After taking a bite of the food that was on the dish, I began to choke and my tongue and throat started burning. I nearly died and I couldn't taste anything for three weeks. Ever since then, I would not go near a container, canister, or a stick of cinnamon because I had a near-death experience with it. Now that I've finished explaining, I would like to move on to the next part of the challenge."

Smarty laughed his last laughs and guzzled down the last bit of water that was left in his glass. I can tell that he still has the urge to laugh.

"All right, Birch-*ahem*-Birchwood." Smarty said. "We'll move on now. Wheezy, explain the next challenge to Birchwood, will ya?"

Wheezy inhales on his cigar and began to explain,

"We're going back outside in a few minutes and at the back of the house, there is a ball *cough! cough!* and your tennis racquet that you dropped during our big musical number. Boss and I would *cough! cough! gasp! cough! cough!* explain the challenge as soon as we're out of the house."

"All right, boys…and-" Smarty said and then, he stifles a snicker. "—Birchwood. Let's go back outside."

We all walked back outside…well…Psycho and Stupid…starred out into space…and Psycho walked out of the room…came back with a wooden cane…extended it into the meeting room…and pulled Stupid out of the room. I guess old Toon gags never die or get old.

After walking back outside and walking to the back, I began to have a better view of where I came to the house of William Gallagher after smelling poppies, seeing pink elephants, heffalumps, woozles, and dancing cans of black beans, and getting saved by Gallagher's ghost before I nearly drowned in a river. But the time of the day is added to my list of questions that I have been asking myself since Tommy and I came and left Toon Town and Lexi's kidnapping:

It feels like it's eleven thirty or a late noon but it's dusk. What is going on?

"Birchwood!" Smarty exclaimed. "BIRCHWOOD!"

I snapped myself out of my thinking fantasy.

"Yeah, Smarty?" I asked.

"Can you hit a 'dentist' ball?" Smarty asked.

"Oh, I can hit a tennis ball."

"*cough* Let's see if you can hit it over the trees." Wheezy said and inhaled another round of smoke from his giant cigar.

I picked up my tennis racquet and the ball from the damp ground. I scooted away and I threw the ball up in the air. Almost like a catapult launching a huge rock, I swung my tennis racquet and hit the ball with extreme force. The ball flies over the trees and I heard Slimy, Flasher…and Greasy say,

"Wow", "JIMINY CRICKETS, WHAT A SHOT", "NICE ONE, MUCHACHA!"

Then, we listened to the sounds of the branches shaking and snapping and squawking birds flying out from the trees.

"All right, boys, go in to the woods and 'stutter' around. Don't start 'til I give you the 'shingle'." Smarty said.

The six weasels disappeared in to the woods and I watched them with nervousness, courage, and determination.

"What do I have to do in this part of the challenge, Smarty?" I asked.

"In this part of the challenge, Birchwood, you're going to bring the ball back to me. You're not going to 'stimply' grab the ball because this part of the challenge is really difficult." Smarty replied.

He stops talking for a second and pulls out a piece of paper that's folded up real neatly.

"Do you like to read, Birchwood?" Smarty asked.

"Oh, yeah, I love to read." I replied in a puzzled tone, confused by the sudden idea of Smarty getting off topic.

"A lot?"

"I'm a huge bookworm. Almost everywhere I go, I am reading a book."

"Ever heard of The Most Dangerous Game?"

"That Richard Connell short story?" I asked with surprise and interest. I stopped myself and said a new sentence. "Yes, I heard of The Most Dangerous Game. Why?"

"This is what this part of the challenge is like; 'excerpt' there is no killing. You're going to try to find the ball and bring it back to me. My boys are scattered around the woods and if you're caught by one them and brought back, then you'll lose one of your chances and take a 'drake'. After your break, you'll move on to the next part of the challenge and we'll decide if we can let you go home with your cousin." Smarty explained. "Do you think that you'll make it?"

"There's a fifty-fifty chance, Smarty, but I think that I will make it through." I said without trying to sound too confident.

"You may start the challenge after you hear Wheezy's tommy gun go off."

"All right."

"And don't try to run away because if you do…then you'll 'atom-matically' go to Toon Town and never see your family, even your little cousin, again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Smarty. I understand."

Then, I heard the sound of a rapid gunfire. The sound of the shots echoed in the area and the sounds faded to nothing.

"All right, Birchwood, do you have any last words?" Smarty asked.

"In the meeting room, you said that I passed the first part of the challenge. You already said that after I walked out of the room where the first part of the challenge took place. You should've said that I passed the second part of the challenge. And I don't want you to hurt Lexi when I'm the woods." I replied.

Smarty rolled his eyes and told me to begin the third part of the challenge. As I was about to walk down a narrow and thick trail, I thought,

Be careful, Beatrice. Your life depends on Lexi's safety and yourself. Try not to wander into places that could be dangerous.

I sighed and said to myself, "Don't worry, Lexi. I'll win for our safety. Try to hang in there, okay?"

Then, I took a deep breath and entered the trailer.

(To be continued…)