"Fear my terrible wrath!"

The moment they heard the fierce cry, several small children abruptly ceased their carefree frolicking amongst the waves and turned their gaze towards whoever had just made the terrible threat.

Only a second later, one child revealed that he had located the mysterious speaker with a blood-chilling shriek of blind terror. As soon as the rest laid eyes upon the monstrosity lumbering through the shallow water near the beach shore, they all let loose with a chorus of frightened screams, and immediately turned tail and fled back to the safety of dry land.

As the badly spooked little ones scrambled away from what resembled a moving pile of seaweed, the "monster" continued to roar ferociously, "Beware, children! For it is I, the almighty Sea-Beast! Don't try and run, tasty morsels! For woe to those who believe they can flee from the Sea-Beast, ruler of the waves, lord of the ocean, king of – HEY!"

In the middle of his boasting, he had completely failed to notice the lanky redhead steadily making her way towards him until she had nabbed him by a kelp-draped stubby appendage. In one deft movement, the young woman easily lifted her catch up into the air and flipped him upside down, and immediately the seaweed disguise tumbled into the surf, exposing a certain miscreant blob.

"Awww, Frankie!" Bloo whined piteously as he dangled helplessly in his captor's grip. "You never let me have any fun!"

His pleas however fell on deaf ears, as Frances "Frankie" Foster merely rolled her eyes before scolding, "See, this is why we don't like letting you go on house beach trips! For crying out loud, Bloo, how many times have I told you? No more Sea-Beast! You hear me? I'm sick of catching you lurking around covered in-"

"Oh c'mon, what's wrong with trying to-WAUGH!"

SPLOOSH!

The second the azure mischief-maker began arguing in his defense, Frankie promptly let go, unceremoniously allowing Bloo to plummet face-first into the water with a shrill squeal. By the time the indignant imaginary friend resurfaced, the smirking redhead had already raced off to happily rejoin the fierce splash-fight she had been participating in right before she had to put the "Sea-Beast" in his place.

"Look out, she's comin' back!" Goo squeaked playfully in mock fright as the caretaker charged.

"Oh no she's not!" Mac laughed as the two began to vigorously strike the water, forcing the giggly young woman to shield her face from the cold spray.

"Ha! Is that all you got?" Frankie scoffed as she returned fire. "Take that! And that! And th-OW!"

Once the well-aimed clump of wet sand struck her hard on the shoulder, Mac broke out chuckling triumphantly and taunted, "There's plenty more where that came from!"

Rather than sternly reprimand the child, the young woman just broke out into a wicked grin and whooped, "Ooooooh, you asked for it! You know what happens to little boys at the beach who don't play by the rules!"

"Ackpth!" Mac sputtered in panic and immediately began to try and swim to safety, while Goo just treaded water and passed Frankie a puzzled glance.

"He does?" the little girl muttered bewilderedly.

"Yup!" the redhead laughed. "They get attacked by the great red shark! C'mere!"

"No! No, no, no!" Mac yelped as he paddled away furiously. "No great red shark! Frankie, no!"

With the water level only a little above her waist, Frankie playfully bared her teeth before taking off after her prey.

"Shark attack! Shark attack! Shark attack!" she gleefully chanted over and over, as the frantic child redoubled his efforts in desperation.

"Please, no! C'mon!" he shamelessly begged for mercy. Unfortunately, at that point Frankie couldn't hear a word from his mouth. Just moments before, with one graceful movement she had lunged under the water and was now swimming speedily towards the little boy, with only her ponytail sticking up out of the surf like a crimson dorsal fin.

"Frankie, no! No shark attack, anything but-AAAA!"

As soon as he felt her hands grab his ankles, Mac only had time for one pitiful cry before he was dragged under the water, and in an instant both huntress and hunted had vanished clean from sight. Seconds later though, the child managed to clumsily resurface, with the jubilant caretaker following a moment after.

"I hate shark attacks! I hate them!" Mac yelled as he spat out mouthfuls of salty ocean water. Frankie snickered wickedly as she mused his soggy chestnut-brown locks.

"If you hate them so much, how come you let me do it all the time in the pool back home?" she giggled as he unsuccessfully tried to bat her hands away.

"I don't let you do it, I just can't stop you!" he reminded before pausing to spit out a stand of seaweed. "Oh, gross!"

"Hahahahahahaha!" Goo snorted with mirth from a few yards away. "I don't care what you say, she definitely showed you whose boss! Heehee!"

"Correction; I'm only halfway done here." Frankie laughed as she whirled about. The moment Goo spotted the playful sparkle in the redhead's emerald eyes, the little girl squealed and shot off like a pigtailed fish.

"EEEEK! No, no, no! I get it, I get it, I get it! You're the boss, Frankie, you're the boss!" Goo gasped between strokes as she made a beeline back to the beach, with the redhead close in tow.

"Shark attack! Shark attack!" Frankie whooped her battle-cry before taking a deep breath, diving under…

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Needless to say, the denizens of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends were quite spooked when their day trip was abruptly interrupted by a horrendous spine-chilling shriek. Actually, all but one, that is.

"Oh, goodness…what is it now?" Mr. Herriman grumbled as he clambered up off his towel into a sitting position, just in time to spot Foster's resident caretaker race out of the water, screaming like a banshee.

"Frankie!" Madame Foster yelped in horror and hopped from her folding chair. "Oh goodness dear, what happened?"

Frankie only continued to holler frantically as she started to race about in circles like a lunatic. "Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!"

"Get what out?" Wilt cried as he raced to her aid, with several other imaginary friends followed not too far behind. "Frankie, what's wrong?"

"What happened?" Eduardo whimpered as he abruptly came to a halt a short distance away. "What's wrong with Senorita Frankie?"

"You wanna take a guess? Be our guests!" Goo gasped as she and Mac arrived on the scene.

"Miss Goo, now is not the time for sass!" Mr. Herriman scolded her soundly. "What happened to Miss-"

"We don't know!" Mac confessed unhappily as he paused to catch his breath.

Bloo nodded his head furiously and added, "Yeah, I saw the whole thing! There she was, chasing Goo around, but as soon as she went underwater, it was like someone had stuck a bee in her bathing suit or something, and-"

"Oh dear God, it better not be a bee!" Frankie wailed as she came halted her circling, only to start clawing frantically at her turquoise one-piece suit. "Someone please! Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!"

"Oh, good gracious!" Madame Foster cried as her wrinkled expression contorted with dismay. "There's something alive in your suit?"

"AAAUUUGGH! Are you people just gonna ask questions all day, or are any of you gonna shut your traps and do something?" the young woman shrieked as she did a mad dance of impatience.

"Then stop jumping around like a fool and let us help you!" Mr. Herriman barked as he tried to take control of the situation. "Miss Frances, try and stand still! Miss Coco, try and reach in and nip out whatever it is that's-"

"Oh, not on your life!" Frankie roared defiantly and roughly pushed Coco away the second the imaginary friend tried to approach.

"Coco?" she chirped in befuddlement, while Mr. Herriman groaned in severe exasperation.

Miss Frances, what do you think you're doing? First you ask us to assist you, but now-"

"You think I'm going to let anyone just reach in under my bathing suit?" Frankie hissed incredulously as she writhed about in discomfort. "You've got to be joking!"

"But Miss Frances-"

"Nuh-uh!" she stubbornly refused. "If we're doin' this, it's gotta be someone I can trust! Got it?"

"So who, then?" Wilt cried. "Mac's arms are way too short to try and…uh…"

As soon as the towering scarlet imaginary friend realized that all eyes were fixed directly onto him, he abruptly trailed off as he slowly comprehend the terrible truth.

"Wait…I'm sorry, but you don't really think I'm gonna…wait, guys, but Mac's her -"

"And you're my imaginary friend!" Frankie reminded him with a heartbreaking whine. "Wilt, please!"

"But…but I…I'm sorry Frankie, it's just that…" Wilt sputtered, obviously extremely reluctant about his mission.

"She has a point." Mr. Herriman stated. "Plus, you are the most well equipped for the task, Master Wilt."

The poor creature paused, glanced at his long, winding arm, than resigned himself to fate with a heavy sigh as he stepped forward. "Well…okay, but only because Frankie wants me to…."

As soon as he came within five feet of her though, Frankie squealed and promptly scuttled backwards out of arm's reach.

"Are you actually serious?" she cried in disbelief, while still wriggling about uncontrollably under the sensation of her bathing suit's unwanted guest crawling about.

"What? Yes, we're serious!" Mac answered. "What's wrong now?"

"Dearie, please!" Madame Foster begged. "Just let Wilt-"

"Reach down there in full view of half the beach?" Frankie hissed. "You have to be crazy if you think I'm giving anyone a free show!"

"Oooh, that's right! Sorry, I'm sorry!" her grandmother hastily apologized. "Eduardo, Mac, grab some towels, quickly! Hold on a second, dear-"

"I don't want cover in a second! I want it now! I want this thing out of my suit NOW!" the redhead howled at the top of her lungs.

Without a word of protest, everyone dumbly circled about and hastily created a living barrier, all of them taking care to make sure they kept their backs to the distressed young woman and her imaginary friend to give them their necessary privacy.

"Everything's all right…nothing to see here…" Mac murmured as a few passerby beachgoers shot the odd formation an array of puzzled looks. Meanwhile, in the center, Wilt paused and took a hard swallow before gazing into his friend's eyes.

"You…y-you ready for this?" the hesitant imaginary friend whispered hoarsely. Frankie cringed uncontrollably.

"I think I just felt it crawl around to my back…" she whined before forcing herself as still as she could. Wilt respectfully averted his gaze, took a deep breath, then gently slipped his hand under her suit.

"Ackpth! Your hand's kinda cold…" She whined softly with a wince, while the poor thing looked seemed to be on the verge of tears as he began to instinctively apologize in his skyrocketing embarrassment.

"I'm sorry…Frankie, I'm so sorry…."

A nearly unbearably awkward silence descended upon the group, as Wilt quietly fished about while the others dutifully stood guard.

"Um…" Mr. Herriman murmured, turning his head as he attempted to check on the progress of the search-and-remove mission "Are you two fairing all right back there?"

"Up yours, Mr. H." Frankie snarled crossly like an irritated pit bull.

Immediately the large rabbit obediently ceased his inquiring with a frightened gulp. "Uh…f-fair enough, Miss Frances…"

"Frankie, please," Wilt pleaded. "I'm sorry, but you're not making this any easier-"

"Oh, and you think I'm actually enjoying this?" she snapped through tightly gritted teeth before wincing uncontrollably. "I can't even feel what's crawling around in there anymore, your hand is like ice!"

"Like I'm having the time of my life?" Wilt suddenly snapped in a rare lapse of his famed politeness, then promptly frowned guiltily. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just -YOW!"

With a bellow of agony, Wilt tore his hand free, exposing a small, frightened crab that had clung on tightly to one of the imaginary friend's fingers with a sharp little claw. After flailing his arm wildly in the air like a whip for a few moments, Wilt managed to shake it loose, sending the tiny creature soaring back into the ocean.

"Got it!" he gasped as he nursed his aching fingers. "It's okay everyone, I got it…only a little crab, nothing more…it's okay…it's okay…"

"Gee, that was fun." Frankie grumbled sarcastically, with cheeks glowing as red as ripe tomatoes as the wall about them began to disperse. "Goody-gosh, now I get to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment, oh joyous day."

"All right, that's all, folks!" Madame Foster declared as she shooed off all the others. "Go on, we're just fine here! Nothing more to see here, c'mon! Go! Go!"

While the imaginary friends dutifully scattered off, Frankie made a beeline for her towel and sat down with a piteous whimper.

"You want me to fetch something from the cooler?" Mac asked kindly as he tended to her. "A soda? Some water"

"Nah, you're way off!" Goo objected matter-of-factly. "What she needs is a nice, gold ol'fashioned hug, like my momma does whenever I get upset. Here, lemme-"

Frankie instinctively recoiled with a horrified grimace. "Yes on the soda, a big no on the hug. I just had a crab and a hand down where neither of them were supposed to be, so trust me, I'm really not in the mood for physical contact right now."

"So let's give her some privacy now, okay?" Wilt chimed in as he delicately tugged the little girl back a few paces. As the excitement quickly died down, most of the others quickly dispersed, leaving the redhead more or less alone to try and salvage whatever dignity she had left.

"You gonna be okay?" Mac inquired gently as he handed her a cold drink. It was only after that he had asked did he realize how unnecessary his question was; the young woman glowed with such a vibrant blush it looked as if she had sunburned badly all over her body.

"Other than the fact I just humiliated myself in front of everyone, I'm gonna be just peachy." She murmured as she buried her face in her hands. "Jeez, I can't believe that…that I…"

With a sigh, she gestured for the children to give her some space. "I…I just need a couple minutes, okay? Just….just go into the water and play, or something…I really just need some time…"

Rather than do obediently as bid, the children merely began to fidget and started passing each other anxious glances while eyeing the ocean ever so warily. After witnessing what happened to the caretaker, needless to say they weren't all that eager to frolic amongst the waves anymore now that they knew there was a good chance some creature of the deep might attack them, or least crawl somewhere it shouldn't go.

When Frankie first glanced up and realized this, initially she tried to ignore them as she nursed her badly mangled pride. Despite her best efforts, it didn't take long for the kind young woman's heart to go out to the now-wary little ones, and with a sigh she clambered to her feet.

"Okay, let's go." She gently encouraged them as she began plodding back down towards the water, while they followed along at her heels.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! But…but didn't you just say you didn't want to?" Goo squeaked. "Besides, what if we go in there, and like an electric eel or an irritable starfish or a grumpy sea slug or something comes outta nowhere and tried to crawl right up into our-"

"I seriously doubt that'll happen." Frankie replied. "Besides…I don't really think staying freaked out all day because of one little accident is going to do we that much good. C'mon, guys."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mac inquired for good measure. "Frankie, you don't have to if you don't want to. We can just play on the beach and-"

As she carefully began to wade past the small waves halfway up to her knees, she tried to plant on a weak smile. "Hey, let's be honest; I probably shouldn't let a nasty encounter with a baby crab get to me that much-WAUGH!"

The instant the kelp-draped arms rose from the water and grabbed hold of the unsuspecting woman's leg, Frankie's jade eyes automatically bulged with terror, and with one hoarse shriek she gave whatever had nabbed onto her a desperate kick. As her attacker went flying into the surf with a shrill yelp, Frankie wheeled about and retreated right back up the beach, pumping her arms furiously and racing through the sand as fast as her legs could possibly carry her.

After disappearing back into the water, just moments later the blobbish, seaweed-garbed attacker resurfaced with a gasp. After spitting out a mouthful of salty water, Bloo looked up and immediately met the fierce gazes of the children, who had swiftly gotten over their initial surprise.

"What?" Bloo whined as he cowered a little. "Oh come on, she heard fair and square earlier that she had to fear my terrible wrath…."

"…Coco! Coco!" Coco elicited a muffled chirp as she jogged backwards a few feet, twisted her entire body around, then released the Frisbee from her beak with a mighty throw.

"I got it! I got it!" Wilt cried as the plastic disc sailed into his hand. After he caught it though, the gangly figment stumbled a few paces, wobbling about dangerous until he found his center of gravity once more. It wasn't as if he could really help it that much; after all, it is pretty difficult to keep one's balance with a twenty-three-year-old young woman clinging tightly to your back.

"Whoa!" Wilt yelped before he managed to get back onto steady footing, after which he promptly checked on his passenger. "You okay back there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Frankie replied as she tightened her grasp upon him.

Before the lanky creature threw the Frisbee back to Coco again, he couldn't help but pause and inquire as gently as he could to her. "Are you sure you don't want to just sit on your towel or something? I'm sure if-"

"So something can crawl out of the sand and right into my suit?" Frankie scowled as she shot the ground below a weary glance. "Nuh-uh!"

Once it became quite obvious she wasn't going anywhere soon, Wilt sighed unhappily as he tried focusing his attention on the Frisbee game, thought he couldn't help but muse aloud over a particular mystery that he couldn't keep his mind off of at the moment.

"I'm sorry, but…why do people say coming here is supposed to be relaxing?"

The End