Snips, Snails, And Puppy Dog's Tails

Chapter 10: Tragic: The Ones at Fault

Tragic:

Sherman watched the plastic rope being placed around the neck of his adoptive father and as animal control began to drag him away. Ms. Grunion did not listen to any of their pleas, and neither did animal control. With all the damage that had been caused, they deemed Peabody and unfit member of Society and there was no president of the past powerful enough to stop what had been decided. Twice in one day he was going to loose him, and both times it all was her fault. Rage filled him completely as he turned angrily to the blonde girl behind him. This was all her fault, and he wasn't going to let her get away with it unscathed.

"Was it worth it, Penny." Sherman spat at her, his voice cold and bitter. "Well! Was it really worth it!?"

"S-Sherman?" Penny stuttered, surprised by the boy's sudden tone of voice. "S-Sherman, whats-"

"Was your stupid joke worth it!" Sherman demanded, balling up his fists so much that his knuckles turned white. "Your stupid, unfunny joke... Was it worth all the damage you've caused!"

"Sherman... I'm sorry... I-" Penny tried but was cut off yet again by Sherman's hand raised in front of her while the boy wore a look of discus, as if hearing her voice was like nails on the chalkboard.

"Are you serious!?You think sorry is going to fix any of this!? You think apologizing is going to patch up a hole in the Time Space Continuum!?" Sherman exclaimed, sounding both outraged and shocked, finding the girl's stutters to be the most ignorant thing in the world. "Is a sorry going to convince the pound not to put my dad down or that hes a suitable father for me!?"

Sherman's breathing began to pick up as he tried to calm down, but it was no use. He couldn't just sit back and say nothing about this whole thing. He was frustrated and angry and he just wanted to let the whole world know why that was, so he did.

"You could've have just left me alone! You just had to make fun of the only family I had and now I don't even have it anymore! But hahaha, its funny because hes a dog!" Sherman all but screamed at her. "All he ever tried to do for me was try and give me a good life and because of you no one will ever see it that way!"

Penny and her parents looked shocked at the boy's sudden outburst. They didn't know what to say. What could they say? Sherman was right about all of this, and there was nothing that their family could do to help him. They still had their little family, and would never understand Sherman's pain of loosing the only one he had. Really, all of this happened because of a stupid joke... That wasn't even worth it.

"You couldn't just stay in the present and behave for one night! Your parents got along with my dad just fine even though he was a dog so why couldn't you for one night get along with a boy who was human like you!"

"Sher-" Penny stopped, knowing that he was right about this, and he was right about everything.

"You just had to be a stubborn bitch and mess up history! You couldn't sit still and not get yourself into trouble once! In Egypt all you had to do was stay in the WABAC but you didn't!" He was reaching the edge of his rage by now. "Instead we had to go through a mess of traps, almost got sucked into a black hole, crashed a flying machine, and now theres a hole in the fabric of time!"

"If you just did what I said and stayed put then I would be at home right now with my dad! My dad is gone now Penny! And its all your fault!" Sherman screamed, hot tears streaming down his face. "Did you ever think for once before harassing me that maybe I didn't care that my father was a dog, maybe consider that he was all that I had!? Did you ever try to understand!"

Sherman's heavy breathing stopped all together with that last statement, and he suddenly tossed himself onto the hard, cement ground as he wept. If anyone was close to hear him, they would hear him crying not just for Peabody, but for his own uncertain future. One that he knew would be without Peabody and Penny. He cried because one of those great minds here now would be able to fix the past for him, and yet not be able to fix the broken boy in the cement. No one would ever be able to return his family to him and he knew it.

"Sherman? Come on sweety... Its time to go..." A voice spoke above him as a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

The voice did not belong to Mrs. Grunion, nor did it belong to any of the Peterson women. It especially did not belong to Penny. No, this voice was gentle and kind, as if any trace of hate had never met it before in all of its years. It sounded far away and yet so comforting and familiar, that Sherman wasted no time in throwing himself into a pair of awaiting arms. He had no idea what was to happen, all he knew is that he would have to find out without the help and guidance of Peabody.

All he knew was that because of Penny, no one would ever know how much Peabody meant to Sherman, or how much Sherman needed him. No one would ever know and it was all her fault. Even in his adult years, he knew that he would find himself asking out loud to a blonde girl who was not there one thing and one thing only.

'Was it really worth it?'