Another morning had arrived, and Charlie Brown awoke. He'd gotten out of bed, and went downstairs to make breakfast. He poured some cereal, and got out a carton of milk. After he'd poured it in, he ate the cereal, noticing a funny taste.
"Huh?" Charlie Brown quizzed. "This milk tastes funny. Hmm….. wait a minute! This is water! Who swapped the milk with water?!"
Sally walked in laughing.
"It was me! I poured all the milk out of that carton and filled it up with water! April Fools, Big Brother!"
"April Fools?!" Charlie Brown questioned, and then, he glared while facing away from Sally.
Later, Lucy stood with a football in her hands, waiting for Charlie Brown to come and try to kick it.
"Oh, Charlie Brown! Oh Charlie Brown!" Lucy said innocently
Charlie Brown arrived to see Lucy tossing the ball up and down.
"Are you ready to kick this football, Charlie Brown?" Lucy asked.
"Not this time, Lucy van Pelt! Every time you do this, you'll just pull it away a nanosecond before I could kick it and I'll just land on my back, injuring it in the process!"
"Oh come on, Charlie Brown! Surely you can trust a girl with a pretty face!"
"That argument of yours is debatable. And my name is Charlie Brown, not Shirley Brown."
"If you run up and kick the ball, I'll let go of it once you come."
"Alright. If you insist."
Charlie Brown ran back as far as he could, and when he was far enough, he ran right towards the football.
"I'm gonna kick it! Straight to the moon!"
But just as Charlie Brown was about to kick it, Lucy pulled the ball away, causing Charlie Brown to flip right up into the sky.
"AAAAAAUGH!"
Charlie Brown landed on his back, and looked to the side with anger and a feel of defeat.
"Rats!"
"April Fools, Charlie Brown!" laughed Lucy.
Meanwhile, Marcie got out of bed, and put her glasses on. Little did she know that someone had taken away her proper glasses and had replaced them with glasses with jet black lenses meant for blind people.
"Oh no! I can't see! I'm blind! I'm blind! I'm absolutely blind!"
Marcie tried her very best to find her way out of her house, but with her black glasses, it was very difficult for her. She eventually touched the knob to the front door and opened it.
Standing outside was Peppermint Patty. She had Marcie's proper glasses in her hands.
"Help me! I've gone absolutely blind!" Marcie begged.
Peppermint Patty held Marcie's right hand, took off her black glasses, and replaced them with her proper glasses.
"Ah! There you are, Sir! I thought I'd actually gone blind!" laughed Marcie.
"Ha ha! I swapped your proper glasses for these fake black glasses!" laughed Peppermint Patty. "April Fools, Marcie!"
"Good one, Sir!" said Marcie.
Because Charlie Brown was out, Sally was the only one home to make Snoopy's breakfast. Snoopy sat on top of his doghouse feeling hungry. Sally looked for what food to serve her brother's dog. Then, an idea popped into her mind.
"I know just the food to give him." Smirked Sally.
Later, Sally came back with a different dog dish with food inside. Snoopy tucked in, and suddenly…
"Blecch!"
Snoopy spat out the food that Sally had given her. Sally simply laughed at Snoopy's misfortune.
"April Fools, Snoopy!" laughed Sally. "That's not dog food! That's cat food! I brought that dish from the Cat Next Door!"
Upon her mentioning this, a large cat claw swiped at Snoopy's doghouse.
"Yipes!" Sally shrieked.
Snoopy was so terrified, he jumped into Sally's arms, clinging to her in terror.
The next to be fooled was Schroeder. Lucy snuck into his house, hoping he wasn't looking, went into his Beethoven Bust closet, and took out every single Beethoven Bust. She'd placed them out in the backyard and replaced them all with picture frames with photos of her. Lucy hid behind the front door, looked through the front window and waited for Schroeder to come.
"Come on, Schroeder!" Lucy begged.
Schroeder did come. He went into the closet where he kept his Beethoven Busts, and took out one of Lucy's photos. He carefully placed it onto his piano. As he was about to play his music, he looked up and…..
"AAUGH! My Beethoven Bust! It's turned into a photo! A photo of….. Lucy!" Schroeder glared.
Lucy walked in, laughing out loud.
"April Fools, Schroeder! I wanted you to pay attention to me, so I placed your Beethoven Busts outside and replaced them with pictures of me!"
Schroeder was so mad, he banged on his piano.
Linus was at home, hiding his blanket all because Lucy had told him that their blanket-hating grandmother would be coming over.
"Gotta hide this. Can't let my grandmother see it!" Linus said.
Linus hid the blanket and closed the door.
"There! My grandmother will never be able to find it now!"
Lucy got home and saw Linus blanket-free.
"So, did you get rid of your blanket?" asked Lucy.
"I sure did. Now grandma won't be able to find it." Said Linus.
"That's wonderful, Little Brother! But I've got some bad news for you."
"What bad news?"
"Grandma isn't coming over. I said that just so you'd get rid of your blanket. April Fools, Linus!"
"AAUGH! I put my blanket into the closet for nothing?!"
"It's in the closet? So you hadn't gotten rid of it!" Lucy glared.
"Then I'd best get it out." Said Linus as he tried to open the closet door, only to find out it was locked.
"It's locked!"
"April Fools again!" laughed Lucy. "I locked the closet door from the outside!"
Meanwhile, Charlie Brown was looking for a way to pay both his sister and Lucy out for fooling him.
"I'll show them! I'll give them….."
Charlie Brown saw right ahead the very same theatre Janice had her birthday gala. The sign read: SPECIAL PARTY FOR CHARLIE BROWN ONLY
"Forget fooling others! I….. wait a minute! This must be another fool! No. Not falling for it again. But then again….."
Charlie Brown, being Charlie Brown, went inside the theatre, and surprisingly, the door shut on him, much to his shock.
"Hey! Who shut this door on me?!"
The lights turned on, and inside the theatre as well were Violet and Patty Swanson.
"It was us, Charlie Brown!" laughed Violet. "You thought there was a special party going on in here! But there isn't!"
"You're to take part in a little song we're about to sing to you!" Patty Swanson added.
"What?!"
"April Fools, Charlie Brown!" Violet and Patty Swanson said in unison.
"Good grief!" sighed Charlie Brown.
Woodstock was flying towards his nest when much to his surprise, in place of his nest was a perfectly built birdhouse.
"He he!"
Woodstock flew towards the birdhouse, and went inside.
"Huh?"
Much to his shock, there was nothing inside. Suddenly, the birdhouse collapsed on Woodstock. Woodstock emerged with anger in his eyes.
"Grrrrrrrr!"
Snoopy walked over, laughing heartily. Woodstock glared at his canine friend, knowing he was responsible for the prank.
After their Failure Face song, Violet and Patty allowed Charlie Brown out of the theatre.
"How do you like that trick, Failure Face?" laughed Violet.
"Oh, I'll show them!" Charlie Brown said with determination.
Charlie Brown walked down town, thinking of a way to pay out his peers. There was Peppermint Patty in town, and she was carrying the black glasses she'd used to prank Marcie.
"Hiya, Chuck! We're short a player!" called Peppermint Patty.
"Short a player?" quizzed Charlie Brown.
"Come on, Chuck! We need you to practice on our baseball team. We're going to play the big league!"
"Well, it's worth a try."
Peppermint Patty got Charlie Brown to the baseball field, and he was the pitcher. Peppermint Patty was practicing her batting with Franklin watching them.
"Are you ready, Charlie Brown?" asked Franklin.
"Alright then." Charlie Brown said.
"Okay, Chuck. Ready your ball, and I promise not to bat." Peppermint Patty said.
"Here goes. Charlie Brown pitches, and….." Charlie Brown said as he pitched the ball, and the ball flew right through him, causing him to spin out of his clothes.
"Hey! But…. You….."
"Ha! April Fools, Chuck!" laughed Peppermint Patty. "You thought I wouldn't bat! Sorry. I have to bat. It helps me get better at baseball."
"I can't stand it!" sighed Charlie Brown.
As Charlie Brown departed the baseball field, Marcie came up to Peppermint Patty and Franklin.
"Sir! Franklin! Look what I got!" called Marcie.
"What did you get, Marcie?" asked Peppermint Patty.
"I'm glad you asked, Sir. My mother bought me this telescope."
"A telescope?" questioned Peppermint Patty.
"Did you try it?" asked Franklin.
"I did, and it works like the ones astronomers use to find planets and stars in the universe. I want each of you to give it a try." Marcie said as she handed Peppermint Patty the telescope, and Peppermint Patty peeped through it.
"Wow! I can see Neptune from here!" cried Peppermint Patty.
"You can't see Neptune at daytime, Sir!" smirked Marcie.
When Peppermint Patty had finished with it, Marcie giggled. What Peppermint Patty didn't realise was that the telescope had ink on the seeing hole.
"It's not that funny, Marcie!" said Peppermint Patty. "Here, Franklin."
Franklin was given the telescope, and spotted a cloud.
"Wow! A cloud shaped like Snoopy!" Franklin exclaimed.
Franklin took the telescope out of his eye and his eye was inked too.
"Frank! Your eye! You've got a black eye!" cried Peppermint Patty.
"So do you, Patty!" Franklin cried back.
"That's because I filled the seeing lens with ink, Franklin and Sir!" laughed Marcie. "April Fools!"
"AAUGH!" Peppermint Patty shrieked.
Meanwhile, over at the Riches' place, Frieda was looking for her bottle of hair dye that Heather had given her. Heather had only given it to Frieda because while Patty did give it to her for her birthday, Heather didn't dye her hair.
"I feel like being a redhead today. After all, what better way for people to recognise me when my naturally curly hair is red? There it is." Frieda said.
Frieda got the bottle of what looked to be red hair dye.
Unbeknownst to Frieda, Janice was standing outside. She was waiting for Frieda to scream.
"Oh ho ho!" Janice chuckled.
"AAUGH! MY NATURALLY CURLY HAIR!" Frieda screamed.
Janice burst out laughing.
"Got her!" laughed Janice.
Frieda burst out of her house, her naturally curly hair perfectly straight and not as red as expected.
"I took out a bottle of what looked like red hair dye, and someone added water to it, just to straighten it!" Frieda said sadly.
"It was me! April Fools, Frieda!" laughed Janice.
"Good grief!" sighed Frieda.
"Aw, come on! It was a wonderful joke!" Janice said.
Charlie Brown had gotten his clothes back on, still mad that Peppermint Patty had fooled him into thinking she wouldn't bat, and was on his way home when…
"Au scour! Au scour! Charles! Au scour!" called Violette.
"Huh?" Charlie Brown quizzed.
Charlie Brown listened for the voice.
"Au scour! Au scour! Feu!" Violette cried as she ran out and called for help. "Charles! Au scour! Call the pompier! Feu at ma loger!"
"Help! Help!" Charlie Brown cried.
Charlie Brown ran to see if Violette's new house had caught fire.
"It's red inside!" Charlie Brown exclaimed.
"Oui! Zat means feu!" Violette explained.
Charlie Brown walked closer to the house for a closer look.
"Non! Mon Charles! You mustn't go into the loger when it's on feu!"
Charlie Brown walked in and…..
"Hey, wait a minute! That's no fire! That's just a red light!"
'Poisson d'avril, Charles! We got a new feu alarm system in case of a real feu." Laughed Violette.
"That wasn't funny! What if it had been a real fire?" asked Charlie Brown.
"But it wasn't, Charles. It was pretend." Violette laughed.
"Good grief!" Charlie Brown grumped.
Charlie Brown walked off, and decided…..
"I know. I'll ask Heather for some help."
Charlie Brown walked over to Heather's Psychiatry Booth, but…..
"The Doctor is Out?! Oh, good grief! Oh well, I guess I'll have to go over to her place."
As Charlie Brown arrived at the Wold place, he saw a sign that said…..
"For Sale?! For Sale?! Oh no! The Little Red-Haired Girl is moving away!"
Charlie Brown went home to mope about what could be the worst day of his life….. or was it? Heather went out of her house to see that Charlie Brown was going inside.
"Charlie Brown?" Heather called. "Oh."
Heather took the For Sale sign off the lawn, and went to tell Charlie Brown.
Heather knocked on the door and who should open it but Sally.
"Sally?" asked Heather.
"If you want my big brother, he's in his room." Sally said.
Heather walked in, and there was Charlie Brown, laying on his bed, moping about his supposed misfortune.
"Charlie Brown?" called Heather.
"Oh. Hey, Heather." Charlie Brown said.
"Did you see the sign outside my house?" asked Heather.
"Yeah. You're….."
"Moving away?! No, Charlie Brown!"
"But there was a For Sale sign!"
In walked Marcie. She came into Charlie Brown's room, carrying the For Sale sign.
"It was me, Charles!" laughed Marcie. "I put up the sign, just to see how you'd react! You should've seen the look on your face! April Fools, Charles!"
"Marcie!" Heather exclaimed.
"You really made a fool out of me, Marcie! Making me think Heather was moving away!" Charlie Brown said angrily.
"Oh, Charlie Brown. Why would I move away from this neighbourhood when I have such great friends here?" asked Heather.
"Good grief!"
Back at the Van Pelt place, Linus was still moping for his blanket.
"I can't take much more of this! I need my blanket!" Linus moped.
"That's your own problem, Little Brother!" smirked Lucy. "Today is the day you kick this stupid habit."
"But….. but… if you say so, Lucy."
"Good. My little brother is growing up!" Lucy smirked.
Linus walked over to the curtain, held it with his left arm as if it were his blanket, and then sat down and sucked his right thumb.
"NO SUBSTITUTES!" Lucy yelled.
"Substitutes?! Who? Me?"
"Yes! No substitutes for your blanket!"
Linus walked downtown, thinking of a way to pay his sister out. He soon found Janice.
"Hello, Linus!" Janice called.
"Hey, Janice." Said Linus.
"What's wrong, Linus?" asked Janice.
"My sister locked my blanket in the closet. It was all an April Fool's prank! First, she tricked me into thinking my blanket-hating grandma was coming over, the next, she tricked me into closing the door that was locked on the outside."
"Oh dear, Linus. Wait a minute! I have an idea!"
Janice whispered into Linus' ear her idea.
"Oh, my sister will really get it this time!" Linus smirked.
Linus came home and told Lucy some bad news.
"Big Sister! Rerun!" called Linus.
"Oh brother!" sighed Lucy.
"What seems to be the problem, Linus?" asked Rerun.
"I've got word from Janice's mom!" Linus shrieked.
Lucy simply chuckled at this.
"Don't tell me she has leukaemia again!" Scoffed Lucy.
"It's not leukaemia this time. It's lymphoma!" Linus exclaimed.
"Lymphoma?!" Lucy quizzed.
"It's terminal they say!" Linus cried. "We have to go home and see her, or else she'll keep this lymphoma and die!"
"Good grief!" said Rerun.
Lucy, Linus and Rerun went to the Emmons' place, and Linus knocked on the door. The only one to open it was Janice's Frieda-like sister Britney.
"Oh. Hey, Linus. And are these your siblings?" Said Britney.
"Yes. This here is my big sister Lucy, and my little brother Rerun. Is Janice home?"
"Yes. Come on in. Janice is in her room." Said Britney.
The Van Pelt siblings went into Janice's room, and there, laying in her bed, was Janice. Bald as an egg, and looking poorly.
"Janice! Oh, Janice! Speak to me!" Linus begged.
Janice didn't respond.
Lucy walked up to Janice with a guilty look on her face.
"Janice! Oh, I'm so sorry for saying you deserved to get cancer! And I'm sorry for believing cancer was contagious!" Lucy said sadly.
Just then, Janice chuckled, and Linus smiled.
"Huh?! Janice?!" Lucy puzzled.
"I don't really have lymphoma! And I'm not even going through any chemo!" called Janice.
"But….. but….."
Janice put her hands on top of her head and pulled off what was actually a skin-coloured swimming cap which made it look as though she'd lost her hair.
"It was this swimming cap that made me look as though I'd lost my hair!" laughed Janice.
"What?!" Lucy cried.
"April Fools, Lucy!" Linus and Janice said together.
"Grrr! Tricked by some blockheads!" Lucy said angrily.
Charlie Brown remained in his room, thinking of a way to fool his peers for all the pranks they'd pulled on him.
"Ink in telescope? Nah. Too easy. Straighten Frieda's hair? Alright then."
Charlie Brown walked over to the Richs' place, and knocked on the door. The one to open it was Frieda's mother.
"Hi. Is Frieda home?" asked Charlie Brown.
Mrs. Rich said what happened to her daughter.
"Someone straightened her hair? Rats!"
Charlie Brown walked away from the Rich place, feeling defeated.
"Someone beat me to it! Oh well. I'll just have to think of another way to trick my peers. Think, Charlie Brown, think."
As Charlie Brown got home, he saw that someone had prepared his lunch. He sat down, thinking of a way to get back at those who'd tricked him, but as he took a bite, he spat it out.
"Yuck!"
Charlie Brown looked at the food he'd been given and…..
"Dog food! Who gave me dog food?!"
Snoopy walked into the house with Woodstock. They both laughed at Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown looked at his dog, and glared, knowing it was Snoopy and Woodstock who'd tricked him.
Later, Sally got an idea for a prank. She went to the telephone and phoned up Linus.
"Oh ho ho! My sweet babboo will get it for sure!" Smirked Sally.
Linus walked over to the phone and answered it.
"Hello?" said Linus.
"Oh. Hello. This is….. er….. Janice." Sally lied.
"Janice! Hello!" said Linus.
"Are there any problems with you, Linus?" asked Sally.
"All is well, except one thing."
"What's that?"
"As I told you, I can't get my blanket back!"
"Come to…. Er….. our psychiatry booth and I'll fix it for you."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Sally chuckled to herself.
"Oh, I can't wait to see my sweet babboo at the booth!"
Linus went over to his psychiatry booth, expecting to see Janice, and as he got there, much to his shock, there was Sally.
"Hey! You're not Janice! You're…"
"That's right, Linus!" laughed Sally. "You fell for my trick! That was me who called you, not Janice! Just wanted to play a neat prank on my boyfriend!"
"I am NOT your boyfriend!" Linus growled.
"Plus, I didn't even want to help you get your blanket back!"
"So that means….."
"April Fools, Sweet Babboo!"
"AAUGH!"
That evening, Charlie Brown, feeling defeated, decided to make an official announcement.
"Everybody! On the last minute of April Fool's Day, I will cease to exist! I will cease to exist!" Charlie Brown called out.
Everyone in the whole town heard Charlie Brown's words. Schroeder, who had put all his Beethoven Busts back into the closet, heard Charlie Brown's words.
"Oh no! Charlie Brown will cease to exist!" Schroeder cried as he went to the telephone to call Lucy.
"Hello?" said Lucy.
"Lucy. It's Schroeder."
"Ho! Schroeder's calling me! Did you call to take me to a movie?"
"No. Charlie Brown will cease to exist by the end of today!"
"Good grief!"
Charlie Brown had gotten home to tell Sally and Snoopy the news.
"Sally. Snoopy. On the last minute of today, I will cease to exist."
"Cease to exist?!" Sally puzzled.
"That means you'll have to feed Snoopy from now on, Sally." Said Charlie Brown as he went up to his room, and Sally thought.
"If my big brother won't exist anymore, that means….."
"Get that idea out of your head, Sally! You're not moving your stuff into my room!"
"Rats!"
Snoopy ran out to his doghouse, feeling dejected, and still mad at Sally for giving him cat food instead of dog food. Woodstock flew down to see the long face on his canine friend. Snoopy told Woodstock what was happening to Charlie Brown.
Sally phoned Eudora about what Charlie Brown had said.
"Eudora!"
"Yes, Sally?" asked Eudora.
"My big brother will cease to exist before today is out!"
"Charles will cease to exist?! This I gotta tell my sweet babboo!"
"Er, Eudora. Before you hang up, I have something to tell you."
"Yes?"
"LINUS IS NOT YOUR SWEET BABBOO!" Sally shouted.
"Oh. He is too!"
But Eudora replied too late. Sally had already hung up on her.
Frieda had finished curling her hair back to its natural curliness when she heard the phone.
"Who could that be?"
Frieda went over to the telephone and answered it.
"Hello?" said Frieda.
"Frieda. It's Linus."
"Yes, Linus. I've just restored my hair to its natural curliness. What is it?"
"I've called to tell you….."
"Yes?" Frieda pondered.
"Charlie Brown will cease to exist before the stroke of midnight."
"What?! Charlie Brown?! Oh no!"
Frieda telephoned Heather.
"Hello?" said Heather.
"Heather! Glad I could call!"
"What is it about, Frieda? You need another bottle of red hair dye?"
"No, Heather. In case you weren't told, Charlie Brown will cease to exist by midnight!"
"Cease to exist by the end of today?! Oh no! Not Charlie Brown!"
Heather telephoned Marcie.
"Charlie Brown will cease to exist by the end of today, Marcie!"
Marcie got the message and telephoned Peppermint Patty.
"Charles will cease to exist by the end of today, Sir!"
Peppermint Patty was shocked by this. So she phoned Franklin.
"Charlie Brown will cease to exist?!" cried Franklin.
Everyone went over to Charlie Brown's house that even, ready to beg for Charlie Brown to continue his life. Violet looked out of her house, surprised to see.
"What is going on here?" demanded Violet.
"Charlie Brown will cease to exist before the stroke of midnight." Said Shermy
"Ha! That Charlie Brown!" laughed Violet. "Ceasing his life…..
Then, Violet realised.
"Good grief! If Charlie Brown ceases to exist, that means nobody to make fun of…. Well, maybe Linus, but still!"
Violet joined the entire gang, and also made her way to Charlie Brown's house.
Everyone made it to the Browns' house and went to Charlie Brown's room, begging for him not to do as he'd planned. Charlie Brown held the pistol to his head.
"Charles! No!" called Marcie.
"Don't do it, Chuck!" Peppermint Patty cried.
"No, Charlie Brown!" Frieda added.
"I'll let you kick the football! I'll never complain about Linus' blanket again!" Lucy sobbed.
"Don't do it, Big Brother!" Sally put in.
"We love you!" Heather finished.
Charlie Brown pulled the trigger and, much to everyone's surprise, water came pouring out.
"Huh?!"
"Water?!" exclaimed Marcie.
"But…" Violet quizzed.
"I thought…" Heather stammered.
"Charlie Brown?" Linus added.
"Big Brother?" Sally exclaimed.
"Chuck! Explain this behaviour!" Peppermint Patty demanded.
"You thought my life would really cease?!" smirked Charlie Brown. "Come on! I have too much to live for to do that! And this isn't even a real pistol. It's a water pistol."
"But we really thought you would cease to live!" Heather said with surprise.
"You scared us silly, Charlie Brown!" Frieda added.
"I did." Said Charlie Brown. "It's 3 minutes to 12 so, April Fools, everyone!"
While Lucy, Violet and Patty Swanson glared angrily at Charlie Brown for making a fool out of them, Snoopy, Sally, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Frieda, Violette and Heather surrounded him and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're still alive, Big Brother." Smiled Sally.
"That was an interesting trick you pulled on us, Chuck." Said Peppermint Patty.
"Happy for you, Charles." Added Marcie.
"This prank has really taught us, mon Charles." Violette said.
"At least we know you weren't really ending your life, Charlie Brown." Said Frieda.
"Thank goodness you're alright, Charlie Brown." Heather smiled. "You may have scared us silly, but this shows even the nervous ones can find a way to trick others."
Heather, grateful that Charlie Brown was still alive, kissed his left cheek. Charlie Brown, went red in the face and fell to the ground. Heather looked at Charlie Brown, worried that her kiss had knocked him out. Heather looked over Charlie Brown, only for him to wake up.
"Got you!" Charlie Brown said. "April Fools for one more minute!"
Heather was shocked that Charlie Brown had fooled her again, but then, burst into laughter. Everyone else joined in her laughter. Even Charlie Brown laughed with them.
"Good old Charlie Brown!" Lucy said. "He may be gullible, but even the gullible have tricks up their sleeves, somewhere."
This story was written in loving memory of Peter Robbins. Rest in peace, Peter. You'll always be Charlie Brown to us.