The people have spoken. Los Angeles it is. Not going to lie, I'm not proud with how this chapter turned out.

"All right, kids! We're about to hit the Dry Swamp," said Hop Pop before handing Anne and Johan two canteens. "Here, kids. You're gonna wanna hydrate."

Anne scoffed. "That's okay, dude. It's still a swamp. How dry could it be?"

"Uh, that's not the right question, Anne," said Johan. "Why is it called the Dry Swamp?"

Well, ask a stupid question.

"This isn't a swamp," wheezed Johan. "This is a freaking desert!"

"Gimme that stuff," Anne wheezed as she grabbed her canteen from Sprig and gulped it down.

"Heh, heh. And that's why it's called the Dry Swamp, JoJo," said Hop Pop. "Home to giant frog-eating sand worms. Bandits. Vagabonds. You'd know if you'd ever read the classic play, 'Fear the Dry Swamp'."

Anne and Polly groaned while Sprig droned, "He's gonna act."

"'Hark. For I am homeless. I am friendless. I am the Dry Swamp.'"

"Oh, yeah, that's right," said Johan. "You were an unsuccessful actor in your youth."

"Hey! I wasn't that unsuccessful! It's just that I had so much time on my hands around the farm that I didn't have time to rehearse! I was this close to getting the lead part once."

"Uh-huh. That's just another way of saying you didn't even try."

"I DID try!" snapped Hop Pop before he looked down in sadness. "They gave the part to someone else. Apparently, no matter how hard you study and train, the more snooty kids get the role. Maybe I could have been a great actor...in another life."

Some movement in the sand made Johan look down. "Uh, is that grassing moving-"

The grass wasn't grass. It was the hair of a giant sand worm. It roared at them, making Anne, Sprig and Polly scream and duck into the fwagon while Hop Pop cracked the reigns to make Bessie go faster. Johan pulled out his gun and fired at the sand worm, but it dove into the sand and disappeared. "It's too fast, I can't get a clear shot!"

Suddenly, an acid green newt wearing a black beret, a pair of red-tinted glasses, a red scarf, a gray button-up shirt, darker gray pants and gloves, and black boots came zooming in on the back of a stag beetle. "Hey, you! Head towards that dune! We've got a caravan on the other side and this thing's spooked by numbers!"

The beetle-riding newt disappeared over a sand hill, then reappeared with a dung beetle driven caravan following behind her. The caravan circled around the fwagon, scaring off the sand worm. Johan lowered his gun and said to the newt, "How did you know that would work?"

"Experience," she said as she hopped off her beetle. "You know, you folks really shouldn't be out here on your own. Haven't you ever read 'Fear the Dry Swamp'?"

Hop Pop gasped. "You know that play?"

"Know it? Ha! I directed it!" The newt took a bow and gestured to the "Acting Troupe" sign on one of the caravan's trailers. "Renee Frodgers is the name and managing this acting troupe is my game!"

Hop Pop couldn't contain his excitement. "An acting troupe? Here?"

"Wow. What are the chances," said Anne after she, Sprig and Polly popped out of the fwagon's sun roof.

"Say, why don't you folks join our caravan? We could use extra stagehands and you know what they say: 'Safety in numbers!'"

Hop Pop jumped off the fwagon and said with glee, "We're in!"

"Welcome to our humble operation," Renee said as she opened the door to the trailer. Inside were amphibians of all species rehearsing their lines and getting in costume and making props. For Hop Pop, it was paradise. Renee led them inside and introduced them to a young beige frog with messy white hair and wearing a green suit with puffy yellow sleeves, a navy cape, black shoes, and a beret. "Hey, Francis! Show these youngsters to the kids' wagon."

"As you wish, madam," said Francis in a dramatic tone, fitting for an actor. He took a bow and said, "I am François, heir to House D'arncool."

"Okay, why is he being weird?" asked Johan, earning him a glare from Francis.

"Don't mind him, kid," said Renee. "He's a method actor."

Sprig and Polly made confused noises while Anne asked, "He's what-what?"

Hop Pop said, "It means he embodies a character on and off set! Duh!"

"Ha! Ha! Sharp as a tack, HP," said Renee. "Care to join me in my trailer? I'd love to pitch you our latest production."

Hop Pop's smile grew wider. "WOULD I?" he asked with glee as he followed her out.

Francis cleared his name and said, "You four are free to join me if you wish. Ha! Ha!" He dramatically walked away with his cape blowing behind him.

"Gli attori sono strani," said Johan.

"I don't know what you said, but that guy... is the coolest kid I've ever met," said Sprig. "Let's go with him."

"I'm in," said Polly as she hopped into Sprig's hands.

Johan said, "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to see a behind-the-scenes tour. I mean, I did audition for a play once when I was younger."

"Yeah, and you didn't get the part and put laxatives in the actors and director's drinks," said Sprig. "We know."

Johan chuckled. "I still don't regret it. Well, except for the part where I nearly got suspended and Dad punished me. Hey, Anne, you coming?"

Anne chuckled and said, "Yeah! Absolutely not! I was in a school play once. It was awful and this place is bringing back... memories."

"What, did you forget your lines or poop in your costume or get your shirt stuck in the zipper?"

"Worse."

A five-year-old Anne was in a play about dentistry and played the role of a tooth. "I'm a tooth, that's the truth," she sang. But she didn't look where she was going and she collided with the wooden toothbrush prop and started a fire throughout the theater, causing the other children to panic.

"Oh Dio mio," exclaimed Johan.

"Four out of five dentists agreed I was traumatized," said Anne with a smile. He gave her a concerned look. "Anyways, see you dudes later, I've got a complicated jigsaw puzzle with my name on it!" She whispered to the jigsaw box, "Yes, my babies. Yes."

"Uh, Sprig," said Johan. "Let's get out of here before the crazy spreads."

"I'm with you," said Sprig as they left Anne.

"Here we are!" Renee led Hop Pop into her own personal wagon. Inside were rewards for "Best Director" and "Best Playwright" as well as a huge stack of scripts. "Excuse the mess. We're in the middle of casting our lead. But none of the candidates are popping, you know?" she said as she sat at her desk.

"Well, what are you looking for?"

"Uh, older gent. Rough around the edges, but still has a good heart. Someone like you, actually. Too bad you're not an actor."

Hop Pop took offense to that and cleared his throat. "Actually, I am... an actor."

Renee raised an eyebrow and said, "That so? Huh, you wanna audition?"

"'Hark. For I am homeless. I am friendless. I am...'"

"Stop," Renee interrupted him. "You're hitting me, but you're not knocking me out. Know what I mean?"

"No."

"You're not right for the part."

Well, that put a damper on Hop Pop's spirits. "Oh."

"Super! Guess we're all done here then." Renee did her paperwork, then noticed Hop Pop still standing there. "That was your cue to leave."

Meanwhile, in another part of the caravan, Sprig, Polly and Johan watched some child actors putting on their costumes and getting into character. "These kids are so cool. If only I could be one of them," said Sprig.

"Trust me, Sprig," said Johan. "Being a child actor is not glamorous. You have to work really, really hard, you're always under pressure, you have to stay up late learning your lines, so you're always tired, you have to wear costumes that are extremely uncomfortable, and if the audience doesn't like you, the people in the pit will start throwing eggs and vegetables at you."

Polly said, "Eh, it can't be that hard. Here!"

She pushed Sprig forward, making him bump into Francis. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Heh. Sorry. I'm Sprig by the way." The child actors gasped and some glared at him, making him confused.

"We don't use our real names here," said Francis. "For we must become our characters."

Sprig tried his best to come up with a character. Emphasis on "tried". "Well, then I'm... Spruueg Plantoir. Your..." He grabbed a wooden sword. "...nemesis. En garde!"

Francis slapped the sword out of his hand. "I don't believe you."

Sprig sighed in disappointment. "C'mon Polly, let's get outta here."

"Who's Polly, governor?"

"Huh?"

Polly was wearing a black bow, an eyepatch with a red hourglass on it and a fake beard. "I'm Lydia Davenport. The black widow."

"Ignore him, Lydia," said Francis. "He clearly doesn't have enough... character."

All the children laughed at Sprig. He turned to Polly for support, but she laughed as well. Sprig left to join Johan's side. "What did I tell you?" he said.

"To frog what you told me, JoJo! I'm gonna get in with this group if it's the last thing I do."

Johan liked Sprig's determination, and he wasn't going to let this boy actor tease him. So he summoned DARE and used it to give Francis the king of wedgies. The boy actor let out a high pitched scream as DARE amplified his pain receptors and left him dangling in the air. "HELP! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" DARE obliged and he landed right on his face.

"The caravan is haunted!" one of the child actors screamed. The others panicked and ran for their lives.

Polly turned to look at Johan. "You used your Stand on him, didn't you?"

"Yep!" The boy then rubbed his stomach. "I gotta go to the bathroom. Is there one around here?"

"I think it's outside," said Polly.

"Great." As Johan left, he had no idea someone was watching him intently.

Turns out that without indoor plumbing, the people in the caravan had an alternate way to get rid of their waste. "WHAT?!" screamed Johan. "They expect me to crap in a pit in the ground?! Well, at least they covered it up with an outhouse for privacy." He watched as the feces crumbled to dust. "The climate here is so dry and arid, the turds dry up, turn to dust and blow away in the wind! But where's the toilet paper?" He got his answer when he saw a bucket of sand in the corner. "Wait. They expect me to wipe my ass with sand?"

Desert sand is as sterile as it gets.

Johan started bawling. "I miss indoor plumbing! What's the point of an outhouse if you're going in a hole?! You might as well do your business behind a rock!" He left the outhouse and muttered, "I am never taking toilets for granted again." A giggle made him turn around. "Huh?"

Sitting on a rock was a lilac-colored newt with brown hair and wearing a lightweight jacket with two undershirts, brown trousers, and brown ankle boots. "You sure you're not an actor? You could play a comedic role."

"You really think so?" Johan asked before he coughed a little and said, "I don't know. In my line of work, we do the more behind-the-scenes work in showbiz."

The newt said, "Is that so? Perhaps we were meant to meet. I'm in the behind-the-scenes work as well."

"Really? What do you do?"

"I work in the kitchen, preparing the food for the actors."

Johan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, I worked in a kitchen or two myself."

"Really? What can you do?"

"Do you know the best oven temperature for pizza is between 250 to 260 degrees Celsius?"

The newt paused, then said, "You're in! It's this way."

"Thanks. By the way, I didn't get your name."

"Camuna. And what is yours?"

"My friends call me JoJo."

"Well, JoJo, let me show you where we prepare the food."

The food wagon had the cooking equipment on the outside and Johan could see everyone preparing the meals, whether it was peeling potatoes, cooking meat, scaling fish and churning butter. In short, it was no different from a restaurant kitchen, what with workers moving about and keeping up with the demands of hungry troupe performers. "So, what would you have me do?" asked Johan.

Camuna responded by placing a basket full of potatoes at his feet. "You'll start with peeling these."

Johan looked at the potatoes, then asked, "Do you have a hair pin?" She handed one to him. He wound it into an L, placed it around his finger, took a potato, and peeled off the skin. "Ecco. Neat, trim, and ready for the compost heap."

Camuna was amazed. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"I saw it in a cartoon once."

Meanwhile, back with Hop Pop, he was still in Renee's wagon, frozen with a look of misery. "Okay, Hopediah, this is starting to get a little sad," Renee said after realizing he still hadn't left.

Hop Pop got offended. "Sad? Sad! I'll tell you what's sad. Sad is having a dream that will never come true. Sad is knowing you'll never be more than a vegetable farmer. But you know what? I'd still rather be sad and have a dream, than live life without one."

To his confusion, Renee was clapping. "Now that's what I've been looking for. Theater is truth, and, baby, you just served up a heaping spoonful." She handed him a pin that read "Lead Actor". "You got the lead part, Hopediah." Hop Pop Now, let's get this show on the road. Literally."

A rapping at the door caught Renee and Hop Pop's attention. A big, burly frog dressed in oilskins came in and said, "Uh, is this a bad time?"

"No, no. Hopediah was just leaving to learn his lines. Weren't you, Hopediah?"

"Uh, sure! I gotta go rehearse my lines, anyway. Happy days, H.P.! HAPPY DAYS!" sang Hop Pop as he left.

Renee said to the buff frog, "Alright, Jim. What is it?"

"You know that blonde boy who was with the group we picked up? He's a Stand user."

Renee lowered her glasses. "You absolutely sure?"

"He gave Francis a floating wedgie. There's more, he matches the newspaper's description of the boss of Passion, or whatever the frog it's called."

Renee formed a smile. "Where is he now?"

"Prepping food with Camuna."

"Bring him in. A gangster like him deserves to be let in on the real action."

"So, what brought you here," Johan asked as he and Camuna graduated from peeling potatoes to serving soup. What soup was it? Too disgusting for words.

"Oh, I wanted to be an actress, but I just didn't have what it takes, so Renee placed me here in the kitchen."

Johan raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think you didn't have what it takes."

"Well..."

"Less talking, more serving!"

Johan looked at the frog who shouted at him, then poured soup down his pants. "Enjoy," he growled, scaring away the frog. "You were saying Camuna?"

Camuna made an impressed look. "Wow, I gotta say, JoJo, that was...pretty bold. Stupid, but bold. Anyway, the reason I don't have what it takes is I kept stuttering and forgetting my lines and making a fool of myself in front of a bunch of strangers. So, here I am." She sighed absentmindedly as she stirred the soup.

Johan said, "Sounds like you had a bad case of stage fright and gave up too early."

"Maybe I did. I'm just glad a got a job in this place. We're not making a lot of money right now."

Johan thought it over, then said, "What if I found a way to get you on stage again?"

"Nah," said Camuna. "It'd be a waste of time."

"Hey! That's quitter talk. What's the point of having a dream if you're not going to try? I promise to get you out of this kitchen and onto the stage."

"Ahem." The two of them looked to see Jim. "Boss lady wants to have a word with you."

"What does she want with us?" asked Camuna.

"Not you. Him," Jim pointed to Johan.

"Oh."

Johan reassured her, "Don't worry. I'll sort this out."

"You...wanted to see me?" Johan asked nervously.

"Yes," said Renee as she twirled a pen in her hands. "It has come to my attention that you're...what's the phrase I'm looking for? A fellow gangster."

"Actually, it's Gang-Star and...wait, what do you mean 'fellow'?" Johan asked, confused.

She held up a newspaper that showed Passione's activities. "Next time, try to bribe the newspaper to keep a tight lid on your gang life." She put it down and said, "Listen, don't tell your friends this, but we're not just a theater troupe. We're also bank robbers. Well, part-time bank robbers, but you get the point."

Johan went silent for a moment then shouted, "Che cosa?!"

"Look, I don't want to do this either, but there's not much coin in theater these days. We're barely scraping by as is. So we travel from town to town and while people are transfixed by our amazing plays... Blamo! We take what we deserve."

"Uh, no offense, but where I come from bank robberies are obsolete. We don't need to do that anymore, not when we can just simply go into the smuggling, gambling and extortion businesses. Wait, does Hopediah even know about this? He may be in my own gang, but he doesn't really like it."

"Hop Pop can keep his role and he doesn't have to learn a thing about this. So long as you do your job in aiding me in the robberies."

"I don't like being used," Johan growled. "And I don't want innocent people getting killed if something goes wrong."

Renee lowered her glasses a little. "Okay, how about this? You play along and keep Hopediah out of the loop and maybe I can find a role for that cook girl you've taken a shining to."

Johan was surprised to hear that. Then he said, "So, you want me to keep quiet and help you with your bank robberies and you'll get Camuna a part in one of your plays."

"Pretty much. Oh, and like I said, let's keep this to ourselves."

"My lips are sealed."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Hop Pop. Johan told him everything. "My director is a bank robber?!"

"Part-time bank robber. Didn't know that was a thing," said Johan.

"That's it," said Hop Pop as he tore off the "Lead Actor" button off. "Come on, kids, we're leaving this den of thieves!"

"What?!" shouted Sprig. "No! I'm still trying to find a character to impress that Francis kid."

"I'm with Hop Pop," said Anne. "I do not want to get arrested for stealing."

"We don't really have much of a choice," said Johan. "If we don't go along with this, they'll use us as a scapegoat and use my history as a gang leader as evidence."

"So, we're stuck with these guys?" asked Hop Pop nervously.

Johan smirked. "Not really. I've been planning on getting out of this. Here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna pretend like you don't know anything that's going on while I help Renee rob the banks. Then on the third bank, Hop Pop will go to the sheriff and tell on them right as they're making off with the money. Renee will go to jail and the police won't have a shred of evidence on us. And the best part is that Hopediah and Camuna will be able to carry out their dreams of being actors."

"No dream is worth this," said Hop Pop.

"Is it?" asked Johan.

Hop Pop thought it over, then said, "I guess."

"Alright. We begin 'Operation: Con The Con' today."

"Well, you can keep doing your little crime game," said Anne. "I'm going back to my puzzle."

"Okay," said Polly. "Have fun with that."

Cue the musical montage showing the caravan traveling across the desert, going from town to town, with Hop Pop giving it his all in the performances, Sprig trying to impress Francis and failing, Anne trying to finish her puzzle only for it to break due to the movement of the caravan and Camuna training and auditioning for the plays and eventually going on stage with Hop Pop. And yet, through it all, Hop Pop's guilt continued to grow as he watched Johan and Renee rob the banks.

"This is it," said Johan one night. "The last bank. After this, we pull the rug right from under Renee's feet and we get off scot free."

"I still don't like this," said Hop Pop.

"Dude, the lady tried to use you and your dream to rob people blind. Granted, I would have robbed as well, but only from other criminals, not innocent people. Kinda like Sly Cooper."

"Hopediah!" called out Renee. "Where are you? You're on in fifteen minutes!"

Hop Pop inhaled and exhaled. "Well, here we go."

Meanwhile, Anne had just finished her puzzle when Camuna barged into the fwagon, startling her and breaking the puzzle. "Ah, man!"

"Where's JoJo," exclaimed Camuna. "He's in danger!"

"Hey, aren't you that cook who's now acting? I gotta say, you're doing a good job."

"Aw, thanks. Wait, that's not important! I just overheard Renee talking about robbing a bank and they're going to make JoJo take the fall for it!"

That made Anne outraged. "What?! I knew something like this will happen!"

"What are we gonna do?"

"YOU are going to warn JoJo and Hop Pop! I'M going to finish my puzzle."

"Deal," said Camuna as she ran out and slammed the door.

Anne exhaled. "Finally." She was about to resume her puzzle when Sprig came barging in. "Anne! The theater kids don't like me," he said.

Anne felt her frustration grow as she said, "Seriously? It doesn't matter what those theater dorks think."

"You're right. It matters what they feel. I just have to speak to their hearts. Thanks, Anne. Bye."

As soon as Sprig left, Anne locked the door and returned to her puzzle. She was just about to do her puzzle only for Polly to burst through the window and shout, "ANNE, I LOVE YOU, GIRL!"

"I LOVE YOU TOO, DUDE!" screamed Anne in anger.

The small, yet rich desert town of Banksville was where the group's play was to take place. On a sign that greeted visitors was an added text that read "We have money!" Might as well put up another sign that read "Please, rob us!" A huge crowd had gathered around the theater. Renee and Johan stayed in their hiding spot behind the audience, waiting for the signal. It came in the form of the show starting, distracting everyone.

The curtains pulled back and showed Hop Pop, dressed as a slave with shackles on his wrist. "I am a common frog. Yet my soul burns with the spirit of..." He snapped the chains and pulled out a sword. "...revolution!" He began a musical number with the other revolutionist actors.

Backstage, Sprig caught Francis' attention. "François!" He pushed some kids out of the way, only to fall flat on his face. "François, just hear me out. I've always wanted to be a part of a gang of friends and if you give me a chance, we can become more than just a group of friends. We can become a family."

Francis glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

That was it. Sprig was not going to take this kid's mean personality anymore. "You know what, François, I'm sick of this. Keep your snotty attitude and your dumb accent. I'm out!"

Suddenly, Francis stopped him and said, "That intensity. That hatred. Now, this I believe. You're in!"

Sprig came back wearing a pirate costume. "Yay!"

"That's the last of it," said Johan, now taking the last moneybag out of the bank's safe.

"I gotta admit," said Renee. "You using your Stand to numb the guards like anesthetic was genius. You really do have what it takes to be an actor. It's a shame that you don't want to, though. We make a good team."

"Well, all things have to come to an end."

Renee smiled. "Couldn't agree more."

"Wha..." Suddenly, Johan suddenly found himself unable to talk as his body stiffened up.

"See, I don't have a Stand to get the job done," said Renee as she twirled her pen. "But a pen full of ink mixed with the paralyzing venom of blue ring octopus? It works fine. Don't worry, it won't kill you, but..." She tipped Johan over and he fell flat on his face. "...you won't be moving for a while now. Hey, someone needs to take the fall and it sure as frog ain't gonna be me!" She started to leave with the moneybags and said, "Sorry, kid! It's nothing personal! It's just business!"

And with that, Johan was left alone in the vault. A few seconds later, the door opened again and Camuna came rushing in. "JoJo! Are you okay?" The boy didn't respond. "Hold on." She reached into her bag and pulled out a salve before rubbing it on Johan's skin. A few seconds later, he began to feel his body move again.

"Camuna, thanks. But, what about your role in the play?"

"Screw the role! Renee and her goons are going to run away with the money and leave you to take the fall for it!"

"Does Hop Pop know this?"

"He does. All he has to do now is play the role of the hero for real."

Johan deadpanned, "Okay, that line was cheesy. It is true, but it's still cheesy."

Back with Hop Pop, he was in a sword fight with the bad guy. "Cease this nonsense, Archibald Hopperdink. Join us and we'll make all your dreams come true."

Hop Pop got back up and said, "Never. Only a selfish frog would put his own dreams against the needs of others. Against justice, against... righteousness." It was in this moment the old frog realized how selfish he had been knowingly let Renee rob all these people blind and was almost willing to let Johan take the fall for it. He should have listened to his gut from before. No dream is worth this. "Goodbye, my dream. Didn't know you long, but you were a swell fella."

The bad guy looked at his script and whispered, "I, uh... I don't remember this part."

Hop Pop shouted to the audience, "Everyone, this is a sham! They're robbing you blind and trying to frame a kid!"

The audience turned around to see Renee and her two strongman goons making off with large sacks of coppers. "The jig is up, boys. Every frog for themselves!" Renee shouted, pushing the two strongmen into the audience. Renee jumped into the crowd and then into Hop Pop, as she lost her boots, and with a somersault, she goes to the driver's seat of the trailer and fled.

Unfortunately, the sound of the caravan moving attracted a sand worm.

Inside the fwagon, Anne finished her puzzle. "Finally!" The shaking messed up the puzzle and she screamed in anger.

Back with Hop Pop, he climbed to the top of the trailer and went after Renee. He then grabbed her and tried to wrench the reigns out of her hands. "Dah! You idiot! What about your big break? Your dream?"

"That's the thing about dreams, Renee. Sooner or later you gotta wake up!" Renne kicks Hop Pop, and pulled a lever to free herself from the load, leaving the other wagons behind. "Renee!" Hop Pop called out.

Renee laughed in triumph, but her laugh turned into a gasp as the sand worm burst out of the ground and lunged for her. "Now that's dramatic." The attack caused both Renee and the money bag she was carrying to launch into the air.

Hop Pop reached out to catch her and said, "I gotcha! I gotcha!" Renee landed right behind him and the money bag landed on her. "Oops. Kinda misjudged that arc."

Hop Pop explained everything to the police (minus the fact that Johan was the leader of Passione) and had Renee and her goons arrested. "Philistines! Barbarians!"

Johan shook his head. "I wish I had gotten one punch at her."

"She wasn't worth it," said Camuna.

"So, what will you do now?" he asked her.

"I guess I'll take over as director, maybe reform this theater troupe to be honest workers. Thanks for helping me achieve my dream even if it was for a while."

Johan said as he scratched his head, "Yeah, you're welcome. I hope you're more successful than Renee."

"Same here."

"Hey, thanks a lot for helping us out, actor guy," said the sheriff to Hop Pop.

"Aw, don't mention it."

"And you're sure you didn't know nothing about this robbery beforehand?"

"Scouts honor."

At that moment, Anne burst out of the fwagon and said, "Alright, I managed to finish my puzzle after Lord knows how many tries, and I'm here to help Johan stop the bank robbery, Hop Pop!"

The sheriff gave Hop Pop and Johan suspicious looks. "Ixnay, Anne," Johan said through gritted teeth.

"Uh, she's joking. Uh, good one, Anne," said Hop Pop nervously.

At that moment, Sprig and Polly came, still wearing their pirate outfits.

"Hey, Hop Pop. We joined the theater gang," said Sprig.

"Just like you," said Polly.

Hop Pop grabbed the kids and threw them into the fwagon while Johan dove in through the window. "Silly, kids, making jokes. Well, gotta go. Bye! Yah!" He cracked Bessie's reigns and the snail took off fast.

"Movies are better!" Anne shouted.

To be continued ➟