Chapter forty-one: The Thrill Of The Chase!
Chase found the open side of the two sets of double doors a bit daunting, but after a moment he cautiously approached and finally walked in.
Snowflake ran in after him and shouted..
"Hey kids! Who wants to play with some PAW Patrol pups!"
"Yay!" The two classes cheered, as they scattered into the room to find toys to play with; and showing them to Chase and Snowflake.
Snowflake looked around at all the toys they could play with. She soon spotted one of her favorite toys and smiled.
"Hey kids, stand together and close your eyes," Snowflake instructed.
Some of the kids gathered near Snowflake, and closed their eyes like she'd instructed.
"Ohh, I've heard that before." Chase groaned. "No way I'm going over there!"
"Why not? What's gonna happen?" Aaron asked curiously.
"Trouble." Chase answered simply, looking up at him. Then they all watched for what was to come next.
"You too Aaron and Alex. Chase, you don't have to. Just the kids," Snowflake clarified.
"No wait! Don't listen to her!" Chase cried as the two boys went to join the other kids. "She's baiting you into a trap!"
Snowflake then went to Chase and whispered "kidding. Join the kids. It will be fun,"
"No way!" Chase refused. "Knowing how your mind works.. I'd rather stay right here."
"Suit yourself, but why a trap? I wouldn't trap innocent kids." Snowflake remarked.
Chase's gaze dropped slightly with a distinct look of 'really?' on his face.
"Why not? Looks like fun to me." Aaron said, standing amongst the group innocently.
Chase groaned, his ears flattening with a softly annoyed frown, while his gaze settled slightly at an angle to his left, even though his head faced forward from his body.
"Okay! Everyone together and eyes closed?" Snowflake asked, as she faced the kids.
Everyone covered their faces with their hands and held them tightly closed.
"Good," Snowflake said, before going over to the big, rainbow parachute and grabbing it. She ran with the parachute as it flapped around behind her like a wave of colors. Once she got to the kids, she threw it and the colorful, circular parachute floated through the air before it landed on top of the group of kids, covering them completely.
"Okay, everybody. Open your eyes for a surprise!" Snowflake announced.
Motion occurred with confused 'huh's' and noticeable looking around.
"Um.. what is supposed to happen now?" Aaron wondered.
"I think she wants us to play hide and go seek." Alex guessed innocently.
Snowflake smiled trying not to giggle. Alex's guess was cute, but wrong.
"Everyone stay there, I have another surprise." Snowflake said calmly.
She soon found the light switch and began to walk towards it.
Chase just gave her an odd look in watching her strange new trajectory, which led her to the wall far ahead of him toward one side of the gym, closest to the door she was headed to.
Snowflake walked over to the light and turned around to see the kids were still under the parachute. Smiling, she turned to the light switches and jumped to turn the light switches off. All the lights turned off, except for one dimly lit light in the corner of the room.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Was that supposed to happen? Aaron wondered, while the other kids continued to be confused.
Snowflake then ran over and touched one of the parachute covered kids. Then she ran over and got under the parachute too.
"Hi guys. Are you okay?" Snowflake asked.
"We're fine, why?" Aaron answered calmly.
"Just checking. 'You like the parachute?" Snowflake replied happily.
Many heads turned and shoulders seemed to shrug, though it was hard to tell.
"It's ok.. why?" another kid said.
"I was thinking we could play under the parachute. Like parachute ghosts. Oooooooooooo! Or other games like tag," Snowflake explained.
"Wait,.. play tag.. under this," Aaron wondered and his hands noticeably came up to shrug at the parachute. "How?"
"We tag some kids and everyone runs away from them while under the parachute. The person who isn't tagged last wins. And there can be many taggers, like five or more," Snowflake said.
"Huh?" the kids queried, all confused.
"It's like normal tag, but with many kids tagging others," Snowflake clarified.
"So like,.. Sharks and minnows.." Aaron guessed.
"Yes. Or we can play Sharks and lifeguards," Snowflake replied.
"We can play sharks and lifeguards. But let's get outta here first!" Alex agreed.
"Okay, hold on!" the husky pup said, before crawling out of the parachute. She ran back to the lights and turned them on.
"Alright kids, you can come out now," Snowflake said.
"Okay!" Alex replied.
"Whooph! Thank goodness!" Aaron sighed, pulling the parachute off him. Chase smirked, trying to restrain a chuckle.
"What?" He asked the pup innocently.
"*snort* oh nothing,.." Chase snickered. "I just didn't think you were all charged up about this."
Then Aaron froze and looked up, discovering when he touched his head that his hair was standing on end with a bit of a shock to it.
"Yay! I'm out!" Alex said as he too took the parachute off himself. The other kids soon came out of the rainbow parachute, before the colorful fabric circle settled onto the ground.
"Okay, everyone grab the parachute and sit under it. We're playing sharks and lifeguards!" Snowflake announced happily.
The kids then went over to the rainbow parachute and grabbed the edges before spreading it out, and everyone gathered around the edges. Still holding the edges, the kids sat down with their legs and feet under the parachute. Snowflake layed down with her legs also under the parachute, though with her belly facing up, she looked more like she wanted a belly rub.
"Ok so.. who's gonna be the shark?" Chase asked.
"I will!" a kid in a blue shirt said, before going under the parachute and crawling towards the middle.
"Ok.. and who's gonna be the lifeguard?" Chase wondered. "Er-.. or will there need to be more than one?"
"I will," a girl in pink said before standing up.
"Me too!" a boy in white said as he stood up as well.
"Hm alright then.. I think we're all good, right?" Chase wondered aloud.
"Come play with us, Chase." Snowflake offered.
"I.. don't know.. it looks like you guys got it under control,.. I'll let you guys take this one." Chase played off loosely.
"Ok, but you're joining us for round two." Snowflake decided. "Ok go!"
Everyone holding the parachute began to shake it vigorously. A healthy level of anxiety and anticipation growing with the unknown moment to strike. Suddenly a girl with red hair screamed as she was being dragged in. And the boy with the white shirt came to her rescue, aided by the girl in pink. They were too late, alas, as she was already under except for her arms and she had to succumb to her fate and become a shark.
"That's one,.." The boy in white said. "Stay on your guard! Let's not lose another one."
Everyone continued to shake the parachute, waiting,.. and watching.
"Help!" cried a boy with a red dinosaur shirt, as he started to sink beneath the parachute's colors. The girl in pink gasped before racing over and pulling him back out so he could sit and continue shaking the parachute.
"Phew! Thanks!" He said.
"Ahhhh!" yelped a boy with glasses, while the boy in white struggled to keep him out from under the parachute.
Then the girl in pink rushed over to help, and together they pulled him back as well. Right as a blonde boy with freckles was pulled under the parachute!
"Noo!" The boy in white cried. "We lost another one!"
"Keep it going, guys!" Aaron encouraged them.
"You got this!" the boy with the freckles agreed, but was then yanked from sight as well.
"Kyle! No!" the girl in pink exclaimed running toward him.
But before she could reach him, Glasses needed help again which was successful.
"Yay!..er..oh no.." the progression of his remarks let the two "lifeguards" know that the boy with the dino shirt was slowly being dragged under the parachute again. And they quickly saved him together.
"Oh noo!" Julia cried, allowing the girl in the pink to rush to help her. But even though she made it in time to grab a hold of her.. it wasn't enough to save her!
Julius and Aaron both needed help at the same time, but both lifeguards were able to split off and successfully get to each of them, and pull them to safety.
But try as they might, the boy with the dino shirt was sucked under after they both fought to keep him out of the parachute sea.
"Oh no! More sharks!" Snowflake cried, enjoying the game.
"That's what makes this game fun!" Aaron smiled.
"And hard.." Glasses groaned.. just as he was being pulled in again!
"Oh boy.." the boy with the white shirt vocalized before rushing to help.
Chase looked on, craning his neck with a growing interest, even though he wouldn't advance. His sharp eyes watched the parachute as if it were telling him something. He barely even noticed the girl in pink tearing past him to rescue Alex and subsequently Aaron.
"Look out, Andrew!" Chase called, swearing he'd caught movement in the fluctuant color waves. "Sharks coming for ya!"
And moments later..
"Ahhh!"
"Noo! Not Drew too!" the girl in pink moaned.
Alex and Julius cried out together as they were beginning to slip away,.. and the two lifeguards ran to them, took their hands and joined hands with each other so that they could all help each other get out.
"Ahhhhhh, oh no!" Snowflake cried, as she was being dragged under the parachute.
"Oh no you don't!" the girl in pink exclaimed, as she and the boy in white came to grab a hold of her and pull her back out easily. "We'll not let you go down just yet!"
"Thank you!" Snowflake said, relieved that she was safe.
Tie dye was soon taken under and it was then that they started to realize something..
"I think there are more sharks now.. than sailors.." The boy in white mentioned in hushed tones.
"I know.. This is gonna be hard." the girl in pink murmured. And sure enough..
"Ahhh noooo!" Julius cried as he was sucked under immediately.
"Noo!" the girl in pink howled.
"Ahhhhhhh, Heellllpp!" Snowflake exclaimed, being dragged under again.
"We're coming!" the boy with the white shirt called. And when the two lifeguards reached her they immediately pulled her back, but then..
"Ahh! Help!" Alex cried, and they both went running.
And yet again..
"AHHHHH! Help!" Snowflake said, before being dragged completely under the parachute.
"Noo...ugh!" The girl in pink sighed. "I guess we're not being very good lifeguards, are we?"
"It's not over yet." the boy in white replied flatly, trying to sound optimistic. "Heads up!" Both Aaron and Alex were getting pulled in and they both rushed to help. But as soon as they did,.. Alex was successfully pulled away. So the two lifeguards rushed over to Aaron and pulled him out from under the parachute entirely.
"So um.. I guess that means I win?" Aaron supposed. "Since I'm the last one still 'standing' if you will." the finger curling for the word standing summed up his point further and the lifeguards just shrugged.
"Works for me." Alex said, standing up within the parachute.. But catching himself off balance he staggered over and bumped into an old metal trash can sitting nearby. And when it fell over, little plastic balls of many colors scattered everywhere.. Then as they were all recovering from the sudden chaos, the trash can's lid when rolling away.
"Oh no, come back!" cried the children and they all raced after it. Snowflake finally flopped out of the parachute herself, when a brightly colored ball went rolling by her field of vision. The bouncy rubber ball, sizable to her head, rolled along toward the direction of the kids and as soon as a teacher opened the exterior door to the gym,.. The lid, followed by the kids and the ball, flooded out of it so the teacher had to stand there and hold it open for them.
"Where are you all going?!" the teacher called in surprise.
"Ball! Ball! Ball! -Oof! Help!" Snowflake exclaimed as she accidentally caused the parachute to cover her when she tried running. She fumbled and flailed about in confusion, looking like a ghost.
"Ah!" Snowflake cried out as she eventually got herself out of the parachute. "Wait up! The ball! Must catch ball!"
She then ran out the door.
"Wait! Where are you guys going?!" Chase cried, hopping toward the direction they were headed, which was away from him.
"Ok but,..-" but before he could finish, the teacher that had been holding the door open came in and let the door close with a bit of a slam. "Ok.. Well,.. then.. I.. guess I'll just.. Hang out right here,.. All alone." And in the silence of the empty gym, Chase had to sigh, but not with disappointment,.. with relief. Then he leaned back on his haunches and tried not to groan out loud. Then he heard a presence and gasped, perking up brightly as the parachute finally came off Alex and he pushed it aside off him so he could recover himself where he landed.
"Oh,.. Alex.." Chase sighed, dropping his guard a little. "It's just you."
"Of course it's me." the boy said. "You didn't think I was a ghost did you?"
"What? No.. I just.. uhh.. oh, nevermind. Are you ok?" Chase went on.
"Yeah,.." the boy shrugged and nodded, then stopped to look around in confusion. "Hey.. where did everybody go?"
xxxx
Snowflake chased after the ball, watching it bounce and roll. She had to get it! She NEEDED to get it.
The husky pup kept up the chase before jumping to grab it.
Missed!
Snowflake ran and ran until she saw the ball bounce into the air again. She jumped and caught the green ball in her mouth.
Success! Now wagging her tail, she turned around and headed back to the gym to return the ball.
The pup walked back with the ball in her mouth, ready to go into the gym. When out of the corner of her eye, she saw the kids approaching from another direction coming toward her.
"Hi guys, where have you been?" the husky pup questioned curiously.
"Just got the lid back." the boy with the blue shirt said, lifting the lid up in his hands. "What about you?"
"A ball bounced away, so I went to get it." Snowflake answered, the ball in question still in her mouth.
"Great! Then I think we got everything back. Let's get back to playing." the girl in pink decided.
Everyone went inside. And as the kids went to return the trash can lid, Snowflake turned to Chase before dropping the green ball.
"Chase? Where were you? Why didn't you come with us?" Snowflake asked, her head tilting to the side.
"Oh..uh.. I figured you guys had it handled." Chase replied, and he knew he was lying through his teeth. "That's all."
"Okay?" Snowflake said, in slight confusion.
She then noticed Alex.
"Huh? Alex? Where were you?" Snowflake wondered, walking over to the boy.
"Oh,.. I was still caught in the parachute,.." Alex replied. "It took me a little while to get out, where did you all go?"
"I went to get the ball. Aww! I missed you being a parachute ghost!" Snowflake replied, before giving Alex a hug.
"It's ok.." Chase sighed. "You didn't miss much."
Hey guys! Here's what we came up with next.. This chapter was a bit goofy, but I suppose that's the beauty of it. And kind of fun because of who we had to work with here.
Thank you to all who are sticking with us on this journey and we can't wait to show you what happens next! Until next time! Thx!