……
"Lucy liked it! How?! Charlie Brown, you must really be onto something!"
Linus was still exclaiming on the fact that Lucy thought that Charlie Brown had done something… good.
"Wow! I can't believe it! It's a miracle! Charlie Brown, you've done the impossible!"
As he continued yelling, Charlie Brown hammered dabbed in the last piece of brown paint.
"Ah! Done!"
Charlie Brown had constructed a Cookie Stand, right outside his house. The original sign had been demolished when Snoopy fell out of the tree, so he started again. It took three hours to finally finish, so it was around 11:30.
"How's that, Linus?"
It was about the size of one and a half Psychiatrist Booths in length, but the same width.
It was painted yellow, with small dabs of brown in certain places. (The idea came from Snoopy, when he found brown paint. Charlie Brown nearly yelled at him when he painted a brown circle on the already drying yellow paint. He then showed Charlie a cookie, to which Charlie exclaimed, "Snoopy, you're a genius!".)
The top sign said "Crumby Cookies" in black marker, which was the name Linus suggested. ("It needs to have alliteration, Charlie Brown! That's what brings in the customers!")
The bottom sign said had certain times on it;
"Open Friday Prevenings [4:00-6:00], (Sally said she heard this word on a television show. Even though Linus protested that it wasn't actually a word, Charlie Brown couldn't think of a better word.)
Saturday 1:00-4:00
Sunday 2:00-5:00"
"So, Charlie Brown?"
"Yes, Linus?"
"I have, erm, a proposition to make with you."
Charlie Brown raised his eyebrow. "Huh?"
"I think I would be a fantastic asset to this small stand!" Linus stood up on the rock he was sitting on before, and raised his fist.
"I believe that this cookie stand can go to greatness! I believe that, not only can we make people happy by giving them cookies, but we can also achieve a lot of profit from this! We can help charities by doing this, Charlie Brown! I believe that if you let me be your business partner, I can lead yo-"
"Uh, Linus?" Charlie cut in Linus' speech. "I thought you already were my partner… I mean, you worked out the math for me, and gave me some ideas, so…"
Linus' face lit up. "Thank you, Charlie Brown! I really do think this is one of the best things you've ever come up with."
Charlie laughed shakily. "I hope so, Linus."
"Alright, Charlie Brown!" Linus grinned. "Let's get this thing going!"
Charlie nodded. "Uh, I think the paint is dry by now. Hmm… do you have any chalkboards?"
"Chalkboards? Yes, I have two I think."
"Great! Can you go get them? I have one, and I guess I have time to bake one more batch of cookies."
"Okay, Charlie Brown! But why do we need chalkboards?"
"So we can write the menu and change it if we need to, I guess…"
"Interesting idea, Charlie Brown. I'll go see if I can find them…
Linus walked off to his house, which was only about five minutes away.
"Now, how am I going to make sure no-one touches this…"
Charlie looked around, and noticed that Snoopy was gone.
"Snoopy!"
Snoopy walked through the door with Woodstock.
"You want two cookies? One for you and your friend?"
Snoopy nodded his head, and Woodstock "flew" in the air.
"Alright, well, how about I pay you three cookies if you guard this stand, make sure no-one touches it. Okay, Snoopy?"
Snoopy sprinted to his doghouse and came back with a large stick and a pencil, and gave the pencil to Woodstick.
He was also wearing pilot goggles, a helmet and a red scarf, saluting Charlie Brown.
The World War I Flying Ace is ready to defend this new machine! We cannot let that blasted Red Baron find this artifact!
"Uh… good work, soldier… I think…" Charlie walked inside, making sure all the ingredients were all still there.
He found another tray from the cupboard.
"Are they really that good, Big Brother?"
Charlie, not looking where Sally was, shrugged. "Lucy says it's good."
"LUCY SAID IT WAS GOOD?!" She yelled, taking Charlie by surprise, who dropped the tray on his foot.
"Owh… well, yes. Where did you go, anyway?"
"Er… uhm, I didn't want to see someone get poisoned."
"Ah." He said, skeptically. "Alright."
Charlie started making another batch of cookies, while Sally watched.
"I have an idea, Big Brother."
Charlie sighed. "Yes, Sally?"
"Why don't you have more than one flavor? You have the old chocolate chip cookies. Why not something else, like raspberry?"
Charlie considered this. "Maybe when I more." He sighed. "For all I know, it was just luck that I made good cookies."
"That can't be."
"Why not?"
"You don't have any good luck!"
"…of course. Oh, and we don't have raspberry."
Charlie continued fixing up the cookies. As he were about to finish them off, he realised something.
"Oh no! I only have enough chocolate chips for half the batch! Who's going to want plain biscuits?"
"Why not put in blueberries, Big Brother?"
"Blueberries?" Charlie looked through the refrigerator, and found a packet of blueberries. "Huh. Might work."
He folded in the blueberries, and placed the cookies in the oven.
"Now we just have to wait for it to bake." Sally said, smiling.
"Yes, I guess so… but I think I've forgotten something… ah! I have to get a chalkboard!"
He quickly rushed to his room as they heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Sally yelled, as she opened the door.
Linus was standing outside, holding two chalkboards.
"Hi Sally. Is Charlie still here?"
"Uh… yes." Sally tried to conceal her blush. The true reason she left earlier was because she didn't want Linus to see her blushing. Everyone assumed she had gotten over her crush when they were eight.
"He's, uh, getting a chalkboard, I think."
"Ah! Okay, cool."
"Hey Linus!" Charlie yelled from behind Sally. Charlie was also holding two chalkboards, and a bucket of chalk.
"Alright, let's get set up. Do you have an idea on how to attach the chalkboards to the wood? I was thinking nails or hooks.
"I think nails would be more sturdy, Charlie Brown."
"Okay, let's go!" Charlie walked outside, and Sally watched the two boys get to work. Meanwhile, Snoopy kicked Charlie Brown.
"Huh? Oh yes. Soldier, thank you for guarding this, er, cookie stand! Dismissed!"
Snoopy took three cookies, and sprinted to his doghouse. (Which involved going inside the house, knocking over Sally, and breaking the back door.)
……
"Alright, Linus… what's the time?"
"It's 1:30, Charlie Brown."
Finally done with the stall, they were checking up on everything to see if they'd missed something.
They had figured out how much gets what. Linus only wanted to take 40%, and he refused to take an equal amount of Charlie. ("It was your idea, Charlie Brown!" "But you gave me the idea to do this idea!"). Charlie would receive 50% of the money, and they would donate 10% to charity.
They also had written on the chalkboards a couple of things;
"ONE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE = 25 cents
ONE BLUEBERRY COOKIE = 25 cents
BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE!
COOKIES ARE 20% OFF ON FRIDAYS!
10% OF MONEY GOES TO CHARITY!"
"Okay… so we've got our shelf here for our cookies… we have about forty choc chips and fifteen blueberries. These small holes are where we deposit our coins.."
"Alright. I also brought a bell, and I have a couple of comics we can read while we wait for people."
"Okay! So, uh, I have two stools here as well. So, you can greet the customers, Linus, and I-"
Linus frowned, and sat on the stool next to that was next to the was on the side of the blackboards. The customer could still see Linus, but the top sign had an arrow pointing to Charlie.
"They're your cookies, Charlie Brown. You should be the one to greet people."
Charlie put his hands up. "No, no… you know I can't talk to pe-"
"Too late! Someone's coming!"
"Ack!"
Linus and Charlie stood silently in their stools, as someone in the distance walked along the sidewalk.
In turned out not to be one someone, but two someones.
Patty and Violet were walking along the sidewalk, blabbing and gossiping as usual.
As they came to the Brown residence, they looked over about to make a snide remark about Charlie Brown, when they saw the stall.
"What's this, Charlie Brown?" Asked Patty, genuinely suprised.
"Uhm, welcome to Crumby Cookies, Patty. Would you like some cookies?"
"Cookies? Well, gee, now that you mention it, I do feel a tad hungry…"
"Who made these cookies?" Butted in Violet abruptly.
"Er, I did."
Oh, boy. Violet's on one of her bad days. Linus thought.
"I knew it! These cookies are probably poisonous. Come on, Patty, let's get away from wishy-wa- Patty?"
Patty wasn't listening to Violet's rant – instead, she was inspecting the chalkboards.
"So, if I pay you twenty-five cents for a chocolate chip cookie, I can get a blueberry cookie for free? Or do I get another chocolate chip one?"
"Patty!" Said Violet, masked with shock. "You couldn't actually be considering buying a cookie from this failure face?!"
Patty didn't listen to Violet's pleas. "Look, I'll buy one, and if it somehow is good, then you can have the other one. Okay?"
"But this is Charlie Brown we're talking about here! He can't do anything right!"
"Will you shut up, Violet!" Linus yelled. Violet jumped in shock. She hadn't realised Linus was there.
"You're clearly diminishing Charlie Brown's… well, himself! Why don't you ever realise your words actually hurt people?"
Violet just stood in silence. Patty smiled, and came to a decision.
"Violet, would you prefer a chocolate chip or a blueberry?"
"…A blueberry."
"Alrighty! Charlie Brown, can I please have one chocolate chip and one blueberry?"
"Uh, sure…"
Linus brought out two cookies, slightly aggitated.
"I hope they're not too cold…" Muttered Charlie.
Patty brought out a quarter, and gave it to Charlie Brown. In turn, he gave the two cookies to Patty.
"Thank you, Charlie Brown!" Patty smiled, and gave one to Violet.
Violet eyed the cookie suspiciously. "You better have washed your hands before giving this to me, Charlie Brown, or I'll sue you!"
"He's got an attorney." Linus shot back, annoyed.
Patty brought the cookie to her mouth, and slowly bit it and chewed it.
"Well?" Violet asked, intrigued.
She chewed, and started smiling. She took another, bigger bite from her cookie.
"Wow, Charlie Brown! Did you really make these?! They're fantastic!"
"No way!" Violet yelled, biting into her own cookie. Her face changed as she chewed, however. It became into some weird held-back smile.
"Well… it's okay…"
"Charlie Brown, if I buy three cookies, do I get three free?"
"Uhm-"
"No, sorry." Cut in Linus. "You only get one free."
"Ah, okay. Well, we'll get two choc chips and one blueberry, with one blueberry free, thanks!" Said Patty, smiling.
"You're getting more?" Violet yelled again.
Patty frowned at Violet. "You know you want some."
Violet sighed, and grudgingly admitted, "Yes… okay…" Violet fished a fifty-cent piece out of her pocket, and Patty gave a quarter.
Linus brought out the cookies, and Charlie exchanged them for the money.
"Uh, thank you for shopping at Crumby Cookies, Patty and Violet!"
Violet had already scoffed down one of her cookies.
"Anytime, Charlie Brown! We'll back for the Friday discount!" Said Patty, who walked off with Violet.
Linus rubbed his eyes. "I really do think you're on to something, Charlie Brown… first Lucy, now Violet… I just have one thing to say."
Charlie Brown smiled. Today, he achieved many things; he did something that Lucy liked, did something that Violet liked, and finally, he felt a feeling that he doesn't feel often, a good feeling – happiness.