AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not sure how the American school system works… I assume there's a Primary School, and a High School. (I've also recently learnt there is a Middle School… I think.) So if I got something wrong, please leave a review telling me what I, er, stuffed up.
Charlie was quite surprised with the small success his stall was making. Half of it was due to Linus' great ideas. They had made $6.25 ($2.00 of which came from Pig-Pen, who heard Violet and Patty gossiping about Charlie's cookies, and after tasting one bought another seven), from which Linus quickly calculated how much each person received.
"You receive $3.13, Charlie Brown, but we have to round that up to $3.15… so then I receive $2.50, and we donate the rest to charity, which is sixty cents. Every little bit helps them, Charlie Brown!"
On Sunday, about ten minutes before the opening, Linus placed a wooden picnic basket outside the stall, and sticky taped on a small piece of paper that said "Suggestion Basket". He then placed some small, rectangle pieces of white paper, a blue pen and a black pen into the basket.
"So people can give us suggestions on how to improve." Linus smiled, making sure the basket was perfectly straight.
"Thanks Linus, you've been an enormous help…"
"Anytime, Charlie Brown!"
The chalkboards remained unchanged, beside the fact that Charlie had added a new recipe; M'n'M cookies.
He had made 15 of each type of cookie this time, hoping to keep it even.
"Have you even tried one of your cookies yet, Charlie Brown?"
Charlie shook his head. "No, I have not."
Linus swiped a cookie from the tray and shoved it into his mouth. "Here!"
Charlie, taken aback, swallowed it down quickly. "I- ah… wow, these actually are pretty decent."
"More than decent, Charlie Brown! It tastes! absolutely amazing!"
Charlie blushed, still surprised that something that he did could taste decent.
"Hm, it seems like there is no-one approaching. Let's read some comics, Charlie Brown."
Charlie picked up a Spider-Man one, and began reading, waiting for a customer.
……
Ting-a-ling-a-ling!
Charlie looked up from his comic, hearing the noise of the bell. He had gotten fairly used to greeting people now.
He nudged Linus, who was quite consumed in a comic that featured The Avengers. Charlie placed his comic on the shelf.
"Sorry about that! Hi, welcome to Crumby Cookies, what can what ca-" He stopped mid-sentence when he looked up properly.
"Oh, hey Schroeder!"
"Hello, Charlie Brown. So, it is true that you've made a cookie stand."
"Uh, yes. With Linus over here." Linus wasn't paying attention. "Uh, Linus?" Linus didn't hear anything. Charlie sighed.
"From who did you hear that we made a cookie stand?"
Schroeder rolled his eyes. "From Lucy, who else? Well, it's not just her, I guess…"
Charlie leaned forward. "Really? Who else?"
"I heard it from Pig-Pen who I happened to meet while walking over here, and Patty mentioned it to me yesterday. Anyway, as you probably know, Beethoven's birthday is coming up, so can I maybe purchase five of each cookie?"
"Five of each? Really?" Schroeder nodded. "Um, that comes too… $3.75, I think."
Schroeder nodded again. He never seems to smile, except on Beethoven's birthday…Charlie thought. Then again, I never smile either… except recently, I guess. "Um, okay, Linus, can I… Linus?" Linus was still lost inside his comic book. "Linus." Linus still didn't pay attention. Charlie, growing annoyed, yelled "LINUS!".
Linus shot out of his chair, and Schroeder fell on his back.
"Oh! Sorry, Charlie Brown…" He apologized, blushing lightly. "Hey Schroeder!"
"Hallo, Lenus…" He said, his speech slightly slurred.
"He would like five of each cookie, Linus."
"Five of each cookie! Whatever for?"
Schroeder shook his head, coming out of his confusion. "It's Beethoven's birthday in sixteen days."
"Oh yeah!" Remarked Linus, bringing out the cookies. "Why do you want the cookies now, Schroeder? Wouldn't want them as latest as you can, so they don't lose any value?"
"I'd like to be extra-prepared this year." He said, giving the money to Charlie Brown. "I mean, it's his 244th birthday! We have to be prepared! Anyway, thanks for the cookies, Charlie Brown and Linus." Schroeder was about to walk off, when Charlie Brown called out, "Hold on, Schroeder. Don't you want to taste-test the cookies first? To see if they're good?"
Schroeder frowned. "You're my friend, Charlie Brown. If you say they're good, then they're good." Schroeder walked off, leaving Charlie Brown slightly confused, while Linus smiled.
"See, Charlie Brown? That's what you call a true friend.
……
As the day went by, more and more of the neighborhood stopped at Crumby Cookies to see if Charlie Brown had actually made not only edible, but tasty cookies as well. Most people that came had heard of Crumby Cookies when they overheard Patty and Violet gossiping (They talked loudly, it seemed.), and thought "That can't be true, they're lying." So, of course, all the people that denied the fact that Charlie Brown baked something appetizing, walked over to Crumby Cookies, only to be proven wrong as they ate something truly delicious.
The Suggestion Basket filled up as well, overflowing with feedback and ideas to improve the stand. They had sold nearly all their cookies, only a few blueberry and M'n'Ms left.
As they started closing up shop, a girl walked over from the distance. Linus stiffened when he saw her. Charlie was packing up the comics, when he was nudged on the shoulder by Linus.
"What's wro-" Charlie faltered midsentence, watching Lucy van Pelt walk up to the store. She placed small, rectangle, pieces of light blue paper in the Suggestion Basket, and walked away.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "She didn't say anything?"
"She can't. Her voice is still gone, which I think is another good luck thing for you, Charlie Brown."
Charlie picked up the Suggestion Basket. Most of the papers were conveniently face-down, as if the papers themselves wanted the suggestions to be a surprise. He could distinctly tell the difference between Lucy's papers and the other pieces of paper, due to the different colours.
"What do you think she wrote? Some rude message, perhaps?" Asked Charlie, perplexed.
Linus looked thoughtful as he stacked the trays. "Why don't we read the suggestions inside your house, Charlie Brown?"
Charlie nodded. "Sure."
They took off the blackboards, took the money, and pushed the Crumby Cookies stand in a bush, as they had done yesterday. They then walked inside Charlie's house.
Immediately, Snoopy waltzed up to Charlie Brown, his bowl in his hand. Charlie Brown slapped a palm to his face.
"Of course, Suppertime… how about a cookie instead?"
Snoopy immediately nodded, and Charlie Brown chucked two blueberry cookies in his bowl. He looked at the bowl, and then looked up at Charlie Brown, as if to say, Seriously, kid? That's all you're going to give me?
"You want more?! Fine, here's two M'n'M's…" Snoopy seemed satisfied with that, and walked off, his bowl in his mouth.
Linus plopped the Basket on the coffee table, as Sally approached the two boys and sat down next to Linus.
"Hiya, Big Brother! Hiya, Linus!" Suprisingly, Sally seemed to be in a good mood.
"What are you all doing?"
"We're about to start reading our suggestions, Sally, for our Crumby Cookies stand." Charlie replied.
"Oh! You mean that cookie stand outside that from what I've heard made good cookies? Cool! Can I help?"
Charlie shrugged. "If Linus doesn't mind."
Linus hesitated, but nodded.
Sally sat down on the couch as Charlie turned over the basket. A pile of suggestions fell onto the coffee table.
"Why are some of them blue?" Sally asked, curious.
"Uh… we'll save them for last." Linus said, quickly grabbing them and putting them in his pocket.
"I'm still marveled by the fact we received so many suggestions…" Charlie Brown exclaimed.
"Well, are we going to start or what?" Said Sally, impatient. "Let's get started!"
……
Some of these suggestions are signed... Charlie thought to himself. …but most weren't. Why can't people just all do the same thing?
"Look at this one!" Sally yelled, slightly furious. She shoved it into Charlie Brown's face, who took it out of her hands. It said… nothing. It wasn't readable. One side of the paper was clean (except for a few smudges), while the other had lead stains and dirt all over it.
Linus sighed. "Probably Pig-Pen."
They went through the suggestions. Some of them we quickly labeled "near to impossible", (which in other words meant the suggestion was just plain stupid), like Can you quadruple the size of the cookie, yet keep the same price? and Could you make the cookies a different colour? They taste good, but I think red would be better.
"Hey, what about this one?" Asked Linus, passing it to Sally, then Charlie. It wrote, Maybe you could add brownies to the list. I know, they aren't cookies, but I think it would be a good addition. Maybe brownie cookies?
Charlie shrugged. "It seems feasible, I guess…"
"Oo! This one says What about raspberry cookies?! I told you we should add raspberry cookies, Big Brother!"
Charlie shook his head. "Sally, I told you yesterday, we don't have raspberries."
"Then I'll buy some!" She yelled, standing up.
Linus and Charlie frowned. "You would buy some raspberries… for us? For free?" Linus asked, somewhat wary.
"As long as I get to taste the cookie." Sally stated.
Charlie nodded. "Sure, if it's okay with Linus, I guess."
Linus started at Sally, still slightly suspicious.
"Sure…"
They continued going through the suggestions, occasionally one of them stopped the others to read out-loud a suggestion that they thought should be deemed decent, like Add a picnic table or something! And Make more specials!
After a long half an' hour, they had finally went through all the suggestions.
"When do you plan to open your stand next? It was Friday prevening, right?" Asked Sally.
Linus facepalmed. "I told you, 'prevening', isn't a word."
"Well, it should be!" Sally said sternly.
"I think we're done here, Sally… thank you for helping us, I guess."
"Anytime, Big Brother! I'm going to go see what time we have dinner… bye, Linus!" She said, walking off.
"Well, I guess we're done Linus… you can take the Basket home…"
Linus frowned, and then whispered. "Did you forget Lucy's papers, Charlie Brown?"
"Oh! Yes, I did. Where are they?"
Linus looked around to make sure that Sally had gone, and then brought them out of his pocket.
"What do you think they say?" Asked Charlie, whispering as well.
Linus shrugged. He turned them over. They were numbered, 1 to 4.
"Let's read number one first, I guess…" Said Charlie Brown, picking up Number One.
I heard that you had added a Suggestion Basket. If you're wondering, I heard it from Frieda, who heard it from Pig-Pen, who heard it from…
"It ends there." Noted Linus.
Charlie picked up Number Two.
… from 5, who heard it from Schroeder, who heard it from Patty.
"Number Three?"
So I suggest that you add something that shows a place to line up, because it's clear that this stand might even achieve more than my psychiatrist stand! Imagine that!
She had managed to squeeze the last part in rushed handwriting.
Anyway, you might also need a guard on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, because what if someone tries to steal the money? That is all.
"These suggestions… seem valid." Remarked Linus, skeptical.
"There's no need for a guard, but if we ever do need one, we can ask Snoopy." Said Charlie.
"Oh! That reminds me, we have to divvy up the money." Said Linus. "Alright, so from memory, we have to divide…"
……
It was Tuesday night. Charlie Brown was finishing off some homework.
Next to him, large wooden planks had been brought together. He planned to assemble those into a picnic table on Thursday, just like one of the suggestions had recommended.
"Big Brother! Oh, Big Brother!"
"What is it, Sally? For the umpteenth time, I am NOT doing your homework." He yelled to the other room.
Sally walked inside, holding a bag.
"I went to the market with Mother before. I bought raspberries."
"Raspberries? What am I going to do with raspberries?" He muttered, trying to complete a complicated sum.
"The cookies! Remember?"
Charlie turned around, about to tell her off, but then he realised what she was talking about.
"Oh! Well, thank you Sally. I can make them Friday after school."
"Anytime, Big Brother!" She walked off, smiling.
Outside the window, Woodstock 'flew' off the sill and went to the backyard, to report back to Snoopy, AKA The Secret Agent.
What do you have to report, Agent Bird?
|||, ||||! Woodstock said angrily.
Well, do you have a better name than 'Agent Bird'? Said Snoopy, sighing.
||… |||! ||||| ||||!
Snoopy frowned. 'Agent Woodstock'?
Woodstock nodded, smiling. Snoopy rolled his eyes, and sighed again. Anyway, what do you have to report?
||||, |||| ||| |||| ||. ||| ||| ||||| ||. |||| |||!
Snoopy clapped his hands together. So he's making the cookies Friday… afternoon? Or is making them Friday evening? Woodstock shrugged.
I guess it doesn't matter. The plan is to steal enough cookies so we can, well, eat them, but not enough for them to notice.
Woodstock nodded.
Alright, Woodstock, we need to be aware of all the hiding places if we hear a noise… here, in my house, I have a blueprint of the house…
|||||, ||| ||?
You don't have a blueprint of YOUR house? That's stupid, Woodstock, every house has a blueprint… Snoopy said, scoffing, and he walked into his house with Woodstock.