Dreamscape
One evening, the tugboats had finished their jobs for the day. They've all gather around together to talk about the jobs they've done for the day. "Our day is done," Foduck said.
"So," George began, "What did we all do today?"
"Well, I moved Brunswick barge and Bobby barge all day today," Emily started, "Tough job, but someone has to do it." "And I've taken Beiderbeck and Aurea out to sea today," said George, exhausted, "Together!"
"We've taken out a big container ship named Natalie Explorer out," Theodore and Hank said together. "As for me," Foduck explained, "I've checked 20 ships for oil leaks. Nothing dangerous to report today, thank heavens." "I take it that everyone had a good day," Theodore said at last.
"Yes," Emily agreed. "Now let's call it a night," said George.
The other tugs agreed and soon they were all asleep. Later, the strange moment began for all of them.
In a strange place that is, of course, filled with water, all five tugboats were all together. Theodore was the first to wake up and scan the new surrounding. "What's all this?" Theodore asked. He then spotted all of his friends, still sleeping.
"Everyone!" Theodore shouted, "Wake up!" He blew his whistle to wake them up. "What?!" cried Hank and George together. "Action state!" Foduck burst out. "What's going on?" asked Emily. "We're in a different place!" Theodore explained.
The other tugboats scanned the area. "This isn't a real emergency," Foduck said, but he said no more about it. "So where are we?" asked Emily. "Probably the inside of George's smokestack!" Hank replied, jokingly.
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny," George replied sarcastically. "A mysterious place," Theodore answered, "But we were still sleeping at the Great Ocean Dock a while ago." "So how did we get from the big harbour to here?" asked Emily. "No idea," replied Theodore. "I don't know," Foduck replied.
But then, Hank looked up. "Look!" Hank shouted, "Sky!" "What about the sky?" asked George. He looked up and he saw something unbelievable. "What?" George said. "Impossible!" Foduck said.
All the tugboats saw a big city. To their amazement, it was floating in the sky.
"A whole city," Foduck said amazed. "Floating in the sky," Emily said in wonder. "This is unimaginable!" Hank said, "I should have made this up a long time ago!" "Who said so?" asked George.
Theodore stared at the city for the longest period of time. "Don't you think it's amazing and weird at the same time?" he asked. But no one answered him. "Foduck, aren't you going to say something?" But there was no reply from Foduck.
"Emily? Hank?" Theodore called out, "George?" Theodore looked around and saw that everyone had dissapeared. "What?" Theodore thought, "Where did everyone go? Hank? Foduck? Emily? George? Where are you?"
Theodore looked again, but this time, the floating city was nowhere in his sight. "This is weird," Theodore thought, "Where'd everyone go?" Theodore did spot the city, but it's far away now.
"How did I?" Theodore said, as he turned to face a cave. "How I get from there to here?" Theodore asked, but then he changed his mind, "Never mind! I have to find my friends!"
Theodore decided to explore the cave first, but just as he did so, he heard a low voice. "Grr-oh!" a growling noise shook Theodore's hull.
"What was that?!" shouted Theodore, backing out of the cave. "Password!" the cave seemed to growl. "Uh, password?" Theodore repeated, "I would like to find my friends, please." "Ok, I'll go with that," the cave concluded.
Theodore was about to enter the cave again when he heard a familiar voice. "Theodore," it called. "George?" Theodore called back. "Yes, it's me!" George said from inside the cave, "Where the heck have you been?"
"I was looking for you!" Theodore replied, rushing into the cave, "Now I've found you!" "Well it was weird," George said.
But before the two tugboats could say anything else, they suddenly ended up in another place.
"What the-?" George burst out. "It happened again," Theodore said. "What?" asked George. "We've transported in another place," Theodore explained, "And it's a wrong place for us."
Theodore and George could see that they are surrounded by giant flowers. "Oh no!" groaned George, "I hate flowers. I mean flowers that are childish!" "I don't see anything wrong with these flowers," Theodore said.
But he was wrong. The flowers turned to the tugboats and stared at them with smiling faces. "I knew it!" George shouted, "Theodore let's get out of here!" George tied his towrope onto Theodore and tugged him away.
"I think you've hurt these flower's feelings," Theodore said, but George ignored him.
Eventually, the two tugboats came across a giant flower with a great big smiling face. "Uh oh," said George. The flower turned to the two tugboats and placed something in the water.
"What is it doing?" asked Theodore, staring at what appears to be a large box. "I don't know," George replied. "Uh, is it over?" a voice called out from inside the box. Theodore guessed who it was.
"Foduck?" asked Theodore, "Are you in there?" The box opened up to reveal that it was Foduck. "That's the last time I'm taking singing lessons from silly little flowers," Foduck said, turning to Theodore and George, "Theodore? George? What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," Theodore replied as the two tugboats floated towards Foduck. "Well, it is a surprise," Foduck said, "Let's get a move on before these flowers start singing."
But then, something else happened. The giant flower put on a wizard's hat and held out a magic wand. "Uh, is that flower supposed to be Merlin?" asked Foduck.
"ALAKAZAM!" The giant flower zapped the three tugboats and Theodore, Foduck and George ended up in another place.
"That was weird," said Theodore. "That was impossible!" Foduck said. "Theodore, Foduck," George said, "Remind me never to travel like that ever again!" "Deal," replied Theodore and Foduck.
They looked at their surrounding. "A canal city," Foduck said, "I've heard there's a place like this in Italy. People use boats in canals instead of cars on roads."
"Ok," said George, "But I don't remember that city in Italy looking like this." "You're right about that," Theodore replied, "I don't remember any of these buildings." "This is getting weird," Foduck said.
Just then, they noticed something in the distance. "Is that?" asked George. "Emily?" Theodore said.
Sure enough, it was Emily, towing a long line of gondolas. "Let's go!" The three tugboats raced off to meet her. "Emily!" Theodore called out. "Oh, hey everyone," Emily replied, "What are you doing here?"
"We're looking for you!" Theodore replied. "Things have been getting weird around here," Foduck said. "Yeah," George said, "We've almost got toddler-ed by flowers!"
"George, that's impossible," Foduck said. "You know, this place reminds me of Venice in Italy," Emily said, "I've been there once, but I don't remember the buildings looking like this."
"True, Emily," Theodore said, "I know. But now we've found you." "Thanks," Emily replied.
Then suddenly, the four tugboats felt a change in the water. "Now what?" George asked.
Suddenly, the tugboats got swept up in a current in the river. "Oh no!" cried Foduck, "Surfs up!" "You just had to say that?!" George and Emily said together as the tugboats got swept inside a tunnel.
"I think someone's pulled the plug!" Theodore said, "Look out! Whirlpool!" The tugboats saw a giant whirlpool inside the tunnel. "We're going to get flushed down the drain!" cried Foduck.
"Hang on!" Theodore shouted, but just as the tugboats huddled together and of course, before they all got sucked down the drain, there was silence.
Theodore opened his eyes to find out that they've been transported to another place. "We don't have to worry now," Theodore said to his friends. But George, Emily and Foduck had already tied themselves up to each other.
"It's okay!" Theodore said. The three big tugboats opened their eyes and looked at their surroundings.
"Did we get flushed?" asked George. "I don't think so," Emily replied. "Look," Foduck said, "A party!" The tugboats spotted what looks like a big birthday party in the middle of the ocean. "Looks like a lot of fun," George said. "Hey everyone, join in!" a familiar voice called out.
The tugboats knew who it was. "It's Hank," Foduck said, "I know that voice." "Let's go!" said Theodore.
But the four tugboats got stopped by a giant clown. "Uh oh," groaned George. "I thought I grown out of this," thought Theodore, "Even though I'm no fan of clowns." But just then, Hank appeared.
"It's all right, mister clowny," Hank said to the clown, "They're my best friends." The clown let the four tugboats into the party. "I really hate clowns," mumbled George.
"I've been having fun here!" Hank said, "Where have you been?" "Actually," Theodore said, "I've been looking for all of you. We were talking about that floating city and suddenly, you were all gone."
"How did that happen?" asked Foduck, "We were talking and suddenly, we've all ended up in different places." "That's right," Emily said. "Also, there's the floating city!" Theodore pointed out to the direction of where the floating city is.
They could still see it. "Actually," Theodore continued, "It's been everywhere we've been." The tugboats turned to Theodore as he said, "I've seen it before I met George in that talking cave, Foduck in the flower field, Emily in that canal city and now here. Where you are, Hank." "You're right," agreed George, "Of course, I've seen it, too."
The tugboats all agreed about seeing the floating city from their respective places.
Then a ring of giant balloons blew up around the tugboats. "Is this part of your party?" asked George. "No," answered Hank When the balloons all popped, the tugboats ended up back where they've first started.
"We're back!" Theodore said. "Back where?" asked Hank. "Look!" Theodore pointed up at where the floating city is." "Back at the start?" asked George.
"Looks that way," Emily said. The tugboats stared at the city until- "Hank, what are you doing now?" George asked Hank. "Nothing," Hank replied.
"Nothing?" Foduck asked, "Or floating above the water?" Hank looked down. "The latter one," Hank replied, amazed.
"Hank!" Theodore called out, "You're floating in the air!" "It's true," Hank replied, "I can fly!" "You can fly!" George called out, "Balderdash!"
Then suddenly, all the tugboats started floating out of the water. "This is impossible!" said George. "You know, who cares?" Emily said, excited, "We can all fly!"
Emily flew up a bit higher. "Come on, George!" Emily called out, "Try it!" "All right," George replied and he flew towards Emily, "Hey, this is kind of fun." "Race you, Foduck!" Theodore called out to Foduck.
"You can't beat me!" Foduck chuckled. The two floated higher and higher. All the tugboats had fun flying in the air.
"Ok, new destination!" Theodore announced. The other tugs turned to face Theodore. "Where?" asked Hank. "To the city!" Theodore called out! "Right!" agreed Foduck and Emily. "Let's go!" shouted Hank. "Right there with you!" boomed George.
Immediately, Theodore, Hank, George, Emily and Foduck flew up and up and up and up. Higher and higher and higher and higher the tugboats climbed. In no time at all the five tugboats reached the floating city.
"We've all made it!" announced Theodore. Hank, Emily, George and Foduck cheered in delight. "Good job, everyone!" George said. "We've done it together!" Emily said. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" cheered Hank. "Right there with all of you!" Foduck said.
"We've done it together!" Theodore said to the tugboats excitedly, "Now what?"
In reality, the five tugboats woke up from their dream. "That was amazing," Theodore said. "Yeah, I agree," Hank said next. "Right there with you," agreed George. "It was amazing," said Foduck.
"I hope we get something like that again," smiled Emily. "You said it," replied Hank.
The tugboats agreed that it was a wonderful dream that they had together, until they heard a shushing sound.
"Ok, what time is it?" asked George, confused. The tugboats looked at Chimey.
"Too dark," Foduck said, turning on his special searchlight and shining it Chimey's clock hand. "5:00!" George said, "We've woken up too early!"
"So you decided to wake me up early, too?" asked Chimey, annoyed, "Please turn off the light and let me go back to sleep. Tick tock." "Sorry, mister," Foduck said, turning off his searchlight. "Let's go back to sleep," said Emily.
"Good idea," replied Theodore and Hank. All the tugboats went back to sleep.
The next time they woke up, it was 8:30 am. After the tugboats received their jobs for the day, they talked endlessly about the floating city in their dreams. They knew, of course it was only a dream.
But this is the kind of the strange dream that they'll never forget and also, the tugboats never discussed about how it was possible for all of them to share the same dream at the same time.