The Favorite Fives: The Case of the Strange Animal
One night in Quiet Country, Ohio, people were getting ready to sleep. Nights like these would be quiet. During this time, however, there was a strange animal outside the neighborhood, watching people sleep. Crank Watterson would be one of the only ones who noticed this strange occurrence. He was getting ready for bed. He had planned to score big in his school's football game against the rival school, Pasta Strength Elementary School.
We've got a big day tomorrow if we are going to beat those parrots on the field! Crank said to himself, as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom. He got on his bed after leaving the bathroom. But just as he was about to turn off the light, he saw a shadow outside. Crank heard its noises when the creature saw him. What is that? A sheep? Crank wondered as he peered outside, but the creature pranced off, out of sight. Crank shrugged in response and slept.
The next morning, Crank got ready to head to Joseph Elementary School. As he walked, his friends Steven, Linka, Luke and Jennifer joined in.
"Morning, guys." Crank greeted. "Not to be much of a bother, but have you seen some strange things happening around night lately?"
"You're telling me. I kept hearing some moaning noises when I was doing my homework last night," Steven commented.
"Wait, you heard those noises, too? I ended up brushing my hair too hard when I got distracted by that event!" Linka added.
"I think you are on to something. I kept noticing some shadows around when I was playing with my dog." Luke responded.
"You saw them as well? That's all I saw during bedtime!" Jennifer said.
"Maybe whatever that creature was, it can't be important. I don't see the big deal about it." Crank commented, with the others agreeing.
The kids went on in their normal day at their elementary school. But this day would be anything but normal. No one noticed a weird figure outside the school. And that would be the cause of all the strange events to occur that day. It began when Linka was presenting her arts-and-crafts project. Everything was going quite well, but the noises that the animal made last night caused a piece of debris to fall from the ceiling of the school building onto Linka and her school project. Students were shocked. Steven and Jennifer had to help her out by grabbing her out of the debris.
"I'm ok, guys…" Linka slurred, while being carried to the nurse's office.
"Take it easy, Linka. You got hit by falling debris. That is not ok," Steven replied.
Linka wouldn't be the only one to fall victim that day. During gym class, Crank was lifting weights. As he went to get a drink of water, the same noises happened, disturbing him. Crank shrugged it off and used his big dumbbell, only for it to make him crash through the ground. A big crash was heard along with a yell. It took the school some hours to dig Crank out of the ground. Luke ended up suffering a similar injury like Crank. He was busy trying to balance chemical formulas in beakers when a noise came and made it an explosive situation. Steven and Jennifer would be the last of the victims to suffer this.
A few hours later, Steven and Jennifer were climbing on top of the school with the ladder. The two of them had lost their school projects when a wind yanked those projects out of their hands, causing the projects to land of the top of the school roof. Steven and Jennifer passed its gray floors, red architecture, orange pillars, but they made it to the top of the school.
"Finally! Thought we would never make it!" Jennifer said in accomplishment.
"Hold on there, Jen. Don't you think there has been strange things happened around us?" Steven asked.
"What do you mean?" the tomboy asked.
"Ever since we got disturbed by some strange thing last night, things went for the weird. First, we didn't get much sleep, then Linka got hurt by some falling debris, followed by Crank and Luke falling through the floor, and an explosion at the school lab caused a big hole in the school! Because of that, the football game Crank was ready for ended up being cancelled!"
"You're right. That is pretty freaky." Jennifer said, as she and Steven picked up their projects. "I'd say we put a stop to whatever is making those noises!"
This was easier said than done. When the two kids grabbed their projects and headed to the ladder, the noise rumbled, causing the ladder to break. Steven and Jennifer screamed as they fell to the ground.
"Ouch. That hurt." Steven complained.
"You're telling me. We seriously have to stop that thing before we get killed!" Jennifer replied.
A few hours later at the elementary school, the Favorite Fives met behind the school. Compared to its colorful areas in the main school, it is a different story at the school's opposite side. It is mysterious since there are some rooms that have not been opened for years. The kids never knew what would be inside, but if there was anything to find out about the creature, they will be taking the risks for it.
"Guys, are you sure this is a good plan?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, are we even supposed to be behind here?" Linka added.
"Look, we all suffered injuries throughout the day, and I can't take it anymore! When we say we must do whatever it takes to stop that thing, we mean it!" Crank answered, with Jennifer agreeing.
"You sure we can't ask some adults for help?" Luke suggested.
"Already tried that. They don't seem to hear the noises around us. It might be that only we can hear them while the adults won't be able to sense them," Crank said.
Steven and Linka seemed unsure about this plan. They turned back to the others.
"Alright, let's do this," Steven said.
The Favorite Fives came across a locked door, which Linka was able to open with her hair clip. They came inside. They stared in wonder when they passed by the abandoned rooms. Some of them had some grass growing from the ground, and several computers could be seen, barely intact. Even some leaking water could be seen from the cracks of the walls.
"What kind of a school has a secret like this?" Steven asked.
"Maybe one that is all positive," Linka answered.
The Favorite Fives heard the same noise from the creature.
"There it is again! It must be here!" Steven announced.
What came as a result from that noise was tiny animals traveling from the rooms. Steven and the other kids saw some rats crawl past them, into some holes. Cockroaches fell from the walls, entering the cracks. It wasn't until they saw a clock, making weird movements with the hour hand and the minute hand. Jennifer walked to it and tried to fix it. A cuckoo-bird popped out and scared the ten-year-old tomboy.
"Augh!" she screamed.
Crank saw a shadow run past behind them. "Guys, there was a shadow behind us!"
"You think it could be the creature from last night?" Luke asked.
"Maybe. Let's go follow it!"
The five kids chased the creature in the abandoned rooms. On their way, Jennifer spotted a lever, so she threw her hat to activate it. Sticky syrup spilled in front of the creature, making it stuck. The kids got closer until they hopped on top of the creature. But as they got a look at the creature, they got wildly confused.
"What is that?" Steven asked.
"Looks like a dog combined with a bear," Linka said.
"You mean a boar?" Crank suggested.
"No! A boar is a different animal!" Luke answered. "This is… well, I honestly don't know what this animal is."
"This is one confusing day," Jennifer stated.
While the kids covered their ears due to the animal making noises again, the building started to crumble. It didn't help that the creature was trying to shake the Favorite Fives off, but they held on for dear life like using a mechanical bull. But what caused more trouble is that the creature started to run out of the rooms. Steven and the others kept clinging on. When they finally made it outside, the creature successfully threw the kids off him. Steven, Linka, Luke, Crank, and Jennifer screamed as they crashed through billboards. This ended up with them landing safely on a mattress.
"We survived?" Crank asked.
"We're not dead?" Luke also added.
The five cheered in victory, but it was short-lived, as the mattress squished them, and it was revealed to be a truck with a folding mattress for display. They groaned as the vehicle drove away.
A few days later, the group met at the treehouse. Although their neighborhood in Quiet Country was a cheerful, grassy plain landscape around them, the five's day was a different story. They had suffered some injuries ever since the creature kept disturbing them. And it had done nothing good to them. They were at wit's end.
"Guys, this creature has made our lives miserable," Steven said.
"You got that right. It's like a bad-luck charm, and we are cursed by it!" Jennifer replied.
"Yeah. The gyms kept closing when I got involved because the dumbbells started breaking the floors!" Crank complained.
"Not to mention that fires appeared in the forests!" Luke added.
"And our classmates have started to look and act differently, too! They act and look like they are rage-filled!" Linka said.
The five continued to talk about the topic until Luke had an idea. He whistled for the gang's attention.
"Guys, there can be one thing to try, but I need to know if you all are up to it,"
The others pondered at this suggestion. They came to an agreement.
"Alright, Luke. What have you got planned?" Steven asked.
Luke answered by pressing a button on a table. The floor opened, and out came a giant robot, looking like the creature.
"I call it the Zany-mal! This can help us deal with that creature once and for all!"
"Actually, it's our second encounter with it," Crank commented.
Luke deadpanned. "Alright, it will help us deal with that creature TWICE and for all,"
"How is this going to help us?" Linka asked.
"Simple! With this robot, we can make the creature think its their guardian! Once we get close to it, we can find out our answer!"
"You ever tested this thing?" Jennifer asked.
"Yeah. Luckily, it is safe! It even comes with an emergency exit and parachutes! Only took me couple of weeks to build," Luke answered.
Jennifer was confused. "How did it take you a few weeks to build this thing if we were only dealing with the creature for a few days?"
"Honestly, I didn't even know about the creature from the past week. I originally was going to submit this robot for a future science fair project at school. But now that we are suffering from that creature, I have no choice but to use this robot early to solve our problems."
The others stared at each other and thought about this. They looked at the boy.
"Luke, are you sure this idea won't fail?" Steven asked.
"Of course, this plan won't combust! I guarantee it!"
The kids stared at each other in silence. It was a few minutes before their decision was made. The Favorite Fives rushed inside the robot. They entered the body of it. It took a while for them to control it, but they successfully did it. With the robot, they jumped out of the top of the treehouse, but not before opening an area for them to leap. The kids adjusted the controls, and the mechanical animal started to hop.
"Now, if we were a creature, where would we be?" Jennifer asked.
With the others pondering, one of them suggested an answer.
"How about the city dump?" Crank suggested.
"Alright! City dump it is!" Steven said.
The Favorite Fives made their way to the city dump. By the time they got there, it was already dark out. The Quiet Country City Dump was like any ordinary dump. Foul stenches, huge trash heaps, burning fires, and heavy machinery.
"This place is really messy," Steven commented, with the other kids agreeing.
"Look!" Linka pointed. She and the others found out that the creature was in top of one of the machines. What set them off is that the creature extended its long tongue at the kids, surprising them.
"Is it trying to mess with us?" Luke asked.
"Don't know. But we should go catch it!" Crank stepped in.
"But how will we get it? Last tine we did that, we almost got killed!" Jennifer stated.
Luke controlled the robotic arm and pointed at themselves. The others grinned and took control. It was lucky for them that it was not raining. The robot took big steps closer to the creature. There was silence, and then the robot made a whistle. The creature responded. It was following the kids.
"It's working!" Linka said.
The robot continued to whistle, with the creature in tow. When they made it out of the dump, they grabbed the creature with one of the robot paws.
"Well, we got it," Luke stated.
"What can we do with it?" Steven asked.
"It's not like we can play with it," Crank said.
"How about we take it to one of those labs the professionals use?" Jennifer suggested.
The others agreed to that option. But while they were going to their next destination, thunder started to crash. Rain began to fall. The five kids weren't so lucky, as the robot started to malfunction.
"Luke! I thought you said this plan will work!" Steven shouted.
"I did! I didn't know it was going to rain!"
When the robot started to spew electric bits, the kids tried to make their way to the emergency exit, but it was too slippery. The robot ended up exploding, and the five got launched via the robot's head. Things took a turn for the worse as the five tumbled out of the wreckage, only to land into some buckets of wet cement, which were on a conveyor belt. The kids came to, but they were unable to pull themselves out of it. The conveyor belt led to a machine that crunches, smashes, burns, and demolishes garbage. The five quickly came up with a plan to escape this situation, and it was a convoluted one. First, Crank started to punch around the cement, allowing him some movement. Although his legs were still stuck together, he got off the conveyor belt.
"Alright, Crank! You know what to do the next!" Steven said.
Crank saluted as he hopped over to his friends on the belt. He reached over to Jennifer. The boy leaned over to stretch out his arm, which the tomboy grabbed. With a few amounts of pulls, Jennifer got out of the belt, but her head was now a cinder block due to her head being splashed with the cement. Crank had to help her find her directions. Jennifer rushed on over to get Luke out of the conveyor belt.
"Hold on, I'm coming, Luke!"
"Hurry up, Jen! We are halfway to the destruction area!"
Although the tomboy was unable to see thanks to the cinder block stuck on her head, she was still able to hear Luke's voice, therefore making her sense of direction be useful. With her cinder block head, Jennifer got Luke out of the belt. Jennifer and Crank had to stop to take their breath, so Luke had to chase his remaining two friends on the moving belt. He saw an abandoned construction truck. The genius hurried over and quickly got it to work.
"Come on, Luke! We are going to get killed!" Steven yelled.
Luke drove the truck to the conveyor belt. He pulled a lever, causing the truck's claw to lower. Linka managed to grab on, which pulled her out of the wet cement. Steven was the last one to save from the fate of being demolished. Luke kept driving the truck to the end of the conveyor belt. Just as the claw was going to grab Steven, the truck ended up losing its wheels since there were some sharp pieces of junk in its way. Deflating its tires made the truck go slower. Steven saw this happening before his very own eyes.
"Luke! Be careful!" Linka yelled.
Steven tried to kick his way out of the cement, but it was already starting to harden. He had to lean on one side to avoid the truck. While he did get off the conveyor belt, the truck ended up crashing on the end of it. The kids were unharmed. They got into a safe spot to check themselves.
"Is everyone all right?" Steven asked.
The others responded. However, they saw that the creature was behind them. They stared at it, until the creature stood on two legs. A zipper was heard, and its head fell off. The five kids were shocked to see that the creature was actually a gang of evil leprechauns.
"What?" the Favorite Fives were surprised.
The leprechauns started to get out of the costume of the creature. They all growled towards the five kids like zombies. They stepped forward to tear the kids apart, but the truck that Luke crashed ended up falling apart, crushing the leprechauns, sealing their fates. The five gawked in confusion.
"Does this mean…?" Steven said.
"All this time…?" Linka continued.
"The creature…?" Crank added.
"That we chased around for…?" Luke said.
"Was actually a gang of…?" Jennifer said.
"Leprechauns!" the Favorite Fives shouted in disbelief.
As the costume started to fall apart, a pot of gold landed on the ground. Steven and the others rushed to the gold pot and investigated.
"It's gold coins! And they are real!" Linka cried.
"I bet this has all the good luck for us on this pot!" Crank said.
Steven pondered about the decision on whether for them to take the pot of gold or to leave it behind. "Guys, we aren't going to keep this for ourselves."
The others stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? After all the stuff we went through?" Crank shouted.
"Even if we use this to heal ourselves of our bad luck thanks to the leprechauns, we might still have it with it us, and we can go mad with power with its luck,"
While the others stared at Steven in silence, Linka spoke up. "I agree with him. We got rid of the stuff that has been making us miserable. Using the power of this pot will make us go power hungry and mad!"
This convinced Jennifer and the others to eventually agree with their statement. The five kids decided to leave the pot of good luck where it was. On their journey home, the environment turned for the better. Shooting stars fell in the night sky. Water sprinklers sprang out from the grass. There were no loud noises occurring.
"This is one beautiful night," Steven concluded, as the others agreed.
The five separated one by one when they arrived at their neighborhood. While they were a bit damaged from this adventure, at least they were able to have their luck changed for the better. Hopefully their next adventures would not cause any heavy damage to them. After entering their houses, the five children got onto their beds and slept, making this a true good, quiet night in Quiet Country, Ohio.