Sheep Thrills
*After Drake and Josh successfully retrieve "Baab" the Sheep from the living room
Drake and Josh burst through their bedroom door, a wave of relief washing over them.
"We did it!" Josh exclaimed, his voice breathless as he pulled Baab, Megan's secret pet sheep, into their bedroom.
"Yeah," Drake panted, rushing to cradle Baab's baby lamb in his arms. Josh leaned against the door, gasping for air as he tried to regain his composure.
The two had just barely managed to smuggle the escaped sheep back up to their room before their parents could notice. It had been such a daunting and stressful task, but they successfully avoided getting caught red-handed with the sheep.
With both sheep safely corralled inside, Josh slammed the door shut and tied Baab's leash to the guardrail near the door to prevent any more escapes.
"You stay here with the baby and Baab," Josh instructed, his voice firm. "I'm gonna go downstairs and make sure Mom and Dad aren't suspicious."
But just as Josh flung open the door, he was met with a sight that sent a jolt of fear through his system. Audrey and Walter stood in the hallway, their faces etched with suspicion and disapproval. Josh let out a startled yelp before slamming the door shut again.
Drake, startled by the commotion, jumped up from the couch, clutching the baby lamb protectively.
"They're suspicious!" Josh cried, his voice laced with panic.
Audrey and Walter pushed open the door, ready to reprimand their sons for their erratic behavior. But before they could utter a word, a soft "baa" echoed through the room, stopping them in their tracks. Their eyes fell upon Baab, standing innocently at the foot of the stairs. Then, their gazes shifted to Drake, who was awkwardly cradling a tiny lamb in his arms. Josh, realizing the futility of hiding the evidence, tossed aside a pillow he had frantically grabbed in an attempt to hide the little lamb.
"Well, we came up here to ask why you guys are acting so strange tonight," Audrey began, her voice laced with concern as she cautiously descended the steps, her eyes fixed on the unexpected guest.
"But, uh, maybe a better question would be, um, why do you have two sheep in your room?" Walter finished, his tone a mix of bewilderment and disapproval.
Josh offered a nervous chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood. "Technically, the little one's called a lamb," he corrected, gesturing towards the fluffy creature in Drake's arms.
Drake, hoping to appeal to his parents' softer side, held up the lamb, its big, innocent eyes staring up at them.
"Josh..." Walter's voice held a warning note, his eyes fixed on his son with a stern expression.
Drake and Josh exchanged a defeated look. The jig was up. There was no use denying the undeniable evidence staring them in the face.
"Alright, you know what?! This is all Megan's fault!" Drake blurted out.
Audrey sighed, rolling her eyes. "Here we go again," she muttered, anticipating another round of sibling accusations.
"No, it really is!" Josh insisted. "Ok... She bought the big one online!"
"Yeah, then it gave birth on my bed!" Drake added, gesturing towards the lamb nestled in his arms.
"And the whole thing has been really upsetting!" Josh finished, his voice laced with exasperation.
Walter shot his sons a skeptical stare. "Ok... so, you want us to believe that a sweet little eleven-year-old girl somehow managed to go on the Internet and buy herself a pregnant sheep?"
"It does sound unlikely," Josh whispered to Drake, realizing his father's point. Drake shot his brother a slight glare.
"It's true!" Drake insisted, his voice rising in desperation.
"It's true!" Josh echoed. Suddenly, a light bulb flickered on in his brain. "In fact, we can prove it to you!"
Walter crossed his arms, his expression unwavering. "Oh really? And how do you plan to prove that?" he challenged, skepticism lacing his tone.
Josh's mind raced, the gears turning as he desperately sought a way out of this predicament. Megan, of course, would never confess.
"Her Internet history!" Josh blurted out, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, yeah! She's gotta still have the website where she bought Baab from saved on her computer!"
Drake's eyes lit up, mirroring his brother's excitement. "Yeah!"
"Come on!" Josh urged, ushering his parents towards the door. "Let's go check Megan's computer!"
Audrey and Walter, their curiosity piqued despite their lingering doubts, followed the boys down the hallway.
They burst into Megan's room, the door swinging open to reveal a surprisingly tidy space. Megan, thankfully, was nowhere to be found.
"Perfect," Drake muttered under his breath, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The coast is clear."
The boys beelined for Megan's desk, where her computer sat innocently, its screen darkened in sleep mode.
"There it is," Drake said, nodding towards the laptop.
"Yeah," Josh agreed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He nudged the mouse, awakening the computer from its slumber. A vibrant screensaver of a unicorn leaping over a rainbow against a candy-pink background filled the screen.
"Pfft, so innocent," Josh scoffed, rolling his eyes at the saccharine image. Drake chuckled in agreement.
Audrey and Walter exchanged skeptical glances. They vividly remembered a previous incident where the boys had barged into Megan's room, accusing her of hiding a stash of high-tech spy gadgets behind a poster. Their accusations had proven unfounded, leaving the boys with egg on their faces. This new claim, that Megan had secretly purchased a sheep online, seemed just as outlandish.
Josh, his brow furrowed in concentration, clicked on the web browser icon. With a practiced hand, he navigated to the history tab, a list of recently visited websites appearing on the screen.
"Here it is," he announced, his voice laced with anticipation. "The moment of truth." Drake leaned in, his grin widening.
Josh scrolled through the list, his eyes scanning the entries. Suddenly, he let out a triumphant whoop. "Ha! There it is!" He pointed at a link titled "Exotic Pets for Sale," a smug grin spreading across his face. "Mom, Dad, feast your eyes on this!" He stepped aside, gesturing towards the screen with a flourish.
Audrey and Walter leaned closer, their skepticism melting away as they saw the incriminating link.
"Oh my word," Audrey gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. "You boys might be onto something."
Walter, his curiosity piqued, took control of the mouse and clicked on the link. The webpage loaded, displaying a confirmation page for a recent purchase: one sheep, delivered to the Parker-Nichols' home address.
"Well, I'll be..." Walter stammered, his voice laced with disbelief. "You boys were right!"
"See?" Drake exclaimed, a triumphant glint in his eyes. "We told you!"
"Yeah," Josh chimed in, his chest puffed out with pride. "We've been trying to tell you this whole time!"
Just as the truth dawned on Audrey and Walter, Megan strolled into the room, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"What's going on in here?" she asked, her eyes darting between her parents and brothers.
Audrey and Walter turned to face their daughter, their expressions hardening as they crossed their arms.
"Megan Louise Parker," Audrey began, her voice stern, "you have a lot of explaining to do, young lady."
Megan feigned innocence, her eyes wide and innocent. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice a picture of confusion.
"Megan," Walter interjected, his tone firm and unwavering, "what's this about you buying a sheep?"
Megan froze, her carefully crafted facade crumbling. "Wha-what sheep?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know anything about a sheep."
Audrey and Walter exchanged a knowing glance before tilting their heads towards Drake, who was still cradling the baby lamb in his arms. The fluffy creature let out a soft bleat, as if to emphasize the undeniable truth of the situation.
"Uh... that...?" Megan stammered, her eyes darting nervously between the lamb and her parents. "I've never seen that lamb before in my life."
"Don't act all innocent, Megan," Josh scoffed, crossing his arms. "Just face it, you're busted."
"Yeah, we've got proof," Drake added, gesturing towards the computer screen.
Megan's gaze followed his finger, her heart sinking as she saw the incriminating webpage displayed on her laptop. "Uh... I can explain that!" she blurted out, her voice laced with desperation.
"How?" Audrey challenged, her arms crossed and her expression stern. "How do you explain this website being in your browser history?"
"Uh... well... uh... you see..." Megan fumbled for words, her usual quick wit failing her.
Drake and Josh exchanged triumphant grins, relishing this rare moment of victory over their cunning sister.
"Just face it, Megan," Drake taunted, a playful glint in his eyes. "You're caught red-handed."
"Yeah, there's no sweet-talking your way out of this one," Josh added, his voice laced with amusement.
Megan's shoulders slumped, her carefully constructed facade crumbling. "Okay, fine, I admit it," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I bought a sheep from that website."
"And we have a confession too," Josh whispered conspiratorially, leaning towards his brother. Drake nodded in agreement, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Megan, I thought we told you that you couldn't have a pet," Audrey said, her voice firm but patient. "We were very clear on that."
Megan, ever the cunning negotiator, tried to find a loophole. "You said I couldn't have a cat," she countered, "You didn't say I couldn't have a sheep."
"Megan..." Walter warned, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Audrey stepped in, her voice calm but authoritative. "Cat, sheep, it doesn't matter. No pets means no pets, regardless of the species."
Megan's frustration bubbled over. "But why can't I have a pet?!" she whined, stamping her foot.
"We've explained this before," Audrey said patiently. "Pets are a big responsibility. They require time, attention, and money. You're not ready for that kind of commitment."
"And the fact that you went behind our backs and disobeyed us is very disappointing," Walter added, his expression reflecting his disapproval.
Megan hung her head, a mix of defeat and frustration swirling within her. Drake and Josh, meanwhile, exchanged a triumphant high-five, relishing this rare moment of justice.
"We will talk about this later, young lady," Walter said, his voice firm but controlled. "You are in big trouble."
Megan slumped onto her bed, burying her face in her hands. She felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her, not just for getting caught, but for the sheer stupidity of not clearing her browser history. If she had just taken that one simple precaution, she would have been scot-free.
Audrey and Walter turned to Drake and Josh, their expressions softening with sympathy. "We're sorry we almost didn't believe you, boys," Walter apologized.
"It's okay, Dad," Josh said with a forgiving smile. "It just feels good to have this all cleared up."
"Yeah, totally," Drake agreed, nodding in agreement.
Audrey's gaze fell upon the adorable lamb nestled in Drake's arms. "About these sheep..." she began, "I think it's best we donate them to a place that can properly care for them."
"Yes," Walter concurred. "There's a petting zoo that opened up recently, just a few blocks away. That would be a much better environment for them."
Josh nodded. "I agree," he said. "Our room isn't exactly equipped for livestock." He shuddered, remembering the disastrous mess Baab had made a few days prior, the image of his poor Oprah Winfrey cutout all chewed up burned into his mind. "A petting zoo would be much better. Wouldn't you agree, Drake?"
Drake glanced at the lamb, a pang of sadness tugging at his heart. He had grown fond of the little creature. But he knew, logically, that a petting zoo was a more suitable home.
"Yeah..." he agreed reluctantly.
"Okay," Audrey said, turning to her husband. "We should probably call the petting zoo then, dear."
Walter nodded. "Absolutely."
As Audrey and Walter exited the room, Drake and Josh followed, their eyes lingering on Megan for a moment. She returned their gaze with a scowl that could curdle milk, sending shivers down their spines. Clearly, she was already plotting her revenge.
But for now, the boys basked in their victory. Megan had been held accountable for her actions, and that was a win in their book. They hoped this experience would teach her a valuable lesson about honesty and responsibility. But knowing Megan, they wouldn't be surprised if she found a way to turn this into yet another elaborate prank.