We're getting into the big ones now! This one's based around the episode "Out of House and Home," aka the first part of the first Season 1 finale. I say "first "Season 1 finale," because this feels just as much like a season finale as the actual finale, "Molly vs. The Ghost World." It's almost as if they meant this one to be the Season 1 finale and "Molly vs. The Ghost World" the Season 2 finale, but decided last minute to include both. Either way, I think "Molly vs. The Ghost World" is the better finale.
As for this episode, I liked it okay. Seeing Scratch act like a mom was pretty hilarious and it ties into the more motherly side of Stretch's character, which we see in "3 Ghosts and a Baby." I also like the song, a nice little parody of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." It's a good episode, just not as good as its second part or once again, the real Season 1 finale.
One a side note, did anyone else find it weird this episode wasn't aired or produced before the actual Season 1 finale? It's just odd to me that they didn't put the two most impactful episodes back-to-back in the production order and had a regular episode sandwiched between them. And yes, I checked, this one came directly before "Scaring is Caring/All-Night Plight." Oh well. Let's just get into it.
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: Muahahahahahaaaa!
Molly: Can't believe you're all mine
Fatso: Uh, what?
Molly: You and me for all time
Stretch: No way!
Molly: I'm never, ever, EVER gonna be alone again
Stinkie: This stinks!
Molly: It's just you three and me
Fatso: For all eternity?!
Molly: For all ETERNITY!
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: NOOOO!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: It's the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Fatso: We've been cursed!
Stinkie: It's the worst!
Molly: Now you're stuck with me
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're never gonna be apart
Stretch: Is there a way to hit 'restart'?
Molly: Nope!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Molly: That's me!
Stinkie: Well, that's she. Hee, hee, hee!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Fatso: Oh yeah!
Chapter 35
The Home Stretch
It was a rather relaxing day in Molly's house, which was a rarity for the McGee family. But after the chaotic adventures they had had recently, they decided it would be nice to spend a day doing mundane activities for a change. Molly, Pete, Darryl, and the Ghostly Trio were in the living room, the former writing in her journal, and the latter four playing a game of "Go Fish."
"Hey, Dad?" Darryl said. "Got any 4's?"
"Nope! Go fish, Darryl." Pete instructed. "Fatso? Got any kings?"
"Nope! Go fish, Petey!"
Pete noticed a few cards floating in Fatso's ectoplasm.
"Yeah, nice try." he reached in and grabbed them.
"Aww…curse my see-through skin!" Fatso whined.
Just then, Sharon came into the room holding a cardboard box.
"Guys! Check out what I found!"
"…It's a box." Stretch noted blankly. "Big deal."
"Big whoop." Stinkie added.
"Big girls don't cry!" Fatso sang while dressed as a woman.
"Wanna bet?" Stretch transformed into a hammer and whacked Fatso on the head.
"Ow…" tears fell from the biggest ghost's eyes. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to…"
Molly shook her head playfully at how silly her supernatural besties were.
"Wait, that's not just any box!" she realized. "It's our very last moving box!"
"Yep!" Sharon set it down on the coffee table. "It was in the basement behind some counterfeit Renaissance paintings! We'll talk about those later, Darryl."
"They're actually from the Romanticism period." Darryl corrected. "Uh, I mean…whaaaat?"
"Anyway," Sharon continued. "Once we unpack this baby, we'll be officially moved into our forever home!"
"Uh, I believe ya mean 'our forever home.'" Stretch claimed, referring to himself and his brothers.
"Ya never thanked us for lettin' ya stay, by the way." Fatso mentioned.
"Yeah, and you're lucky that stinkin' curse is keepin' ya here," Stinkie smirked. "'Cause otherwise, ya'd be out on the streets."
Molly scoffed. "Stinkie, we all know that's not true. You guys are letting us stay here because you love us."
The Trio shuddered.
"Please…don't say the 'L' word." Stretch gagged.
Molly scooped up the box. "Okay, McGees! Get ready to be nomads no more!"
DING-DONG!
"Oh!" Pete went. "That might be my free Midwest Monthly swag bag! Start without me!"
With that, the father of two went to answer the door and standing outside on the front porch was the infamous magician Irving the Illusionist.
"Good afternoon, neighbor!" he bowed. "It's your lucky day! Because just like this seven of spades…"
He held out a playing card and flicked it, making it disappear. Pete gasped, clearly impressed by the display.
"Wow! Where did it go?"
He stuck his head into Irving's sleeve, but Irving ignored it.
"I can make your troubles disappear!" he finished.
"Troubles? What troubles?" Pete asked, not noticing the card falling out of Irving's jacket.
"Storms are coming," Irving explained as he sprayed Pete with the flower on his coat. "And the rain can do a lot of damage to your home. Behold!" he gestured his arms upward. "The gunk in your gutters!"
Pete looked up and saw that the gutters were filled with old leaves, trash, and other stuff.
"Yikes." he cringed. "In that case, I would be happy to let you make my gunk disappear!"
"And I shall!" Irving held out a few more cards, these ones with numbers on them. "For the low, low price of…$300!"
Pete burst out laughing. "Good one! You're not only a great magician, but a great comedian!"
Irving laughed as well, but then his expression turned serious and he took off his hat. "Ha, ha! No, but honestly, magic doesn't pay the bills these days…"
"I hear ya." Pete nodded. "And I wish I could help, but we don't have that kind of extra cash laying around. So, how's about you make yourself disappear and I'll clean out the gutters myself? Looking forward to your next performance!"
Irving only groaned and walked away defeatedly. Pete then got out a ladder and climbed up to the gutters.
"Sheesh, maybe $300 isn't too unreasonable. These look like they haven't been cleaned in…well, forever! Oh well. Better get to work."
Back inside, the other McGees were nearly finished unpacking their last moving box.
"Yuck," Stretch grumped as Molly set down another potted plant. "I can see why ya never unpacked this box. Who even likes puttin' plants in their house?"
"I do!" Stinkie answered. "But only if they're smelly. Hee, hee, hee!"
Stretch rolled his eyes. "How much stuff is left in there anyway?"
"We're almost done!" Molly announced. "Just one last thing! Fatso? Drum roll, please."
Fatso rapped on his belly as if it were a drum.
Molly reached into the box and pulled out a golden tree knickknack. "Ta-da! I give you…the very last chachki!"
"What the heehaw?" Stinkie exclaimed.
"Ooh, I remember this!" Sharon took the statue from Molly. "It's from Grandma Nin's last visit to Thailand. I know just where to put it!"
"In the garbage where she found it?" Stretch joked.
"Got 'em!" Stinkie high-fived Stretch.
Fatso had his head phased through the window. "Hey, speakin' of garbage, what's Pete doin' to our perfectly uncleaned gutters?"
Stretch and Stinkie stuck their heads out the window as well.
"Looks like he's tryin' to clean 'em!" Stinkie observed.
"Clean 'em? Not on our watch!" Stretch declared.
The Trio flew outside.
"Hey, bone bag!" Stretch called to Pete. "Who the heck do ya think you are, uncloggin' our cluttered gutters?!"
"Yeah!" Stinkie agreed. "You got any idea how long it took us to make 'em that revoltin' and malodorous? Months!"
"Fleshies. They got no respect for nothin'!" Fatso shook his head.
Pete turned to them. "Sorry, fellas! I understand you have a system around here, but you gotta remember, the living outnumber the non-living in this house! And speaking as one of the living, I'd prefer to stay living by addressing this safety hazard!"
Stretch glared. "I'll show you a safety hazard…"
The ghoul snapped his fingers, and just like that, the ladder Pete was standing on vanished.
"Gah!"
Pete grabbed onto the railing for dear life and Stretch laughed at his misfortune.
"What's wrong, McGee? Yer lookin' drained! Hahahaha!"
Stinkie and Fatso, however, didn't laugh.
"Hey, isn't that takin' it a little too far?" Fatso lectured.
"Yeah, I don't want 'im to clean the gutters either, but that looks dangerous." Stinkie worried.
Stretch shrugged. "Aw, he'll be fine. He's got a good enough grip. Besides, I'm sure he can get himself down."
That's when a few birds flew over to Pete and started pecking his hands.
"Ow! Ow! Stop that! Shoo! Go away! WAH!"
Eventually, Pete's fingers came loose and he came crashing to the ground. The Trio winced at how painful the fall looked.
"Uh…see?" Stretch chuckled nervously. "He got down okay."
Molly, Darryl, and Sharon, having heard the crash, rushed outside.
"Pete!" Sharon cried.
"Uh…are arms supposed to bend like that?" Darryl wondered before snapping a picture.
"Dad! Are you okay?" Molly asked.
Pete sat up, covered in bruises. "Oh yeah, I'm fine!"
"See? Told ya!" Stretch boasted to his brothers.
Pete tried to stand. "Just give me a sec and I'll-OW!" a cracking sound came from his body and he writhed on the ground. "Never mind! I'm in agony! AGONY!"
Sharon got out her phone. "That's it! I'm calling an ambulance!"
One trip to the hospital later, and the McGees returned home. Pete now had his arm in a cast and his hand bandaged up. Sharon helped him over to the couch and laid him down on the pillow.
"Sharon…" he whined. "It huuurrrts…"
Sharon kissed her husband's broken arm. "Shh, just relax, honey. It's gonna be okay. Now, how exactly did this happen?"
"I was outside cleaning the gutters, when all of a sudden, my ladder disappeared! Almost as if by magic!"
"Magic?" Molly snarled. "By any chance, was that snake Irving the Illusionist here?"
"Yes, actually. But he had already left, you see. The only other ones outside at the time were the Trio. And they seemed kinda upset that I was trying to ungunk their gutters."
Sharon shot the Trio a harsh glare.
"Don't look at us!" Stinkie insisted. "It was Stretch's idea!"
"Yeah, we had nothin' to do with it!" Fatso pleaded. "Honest! Cross our hearts and hope to die again!"
"Stretch…care to explain?" Sharon scolded.
Stretch gulped. "Okay, so maybe I took his ladder away…but it was just a little joke!"
"Well, that 'little joke' nearly cost Pete his life!"
Darryl took a look at the hospital bill. "Not to mention $27, 714."
"WHAT?!" Sharon read over the bill. "That can't be right! $700 for an ambulance trip to Mewline?! It's only 30 miles away! And $60 for…'continues on page 16'…GAUZE?! Gauze should only cost 70 cents, tops! How are we gonna pay for all this?! Oh, that's it! Stretch, you may be dead already, but I'm gonna make you deader!"
"Sharon, calm down!" Pete reassured her. "I have insurance, remember? That should cover most of it."
"This total is after insurance!"
Sharon showed Pete the papers and sure enough, they read that his insurance only covered 19 cents of the total bill.
"AAAGH!" Pete yelped. "Take me back to the hospital! I'm having a heart attack!"
Sharon grabbed Stretch by the arms.
"Now where we we?" she threatened.
Stretch slipped free. "Whoa, whoa! Let's not do anything we might regret now!"
"Regret nothing…" Sharon said ominously.
"Listen, I got the perfect solution! How's about we just not pay the bill and flee the country instead? Darryl's got tons of wigs and dossiers with fully-fleshed out backstories! Right, D-Man?"
Darryl retrieved a suitcase, a wig, a pair of sunglasses, and a stack of documents.
"You know it, Stretch-Mark! From now on, if anyone asks, we're the Templetons from Poughkeepsie."
"No!" Molly refused. "We can't give up on our forever home! All we have to do is raise more money! And if we all pitch in, I'm sure we can do it! I'll help by holding a bake sale with my secret ingredient cupcakes!"
"And I'll eat all the ones that don't sell!" Fatso volunteered.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" Darryl ditched the wig. "I've got a ton of exotic plants that I can sell!"
"Ooh, do they stink?" Stinkie hoped.
"Eh, no. But they do bite…"
Sharon facepalmed, but chose not to comment. She took out a pen and did some calculations on the back of the bill.
"Okay, Molly. If you and Fatso sell cupcakes, and Darryl and Stinkie sell…semi-dangerous plants…plus if we include Dad's sick leave and me tripling my Gig Pig workload…" she gasped. "I think we can make enough to pay this thing off! Maybe…I hope…"
"Don't count me out, honey!" Pete chimed in. "Someone's gonna have to take care of the house while you all are working hard and I'd be more than happy to-AAAGH! The agony!"
"Oh no, no, no!" Sharon pushed him back down. "You are not going to do anything except rest, Pete. Leave the caring of the house to Stretch."
"Say what now?" Stretch replied.
"You heard me. Since you're the reason we're in this mess in the first place, the least you can do is do all of Pete's chores for him."
Stretch laughed. "Yer jokin' right?"
"Nope! And since the rest of us will be too busy, you'll also be responsible for looking after Pete and bringing him everything he needs."
"No way! Do I look like a maid to you?" Stretch morphed into a maid outfit, complete with a feather duster. "That's a rhetorical question, don't answer it."
Sharon crossed her arms sternly. "It's high time you took some responsibility, Stretch. You're not getting out of this!"
Stretch got in her face. "Obviously, I didn't make myself clear the first time. So I'll shorten my answer to just one word…fug-ged-a-boud-it!"
Molly smirked, as she got an idea. "Aw, he's right, Mom. We shouldn't force him to do anything. I don't think he can handle taking care of the whole house anyway. It's way too hard of a job for someone like him."
Stretch was offended. "Whaddya mean 'someone like me'?! Ya think I can't do it?!"
"I know you can't." Molly snickered.
"Says you! If I wanted to, I could be the best housekeeper this side of Brighton!"
"Oh really? Why don't you prove it to us then? Think you can do all of the chores and take care of Dad for a whole week?"
"Ha! Is that all? I could do it for two!"
"Sure it won't be too hard for you?"
"What's so hard about it? I pick up a sock here and there, fluff some pillows…it'll be easy-peasy-McGeezy!"
"Hey, not bad!"
"Thanks! I came up with it myself!"
Fatso whispered to Stinkie. "Huh. I thought for sure I came up with it first. I even wrote it down in my diary." he took out a tiny book and opened it to a page, only to find it had been torn out.
"Well McGees, what are we waiting for?" Molly encouraged. "Let's make some dough! Or in my case…batter!"
So, for the next week, the whole family did their part to earn money for the hospital bill. Molly and Fatso baked cupcakes, Darryl and Stinkie picked some carnivorous plants, Sharon picked up some extra Gig Pig jobs, and Stretch did all of the housework. The only one not working was Pete, due to his broken arm, but he still contributed by giving Stretch plenty to do.
"Stretch…" Pete whined from the couch and Stretch reluctantly fluffed his pillow.
Everybody's helping, lending a hand
Gonna make a little money any way they can
And they won't stop until they've paid the bill
She's taking every gig, no matter how demeaning
They cook while he does the cleaning
And he just needs to keep his left arm still
Pete swatted a fly that had landed on his cast. "AGONNNYYY!"
When they all pitch in
Oh, the money starts accruing
When they all pitch in
They'll stave off financial ruin
He's parting ways with his deadliest bouquets
Except for him, they all pitch in
Until they're back in the black again
They all pitch in
"Okay, people! Let's move it!" Stretch ordered, handing the McGees their lunches as they headed out the door for school/work. "Sooner ya leave, the sooner I get a break!"
Once they were gone, Stretch slammed the door and slunk against the floor.
"Boy…this housekeepin' stuff is harder than I thought…" he crawled toward the kitchen. "But at least it's done! Now to relax…"
As soon as he opened his eyes, however, he was horrified to see cupcake batter splattered all over the walls and cupboards, as well as dozens of dirty dishes in the sink.
"Oh c'mon! Don't they know how to manage their own workspace?! They musta left it like this on purpose to spite me! There's no other explanation as to why they would behave like such uncivilized animals!" Stretch tugged on his eyelids in frustration. "Can things get any worse?!"
"Stretch!" Pete called from the living room. "I can't reach my oatmeal!"
Stretch groaned. "When will I learn to never ask that?"
Meanwhile at school, Molly had set up a table in the hallway to sell her homemade cupcakes, some of which Fatso had helped himself to.
"That's right, ladies and gentlemen!" she said through a megaphone. "I got vanilla! I got chocolate! I got rainbow sprinkles! And every cupcake is made with my secret ingredient…"
Molly handed a cake to her classmate Sheela, and she took a bite.
"Yuck! Salt!" Sheela spat it out and walked away.
"What? No! The secret ingredient is joy!"
Molly grabbed a cupcake to try for herself and nearly threw up upon eating it.
"Blech! Pah! Oh, sweet baby corn! I always get the salt and the sugar mixed up!"
Fatso, on the other hand, continued to eat his cupcakes as if nothing was wrong.
"I dunno what yer complainin' about. These are a hit for me!" he ate another one. "Though I always did prefer salty over sweet."
Molly only facepalmed in frustration.
Across the way, Darryl was hanging by his locker when Sheela walked by.
"Psst! Hey you! Over here! Want something better than an oversalted cupcake? Look no further…"
He opened his locker, revealing what looked like a jungle of exotic flora inside. One of the plants snatched the cupcake out of Sheela's hands.
"Aw, it's so cute!" Sheela picked it up. "So unique! So…"
Just then, the plant belched in her face.
"Eww! Stinky!"
Sheela handed the flytrap back to Darryl and ran away. Stinkie phased through the locker.
"Did someone say my name?"
"Dude, what did you do to my plants?!" Darryl scolded. "I was about to make a sale!"
"Oh. I gave 'em a few…let's call 'em enhancements."
"Enhancements?! They stink so bad they're attracting flies! Nobody's gonna want 'em now!"
"Aw, don't say that." Stinkie put a hand on Darryl's shoulder. "Who knows? We may get lucky and find some kid who has a cold!"
"Forget it!" Darryl slammed his locker shut. "The only reason people would pay for these now is if they wanted to get rid of them!" he beamed. "Hey…there's an idea…"
Back at home, Stretch had finally finished cleaning the entire kitchen.
"And…done!" he wiped some ectoplasmic sweat from his forehead and relaxed into the empty sink. "Maybe now I can get a few minutes for myself. Time to rest in peace…"
"Streeetch!" Pete called.
"Oh c'mon!" Stretch threw his arms up in exasperation.
The grumpy ghost floated into the living room, where Pete was digging a pencil under his cast.
"What the heck are ya doin'?"
"I've got an itch on my arm and I can't reach it!"
Suddenly, the pencil snapped in half.
"Aww…" Pete moaned. "You gotta get in there and scratch it for me."
"Uh, last time I checked, my name was 'Stretch,' not 'Scratch.'" Stretch turned his back on the ailing man.
"C'mon, please? It itches really bad!"
"Nuh-uh! I've been breakin' my back all day without a single moment of respite!" Stretch demonstrated by tearing his back off his body. "I only got a half hour before the rest of the fam gets home and when they do, I gotta make dinner, mow the lawn, and take out all the trash! I don't got time to tend to your trivial issues!"
"Oh…okay." Pete frowned. "I understand. You've got enough to do already. I just figured since you're the one who did this to me, that it's only right you try to make up for it. But I guess you don't care."
Stretch looked back in Pete's direction. "Are you guilt-trippin' me?
"Maybe. Why? Is it working?"
"No."
Pete's eyes filled with tears.
"How about now?" he sniffled.
Stretch tried to look away, but his conscience took over and he relented.
"Fine…"
With that, he shrunk down and flew inside Pete's cast. Once he was inside, he was met with long, sticky arm hairs, lots of sweat, and a terrible odor.
"Ugh!" he tied up his nose to avoid breathing it in and started scratching Pete's arm. "I see Stinkie's got some competition…how close are we to payin' that bill, by the way?"
"Oh, I'd say we're pretty close…ish." Pete estimated. "Uh, a little to the left. A little more. There we go! That's the spot…thanks a lot, Stretch!"
Stretch stuck his head out of the cast. "The things I do for this family."
A bit later and the school day had come to an end. Molly and Darryl had gotten rid of all their cupcakes and plants respectively and met up in the hall to count their earnings.
"Well, I did it!" Molly began. "I sold all of my cupcakes! Were they edible? Only to Fatso. But it doesn't matter! Because they belong to science now!"
As it turns out, the kids in the science club had bought the cupcakes to use as ammo for their handmade catapult. After being loaded in, the sickening sweets were launched into the air, where a murder of crows devoured them.
"Yay!" the kids cheered.
"Take that, salty cupcakes!" Sheela boasted.
Another batch was launched and the crows prepared to eat that one too, until Fatso showed up and scared them away. He opened his mouth and caught all the cakes in his mouth.
"Ahh…ya gotta love gravity."
"Stinkie and I got rid of all my plants, too." Darryl told Molly, holding up a full jar of money. "And we made quite a bit of cash."
"Really? But I thought the plants were tainted with Stinkie's bad breath enchantment and nobody wanted to buy one?"
"Oh, we didn't make the money from selling the plants. We got it from selling our services to remove the plants."
"Remove them from where exactly?" Molly raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What did you do?"
"Darryl!" Principal O'Connor came out of nowhere. "There's a disgusting, burping flytrap growing out of the yard in front of the school! It's creating a hazardous air quality! I hear you specialize in weed removal! I'll pay handsomely!"
Darryl grinned cheekily. "You've come to the right person, Principal O'Connor. Now, uh, define 'handsomely'…"
Later that night, the family sat down to eat a meal that Stretch had prepared all by himself. However, the lanky spirit was quick to notice that one chair was empty.
"I see Sharon didn't even bother to come home for dinner." he grumped. "Guess it's clear her family is at the bottom of her priority list."
"C'mon Stretch," Molly lectured while eating. "She's probably just out late Gig-Pigging. It's hard work, you know."
"Hard work?! I'll tell you what's hard work! Spendin' hours slavin' over a hot stove that nearly burned off my hand!" he held up his right hand which was charred black.
"Right…" Molly pushed her nearly-full plate aside. "Well, I'm done."
Darryl, Stinkie, and Fatso did the same.
"Me too."
"Me three."
"Me…whatever comes after three."
"What?! You've gotta be kiddin'!" Stretch got up from his seat. "I wasted a good deal of my afterlife cookin' you wasteful wimps this homemade meal! The least ya can do is sit at the table and converse! Did ya even notice I piped the mashed potatoes into skull shapes?" he picked up the bowl of potatoes, showing off his work.
"Sorry, Stretch." Molly apologized. "But we gotta make more cupcakes! With sugar this time."
"Think we could make one more batch with salt? Just for me to eat?" Fatso requested.
"And we got a ton of more plants to enchant with bad breath and leave in people's yards." Darryl explained. "And maybe afterward, print up some advertisements to conveniently place on those same people's doors. What do ya think, Stinkman?"
"You do the thinkin', I'll do the stinkin'!" Stinkie stated proudly.
Annoyed, Stretch dropped the potatoes onto the table. He then heard the sound of Pete groaning, as the poor injured fellow was struggling to eat with his right arm.
"Stretch…I'm having trouble eating with my non-dominant hand! Will you feed me?"
"Seriously? I already dug through yer disgustin' cast!" Stretch complained. "Just dump it in yer mouth like Fatso does."
"Oh. Okay." Pete faked sadness. "Even though it was your practical joke that got me hurt, I suppose I can manage myself." he bent down to lick some mashed potatoes off his plate only to throw his back out. "AGONY!"
Stretch sighed and picked up Pete's plate, scooping up the potatoes. "Well, at least you appreciate my cookin'. Okay, open up."
"Uh…think you can do the thing, too?"
"Really? You're pushin' it."
"Ow! My arm! It hurts!"
"Fine! Fine…" Stretch cleared his throat and held out the fork. "Open up the tunnel! Here comes the choo-choo! Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga…"
Pete opened his mouth and chewed his food happily like a child.
That night, Sharon finally made it home after a long day of Gig Pigging. It was nearly midnight by the time she got back, so she opened the door quietly and tiptoed as to not disturb anyone. When she came into the living room, however, the light switched on and she saw Stretch waiting for her in a chair.
"There you are! Do you have any idea what time it-" he paused when he realized Sharon was wearing a clown costume and he burst out laughing. "Well, I kinda figured you were out clownin' around, but not like this! Hey, did ya have to take one of those tiny cars home? How do ya fit in those anyway? And ya really should see a doctor about yer nose." he squeezed Sharon's fake red nose. "It's so swollen it's startin' to squeak! Hahahahaha!"
Sharon rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just get 'em all out now."
"Wait, one more, one more. I really hope no one takes yer place some day…'cause they got some awfully big shoes to fill! Hahahahaha!" Stretch wiped a tear from his eye. "Okay, I'm done. Now where was I? Oh yeah! Where have you been?! The kids and I were worried sick!"
"Sorry, Mom. Er, I mean, Stretch." Sharon shook her head. "It's been one of those days. But I'm home now, aren't I?"
Just then, her phone went off and she took it out to read a notification from Gig Pig.
"And…I got another job." she dug through the closet, removed her clown costume, and came out wearing a cowboy hat and holding a baseball bat. "Sorry, gotta go!"
"Are you kiddin'? You just got home, Sharon!" Stretch berated her as she stepped out the door. "You get back here, young lady! You set one foot outside of this house and you're in big trouble, ya hear me? I'll give ya to the count of three! One…two…"
But Sharon ignored him and slammed the door behind her. The noise ended up waking up Pete, who had been asleep on the couch.
"What was that?" he sat up, causing a pain in his broken arm. "Owww!"
"Great. And she woke the baby!" Stretch lifted Pete into his arms and rocked him back and forth. "It took me forever to get 'im to sleep!"
Things didn't get any easier for Stretch the next morning. He was practically flying back and forth around the kitchen, trying to pack the family's lunches and make them breakfast at the same time. It was so much work for him, he had to grow an extra pair of arms to get it all done, and even still, he was struggling. To make matters worse, the other McGees kept calling him every two minutes.
"Stretch!" Darryl yelled from upstairs. "Where are my shoes?"
"Check under yer pillow!" Stretch answered, unintentionally squeezing mustard onto a stack of pancakes.
Fatso came into the room.
"Hey Stretch, I know yer already makin' pancakes for breakfast, but I think I'd rather have waffles."
Stretch snarled at him. "Too bad! This ain't a restaurant and you'll eat what I give ya!"
He shoved the mustard-coated pancakes into Fatso's mouth.
"Mm!" Fatso swallowed them. "On second thought, this is good."
Stinkie entered next. "Stretch? The toilet's clogged up."
"How?!" Stretch screamed. "You're a ghost! Ghosts don't use the bathroom!"
"Stretch!" Pete wailed. "I have another itch!"
"Kinda busy in here!" Stretch replied, wiping up a stain on the kitchen floor.
Fatso sniffed. "Hey, you smell somethin'?"
"Oh. Sorry." Stinkie blushed.
"No, no. Like…somethin' burnin'?"
Beebeebeebeebeebeep!
The sound of the smoke alarm alerted Stretch to his now-burning pancakes.
"Gah!"
Quickly, he used one hand to grab a carton of milk and dumped it onto the flaming pan. With the other hand, he continued to make sandwiches for the family's lunches, accidentally spreading mayonnaise all over the counter. Meanwhile, his extra arms tried to beat some eggs in a bowl, only for it to fall onto the floor, splattering yolks everywhere. Eventually, Stretch was so stressed out about the situation, that he literally fell apart.
"That's it! I can't take no more!" he pulled himself together. "I was wrong! This ain't easy-peasy McGeezy! It's a nightmare! And not the good kind either!" he pressed his face into his hands and started bawling. "Make it stop! Make it stoooooop!"
Stinkie and Fatso exchanged glances.
"Sheesh. I can't stand to see a grown ghoul cry."
"Motherhood. It's both the greatest job and the hardest job."
Suddenly, Sharon stepped in, looking tired and dizzy. She faceplanted onto the floor, holding the "hospital bill" jar in her hands. The jar was now filled to the brim.
"We did it…" she announced. "We made enough money to pay the hospital bill in full!"
Stretch stopped crying. "Wait…really?"
Molly, Darryl, and Pete joined Sharon and the ghosts.
"We paid the bill?" Molly anticipated.
"All right!" Darryl cheered. "We rock!"
"Way to go, McGees!" Pete fist pumped, hurting his arm again. "Ow!"
Stretch breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Chairman! Takin' care of you maddenin' McGees was way harder than I thought it would be. I never wanna do it again!"
"Well, maybe next time you'll think twice before you pull a prank while one of us is on the roof." Sharon retorted with a smile. "But thank you for all your hard work, Stretch."
"Yeah, Stretch," Pete reassured him. "I forgive you for what you did."
"Good." Stretch took off the apron he was wearing. "In that case, somebody else can make the pancakes, 'cause I am due for a dirt nap!"
Fatso raised his hand. "Ooh, I want mustard on mine!"
"Has anyone told you that you have weird taste in food?" Stinkie mentioned.
"Has anyone told you you have a weird appreciation for unappealin' odors?" Fatso quipped.
"Touché."
After they ate breakfast, the McGees took their earnings to the bank to cash a check. Then, they returned home and Sharon put the check into the mailbox.
"Well, another day, another averted crisis." she pulled the others into a hug. "Good job, McGees!"
"Aw, it was nothin'!" Stretch shrugged.
"It was cake!" Stinkie claimed.
"It was easy-peasy McGeezy!" Fatso added.
"Hey, that's my thing!" Stretch accused.
Fatso held out his missing diary entry. "Is it?"
Ghostly Trio and Molly-
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
The family turned to their front yard where a lady in a business suit was hammering a sign into the ground. The sign read: "For sale-Candace Green Realtor" and above it was another sign that read "Open house."
"Um, excuse me?" Sharon spoke up. "What are you doing?"
Pete came over and read the sign. "There must be a mistake. We're not looking to sell."
The woman, known as Candace Green, just laughed.
"Oh, there's no mistake! The house got repossessed by the bank because you didn't pay your mortgage! See for yourself!"
She handed Sharon an envelope with the words "Final Notice" printed on it in red.
"Oh no…" Sharon worried. "We were so focused on the hospital bill, we completely forgot about the mortgage!"
"Wait…does this mean…we have to leave our forever home?" Molly whimpered.
Sharon didn't say anything, but the others knew the answer already. Soon, the McGees had all of their things packed into boxes, which they put into a trailer they had rented and attached to their car.
"Hey, don't worry about a thing!" Stretch told the saddened family. "We'll make sure nobody buys this house! If anybody thinks about it, we'll scare the snot outta of 'em!"
"They probably won't wanna go near it anyway," Stinkie suggested. "Not after I've clearly marked my territory. Heh, heh!"
"We'll keep the fridge plugged in so none of the food gets ruined either!" Fatso promised. "Whatever's left of the food, anyway. Ghoul's gotta eat."
"Thanks, you guys." Molly gave them a solemn smile, tears falling down her face. "I love you…oops! Sorry, Stretch. Didn't mean to use the 'L' word."
"Nah, that's okay." Stretch hugged her, along with Stinkie and Fatso. "We…love ya too…"
At that moment, Sharon came over and guided Molly to the car. The 12-year-old girl looked out her window to wave goodbye to the Trio one last time and then…the van drove away. The Trio remained outside until the car was out of their sight and when it was, they retreated to their now-empty attic.
"Aw, who needs those guys anyway?" Stretch asked with teary eyes.
"Not us, that's for sure…" Stinkie sniveled. "After all, friendship stinks…"
"We don't need nobody…" Fatso sobbed. "'Cause we got each other…right, guys?"
"Shut up, Fatso…" Stretch and Stinkie grumbled.
With their found family no longer around, the Trio could do nothing except bury themselves in a cobweb hammock and cry. They had lost everything. Their perfect home. Their happiness. And most of all, their best friend…
To be concluded…
And if you thought that was sad, just wait until I get to "The End."
Anyway, remember to leave a review telling me your thoughts and I'll see you guys in part 2!