((Commander sits down to write last chapter, but she suddenly jumps up and yells in pain.) AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I've got a REALLY BAD SUNBURN! And it HURTS! BAD! And no, I did not put sunscreen on and yes, it was on purpose! I wanted the sunburn on my lower arms to match the rest of my body. The good news: My body matches now. The bad news: AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! This is the most painful sunburn I have experienced in my sixteen years of existence. Well, don't expect to hear from me the rest of the summer, cause I'll be really busy. Hey, guess what? At Job's last week I got a certificate for being Jobie of the Term, which means that I've been to the most meetings and servings and other Jobie related things. I had NO CLUE I would get it. Yep, I'm pretty happy, but also surprised. And in pain. My flute section leader just called me and told me the music's in, and I can go pick it up. Officially the start of marching season! (groans) Okay, I'll shut up now. Enjoy the last dismal chapter.)
(When am I going to have that evil curse lifted from me? Aaaarrrgh! No wonder my life's so painful! (winces))
What time was it? How long had he been running? Since when had Dot gained so much weight?
~Stop thinking so much, Yakko!~ Yakko mentally told himself. ~You're gonna hurt your head!~
Well, he had certainly been running for a long time, and the night showed no signs of ending soon. Yakko sat down against the nearest tree. And there were a lot of them. Yakko had no clue where he was, just that he was in some sort of forest, and that he had been through a couple of towns.
Going had been painfully slow, however. (Almost as painful as my sunburn! If I ever get skin cancer, I'll know why.) Dot was pretty heavy after being so well cared for. And Yakko had to practically drag Wakko along, since Wakko was still asleep. And completely dead to the world. Yakko would have woken up by then if someone drug him through three towns and a forest. Also, to top all that off, Yakko had the old diaper bag with him, filled with all the stuff the hospital had given them. Sure, they were evil, but why not take that stuff? They sure could use it.
"Time for a nap, I think," muttered Yakko. "And I pity any other five-year-old who has to drag their siblings through a forest at night in order to escape evil medical workers." Yakko couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Sheesh, I sound like a nutcase. I'm probably the ONLY five-year-old who has to drag their siblings through a forest at night in order to escape evil medical workers."
"…uuuuhhh…what?" muttered Wakko, who was slowly starting to wake up.
Yakko gulped. Oh well, he'd have to know sooner or later, and he certainly couldn't get back to the hospital from here.
"I'm glad you're awake, Wakko," he said. "You and Dot were getting pretty heavy. We're gonna rest here for awhile, okay?"
"Where are we?" cried Wakko in desperation, running in circles, trying to find a road of some kind. After his unsuccessful search, he glared at Yakko. "Whatdja do?" he hissed.
Yakko sighed. "I had to get us outta there. I-"
"Yakko, I KNEW you were going to do this!" screamed Wakko. "Why can't you accept the fact that not everyone is bad? We were HAPPY there! Don't you want us to be happy?"
"Wakko, just let me explain!" yelled Yakko.
"No, I've had it with you!" said Wakko, glaring at his older brother. "If you really want what's best for us, then you should've left us with people who CARE about us! People who care about us, and can take care of us!"
"Look-"
"But no, you had to show us just how good of an older brother you are. Do you even know where we are? Now all that's left for us is to just die as hobos! Is that what you want?"
SLAP!
Yakko lowered his hand in shock. He hadn't meant to hit Wakko, it just… happened. Wakko hit the ground and curled up in defeat, pain, and confusion, at last silenced.
Yakko slumped against the tree. "I'm… I'm sorry, Wakko. I didn't mean to hit you. I'm… look, I overheard the doctor and nurse talking. They were going to operate on us and make us look even more like dogs, so they could get rich off of us. That's why we're here. I didn't wake you up at the hospital because I knew… that you'd yell at me, like you just did."
Wakko slowly stood up. Yakko turned his head away, ashamed.
Then Wakko thought. He thought deeply, thinking about all that had happened at the hospital.
Yakko finally managed to look at Wakko. Wakko looked at Yakko.
~You're right,~ thought Wakko. ~I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out, that they were lying. I guess I was just so happy, I wanted to believe them.~ A look of determination spread across Wakko's face. ~I'll never let my feelings get in the way of…~ Wakko smiled. ~…well, my reading other people's feelings again. I'm sorry I yelled at you, Yakko.~
"I'm sorry I hit you," said Yakko. "Does it hurt?"
~Not really, it just startled me.~
Yakko gave Wakko a hug. "Well, at least running away will be easier with you awake. I can carry Dot and you can carry the bag, or, for a real change of pace, you can carry Dot and I can carry the bag!"
"Where is Dot, anyway?" asked Wakko.
"I put her over there. Think we should wake her up and tell her?"
"Too late," muttered Wakko. "She's starting to get up right now."
"Yeeesh, I hope she didn't see me hit you!" whispered Yakko.
"I don't think so," muttered Wakko.
Dot slowly rubbed her eyes awake and took in her new surroundings. "What?" she asked.
Yakko and Wakko knelt by their sister. "Hey sis," said Yakko comfortingly.
Dot glared at Yakko. Even though she was only one year old, she still had a pretty good guess at what her brother had done. "Yakko!" she yelled angrily.
"Dot, I had to take us away from that hospital because… they were going to do bad things to us. I overheard them talking. They didn't know I was there, of course. I didn't know when they would, so I had to get us outta there as soon as I could. Do you understand?" asked Yakko, not sure if his infant sister would know all of what he said.
Dot nodded. "Yes…" She looked at her brothers, confused. "They hurt us?"
Wakko nodded. "Yakko took us away from there because he loves us."
Dot crawled up into Yakko's arms. "I love you too, Yakko," she said. Yakko and Wakko looked at her in surprise. That was the longest complete sentence she had ever said. Dot then looked at Wakko and smiled. "You too, Wakko!"
Yakko gave his brother and sister a hug. "Well, you'll love me even more when I tell you what I brought. You know all those toys and clothes the hospital gave us?"
"Yeah!" Wakko and Dot said in unison.
"Well, I shoved those all in our diaper bag before we left!"
"Yay!" Yakko's younger siblings yelled, in unison again.
Yakko grinned. "Yeah, well, all that stuff is pretty heavy. If you guys don't help me, I'll have to dump all of your stuff!"
"Nuh uh!" cried Dot.
"You wouldn't!" said Wakko.
"Don't test me. Tomorrow, I'm expecting some help. But it's hard to carry anything when you're tired, so let's sleep here, shall we?"
The siblings pulled the diaper bag over to use as a pillow. Yakko was exhausted, and fell back onto it with a thump.
"Ow! Jeez, Dot, one of your stupid bricks hit me in the head!"
As the three siblings fell asleep, Yakko couldn't help but worry. Tomorrow would bring more hardship, more hunger, more searching for food…
Oh well. They had better get used to it. Besides, thought Yakko just before he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, with my siblings with me, it can't be all that bad!
(When am I going to have that evil curse lifted from me? Aaaarrrgh! No wonder my life's so painful! (winces))
What time was it? How long had he been running? Since when had Dot gained so much weight?
~Stop thinking so much, Yakko!~ Yakko mentally told himself. ~You're gonna hurt your head!~
Well, he had certainly been running for a long time, and the night showed no signs of ending soon. Yakko sat down against the nearest tree. And there were a lot of them. Yakko had no clue where he was, just that he was in some sort of forest, and that he had been through a couple of towns.
Going had been painfully slow, however. (Almost as painful as my sunburn! If I ever get skin cancer, I'll know why.) Dot was pretty heavy after being so well cared for. And Yakko had to practically drag Wakko along, since Wakko was still asleep. And completely dead to the world. Yakko would have woken up by then if someone drug him through three towns and a forest. Also, to top all that off, Yakko had the old diaper bag with him, filled with all the stuff the hospital had given them. Sure, they were evil, but why not take that stuff? They sure could use it.
"Time for a nap, I think," muttered Yakko. "And I pity any other five-year-old who has to drag their siblings through a forest at night in order to escape evil medical workers." Yakko couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Sheesh, I sound like a nutcase. I'm probably the ONLY five-year-old who has to drag their siblings through a forest at night in order to escape evil medical workers."
"…uuuuhhh…what?" muttered Wakko, who was slowly starting to wake up.
Yakko gulped. Oh well, he'd have to know sooner or later, and he certainly couldn't get back to the hospital from here.
"I'm glad you're awake, Wakko," he said. "You and Dot were getting pretty heavy. We're gonna rest here for awhile, okay?"
"Where are we?" cried Wakko in desperation, running in circles, trying to find a road of some kind. After his unsuccessful search, he glared at Yakko. "Whatdja do?" he hissed.
Yakko sighed. "I had to get us outta there. I-"
"Yakko, I KNEW you were going to do this!" screamed Wakko. "Why can't you accept the fact that not everyone is bad? We were HAPPY there! Don't you want us to be happy?"
"Wakko, just let me explain!" yelled Yakko.
"No, I've had it with you!" said Wakko, glaring at his older brother. "If you really want what's best for us, then you should've left us with people who CARE about us! People who care about us, and can take care of us!"
"Look-"
"But no, you had to show us just how good of an older brother you are. Do you even know where we are? Now all that's left for us is to just die as hobos! Is that what you want?"
SLAP!
Yakko lowered his hand in shock. He hadn't meant to hit Wakko, it just… happened. Wakko hit the ground and curled up in defeat, pain, and confusion, at last silenced.
Yakko slumped against the tree. "I'm… I'm sorry, Wakko. I didn't mean to hit you. I'm… look, I overheard the doctor and nurse talking. They were going to operate on us and make us look even more like dogs, so they could get rich off of us. That's why we're here. I didn't wake you up at the hospital because I knew… that you'd yell at me, like you just did."
Wakko slowly stood up. Yakko turned his head away, ashamed.
Then Wakko thought. He thought deeply, thinking about all that had happened at the hospital.
Yakko finally managed to look at Wakko. Wakko looked at Yakko.
~You're right,~ thought Wakko. ~I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out, that they were lying. I guess I was just so happy, I wanted to believe them.~ A look of determination spread across Wakko's face. ~I'll never let my feelings get in the way of…~ Wakko smiled. ~…well, my reading other people's feelings again. I'm sorry I yelled at you, Yakko.~
"I'm sorry I hit you," said Yakko. "Does it hurt?"
~Not really, it just startled me.~
Yakko gave Wakko a hug. "Well, at least running away will be easier with you awake. I can carry Dot and you can carry the bag, or, for a real change of pace, you can carry Dot and I can carry the bag!"
"Where is Dot, anyway?" asked Wakko.
"I put her over there. Think we should wake her up and tell her?"
"Too late," muttered Wakko. "She's starting to get up right now."
"Yeeesh, I hope she didn't see me hit you!" whispered Yakko.
"I don't think so," muttered Wakko.
Dot slowly rubbed her eyes awake and took in her new surroundings. "What?" she asked.
Yakko and Wakko knelt by their sister. "Hey sis," said Yakko comfortingly.
Dot glared at Yakko. Even though she was only one year old, she still had a pretty good guess at what her brother had done. "Yakko!" she yelled angrily.
"Dot, I had to take us away from that hospital because… they were going to do bad things to us. I overheard them talking. They didn't know I was there, of course. I didn't know when they would, so I had to get us outta there as soon as I could. Do you understand?" asked Yakko, not sure if his infant sister would know all of what he said.
Dot nodded. "Yes…" She looked at her brothers, confused. "They hurt us?"
Wakko nodded. "Yakko took us away from there because he loves us."
Dot crawled up into Yakko's arms. "I love you too, Yakko," she said. Yakko and Wakko looked at her in surprise. That was the longest complete sentence she had ever said. Dot then looked at Wakko and smiled. "You too, Wakko!"
Yakko gave his brother and sister a hug. "Well, you'll love me even more when I tell you what I brought. You know all those toys and clothes the hospital gave us?"
"Yeah!" Wakko and Dot said in unison.
"Well, I shoved those all in our diaper bag before we left!"
"Yay!" Yakko's younger siblings yelled, in unison again.
Yakko grinned. "Yeah, well, all that stuff is pretty heavy. If you guys don't help me, I'll have to dump all of your stuff!"
"Nuh uh!" cried Dot.
"You wouldn't!" said Wakko.
"Don't test me. Tomorrow, I'm expecting some help. But it's hard to carry anything when you're tired, so let's sleep here, shall we?"
The siblings pulled the diaper bag over to use as a pillow. Yakko was exhausted, and fell back onto it with a thump.
"Ow! Jeez, Dot, one of your stupid bricks hit me in the head!"
As the three siblings fell asleep, Yakko couldn't help but worry. Tomorrow would bring more hardship, more hunger, more searching for food…
Oh well. They had better get used to it. Besides, thought Yakko just before he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, with my siblings with me, it can't be all that bad!