Hector stood in the bus station. He had been camping with some friends for the week end and he had just gotten back to NYC. He heard voices calling out behind him "Hector! Hector!"

"Hey you guys!" he said as Jessica, Keith, and Lisa rushed up to him.

"Hector the much horrible thing happened!" Jessica cried as Hector hugged her and Lisa.

"What is it?" Hector asked looking down at them.

"Annie Scrambler hypnotized us," Lisa whispered.

"And then Francine and the rest of the Pranksters Stole our powers!" Keith said sounding livid.

"What?" Hector look at them, flabbergasted.

Jessica nodded then said, "Now Manny Spamboni is terrorizing the neighborhood! And we can't stop him!"

Hector looked down at their sad faces, "I can stop him."

Later they were sitting in Lisa's room. Hector and Jessica were on the bed, Keith was on the floor, and Lisa was perched by the window, keeping a steady vigilance.

"So what happened?" Hector asked.

"It was right after you left," Keith began, "The Pranksters surrounded Lisa, and she yelled 'Hey you guys' and-" he broke off and glanced over at Lisa.

"It was a trap," she said softly, "I was the b-b-" she looked down.

"Yeah," Keith said softly.

Just then Jessica's phone buzzed. She looked down at it, "It's Shock. He says that Manny's back."

She looked at Hector. "I'm gonna stop this," he said and stood.

Manny was throwing wordballs galore. They were flying through the windows of The Electric Diner, braking them and sending glass every where. Loud notices filled the air. it was, Hector realized, Jessica's special skill. Manny had stolen it and filled the air with his antagonizing laugh.

Next to Hector, Jessica winced. When Manny saw them and hesitated then threw a wordball directly at them.

"DUCK!" he yelled dodging the ball.

"EEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!" Manny laughed, "Not even you, Hector, can stop the reign of Manny Spamboni!"

Hector threw wordball after wordball, but to no avail. The assault kept coming and the laughter was ringing in Hector's ears. Then suddenly Hector saw his reflection in the broken glass. He threw a huge wordball at Manny stunning him long enough blow up a picture using his skill. He pushed it toward Manny and ducked behind a over turned table. Manny continued to throw wordballs at the decoy while Hector crept behind him and threw a gigantic wordball at Manny's back. Manny fell forward and the Electric Company was upon him instantly.

"Swear to trade special skills with Jessica!" Hector said.

"Never!" hissed Manny.

"Manny!" snapped Lisa, "give her back her special skill!"

"Oh, all right," he agreed, "I solemnly swear to trade special skills."

"I solemnly swear to trade special skills," Jessica echoed.

Then she recalled what Manny had just said, "I solemnly swear to trade special skills," the recalled audio said. Jessica grinned and hugged Hector, "EEEEEEEE! Thank you! You're the best big brother!"

"MANUEL GRENDLE SPAMBONI!" a voice snapped behind them.

"Yes mommy?" Manny said nervously standing up.

"Did you do this?" His mother said disapprovingly.

"Yes mommy?" Manny said this as more of a question then an answer.

"You are in so much trouble young man!" She barked, tapping her foot impatiently, "First you are going to clean up this mess, then you are going to pay for all the damage you caused. And after you're done with that you are grounded for six months! DO you hear me? SIX MONTHS!"

"Yes Mommy," Manny said weakly then whispered, "I'll get you Electric Company!"

Francine watched from a distance, her ire growing. They would pay. Oh, yes. They would pay. A wordball landed at her feet. A avenge note hymn thy tot, it read. Francine raised her hands blue sparks flying off of they as she unscrambled the message. She had Lisa's power. They have gotten to Manny, it read now. Francine threw a wordball as far as she could Key so win to read. Want who? the return message said, but unscrambled it read What now? Francine tossed one last wordball, not even bothering to scramble it, the last message read: I will crush them.

The next day Francine began her assault on the Electric Diner. Mixed up messages covered the walls and tables. Drawings and Rebuses also covered the walls because this time there were two pranksters. Francine with her wordballs and anagrams and Danny Rebus with his rebuses and Keith's special skill. Hector crouched behind the counter with Jessica.

"Okay," he whispered to her, "you know what you're doing?"

Jessica nodded and grinned, then snuck over to a booth. She threw a wordball at Danny Rebus, hitting him in the chest. Then she lifted her hands and summoned up a voice from months ago. "Francine Carruthers?" the voice said.

Francine whipped around, "MOTHER?" she snapped.

"I hate to do this but… no posting on your vlog for a day!" Jessica grinned.

"MOTHER?" Francine said sounding dubious.

Danny threw one last wordball before taking off, "I've got to go Francine! See you!"

Hector speed dialed Lisa and Keith, "Danny's taking off, get him."

Danny ran around the corner and was swiftly overtook by Lisa and Keith.

"It's over Danny," Lisa said, "Give Keith his skills back."

"NO!" Danny yelped.

"Danny," Lisa said firmly.

"Oh, all right," He raised his right hand.

Back at the diner Francine had figured out that it was Jessica's skill, not Antigonie Carruthers, that was speaking, and she resumed she wordball assault.

"Ha!" She exclaimed, "You Electric Company people think you're sooooo smart! But you're really not! You thought you could trick me! But you'll never win! The Pranksters will reign!"

Hector glanced down at his phone, Got Keith's powers back. Danny in trouble with Mommy. :) Li

Hector smiled at Jessica and dialed another number.

"Francine Carruthers!" a voice shouted.

"HA! You can't fool me!" Francine yelled, "Fool me once shame on you! Fool me twice shame on… YOU!"

"FRANCINE CARRUTHERS!"

"I told you! That trick won't work!"

"FRANCINE GWENDOLYN CARRUTHERS!"

Francine froze, then turned around slowly, "Mother?" she squeaked.

"You give those powers back to billboard-boy's friends! Then you will pay for all of this damage!"

"But Mother! They, they… deserved it?"

"Francine Gwendolyn Carruthers! Give billboard-boy's friend back her powers!"

Lisa stepped forward and raised her right hand, "Francine?" she said softly.

"UHRG!" Francine yelled, then said quickly, "!"

Lisa grinned and twirled her wrist, then made a face, "Why can't I make wordballs?"

"Annie has it," Francine snapped, "good luck getting that away from her!"

"Come along Francine," Mrs. Carruthers said taking Francine's ear, "you're grounded! For a week!"

"Mother! Ooooowwwwww!" Francine squealed.

Keith high-fived Hector once Francine had left, "Finally some is punishing Francine!"

The next day Hector was walking alone in the park. The rest of the Electric Company was out looking Annie Scrambler, but Hector needed some time to himself. Suddenly he fell down and landed on his back. A bright red stiletto was set on his chest, like the talon of a dragon.

"Annie," he hissed up at her.

"You lose," she whispered evilly, "give me your special skill."

"No," he replied rolling his eyes, "one yell and the whole Electric Company will be upon you."

"Ha," she pressed down harder with her foot. Hector groaned, the stiletto heel was sharp.

"Trade special skills!" she snapped.

"NO!" he cried and grabbed the foot that was on the ground. Annie fell onto the ground but smiled wickedly, "I still have won."

"Hector! Hector!" Lisa ran towards him, a look of terror playing on her features.

He looked down at he chest, blood was covering it. Hector sank to his knees and darkness was ebbing over his vision.

"Hector!" Lisa screamed as blackness over took him.

"Hector?" Lisa had a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently, "Hector?"

He sat up looking around, he was in the Electric Diner, sitting in a booth.

"What happened?" he said looking confused, "Where's Annie? And why is it fine in here?"

Lisa looked at him, "You were dreaming about Annie Scrambler?"

"What?"

"You fell asleep while you were doing home work,"

"Really!"

"Yeah. Hector, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great! Hey, I just had the weirdest dream!"

"About Annie," Lisa said.

"No, well kinda, every one was in it. Here, what happened was I had just gotten back from camping…"

THE END

This story is biased on the old Anglo-Saxon Poem, Beowulf. I do not own Beowulf or The Electric Company.

Hector Ruiz is Beowulf, Manny Spamboni is Grendle, Francine Carruthers is Grendle's mother, and Annie Scrambler is the Dragon.

Review please? JAS