TogetherAgain
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Flippersteps in the Sand
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TogetherAgain
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Chapter Twenty-Four
The Next Day
October 23, 1971
Kermit could feel the thick, protective cloak of darkness around him as he walked down Cole Street with the flowers in his hand. There was a haze of light on the horizon where the sun would rise soon. He pushed the gate open, let it swing shut behind him, and looked around. Yes, all was in order. He crossed the grass and put the six lilies in front of the smaller tombstone.
“Hey Ray,” he said softly. “I brought you some lilies again. Do you remember the lily pads, in the swamp?” He hesitated. “We used to race across them… Everyone still races over them. It’s fun, because they change every year…” His voice trailed off.
He put the sunflowers in front of the larger tombstone and sat down. “Happy Anniversary, Melinda,” he said. He struggled for words. “It… it’s supposed to be nice day today… I would take you for a picnic if I could…” He sighed. “I’m so lonely, Melinda. I told you I bought a house, and- well, it’s a nice house, but- it just seems so empty now, with Robin gone. It’s like I’m missing something. I- I’m missing you and Ray. But I can’t have you.” He looked down. “And that- that hurts.”
He hesitated before slowly looking up at her tombstone again.
“Melinda… I don’t want to hurt,” he said quietly. “I’m so tired of hurting.”
He stood up and slowly paced in front of the two graves. “Maybe… maybe that’s why I was flirting with… that girl at the bookstore. I’m just so lonely… I need people, you know? I need a relationship-“ he turned suddenly and looked at her grave. “I mean, not a relationship, really, but…” He inched closer and knelt down. “But… a little, just… harmless flirting, maybe? It wouldn’t- I don’t want to hurt you, Melinda. I still love you. I always will love you. I just- I won’t-“ He took a slow, steadying breath. “I’m not trying to forget you,” he said quietly. “I’m just… trying to be happy.”
He let the words sit for a moment. Then he straightened up with half a teasing grin.
“Now that’s not a very good way to end a visit, is it? Especially on our anniversary.” He readjusted how he was sitting while facing her grave attentively, almost hearing her agree that no, it wasn’t a good way to end a visit.
“Well, everything’s going well on Sesame Street. It’s kind of a crazy place, but I like it…”
He sat there, quietly telling little stories, until the sun was high enough to cast a distinct shadow. Then he stood up, stepped between the graves, and put one hand on each tombstone. “I love you,” he whispered. Then he slipped away, before the residents of the street were awake enough to see him.
Later that night, a group gathered at Jack and Daniel’s Bar to celebrate a visit from their nomadic friend.
“Hey Rowlf!” Kermit called cheerfully as he approached. “It’s good to see you in town for a change!”
“Hey Kermit, how’s it going?” Rowlf pulled over a stool for his amphibian friend.
“There’s the frog,” Jerry Juhl said.
“Well boys, what are we drinking to?” Rowlf said.
“Nothing. Kermit doesn’t have a drink yet,” Jim said.
“Well what’s taking so long?” Frank Oz teased. “Kermit, get a drink all ready!”
“I just got here!” Kermit said.
They laughed until Kermit got his drink.
“All right,” Jerry Nelson said, “Now what are we drinking to?”
Joe Raposo half-raised his hand. “To names starting with the letter J,” he said.
Jim, Joe, Jerry, and Jerry all laughed and clinked glasses.
“You can’t get away from Sesame Street, can you?” Rowlf said.
“So what do the other half of us drink to?” Don Sahlin asked.
Kermit lifted his glass. “To names starting with D, F, R, and K.” He laughed with Don, Frank, and Rowlf as they clinked their own glasses.
Jim chuckled. “What should we drink to, seriously,” he said.
“I don’t think any of us know the meaning of the word,” Rowlf said.
“Which word?” Frank asked.
“Seriously.”
They laughed. “Probably true,” Jim said. “But there must be something more than letters to drink to.”
“Oh sure,” Jerry Nelson said. “Health, happiness, wealth, um… women…”
“Why women?” Don said. “There aren’t any here to drink to.”
“Well, there’s uh…” Jerry looked around. “There’s some women over there, at the other end of the bar. We’ll drink to them.”
“All right.” Rowlf raised his glass. “To those women over there, whoever they are.” They clinked their glasses and drank. Rowlf watched Kermit’s face as they did. Then he leaned over towards him. “Don’t like your drink?” he whispered.
“Hm?” Kermit looked at him.
Rowlf shook his head. “We’ll talk,” he whispered.
Kermit nodded.
“So how’s the road been treating you, Rowlf?” Frank asked.
“Like a dog,” Rowlf said.
They chuckled over their drinks for almost an hour before Joe glanced at his watch and announced that he needed to leave. After a few minutes, Don had to go as well, followed by Jerry Nelson, and Frank, and then Jerry Juhl.
“And actually, I should get home, too,” Jim said when Jerry had left. “Say goodnight to the kids before they’re too sound asleep.”
“Been workin’ late again, huh?” Rowlf said.
“Yeah.” Jim stood up and shrugged. “But I enjoy it, so why not?” Rowlf and Kermit nodded their agreement. “Good to see you, Rowlf.”
“You too.”
“See you, Kermit.”
“Later, Jim.”
They watched him stroll out, and then turned to each other.
“Well?” Rowlf said.
“Well what?” Kermit said.
“Well what, what?”
Kermit hesitated. “What?”
Rowlf shook his head and spoke quietly. “You visited her today?” he said.
Kermit nodded, looked at his drink, and sighed. “It would’ve been six years,” he said sadly.
“It’s getting to you, isn’t it,” Rowlf said.
Kermit looked at him. “Pardon?”
“Being alone,” Rowlf said. “I saw your face when we made that toast. I mean, you don’t even flirt, do you?”
“Well, that’s actually- sort of- what I…” Kermit squirmed a little on his stool. “I talked to her about it today,” he said quietly.
“Oh, yeah?” Rowlf said. “What did you say?”
Kermit shrugged. “That I’m lonely,” he said. “That I’m tired of hurting.”
“Yeah,” Rowlf nodded. Then he gave his friend a strange look. “So what did she say?”
Kermit scrunched his face up. “Rowlf…”
“I don’t mean like that,” the dog said. “I mean what did it feel like she would have said?”
“Well- See that’s the thing, it-“ He looked around. “Can we talk about this some place a little less crowded?”
Rowlf nodded. “Less smoke would be nice, too. Let’s walk over to your new place, I haven’t been there yet.”
“Oh that’s true, you haven’t,” Kermit said. They went outside.
“You were saying?” Rowlf said as they fell into step.
“Well- sometimes, when I talk to her, I can feel how she would react, like you said. But… But sometimes I can’t.”
“Oh?”
“Well, like today, for example. I could feel her agreeing that my flirting was not a good topic to end a visit with, but I couldn’t feel anything about the topic itself.”
“Huh.” Rowlf scratched his ear. “Didn’t you used to feel her all the time?”
“No matter what I talked about,” Kermit agreed. “And I can still feel Ray, I mean… I can feel him running around, you know? But I can’t always feel her anymore. It’s almost like-“ He stopped himself.
Rowlf looked at him. “Like you’re losing her?” he said softly.
Kermit looked at the sidewalk and watched as he put one flipper in front of the other. “But she’s already gone,” he whispered.
They didn’t say anything else until they were safely inside Kermit’s house.
“So do you flirt?” Rowlf asked.
Kermit sighed as they sat on the sofa. “Well… I did once, a couple weeks ago. I felt pretty guilty about it.”
“So in the past four years, you’ve only flirted once?” Rowlf shook his head. “That’s not healthy, Kermit. At least tell me she was flirting with you, too.”
“Well yeah,” Kermit said. “I wouldn’t have if she hadn’t.”
“Was she pretty?” Rowlf asked.
“She wasn’t bad looking,” Kermit said. “She was just working the register, you know? At that new book store… You know, over on Market Central Road?”
“Oh sure!” Rowlf said. “Well there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no harm in flirting with cashier. Nothing ever comes of it.”
Kermit shrugged. “I guess that’s true,” he said. “I was actually thinking, that- well, it felt kind of good, you know? And it’s not like I was going to fall in love with her.”
“Not that anyone ever intends to fall in love,” Rowlf said.
“Well…” Kermit squirmed, looking a little guilty. “But you can intend not to fall in love.”
Rowlf scratched his ear. “I’m not sure how well that works,” he said. “I think if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
Kermit looked down, sighed, and shook his head.
“Of course, there’s nothing to say that you’ll fall in love just because you’re flirting- or that you won’t fall in love if you’re not flirting,” Rowlf said.
Kermit thought about it. “Well that’s true, I guess,” he said.
Rowlf put his chin in his paw. “So?” he said. “You were thinking about flirting more, weren’t you?”
Kermit nodded. “I was thinking about it, yeah.”
“Well, don’t think about it,” Rowlf said somewhat philosophically. “Just sort of sit back and let it happen. You’ll be a happier frog for it.”
“I hope so,” Kermit nodded.
“I know so,” Rowlf said. He stood up. “So, are you gonna show me around this house, or do I have to sniff it out on my own?”
Kermit stood. “Oh sure, I can show you around,” he said. “This is the living room…”
“New furniture, isn’t it?” Rowlf said.
Kermit nodded. “Yup. It’s all new. Uh, kitchen’s there, there’s the bathroom, and that’s a closet.”
Rowlf nodded. “What happened to those pictures you had?”
“Oh those are upstairs,” Kermit said. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
They hurried up the stairs. The four pictures were hanging on the wall facing the door to Kermit’s bedroom, the same way they had been in his apartment. Rowlf nodded his approval.
“But you know the one thing I don’t like about this house sometimes?” Kermit said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s too quiet,” he said. “Especially after Robin leaves.”
Rowlf smiled. “Oh that’s easy to fix,” he said. “Just play your banjo.”
The Next Day
October 23, 1971
Kermit could feel the thick, protective cloak of darkness around him as he walked down Cole Street with the flowers in his hand. There was a haze of light on the horizon where the sun would rise soon. He pushed the gate open, let it swing shut behind him, and looked around. Yes, all was in order. He crossed the grass and put the six lilies in front of the smaller tombstone.
“Hey Ray,” he said softly. “I brought you some lilies again. Do you remember the lily pads, in the swamp?” He hesitated. “We used to race across them… Everyone still races over them. It’s fun, because they change every year…” His voice trailed off.
He put the sunflowers in front of the larger tombstone and sat down. “Happy Anniversary, Melinda,” he said. He struggled for words. “It… it’s supposed to be nice day today… I would take you for a picnic if I could…” He sighed. “I’m so lonely, Melinda. I told you I bought a house, and- well, it’s a nice house, but- it just seems so empty now, with Robin gone. It’s like I’m missing something. I- I’m missing you and Ray. But I can’t have you.” He looked down. “And that- that hurts.”
He hesitated before slowly looking up at her tombstone again.
“Melinda… I don’t want to hurt,” he said quietly. “I’m so tired of hurting.”
He stood up and slowly paced in front of the two graves. “Maybe… maybe that’s why I was flirting with… that girl at the bookstore. I’m just so lonely… I need people, you know? I need a relationship-“ he turned suddenly and looked at her grave. “I mean, not a relationship, really, but…” He inched closer and knelt down. “But… a little, just… harmless flirting, maybe? It wouldn’t- I don’t want to hurt you, Melinda. I still love you. I always will love you. I just- I won’t-“ He took a slow, steadying breath. “I’m not trying to forget you,” he said quietly. “I’m just… trying to be happy.”
He let the words sit for a moment. Then he straightened up with half a teasing grin.
“Now that’s not a very good way to end a visit, is it? Especially on our anniversary.” He readjusted how he was sitting while facing her grave attentively, almost hearing her agree that no, it wasn’t a good way to end a visit.
“Well, everything’s going well on Sesame Street. It’s kind of a crazy place, but I like it…”
He sat there, quietly telling little stories, until the sun was high enough to cast a distinct shadow. Then he stood up, stepped between the graves, and put one hand on each tombstone. “I love you,” he whispered. Then he slipped away, before the residents of the street were awake enough to see him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Later that night, a group gathered at Jack and Daniel’s Bar to celebrate a visit from their nomadic friend.
“Hey Rowlf!” Kermit called cheerfully as he approached. “It’s good to see you in town for a change!”
“Hey Kermit, how’s it going?” Rowlf pulled over a stool for his amphibian friend.
“There’s the frog,” Jerry Juhl said.
“Well boys, what are we drinking to?” Rowlf said.
“Nothing. Kermit doesn’t have a drink yet,” Jim said.
“Well what’s taking so long?” Frank Oz teased. “Kermit, get a drink all ready!”
“I just got here!” Kermit said.
They laughed until Kermit got his drink.
“All right,” Jerry Nelson said, “Now what are we drinking to?”
Joe Raposo half-raised his hand. “To names starting with the letter J,” he said.
Jim, Joe, Jerry, and Jerry all laughed and clinked glasses.
“You can’t get away from Sesame Street, can you?” Rowlf said.
“So what do the other half of us drink to?” Don Sahlin asked.
Kermit lifted his glass. “To names starting with D, F, R, and K.” He laughed with Don, Frank, and Rowlf as they clinked their own glasses.
Jim chuckled. “What should we drink to, seriously,” he said.
“I don’t think any of us know the meaning of the word,” Rowlf said.
“Which word?” Frank asked.
“Seriously.”
They laughed. “Probably true,” Jim said. “But there must be something more than letters to drink to.”
“Oh sure,” Jerry Nelson said. “Health, happiness, wealth, um… women…”
“Why women?” Don said. “There aren’t any here to drink to.”
“Well, there’s uh…” Jerry looked around. “There’s some women over there, at the other end of the bar. We’ll drink to them.”
“All right.” Rowlf raised his glass. “To those women over there, whoever they are.” They clinked their glasses and drank. Rowlf watched Kermit’s face as they did. Then he leaned over towards him. “Don’t like your drink?” he whispered.
“Hm?” Kermit looked at him.
Rowlf shook his head. “We’ll talk,” he whispered.
Kermit nodded.
“So how’s the road been treating you, Rowlf?” Frank asked.
“Like a dog,” Rowlf said.
They chuckled over their drinks for almost an hour before Joe glanced at his watch and announced that he needed to leave. After a few minutes, Don had to go as well, followed by Jerry Nelson, and Frank, and then Jerry Juhl.
“And actually, I should get home, too,” Jim said when Jerry had left. “Say goodnight to the kids before they’re too sound asleep.”
“Been workin’ late again, huh?” Rowlf said.
“Yeah.” Jim stood up and shrugged. “But I enjoy it, so why not?” Rowlf and Kermit nodded their agreement. “Good to see you, Rowlf.”
“You too.”
“See you, Kermit.”
“Later, Jim.”
They watched him stroll out, and then turned to each other.
“Well?” Rowlf said.
“Well what?” Kermit said.
“Well what, what?”
Kermit hesitated. “What?”
Rowlf shook his head and spoke quietly. “You visited her today?” he said.
Kermit nodded, looked at his drink, and sighed. “It would’ve been six years,” he said sadly.
“It’s getting to you, isn’t it,” Rowlf said.
Kermit looked at him. “Pardon?”
“Being alone,” Rowlf said. “I saw your face when we made that toast. I mean, you don’t even flirt, do you?”
“Well, that’s actually- sort of- what I…” Kermit squirmed a little on his stool. “I talked to her about it today,” he said quietly.
“Oh, yeah?” Rowlf said. “What did you say?”
Kermit shrugged. “That I’m lonely,” he said. “That I’m tired of hurting.”
“Yeah,” Rowlf nodded. Then he gave his friend a strange look. “So what did she say?”
Kermit scrunched his face up. “Rowlf…”
“I don’t mean like that,” the dog said. “I mean what did it feel like she would have said?”
“Well- See that’s the thing, it-“ He looked around. “Can we talk about this some place a little less crowded?”
Rowlf nodded. “Less smoke would be nice, too. Let’s walk over to your new place, I haven’t been there yet.”
“Oh that’s true, you haven’t,” Kermit said. They went outside.
“You were saying?” Rowlf said as they fell into step.
“Well- sometimes, when I talk to her, I can feel how she would react, like you said. But… But sometimes I can’t.”
“Oh?”
“Well, like today, for example. I could feel her agreeing that my flirting was not a good topic to end a visit with, but I couldn’t feel anything about the topic itself.”
“Huh.” Rowlf scratched his ear. “Didn’t you used to feel her all the time?”
“No matter what I talked about,” Kermit agreed. “And I can still feel Ray, I mean… I can feel him running around, you know? But I can’t always feel her anymore. It’s almost like-“ He stopped himself.
Rowlf looked at him. “Like you’re losing her?” he said softly.
Kermit looked at the sidewalk and watched as he put one flipper in front of the other. “But she’s already gone,” he whispered.
They didn’t say anything else until they were safely inside Kermit’s house.
“So do you flirt?” Rowlf asked.
Kermit sighed as they sat on the sofa. “Well… I did once, a couple weeks ago. I felt pretty guilty about it.”
“So in the past four years, you’ve only flirted once?” Rowlf shook his head. “That’s not healthy, Kermit. At least tell me she was flirting with you, too.”
“Well yeah,” Kermit said. “I wouldn’t have if she hadn’t.”
“Was she pretty?” Rowlf asked.
“She wasn’t bad looking,” Kermit said. “She was just working the register, you know? At that new book store… You know, over on Market Central Road?”
“Oh sure!” Rowlf said. “Well there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no harm in flirting with cashier. Nothing ever comes of it.”
Kermit shrugged. “I guess that’s true,” he said. “I was actually thinking, that- well, it felt kind of good, you know? And it’s not like I was going to fall in love with her.”
“Not that anyone ever intends to fall in love,” Rowlf said.
“Well…” Kermit squirmed, looking a little guilty. “But you can intend not to fall in love.”
Rowlf scratched his ear. “I’m not sure how well that works,” he said. “I think if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
Kermit looked down, sighed, and shook his head.
“Of course, there’s nothing to say that you’ll fall in love just because you’re flirting- or that you won’t fall in love if you’re not flirting,” Rowlf said.
Kermit thought about it. “Well that’s true, I guess,” he said.
Rowlf put his chin in his paw. “So?” he said. “You were thinking about flirting more, weren’t you?”
Kermit nodded. “I was thinking about it, yeah.”
“Well, don’t think about it,” Rowlf said somewhat philosophically. “Just sort of sit back and let it happen. You’ll be a happier frog for it.”
“I hope so,” Kermit nodded.
“I know so,” Rowlf said. He stood up. “So, are you gonna show me around this house, or do I have to sniff it out on my own?”
Kermit stood. “Oh sure, I can show you around,” he said. “This is the living room…”
“New furniture, isn’t it?” Rowlf said.
Kermit nodded. “Yup. It’s all new. Uh, kitchen’s there, there’s the bathroom, and that’s a closet.”
Rowlf nodded. “What happened to those pictures you had?”
“Oh those are upstairs,” Kermit said. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
They hurried up the stairs. The four pictures were hanging on the wall facing the door to Kermit’s bedroom, the same way they had been in his apartment. Rowlf nodded his approval.
“But you know the one thing I don’t like about this house sometimes?” Kermit said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s too quiet,” he said. “Especially after Robin leaves.”
Rowlf smiled. “Oh that’s easy to fix,” he said. “Just play your banjo.”
redBoobergurl
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Love it! Love that Rowlf came and he has all this knowledge for Kermit and talking to him made him feel better and the banjo and oh! I love it! I can't say enough about it.
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What a great chapter. The second visit to Melinda and Ray's graves... Sullen and yet a good cathartic release for Kermit's emotions.
Loved the local and the fact he was spinning some stories about the Street.
The scene at the bar was funny... And then you get all wistful and sage what with Rowlf talking to Kermit.
And I agree... He should play the banjo to make it feel better when Robin's not visiting. Or invite Rowlf to stay with him... Or maybe Gonzo will come back after helping discover the group of characters weirder than him who reside in the Land of Gorch.
But there's one thing I must say...
Originally posted by Toga: "“But there must be something more than letters to drink to.”
“Oh sure,” Jerry Nelson said. “Health, happiness, wealth, um… women…”
You dissappointed me just a smidge. Come on, this is Jerry Nelson we're talking about. And there's that general Muppety myrth in the meeting at the bar... And after a line by Jim saying there must be more than letters to drink to... You know what shoulda come next.
Jerry Nelson: "Oh, of course there is... Numbers!"
See? No, we can't really get away from Sesame Street. We may try, but like the saying goes...
Every time I get out, it keeps pulling me back in.
Hi... I'm a recovering Sesame Streeter.
Other than that... When can we have some more? Sorry, I'm also a recovering story-lover.
Loved the local and the fact he was spinning some stories about the Street.
The scene at the bar was funny... And then you get all wistful and sage what with Rowlf talking to Kermit.
And I agree... He should play the banjo to make it feel better when Robin's not visiting. Or invite Rowlf to stay with him... Or maybe Gonzo will come back after helping discover the group of characters weirder than him who reside in the Land of Gorch.
But there's one thing I must say...
Originally posted by Toga: "“But there must be something more than letters to drink to.”
“Oh sure,” Jerry Nelson said. “Health, happiness, wealth, um… women…”
You dissappointed me just a smidge. Come on, this is Jerry Nelson we're talking about. And there's that general Muppety myrth in the meeting at the bar... And after a line by Jim saying there must be more than letters to drink to... You know what shoulda come next.
Jerry Nelson: "Oh, of course there is... Numbers!"
See? No, we can't really get away from Sesame Street. We may try, but like the saying goes...
Every time I get out, it keeps pulling me back in.
Hi... I'm a recovering Sesame Streeter.
Other than that... When can we have some more? Sorry, I'm also a recovering story-lover.
Muppet Matt
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I loved this part:
Joe Raposo half-raised his hand. “To names starting with the letter J,” he said.
Jim, Joe, Jerry, and Jerry all laughed and clinked glasses.
“You can’t get away from Sesame Street, can you?” Rowlf said.
“So what do the other half of us drink to?” Don Sahlin asked.
Kermit lifted his glass. “To names starting with D, F, R, and K.” He laughed with Don, Frank, and Rowlf as they clinked their own glasses.
Jim chuckled. “What should we drink to, seriously,” he said.
“I don’t think any of us know the meaning of the word,” Rowlf said.
“Which word?” Frank asked.
“Seriously.”
They laughed. “Probably true,”
It's so funny!
Joe Raposo half-raised his hand. “To names starting with the letter J,” he said.
Jim, Joe, Jerry, and Jerry all laughed and clinked glasses.
“You can’t get away from Sesame Street, can you?” Rowlf said.
“So what do the other half of us drink to?” Don Sahlin asked.
Kermit lifted his glass. “To names starting with D, F, R, and K.” He laughed with Don, Frank, and Rowlf as they clinked their own glasses.
Jim chuckled. “What should we drink to, seriously,” he said.
“I don’t think any of us know the meaning of the word,” Rowlf said.
“Which word?” Frank asked.
“Seriously.”
They laughed. “Probably true,”
It's so funny!
Beauregard
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OH! Oh oh! Ooooh! Oohhhh!
"To names that start with J."
What can I say? I mean, there is loads to say! But!!! It's fantabulous! I mean, the idea of the J's! And Rowlf is back! Whooo!
I agree with County, Gorch must be at least referenced, Girl!
"To names that start with J."
What can I say? I mean, there is loads to say! But!!! It's fantabulous! I mean, the idea of the J's! And Rowlf is back! Whooo!
I agree with County, Gorch must be at least referenced, Girl!
TogetherAgain
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WARNING! WARNING! TEN DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE! In the meantime, in-between time, you know what I think we need? A chapter of almost solid comedy.
TogetherAgain
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Chapter Twenty-Five
Two Years, One Month, and One Week Later
December 1, 1973
They sat around a long table and flipped through the new script. They were all eager to get started on this new special, The Muppets Valentine Show. Kermit sat next to Jim and whispered questions to him as he skimmed through the script.
“Who’s Wally?” he whispered.
Jim hesitated. “Wally…” He glanced around and discreetly nodded across the table. “See, with the sunglasses?”
Kermit looked, nodded, and returned to his script. “Droop?” he asked quietly.
“Snivelly,” Jim whispered. “He was in Santa Claus Switch, but he goes by his last name now.”
“I see. What about this guy?” He pointed. “Crazy Donald?”
Jim hesitated, cleared his throat, and brought his voice up a notch. “He thinks this’ll be dynamite.”
Ka-BLAM!
Kermit nearly hopped out of his seat. Jim merely flinched and nodded towards the explosion. “That’s Crazy Donald,” he whispered.
Kermit stared. “Oh,” he said shakily. “Okay…” He shook his head quickly and turned the page of his script. He hesitated. “I see,” he said quietly. He turned another page, and skimmed over it. “Hm,” he mused. “I’ve never ridden a bicycle on camera before.”
Jim watched him carefully. “I think the technicians would prefer for you to ride in front of the camera,” he teased.
Kermit laughed quietly. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said. He turned back to the script.
Unfortunately, Don was sitting on Kermit’s other side, and had over heard. “I’m not sure we should have Kermit ride a bicycle on film,” he said, loud enough for all to hear.
“Why not?”
“Do you have any idea what kind of damage those tires could do to it?”
Kermit put his script down and laughed with everyone else.
Richard Hunt leaned forward. “Imagine what the motorcycle will do,” he said, and a new wave of laughter rolled forth.
As Kermit laughed, one of his lines in the script caught his eye. Miss Mousey, will you marry me? He nearly choked on his laughter, but before he could react further-
“I don’t think you’d get very good traction riding on film… It’s slippery, isn’t it?…”
He forgot the line and laughed again. After a few more punch lines, they tried to calm themselves down, but it took a good ten minutes to do so.
Kermit finally took a deep breath, remembered the line, and quickly read over the page. The line was part of the song, that was all. He turned the page, and smiled a small smile. It was part of a good song. He nodded. Then he leaned over slightly. “Jim?” he whispered. “Who’s Miss Mousey?”
Jim looked at him for a moment before lightly jerking his head towards his right. “Over there, in the bonnet,” he whispered.
Kermit looked. She was a cute little mouse with a cute little bonnet, and a cute little smile still on her face from the laugh riot. Kermit nodded. “Mm…”
Jim smiled at him. “Pleased?”
Kermit tilted his head to the side. “Maybe…” he grinned. “I think this’ll be a fun special.”
“Wait till you get to Koozebain,” Jim said.
“Oh?” Kermit said. “Do I ride a bicycle there, too?”
Jim looked at him, and they started laughing all over again.
Two Weeks Later
December 15, 1973
“So, uh, what do you think of this little song we’ll be doing?” Kermit asked on a lunch break. A little harmless flirting won’t hurt, he thought to himself.
Miss Mousey tilted her head to one side. “Well, it’s an interesting little song,” she said.
“Does that mean you like it?” Kermit asked.
“Uh-huh,” she said. “Do you?”
“Oh yeah,” he said casually. “It’s a lot better than A Frog He Would A Wooing Go.”
She shifted her weight and tilted her head to the other side. “I don’t know that one,” she said innocently.
“Well, it doesn’t have a happy ending,” Kermit explained. “See there’s a frog and a rat who call on a mouse, and then some cats come and eat the rat and mouse, and the frog gets scared and ducks out. Then he gets eaten by a duck.”
She somehow managed a sultry shudder. “Well, you don’t duck out in this song,” she said.
“No I don’t,” he said. “I don’t usually duck out. And I’m guessing you don’t usually get eaten.”
“Not usually,” she giggled.
“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing we’re not doing that song, isn’t it?” Kermit said.
“Uh-huh,” Miss Mousey nodded once. “But it still doesn’t have a very happy ending for you and Big Mouse.”
“That’s true.” He leaned closer. “But uh, maybe we could compensate for that off-camera some time.”
She giggled. “As long as we’re not in front of the camera, either…”
“Aw, Sheesh!” They both laughed. “So, you ready to shoot this number?” he said.
She smiled. “Well… There’s one little thing I should do first,” she said.
“Oh?”
“It’s a secret.”
He leaned closer to listen. “Hm?”
To his surprise, she kissed his cheek. “For luck.”
He turned and smiled an amused smile. “Oh,” he said. “Well uh…” He slid his arm around her shoulder, kissed her cheek, and held her where she was. “For luck.” She giggled. He slid his hand onto her back and ushered her towards the cameras. “And for some more luck, how about dinner tonight?”
“Oh I can’t,” she said. “I already agreed to go with Droop.”
“Ah,” Kermit said. “I lose to Droop again.”
“You snooze, you lose!” she smiled.
“I guess so,” he said. “How about tomorrow night?”
“I’ll be with Big Mouse,” she said.
“You’re a busy lady!”
She just laughed.
On the way out that night, Kermit ran into a very familiar face.
“Rowlf!” he said. “What are you doing in town?”
“A very brief cameo,” Rowlf said. He slapped his friend on the back and turned around to walk with him. “Where y’headed?”
“Home.”
“Wrong answer.”
“Oh, well uh… I don’t know.”
“Even worse.”
“Down town?”
“Doin’ better.”
“Market Central.”
“Now you’re talking.”
In the early days of the town, Market Central Road had been, as the name implied, the center of the market place. And during the day, the more modern equivalent still existed. There was a newsstand, some fruit and vegetable stands, clothing stores, dollar stores, a barbershop, a beauty shop, a record store, a bookstore, a couple diners, and some scattered street musicians. During the warmer months, there would also be some hot dog stands and ice cream stands, but they were nowhere to be found in the middle of December.
Market Central Road was still the center of the modern market place. But it was not the kind of road that went to sleep at night.
Tucked between the shops, stores, and stands, there were two bars, a night club, a couple of classy restaurants, three theaters- two of which were actually operating- some all-night coffee shops, and a lingerie store that either had too much or too little dignity to open its doors in daylight. These were the places that came alive at night, and had earned Market Central Road the nickname of Midnight Central Road.
There was an old abandoned church on Market Central Road as well, situated between a dusk-to-dawn bar and a dawn-to-dusk dollar store. No one knew who owned the church, when or why it had been abandoned, or how it had come to be neighbors with a bar, but everyone knew that no one was ever inside of it.
But tonight, as Kermit and Rowlf passed the ever-silent church, they were startled by a sudden blast of music that could be described by just one word: loud. They jumped, looked at each other, and stared at the church. “What the hey?” Kermit approached the door.
“That’s unusual.” Rowlf sniffed the air. “I smell a drum set, a saxophone… Maybe a keyboard…”
Kermit stared at him. “You can smell instruments?”
Rowlf tapped his nose. “I’m a dog.”
Kermit tried the doorknob. “Hey, it’s open!” he said. “Let’s go check it out- for those of us who are less gifted in the olfactory sense.” He scrunched his face slightly.
Rowlf raised his paws in surrender. “Kermit?” he said, “It’s not my fault you don’t have a nose.” They went in.
Rowlf was right. Beyond the rows of pews, a crazed red creature was beating a set of drums with everything he had, and then some. There was a balding man wearing sunglasses playing saxophone, a gold-toothed, red-ish orange-ish bearded man playing an organ- with a keyboard waiting to be set up- and two guitar players, a blonde-haired girl and an orange-mustached man with sunglasses.
“I wonder what they’re doing here,” Kermit said aloud. He turned and looked at Rowlf. “I wonder if you can hear me over this music,” he said.
“Pardon?” Rowlf looked at him.
“I guess not,” Kermit said. “Come on.” He nodded towards the band, and they walked forward together. Not having a nose might be a problem sometimes, Kermit thought to himself. But at the moment, not having ears is a blessing in disguise. Well… maybe it’s not so disguised at the moment.
The band members were so wrapped up in their music that they didn’t even notice Kermit and Rowlf until they finished the song and received a small but unexpected applause from the dog.
The gold toothed man turned and grinned at them, his hat bouncing as he did. “Hey, hey, look at that! We’ve got an audience and we didn’t even know it!” he declared.
“All right!” the male guitarist said.
“Hey, who are you guys?” Kermit asked.
The male guitarist answered. “We am, is, are and be, they whom as are known as, the Electric Mayhem!”
Two Years, One Month, and One Week Later
December 1, 1973
They sat around a long table and flipped through the new script. They were all eager to get started on this new special, The Muppets Valentine Show. Kermit sat next to Jim and whispered questions to him as he skimmed through the script.
“Who’s Wally?” he whispered.
Jim hesitated. “Wally…” He glanced around and discreetly nodded across the table. “See, with the sunglasses?”
Kermit looked, nodded, and returned to his script. “Droop?” he asked quietly.
“Snivelly,” Jim whispered. “He was in Santa Claus Switch, but he goes by his last name now.”
“I see. What about this guy?” He pointed. “Crazy Donald?”
Jim hesitated, cleared his throat, and brought his voice up a notch. “He thinks this’ll be dynamite.”
Ka-BLAM!
Kermit nearly hopped out of his seat. Jim merely flinched and nodded towards the explosion. “That’s Crazy Donald,” he whispered.
Kermit stared. “Oh,” he said shakily. “Okay…” He shook his head quickly and turned the page of his script. He hesitated. “I see,” he said quietly. He turned another page, and skimmed over it. “Hm,” he mused. “I’ve never ridden a bicycle on camera before.”
Jim watched him carefully. “I think the technicians would prefer for you to ride in front of the camera,” he teased.
Kermit laughed quietly. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said. He turned back to the script.
Unfortunately, Don was sitting on Kermit’s other side, and had over heard. “I’m not sure we should have Kermit ride a bicycle on film,” he said, loud enough for all to hear.
“Why not?”
“Do you have any idea what kind of damage those tires could do to it?”
Kermit put his script down and laughed with everyone else.
Richard Hunt leaned forward. “Imagine what the motorcycle will do,” he said, and a new wave of laughter rolled forth.
As Kermit laughed, one of his lines in the script caught his eye. Miss Mousey, will you marry me? He nearly choked on his laughter, but before he could react further-
“I don’t think you’d get very good traction riding on film… It’s slippery, isn’t it?…”
He forgot the line and laughed again. After a few more punch lines, they tried to calm themselves down, but it took a good ten minutes to do so.
Kermit finally took a deep breath, remembered the line, and quickly read over the page. The line was part of the song, that was all. He turned the page, and smiled a small smile. It was part of a good song. He nodded. Then he leaned over slightly. “Jim?” he whispered. “Who’s Miss Mousey?”
Jim looked at him for a moment before lightly jerking his head towards his right. “Over there, in the bonnet,” he whispered.
Kermit looked. She was a cute little mouse with a cute little bonnet, and a cute little smile still on her face from the laugh riot. Kermit nodded. “Mm…”
Jim smiled at him. “Pleased?”
Kermit tilted his head to the side. “Maybe…” he grinned. “I think this’ll be a fun special.”
“Wait till you get to Koozebain,” Jim said.
“Oh?” Kermit said. “Do I ride a bicycle there, too?”
Jim looked at him, and they started laughing all over again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two Weeks Later
December 15, 1973
“So, uh, what do you think of this little song we’ll be doing?” Kermit asked on a lunch break. A little harmless flirting won’t hurt, he thought to himself.
Miss Mousey tilted her head to one side. “Well, it’s an interesting little song,” she said.
“Does that mean you like it?” Kermit asked.
“Uh-huh,” she said. “Do you?”
“Oh yeah,” he said casually. “It’s a lot better than A Frog He Would A Wooing Go.”
She shifted her weight and tilted her head to the other side. “I don’t know that one,” she said innocently.
“Well, it doesn’t have a happy ending,” Kermit explained. “See there’s a frog and a rat who call on a mouse, and then some cats come and eat the rat and mouse, and the frog gets scared and ducks out. Then he gets eaten by a duck.”
She somehow managed a sultry shudder. “Well, you don’t duck out in this song,” she said.
“No I don’t,” he said. “I don’t usually duck out. And I’m guessing you don’t usually get eaten.”
“Not usually,” she giggled.
“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing we’re not doing that song, isn’t it?” Kermit said.
“Uh-huh,” Miss Mousey nodded once. “But it still doesn’t have a very happy ending for you and Big Mouse.”
“That’s true.” He leaned closer. “But uh, maybe we could compensate for that off-camera some time.”
She giggled. “As long as we’re not in front of the camera, either…”
“Aw, Sheesh!” They both laughed. “So, you ready to shoot this number?” he said.
She smiled. “Well… There’s one little thing I should do first,” she said.
“Oh?”
“It’s a secret.”
He leaned closer to listen. “Hm?”
To his surprise, she kissed his cheek. “For luck.”
He turned and smiled an amused smile. “Oh,” he said. “Well uh…” He slid his arm around her shoulder, kissed her cheek, and held her where she was. “For luck.” She giggled. He slid his hand onto her back and ushered her towards the cameras. “And for some more luck, how about dinner tonight?”
“Oh I can’t,” she said. “I already agreed to go with Droop.”
“Ah,” Kermit said. “I lose to Droop again.”
“You snooze, you lose!” she smiled.
“I guess so,” he said. “How about tomorrow night?”
“I’ll be with Big Mouse,” she said.
“You’re a busy lady!”
She just laughed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On the way out that night, Kermit ran into a very familiar face.
“Rowlf!” he said. “What are you doing in town?”
“A very brief cameo,” Rowlf said. He slapped his friend on the back and turned around to walk with him. “Where y’headed?”
“Home.”
“Wrong answer.”
“Oh, well uh… I don’t know.”
“Even worse.”
“Down town?”
“Doin’ better.”
“Market Central.”
“Now you’re talking.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the early days of the town, Market Central Road had been, as the name implied, the center of the market place. And during the day, the more modern equivalent still existed. There was a newsstand, some fruit and vegetable stands, clothing stores, dollar stores, a barbershop, a beauty shop, a record store, a bookstore, a couple diners, and some scattered street musicians. During the warmer months, there would also be some hot dog stands and ice cream stands, but they were nowhere to be found in the middle of December.
Market Central Road was still the center of the modern market place. But it was not the kind of road that went to sleep at night.
Tucked between the shops, stores, and stands, there were two bars, a night club, a couple of classy restaurants, three theaters- two of which were actually operating- some all-night coffee shops, and a lingerie store that either had too much or too little dignity to open its doors in daylight. These were the places that came alive at night, and had earned Market Central Road the nickname of Midnight Central Road.
There was an old abandoned church on Market Central Road as well, situated between a dusk-to-dawn bar and a dawn-to-dusk dollar store. No one knew who owned the church, when or why it had been abandoned, or how it had come to be neighbors with a bar, but everyone knew that no one was ever inside of it.
But tonight, as Kermit and Rowlf passed the ever-silent church, they were startled by a sudden blast of music that could be described by just one word: loud. They jumped, looked at each other, and stared at the church. “What the hey?” Kermit approached the door.
“That’s unusual.” Rowlf sniffed the air. “I smell a drum set, a saxophone… Maybe a keyboard…”
Kermit stared at him. “You can smell instruments?”
Rowlf tapped his nose. “I’m a dog.”
Kermit tried the doorknob. “Hey, it’s open!” he said. “Let’s go check it out- for those of us who are less gifted in the olfactory sense.” He scrunched his face slightly.
Rowlf raised his paws in surrender. “Kermit?” he said, “It’s not my fault you don’t have a nose.” They went in.
Rowlf was right. Beyond the rows of pews, a crazed red creature was beating a set of drums with everything he had, and then some. There was a balding man wearing sunglasses playing saxophone, a gold-toothed, red-ish orange-ish bearded man playing an organ- with a keyboard waiting to be set up- and two guitar players, a blonde-haired girl and an orange-mustached man with sunglasses.
“I wonder what they’re doing here,” Kermit said aloud. He turned and looked at Rowlf. “I wonder if you can hear me over this music,” he said.
“Pardon?” Rowlf looked at him.
“I guess not,” Kermit said. “Come on.” He nodded towards the band, and they walked forward together. Not having a nose might be a problem sometimes, Kermit thought to himself. But at the moment, not having ears is a blessing in disguise. Well… maybe it’s not so disguised at the moment.
The band members were so wrapped up in their music that they didn’t even notice Kermit and Rowlf until they finished the song and received a small but unexpected applause from the dog.
The gold toothed man turned and grinned at them, his hat bouncing as he did. “Hey, hey, look at that! We’ve got an audience and we didn’t even know it!” he declared.
“All right!” the male guitarist said.
“Hey, who are you guys?” Kermit asked.
The male guitarist answered. “We am, is, are and be, they whom as are known as, the Electric Mayhem!”
redBoobergurl
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Oy! That was amazing! You have clearly done your research Lisa, all that stuff on the Muppets Valentine's Special. WOW, I'm learning stuff as I read this story! I also LOVE the entrance of the Electric Mayhem and I love how it sort of parallels how Kermit and Fozzie found them in the Muppet Movie! Gosh, just when I think this story can't get any better it DOES! I LOVE THIS STORY! I hope you can write lots more before you go and gosh how will I manage when you're gone! More please!