Where Your Heart Leads You - A Rowlf Story

[TogetherAgain]

Beth, you have me so close to tears right now... the only reason I'm not crying is that I was interrupted while reading... but... wow...

I really, truly, sincerely hope that everything works out okay with... with everything. I really do. And... I'd like to see it... sometime soon...

And... thank you for mentioning Maggie...

<hugs>

 

[RedDragon]

Great Chapter!

 

[redBoobergurl]

All right, sadly, we finally come to end of this story. I hope you all like the way it ends. I worked hard on it today when I should have been working on real work! Oh well. I'm going to do commentary on this story as well, because I'd like to share my thoughts with you. I also may have one or two deleted scenes. Anyway, I'm ahead of myself. Enjoy the final chapter!

Chapter Thirteen:

Rowlf sat down at the table where Wanda was sitting.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” she said.

They were quiet. Wanda looked down nervously at her paws and started picking at the nail polish on her claws.

“I guess you didn’t remember me,” she said finally.

“Not right away, but I do now. Wanda, I’m sorry I didn’t remember, but I went through many traumatic experiences as a puppy that I guess I was blocking from my memory,” said Rowlf.

“I don’t blame you, Crusher is horrible,” said Wanda.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were the first day I was here? You never let on that you recognized me! You let me go away and find my family the hard way,” said Rowlf.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know who you were until I stepped off of stage to talk to you. I thought you looked familiar and as soon as you said you were Rowlf, I knew. But, when I saw that you didn’t know me, I figured it was for the better. I thought you probably blamed me all these years for your leaving, that you probably regretted ever being my friend.” said Wanda.

“Wanda, if I regret anything, it is not telling you goodbye and then forgetting all about you all these years. You were my best friend back then. And I always thought you were real pretty,” said Rowlf beginning to blush.

“So, now what?” asked Wanda.

“Well, I really want to get to know you again. I’m not the same dog I was when I used to live here. I grew up,” said Rowlf.

“So did I,” said Wanda.

“But, I know that you still have the most beautiful singing voice I’ve ever heard and your natural beauty still matches it,” said Rowlf.

“Oh stop it,” said Wanda beginning to blush now herself.

“I have a big decision to make,” said Rowlf.

“Oh I guess you do. Stay here or go back right?” asked Wanda.

“Yeah. I am so happy to have my family back and to see you again. But, those creatures out there on that bus, they’re my family too. They followed me halfway across the country because they were worried about me. They’ve surrounded me with love all these years. I can’t imagine life without them,” said Rowlf.

“I can understand that,” said Wanda.

“And, I love performing. Nothing makes me happier than playing a good tune on the piano. I don’t want to give that up either,” said Rowlf.

“So what now?” asked Wanda.

“I don’t know,” said Rowlf.

“Rowlf, I think you should go back to your life,” said Rowlf’s mom approaching their table. She hadn’t meant to listen in, but motherly instinct told her that her son was struggling with a decision.

“But mom, I don’t want to lose you guys again!” exclaimed Rowlf.

“You won’t sweetheart. Now you know where we are and we know where you are. You can visit us anytime you want. We can come visit you too! In fact, I want a front row seat to the Muppet Show sometime so I can brag to all my friends about you,” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Yeah Rowlf, it will give us an excuse to get out of here once and awhile,” said Charlie as the brother approached the table behind their mom.

“I guess you guys are right. I mean, that’s what the rest of the gang does. Even Kermit goes to visit the swamp every now and then. But that doesn’t solve my other problem,” said Rowlf looking back at Wanda.

“Oh what, me? Just visit me when you visit them, it’s that simple,” said Wanda.

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Rowlf smiling.

“What?” asked Wanda.

“Come with me! Kermit’ll let you be on the show. He thinks you’re great! And that way, we can continue to get re-acquainted and well, who knows what else could happen,” said Rowlf smiling.

“Aww, look at my brother falling in love,” teased Rex.

“Now slow down guys, we’ve got a lot to learn about each other first,” said Rowlf.

“Gosh, I don’t know. I’ve wanted to get out of here for so long now. Unlike you, my family is all gone and used up all 9 of their lives. I guess I really have no reason to stay,” said Wanda considering.

“Go on! Do it!” said Moe.

“All right, I’ll go with you!” said Wanda.

“Well, I guess you’d better get packing, I think we should go back with Kermit and the gang,” said Rowlf.

“Ok, I’ll be right back!” exclaimed Wanda excitedly.

As she scurried away Rowlf’s mom said, “I think we should say goodbye now my love.”

“Oh, already? I guess you’re right,” said Rowlf.

“Hey bro, glad you’re not mad at us and it was good to see you!” said Moe shaking his hand.

“We’ll get Ma out to see your show soon,” said Rex patting him on the back.

“Don’t be a stranger this time,” said Charlie.

“I promise, I’ll be back soon,” said Rowlf embracing each of his brothers. They headed out the door and Rowlf turned to his mother.

“I’m sorry about the past Mom. I’m glad I found you and I promise to call as soon as I get home. I love you,” said Rowlf.

“I’ve waited years to hear you say that again Rowlf. I love you too. I promise to come and see you soon, I’ve been needing a vacation for quite sometime now!” said Rowlf’s mom. They hugged each other and Rowlf kissed his mother’s cheek.

“You take care of that kitty now,” said Rowlf’s mom as she walked out the door.

Soon, Wanda came and stood next to Rowlf with a suitcase.

“Ready?” asked Rowlf.

“As ready as I’ll ever be!” exclaimed Wanda.

The two of them boarded the Electric Mayhem bus where most everyone was sleeping. Kermit was awake with Dr. Teeth at the front.

“Well?” asked Kermit.

“Let’s go home,” said Rowlf.

Dr. Teeth pulled the bus away from the restaurant followed by Beauregard and they started the journey home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several months later it was another Friday night backstage at the Muppet Theater. The show was scheduled to begin in about a half hour and everyone was running around in a hurry.

“Miss Piggy dear, I have a new costume for you,” called Hilda upstairs. Miss Piggy was now sharing her dressing room with Wanda, which she wasn’t crazy about, but at least Wanda was small.

“Thank vous Hilda, moi will be right down,” called Miss Piggy.

Over on the phone Fozzie was talking to his mom. “Hey Mom! I’ve got some new jokes for the show tonight and I’m pretty sure they won’t boo me offstage. Unless they’re ghosts! Wocka Wocka!”

Scooter typed an instant message to Skeeter, “I gotta go sis, the show is starting soon. I can’t wait to see you this weekend either,”

“Uncle Kermit, are we going to visit my parents this weekend or are they coming here?” asked Robin in another part of the room.

“We’re going to the swamp. I promised Aunt Maggie I’d come and see them this time,” said Kermit.

Rowlf was frantically practicing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony even though he’d played it a thousand times. He was being showcased tonight because of some special guests and he was actually really nervous.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his back.

“Relax baby, they’ll love you no matter what,” said Wanda giving him a peck on the cheek. They were moving very slowly into what could be the early stages of love or just a deep friendship. Either way, both of them were very happy.

“I know, they’ve never seen me play live though. They’ve never even been here before!” exclaimed Rowlf.

He was, of course, referring to his family who were in town for the show for the first time ever.

“Rowlf, two minutes to curtain,” said Scooter.

Rowlf got up and gave Wanda a hug and walked over to the side of the stage. Soon Kermit was beside him.

“You’ll be great Rowlf! They love you! They’re family, they’ll love you unconditionally!” said Kermit.

“I know, I know,” said Rowlf.

They stood for another second when Rowlf said, “Hey Kermit?”

“Yeah?” asked Kermit.

“Thanks,” said Rowlf thanking Kermit for more than just a boost of confidence at that second.

“You’re welcome,” said Kermit giving Rowlf’s hand a squeeze. He understood. At long last he finally understood.

Kermit walked out on stage.

“Our next act showcases our very talented pianist Rowlf the Dog! Rowlf will now perform the challenging Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony! YEAAAA!!!!” exclaimed Kermit as the curtain opened to Rowlf sitting at the piano wearing a coat and tails.

Rowlf nailed the symphony and received thunderous applause. He looked out to where his family was sitting and saw his mom and brothers on their feet clapping. Rowlf’s mom had tears in her eyes.

Rowlf looked to the wings and saw Kermit and Wanda also clapping. Wanda blew him a kiss.

So as he acknowledged one family in the audience and the other backstage, he smiled and thought to himself, “This is where I belong. This is where my heart led me."

And with that, he took a final bow and went offstage feeling for the first time in years that his life was complete.

The End

 

[TogetherAgain]

<waving arms in air> YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

I can't tell you HOW many times I felt like doing that as I read. Well okay, maybe I can. First was when Wanda agreed to go back with Rowlf. I mean, YAAAAAAAAY! And then Rowlf's mom, "You take care of that kitty now." It's so... mommy-ish! (yay for making up words.) I mean it's just... it YAAAAY! And Rowlf, "Let's go home." Just, that simple. Home. Because home is the boarding house, and the theater, and... home. And YAAAAAAAY! And then, it's Friday night- woah, hey, it's tonight!- ok random. It's Friday night, and Piggy and Wanda share a dressing room ha ha! And everybody's talking to family. Scooter and Skeeter on Instant Messanger going to see each other this weekend, awesome, and Fozzie on the phone with his mom, wocka wocka! And Kermit and Robin will be going to the swamp this weekend to visit Robin's parents and AUNT MAGGIE! That's YAAAAAAAAY, and it's <HUGS!> And Rowlf, so so so so so so so nervous, and he does so awesome- in front of BOTH of his families! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Beth this is so AWESOME!!

I can't wait for commentary- but I think I'll miss this story...

 

[Xerus]

That was a wonderful ending and a wonderful story about Rowlf. I'm glad Rowlf has his old family back as well as his Muppet family. I give your story and A!

 

[froggiegirl18]

That was a beautiful story, I can't wait to hear your thoughts and maybe where the idea came from. I think I might read it again to get the overall effect, but now I feel complete, now that the story came to a happy ending. I loved the ending, and thanks for leaving it to the audience to figure out the rest of the story. Awesome job!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments and for reading my story! Commentary and thoughts coming soon, so stay tuned!

 

[redBoobergurl]

All right, so now I'm going to go through and post commentary on each chapter, so if you're interested in where this came from, read on! It's kind of like watching a dvd with the commentary on I guess. Anyway, before I post chapter one, I thought I'd explain where the overall idea came from. I could've picked a few different characters to explore where they came from because there are so many Muppets who's pasts are unknown. But, with there being SUCH an absence of Rowlf since Jim passed away, I really wanted to focus on him. Now, I've never known what it was like to not have a family or anything like that, but I still tried to write the best story I could on the topic. So, without further ado, here is chapter one with commentary.

Chapter One (with commentary):

The Muppet Theater was chaotic and crazy as usual. The Muppets were in the middle of a new run of shows and so far everything was going…well, chaotic and crazy, but that was nothing new.

It was Friday night, the night the show is performed, and so of course, backstage was even busier than normal. On top of that, Friday night was the night that most Muppets tried to make contact with their outside families. While the Muppets were really one huge family themselves, they all had extended family living in different parts of the country.
Commentary: Now, most of my stories I picture as actually being played out as movies, helps me visualize and all that stuff more. If this was an actual movie, I'm not sure how this would be explained. I'm thinking maybe a narrator would be helpful in this case.

This Friday was no exception to the others, so between makeup and wardrobe preparations, if one looked around backstage they would see various Muppets using various forms of communication to contact their loved ones.

In one corner Kermit was talking to his nephew Robin.

“Ok Robin, I’m going to help you with your spelling as soon as the show is over tonight and then we’ll give your parents a buzz, how does that sound?” said Kermit.

“Sounds good Uncle Kermit! I can’t wait to tell them how well I did on last week’s test!” said Robin.

“Don’t forget to tell them about your newest Frog Scout merit badge too!” said Kermit as he patted his nephew on the head.

In another corner of the room, Fozzie Bear was on the telephone.

“Hey Mom! Looking forward to seeing you soon! Of course I’ll break a leg, they always throw banana peels at me! Wocka Wocka!” said Fozzie obviously talking to his mother, Emily Bear who lived out in the country.
Commentary: I'm so bad at writing jokes, I could never write a story with Fozzie as the main character!

Over by the desk, Scooter was sitting at the computer typing an e-mail.

“Dear Skeeter, How are you doing? I hope you can come visit me at the theater real soon!” typed Scooter. He had recently been reunited with his twin sister and worked hard to make sure they would never lose each other again.
Commentary: No one caught it, but this was a reference to a role play game that Beau had going earlier this spring called Search for Skeeter. That and so many of us would like to see Skeeter be an actual Muppet.

Finally, in another corner of the room, Rowlf the dog sat at a piano alone, playing the keys very softly. Rowlf, a usually easy going, good natured dog, was feeling really down on this particular Friday night.

“Look at all of them. They have no idea how lucky they are. They’ve got brothers and sisters and parents. Even Gonzo has a family. What do I have” said Rowlf to himself.
Commentary: Of course, a reference to MFS.

Rowlf sat and watched every Friday when all the various Muppets started getting in touch with their family members. Every Friday he ended up more and more depressed. He didn’t know if he even had a family.

“I’d give anything to have what they have,” sighed Rowlf to himself.

Most of the time, Rowlf was happy to have all of the Muppets as his family. But every once and awhile, he felt a longing for something more. He just wanted to know where he came from. He wished he remembered more of his puppy hood.

He knew he spent some time alone on the streets. Then he was taken in by a very nice woman. She happened to have a piano in her home. Rowlf discovered he had some natural musical talent. The woman encouraged him to go on his way and pursue a career. He ended up with a gig in a restaurant. One day a frog with big dreams came into the restaurant on his way to Hollywood. Rowlf went along and the rest was history. He made some wonderful friends. Friends who were like family. But, still he felt empty inside from time to time.
Commentary:This has a reference to TMM of course.

“Rowlf? Rowlf? Two minutes to curtain Rowlf!” exclaimed Scooter pulling Rowlf out of his reflection.

“Oh? Yeah, I’m on my way!” said Rowlf.

Usually he’d repress the feelings he had and let them out in the music he would play onstage. He always felt better after performing and would forget how empty he felt. That is, until the next Friday rolled around. Then, the whole dance began all over again.

“I’m tired of feeling this way. I’ve got to do something about it,” thought Rowlf as he stepped out onto stage.

He just wasn’t sure what to do.

Commentary: And so ends chapter one. I didn't want to give away too much in the first chapter, because I wanted everyone to want more and continue to read it!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Well, I don't know if anyone's reading the commentary or not, but since I'm bored, I'm going to do some more! It's easier now that the whole story is written!

Chapter Two (with commentary):

The show finished with a bang, literally as Crazy Harry set off a large amount of dynamite. This was nothing new to this crowd.

Now Muppets were everywhere backstage gathering their things, getting ready to go home for the weekend and congratulating each other on another show well done. Or at least celebrating the fact that once again, the theater didn’t burn down.

“Hey Rowlf, that was a great song you sang tonight!” said Gonzo.

“Thanks,” said Rowlf. He really just wanted to get out of there.

“Hey Rowlf, I was thinking, you and I should do some sort of dueling piano thing, but I’ll play my harmonica!” exclaimed Fozzie.

“Um, I don’t know Fozzie,” started Rowlf.

“Hey Rowlf, my main dog, the band and I could really use you for next weeks’ number, what do you say?” asked Dr. Teeth as he entered the room.

“I’m not sure,” said Rowlf.

“Oh hey, Uncle Rowlf! Did you see my latest frog scout badge?” exclaimed Robin jumping into the conversation.
Commentary: Rowlf is quickly trying to walk towards the door in this scene and all the various Muppets start surrounding him and shouting everything at once in typical Muppet style.

“Not yet Robin,” started Rowlf. Suddenly everyone was talking at once about all the things they wanted Rowlf to do. Rowlf was already feeling overwhelmed thinking about his family and it caused something inside of him to snap at this moment.

“You know what? Just LEAVE ME ALONE! I can’t help any of you right now! I can’t even help myself!!!” yelled Rowlf suddenly.

Everyone was silent and stunned. This was Rowlf the dog, he never got mad, never even raised his voice. He wouldn’t even hurt his own fleas. All of the Muppets looked at each other nervously as to what to do next.
Commentary: Rowlf yelling? What? He doesn't do that! That was a hard line for me to write.

Robin was unafraid of what had just happened. He hopped over to Rowlf and took his hand.

“Something’s bothering you isn’t it?” asked Robin.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” said Rowlf softening a little bit toward the young frog. He really hadn’t meant to yell.
Commentary: Little Robin is never afraid. I wish he had been featured more in later Muppet Movies, he only gets that bit part in TMM. Robin is so innocent, we need more of him!

“Well, I think we do need to talk about it,” said Kermit, who had come into the room right during Rowlf’s outburst and was standing behind everyone else.

“Why don’t the rest of you go on home, we’ll be there in a little while,” continued Kermit.

With that, all of the Muppets started piling onto the Electric Mayhem’s bus to head back to the Muppet Boarding House. Only Kermit and Rowlf remained in the theater, along with Beauregard, who had stayed behind to mop up the stage and would drive them back in his taxi later. He had the good sense to leave the two of them alone.

“Rowlf, tell me, what is going on?” asked Kermit after they sat down at a table.

“I don’t know if I can explain it Kermit. I’ve been really depressed lately,” said Rowlf.

“I’ve noticed,” said Kermit.

“You have? I didn’t know it was becoming obvious,” said Rowlf.

“Well, the last couple of weeks you’ve been out there playing songs like ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen’ and other tunes like that so I figured something was up” said Kermit.
Commentary: This line drives me nuts, I was trying to think of depressing songs and I could only come up with one! So I added "and other tunes like that" which is ok, but I wish I could've come up with another song.
“All right, I do know what’s bothering me” said Rowlf.

“Tell me. Please Rowlf. I’m your friend. I’m here for you,” said Kermit.

“Kermit, I want to know if I have a family somewhere. I mean you’ve got Robin and all the other frogs back at the swamp. Fozzie has his mother. Scooter has a sister. Gonzo has family too! Kermit, I don’t know where I come from. I want a family,” explained Rowlf.

“I thought you said you grew up with that lady in Minnesota,” said Kermit.
Commentary: First shamless reference to me! I'm from Minnesota.

“Well, she’s just part of where I come from. I wasn’t a young puppy anymore when she took me in. I had to have started somewhere before that! I could have brothers and sisters. Who knows?” said Rowlf.

“Ok, maybe you do. Let’s get Scooter to help, he could look some stuff up on the Internet for you! You can find all sorts of information that way!” said Kermit.
Commentary: This was my way of showing how much has changed since the first Muppet Movie. I figured talking about modern technology would show that so much has changed, but the Muppets are still so important.

“Um, well, that’s a great idea Kermit, but I think I’d like to do it a little differently,” said Rowlf.

“What do you want to do?” asked Kermit.

“I want to go find that lady I lived with and see if she knows anything about me from before I came to live with her. And then, I’m going to go find my family,” said Rowlf.

“Rowlf, are you sure? I’d hate for you to leave! The show needs you!” said Kermit.

“I know, but I really need to do this. I have to have a family out there somewhere! Maybe they need to know that I’m ok too! I just really need to do this,” said Rowlf.

“Rowlf, I want you to know, all of us Muppets, we’re your family too,” said Kermit.
Commentary: Remember this line, it will be important later.

“Kermit, I know. I don’t think you understand though,” said Rowlf.

“No, I do, I do. If you want to go find your family, I think that’s great,” said Kermit.

“Thanks Kermit,” said Rowlf.

“No problem, we’re going with you!” exclaimed Kermit.
Commentary: I should've added a line or something about Kermit also putting the show on hold. Just a few lines back Kermit's telling Rowlf not to go because the show needs him. Doesn't the show need everyone? Oops.

Rowlf couldn’t imagine the entire Muppet brood following him around the country on his search. As much as he did love them, he knew they’d slow him down. Still, Kermit looked so eager.
Commentary: In a movie version this would be a good scene for Rowlf to actually picture in his mind what the entire Muppet brood going along with him would look like. I could see it being a chaotic and crazy picture and then Rowlf shaking himself out of it, but not wanting to hurt Kermit's feelings.

“Ok, Kermit, I guess that would be all right,” said Rowlf.

“Oh good. Now, let’s go home and get a good night’s sleep and come up with a game plan tomorrow. Sound good?” said Kermit.

“Sure,” said Rowlf.

They went and found Beauregard and then got in the taxi to head back to the Boarding House. They rode home mostly in silence.

“Thanks for listening Kermit,” said Rowlf when they arrived and headed up the stairs.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for!” said Kermit. They said good night and headed to their rooms.

But, Rowlf couldn’t sleep. He knew Kermit’s intentions were good, but he felt he needed to do this on his own.

He finally got out of bed and threw all of his possessions into a bag, which pretty much consisted of a few dog bones and a flea collar. He decided he would go on his own to find his family and then come back home to be with his friends. He just needed to do this for himself.

He looked longingly at his piano on his way out of his room.

“I’ve got to learn to play a more portable instrument,” he thought to himself.
Commentary: Weak attempt at humor.

Finally, he wrote a note to Kermit explaining why he left on his own. Kermit was a good friend and Rowlf was sure he’d understand.

Then slowly and quietly, Rowlf slipped out of the boarding house and headed to the bus station. With in an hour he was on a Greyhound bound for Minneapolis. He had no idea what was in store for him. But he would find out very soon.

 

[TogetherAgain]

I'm reading it! And enjoying it! It's funny the little things we realize we should or should not have put in after the whole story is done. About half way through Summer in the Theater, I realized I had Robin reminding Kermit that he didn't have school towards the beginning of the story. Well, of course he didn't have school, it was the middle of summer. <shrug> It's fun when no one catches those things, isn't it?