BY SOLO
EPISODE 24
Quick recap…Solo asleep. Dreaming of a handsome masked
Prince. Tim
about to kiss her and wake her up….we think?
Once of the group members, the Tall Doug Anthony Allstar,
stood at
the drinks table.
Flacco directed Solo over to the table. "Two please."
Flacco asked.
Tim picked up the ladle. The light from the candle
on the table
flashed from the ladle, onto one of Tom's many silver badges and then
up
into Solo's eyes. Solo was forced to turn away for a second.
Blinking
furiously. Tears streamed down her eyes as she struggled to see.
As
her sight returned she turned back to the table and jumped back with
a
gasp.
Instead of Tim standing there pouring their punch.
It was a giant
Mutant Frog.
The mutant frog's long long slimy pink tongue was stretching
out in
Solo's direction.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Solo squealed and jump back
again.
The tongue…dripping with slimy pale green saliva seemed
to sense her
movement and grew even larger. It shifted its position and coiled
up
like a cobra preparing to strike.
Solo froze. The tongue hesitated.
Then it struck. Whipping forward like lightening
slashing across a
storm filled sky. Solo reacted a fraction faster. She dove
to the side
and grabbed Flacco, pulling him in front of her as the tongue hit.
The giant tongue hit Flacco squarely in the middle of
his forehead.
In her grip, Flacco began to shiver and shake.
He jerked out of Solo's hands and in a blinding flash…turned
into a
frog. A giant mutant frog.
The mutant frog behind the counter stared in horror at
the mutant
frog standing beside Solo. Its three strands of hair stuck out
in all
directions getting into Solo's eyes.
Solo stared in amusement as the two frogs took each other's
hand and
hopped away.
*****
Richard, Paul and Flacco struggled to pull Tim away from
Solo's
sleeping form.
"Timmy, Timothy!! It didn't work so leave off!"
Paul cried.
The two boys and Flacco finally pulled Tim away with a
loud sucking
POP!
"Well, what now?" Tim asked a little out of breath.
"I mean if I
can't wake her, no one can."
"Maybe, Tim, It doesn't matter if you are a good
kisser or not.
Maybe it has to be an innocent kiss…Pure or something."
Richard said
slowly.
"Well you're certainly qualified Richie!" Paul laughed.
Flacco jumped up and down on the spot and cried "Ribbit!"
He looked
shocked at himself and then shook his head. "Let Richard try
fellas…what can it hurt?"
Tim and Paul looked at Richard incredulously.
Richard flushed.
"Well, go on then - do your best!" Tim sulked.
Richard knelt down next to Solo. He gently took
her hand.
*****
Solo walked around to the opposite side of the counter
and poured
herself a cup of punch. She hoped that it wasn't spiked because
quite
frankly this dream was strange as it was without her having to drink
any
mind-altering beverages.
Damn…she was thirsty though…how could you feel thirsty
in a dream?
She took a sip and felt something warm and soft push up
against her
leg. She looked down and into the adoring eyes of a cocker-spaniel
puppy. A brown fringe hung down in a comma over one eye.
"Oh how gorgeous!!" Solo cried and stooped down
to pick the little
dog up.
The puppy squirmed in her grasp until she held it gently
against her
chest, it settled down and made itself comfortable. The little
puppy
looked up into Solo's eyes. It looked sooooooooooooo sad and
lonely
that Solo's heart went out to it. She gently tugged its collar
around
to get a look at its nametag. "Richie"
The little puppy then lifted its face and licked Solo's
cheek
hesitantly.
Solo giggled…It tickled.
The puppy licked her face again.
Solo giggled again. Ohhhhh he was soooooooooooo
cute, she thought.
I wonder if you can keep dream puppies?
Suddenly a flash of white caught Solo's eye.
She turned.
Standing in the doorway with her eyes locked on the puppy
was a
gorgeous sex kitten. And kitten was right. The young women
was dressed
head to toe in a white cat suit.
Flashing in fluorescent lights on the kitten's collar
was the name
"Smuffy"
Richie, In Solo's arms, yipped loudly and struggled to
jump out of
Solo's grasp. Leaning down, Solo let the puppy go…. She didn't
want to
risk him biting her hands.
The little puppy tore across the room and chased the young
women out
of the door.
Solo laughed out loud at the sight of the very athletic looking
women
in a cat suit being chased by a tiny little puppy.
The two creatures disappeared up the corridor. The
door swung shut
behind them.
Solo looked around…. She was alone once again.
*****
Richard pulled back.
Nothing!
Damn! He thought.
Richard turned back to Tim and Paul. "Now what?"
"Maybe we checked the wrong book?" Tim suggested.
Richard agreed. "Maybe we should go back and see
if we can find the
answer in one of the other books?"
Richard and Tim headed for the door.
Tim turned back to look at Paul. Flacco made himself
inconspicuous…well as inconspicuous a strangely dressed little man
can
look, in the corner.
"Paul, you stay here and keep an eye on Solo."
"Why, she's not going anywhere?"
"Well she certainly won't wake up while you are here,
you little
midget! Your self-recriminations are enough to send anyone to
sleep.
Certainly your presence alone is not enough to wake her up…Just stay
here. It's almost bedtime and you haven't made the bed yet!"
"But…"
"No buts Paul." Richard cut in. "It's your
turn to make the bed and
besides, you found the book that said we only had to kiss her to wake
her up last time and it didn't work. The book we need may be
higher up
somewhere. So there's no point in you coming with us!"
And with that kind parting thought, Richard and Tim left
the room
leaving Paul and Flacco alone with Solo.
Are they right?
Were they looking in the wrong book after all?
Is there another way to wake Solo?
Isn't there a ladder in the library somewhere that Paul
could use?
Will Flacco help Paul make the bed?
Will Solo wake up by bedtime?
Will DKR's regular readers kill the author for leaving
the wake-up
scene until the next episode?
STAY TUNED…