'Toons Revisited

Sixth story in the Fantastic Dreams collection.

It was a very hot Sunday night in June. JD and Vin slept with only a sheet covering each of them. The boys had plastic cups of water on small tables beside their beds for if they got thirsty during the night.

Chris Larabee had just said goodnight to them after tucking them into bed. He hadn't read them a story since they had watched their video of cartoons instead. They had watched it every evening that week and Chris kept seeing cartoons when he closed his eyes. He had been a 'Dad' and a 'Da' that week, since Buck was away visiting a friend in another state who'd just had a baby.

"Vin, wake up! Tweetie's missin'," said the voice of JD, shaking Vin as he spoke.

Vin opened his eyes and stretched his arms high above his head, yawning. Then he blinked his eyes in disbelief. They were in a bedroom of another house, but everything looked like a cartoon!

"What, JD?" asked Vin, not believing what his brother had told him.

"Tweetie's missin'! we gots to go find him; he might be in trouble!"

"Tweetie?" asked Vin.

"Yeah, we gots to go find him before Sylvester catches him or some other cat gets him instead or he hurts himself or..."

"Breathe, JD," said Vin. "Have you checked the whole house for him?"

"Yes. He hasn't even left a note!" said JD, becoming very panicked.

Vin got out of bed and hurriedly got dressed; he already had his underwear on, so just needed to add a T-shirt and shorts to it. It was very hot in this cartoon house like it was in their house.

"Okay, let's go and find a cartoon bird," said Vin, still not believing that they were in a cartoon.

The boys began a thorough search of the house for the cartoon bird, calling his name over and over. The bird had left no clues behind and they began to worry that something bad had happened to him.

The boys went outside into the backyard thinking maybe the bird was out there. They were beginning to give up hope when a little bluebird flew down to them.

JD put out his hand for the bird to land on it. "Hi birdie, have you seen Tweetie?" he asked it.

Vin looked at him with shock on his face. He was about to speak when the bird answered in English with a high-pitched voice.

"He's run away from home with a lady canary. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. I said to him, 'You can't leave your two boys behind,' but he said you'd be happy for him when I told you; they're going to start a family together," explained the bird.

"What are we gonna tell Granny?" asked JD, referring to Tweetie's owner.

"Granny's gonna be really mad at us, JD," said Vin, fear evident in his voice.

"Perhaps you should tell her the truth, guys," said the voice of Buck Wilmington.

"Da," shouted JD happily and turned around to face his father. He saw his father and began laughing hard.

"What's so funny, JD?" asked Buck, surprised by his son's reaction.

"You look like that cartoon rooster!" exclaimed JD.

"I do?" asked Buck, clearly unaware of his appearance.

Vin had turned around as well and was laughing just as hard as JD at Buck's current state.

"Oh boy, a wooster!" exclaimed a familiar voice. Elmer Fudd came into view wearing his hunter's clothes and carrying his rifle.

"You can't eat my Da," said JD, his voice's pitch getting higher.

"That's a wooster!" exclaimed Elmer, looking at the boy with a puzzled expression; "if he was your dad, you'd be a wooster as well, but you aren't!"

"I don't know why he's a wooster...I mean rooster," said JD.

"I would prefer wabbit weally, but he's gone on holiday!" said Elmer, taking out the picture postcard Bugs Bunny had sent him and handing it to the boys for them to read it.

"Da, why aren't we going somewhere for a holiday this year?" asked JD.

"Work's too busy, JD, I told you," said Buck forgetting he was a rooster in Toontown for a moment.

"I wish Bugs had invited us to go with him," said JD, jealous of the rabbit getting a holiday.

"He wanted to ask you but he couldn't find you," said Elmer regretfully.

"I have to get back to the hens, boys," said Buck and walked away.

"I wonder if Chris is around here as well," said Vin looking for him.

"Perhaps he's a rooster as well!" said JD.

The boys heard the sound of a galloping horse coming toward them and turned toward the noise. A cowboy dressed from head to toe in black stopped the horse and dismounted. He tied the reins to a wooden post that the boys hadn't noticed before.

"Hi boys," said the cowboy in an instantly recognizable voice.

"Dad?" asked Vin. He was shocked to see his dad dressed like a cowboy.

"Course it's me, Cowboy," said Chris frowning.

"Why are you dressed like a cowboy?"

"I always dress like this, Vin," Vin's dad answered.

Many hooves were heard approaching. Chris quickly picked up Vin and got back on the horse with the boy. "What about JD?" asked Vin as the riders got closer.

"Don't worry, there's a little horse coming for JD," answered the blonde man.

A small white horse came galloping along and JD grabbed onto it and jumped on, as if he'd done it lots of times.

The two horses started galloping, getting faster and faster and the boys held on tight, afraid of falling off.

"Boys, time for breakfast," called a voice.

Vin opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He was back in his own bedroom now. He got out of bed and walked to JD's bed to wake the little boy. Vin shook JD. "Breakfast time, JD," he said.

"But I was having a cool dream, there was Elmer Fudd and a bluebird and Da was a rooster..."

"Me too, we musta had the same dream!" said Vin.

"Wow, cool!" shouted JD getting out of bed and jumping on it excitedly.

"Do I hear someone jumping on a bed up there?" called up Chris's voice.

JD stopped jumping and ran out of the room and downstairs. Vin followed slowly - he didn't understand where his brother got all his energy!

"Boys, your breakfast's on the table waiting for you," said Chris happily.

"You're happy, Dad," observed Vin.

"I had a really good dream last night, Vin," said Chris before a small smile broke out on his face.

"You was a cowboy?" guessed Vin.

"Yes, Son. And Sarah and Adam were there and so were you, Buck, JD and your uncles," said the man in a choked voice overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of being once again with his deceased wife and son.

Vin and JD went over to Chris and hugged him tightly.

The End
Next story: The Lamp