The Superman At The End of This Story

[Big Daddy]

Chapter Nine

By the time morning had arrived over Smallville, the following members of Mystery Inc. had no clue where Daphne and Big Bird were. They sat in their motel room, quiet and worried, as Fred tried several times to contact Daphne on her cell phone. Every time he got her voice message, he groaned and hung up the phone in frustration. Scooby and Shaggy felt themselves getting very hungry, but they were too worried about their friends to eat anything. Velma was staring out the window of the room, seeing the magnificent sunset that shined brightly over the vast cornfields outside of town.

?Where are they?!? Fred exclaimed, and Velma sighed before she answered Fred?s question.

?They?d gone to a farm outside of town that?s owned by the Kent family.? Velma said. ?They went there thinking that they would find the Kryptonian crystal there.?

?They thought a crystal from another planet would be stocked up someplace in a farm?? Shaggy said, and he & Scooby tried to keep themselves from laughing, but their snickering only offended Fred and Velma.

?This is serious, guys!? Fred exclaimed. ?Now we?ve got four missing people on our hands, and we still have to find that crystal in order to get two of them back.?

?Big Bird thought that a guy named Ben Hubbard would know where the crystal is,? Velma said, ?Either he?s still at that farm or he?s here in town.?

?Well, let?s find this Ben Hubbard and ask him where Daphne and Big Bird are.? Fred said, and they were about to leave the motel room, until the door opened and two dirtied figures entered. It was Daphne and Big Bird, looking happy, disgusted, and amazed all at the same time. Fred, Velma, Scooby, and Shaggy were extraordinarily surprised to see them there, so much that they each wanted to give Daphne and Big Bird a hug, until they noticed how dirty and smelly they were.

?Does it take that long to nab one crystal?!? Velma asked, while pinching her nose. ?We?ve been calling for hours! What took so long?!?

?From the looks of your clothes and the smell that fuming this room, I?d say you had gone horseback riding.? Shaggy said, and Daphne smiled, not seeming to be a bit offended over his remark.

?For your information, we were lying in mud, which is the perfect thing to clear up a complexion.? Daphne said. ?And speaking of information, we found out who the people that kidnapped Mac and Frankie are.?

?You did?? Fred said, surprised. ?Who is it??

?Do you guys remember the Sleaze Brothers?? Daphne asked.

?Remember them?? Shaggy said, and he & Scooby looked very angry. ?Those creeps stole one of the grandest sandwiches that Scoob and I made six years ago, when we rode one of the lamest rides in their lame carnival. Since that day, we?ve been just itchin? to get payback.?

?Well, it looks like you might get after all, Shaggy,? Big Bird said, ?Because the Sleaze Brothers are the ones that have kidnapped Mac and Frankie, with help from Lefty the salesman?well, that is, he was a salesman.?

?But they?re not the masterminds behind this crime.? Daphne said. ?While my makeup was being washed away by the mud on my face, I found out that the kidnappers are working with the greatest thief of all time, Carmen Sandiego!? The name sent a shiver down the spines of Fred, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, just like it had with Daphne?s, when the Sleaze Brothers utter the name in her ear.

?Carmen Sandiego.? Fred uttered. ?That would explain everything.?

?Indeed, it does.? Velma said. ?The interest in the Kryptonian crystals, the interest in the new planet, and she might?ve kidnapped Mac for the knowledge of it all.?

?One of the brothers did say that Mac ?knew too much?,? Daphne said, ?But he also said the same about Frankie.?

?Frankie only heard about the info on the new planet in one night. What else would she know about it?? Shaggy asked, and he thought a little more about it. ?Maybe she knew something that none of us did.?

?The only thing Frankie knows is how to find a good place to listen to punk rock.? Velma said. ?But never mind about her. I just wanna know how Daphne and Big Bird were able to avoid Lefty and the Sleazes long enough to escape and come back with all of this information.?

?We didn?t escape.? Big Bird said. ?Superman came and rescued us!? The Mystery Inc. gang just looked at Big Bird oddly; neither of them believed the bird?though Daphne wanted to, but being that her eyes were blinded by mud at the time, it was hard for her to believe anything that she didn?t see.

?Yeah, that?s?uh?cool, Big Bird.? Fred said, with a fake smile, just before he came close to Daphne and whispered in her right ear. ?What really happened??

?Martha Kent had shown up with her son, Clark, and threatened to call the police if Lefty and the brothers didn?t leave the premises?that?s all.? Daphne murmured, but Big Bird could hear every word they had said, making him offended that the gang still didn?t believe him.

?I?m telling ya, Superman saved us!? Big Bird exclaimed. ?He wasn?t wearing his special costume at the time, but he came and he lifted Lefty and the brothers high in the air and flew off the ground and around the clouds, long enough to scare them to the point where they just ran off in their truck and never came back! He saved us! He did!?

?Take it easy, B.B.? Shaggy said. ?We believe you, man.?

?No, you don?t.? Big Bird said. ?You?re just saying that to calm me down?and it?s not working. Oh! I?ve never felt this frustrated since I tried telling everyone about Snuffy!?

?Man! You still trying to convince everyone that dude?s real?!? Shaggy exclaimed, and Big Bird just shook his head, as he started making his way towards the door.

?Just forget it.? Big Bird said, in a defeated tone. ?I?ll never convince anyone that I really met him. I?ll be at the diner across the street if you?re looking for me.? The gang watched the disappointed yellow bird as he left the room; they really felt sad for him, only because of his extremely active imagination.

?Poor thing.? Daphne said. ?I want to believe him; but my eyes were so filled with mud, I could only go by what I heard and that was Martha Kent scaring off Lefty and the Sleazes.?

?This is only a phase, Daphne. You know that.? Fred said. ?In two years, he?ll start telling everyone that he?s friends with a guy who climbs up walls and wears a mask.?

?Let?s get back on subject here, people. No offense to Big Bird, but my cousin?s safety is more important than a wild imagination.? Velma said. ?Daphne, were you able to see if Ms. Kent knew anything about strange out-worldly crystals??

?She couldn?t tell me anything.? Daphne said. ?But her son told me that the meteorite that fell from the sky last night contained a crystal that he trusted us enough to loan.? Daphne reached into her purse and pulled out the Kryptonian crystal. As they all stared at it, it sparkled in their amazed eyes; it was almost as if it had a hypnotic hold on them.

?And he actually gave this to you?? Velma inquired.

?Actually, he gave it to Big Bird, who then gave it to me.? Daphne said, and she noticed how her companions had gone from looking amazed to being a little suspicious. They did the math in their heads, but none of them were able to work up a reasonable conclusion. ?You guys don?t think that?Big Bird?? None of them said anything; instead, they just continued staring at the crystal, wondering what they should do next.

Meanwhile, inside the Smallville Café, Big Bird entered to find the same number of customers and employees from last night, which he found to be a little odd. What really surprised him was seeing Rowlf the Dog still playing the café?s piano; however, he was playing the tune to ?Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!? After asking a diner employee if they served birdseed milkshakes and getting a ?no? in reply, Big Bird walked over to the piano and had a chat with Rowlf.

?Good morning, friend.? Rowlf said. ?I play this tune almost more than I?ve seen the movie?and that way too many times.?

?I really like it.? Big Bird said. ?I hear my friend Bob sing it every morning. He even sings it during other times of the day, like the evening, the afternoon, or while he watching stars in the sky at night.?

?That must be one happy guy to sing a song about mornings during other parts of the day.? Rowlf remarked.

?Oh, yeah.? Big Bird said. ?Everybody?s always happy at Sesame Street.?

?Sesame Street?? Rowlf said, intrigued by the name of the place.

?The neighborhood that I live on in Metropolis.? Big Bird said, and Rowlf?s memory seemed to have kicked in that moment, as he put two and two together.

?You know, I think I?ve finally recognized you from someplace.? Rowlf said. ?I knew the moment you came in with that other dog and his human companions that I?ve seen or heard of you from someplace.?

?You have?? said Big Bird, feeling a bit honored. ?Well, I wouldn?t be surprised. Everyone in Smallville probably knows who I am.?

?That?s because everyone in Smallville knows who Clark Kent is.? Rowlf said. ?That kid was one heck of a hero in this town. Saved me once from one giant hole that I dug up one day in the fields. There was no possible way I could?ve climbed out of that hole by myself. But when Clark flew in and rescued me, I couldn?t have been more relieved that my life had been saved by the one and only, ?Superboy?.? Big Bird was surprised that an ordinary dog/piano player like Rowlf actually knew Superman himself.

?You know Superman, too?!? Big Bird exclaimed, and Rowlf quickly shushed him; Big Bird covered his beak, looking around to see if anyone heard him?thankfully, no one had. ?Why do you think he revealed his powers to you??

?He might?ve thought I was just your typical dog who wouldn?t know any better.? Rowlf said. ?Little did he know that he rescued what would one day be the only dog to ever play the only piano in Smallville?s only café.?

?Wow.? Big Bird uttered, with his surprise quickly being replaced by his sorrow, as he remembered how his Mystery Inc. friends neglected his fact on having a history with the Man of Steel. ?I bet no one believes that you met Superman before he became Superman.?

?Well, it?s probably best if they don?t, my big yellow friend.? Rowlf said. ?You see, when you?ve learned Superman?s big secret, it?s like you?ve taken an oath to a secret club or something; this club being for Superman fans. If you go around telling everyone that you knew Superman before he became Superman, then you?ll break the oath you made to the club and be kicked out for sure, because people will know who he really is, and they?ll go to Clark and ask him endless questions. And Superman?s greatest enemies will become Clark Kent?s greatest enemies, coming after those he cares about the most.?

?Wow.? Big Bird said, taken aback by Rowlf?s words. ?I never saw it that way before.?

?So you see why it?s important that you keep your beak closed and that I keep my muzzle shut about Supes? secret?? Rowlf asked, and as Big Bird nodded, a freshened-up Daphne stepped into the café and found Big Bird standing next to Rowlf and the piano.

?Big Bird, let?s get you cleaned up, before we head back to Metropolis.? Daphne said, and as she lead him out of the café, Big Bird looked back at Rowlf, who made a zipping gesture across his mouth as a way of telling Big Bird not to say anything about a history with the Man of Steel anymore. Upon leaving the café with Daphne, Big Bird nodded in agreement.

END OF CHAPTER NINE