The tale of Big Tee's surprise, ER style.

[Bara]

(I'm warning you, Brooks, either you hop on here, or there's no ending to the story. This means you, too, Luci .. we're all at your place ...)

Cough.

Over the Canadian side of the border, Cedric and BigHoof were standing sentry, looking through the gap in the Mountains towards the border.

"They should be HERE by now," fretted BigHoof. "Rad said ..."

"Shush!" said Cedric. "Perhaps they've decided to stay over somewhere next door for the night." He flashed his flashlight - but there was no answering flicker of light from Stateside.

Bighoof idly cropped the grass, muttering. It was a cold, clear, Canadian night.

"Will you be QUIET?" grumbled Cedric. He wiggled his frozen toes. Resplendent as he was in scarlet Mountie uniform and smart hat, quartermasters' stores had not been able to find a pair of boots big enough for him.

"Could we go home, then, please?" Asked BH, dreaming of his giant stable, his petite 18hh girlfriend, hot bran mash and deep straw...

Just then, Cedric's cellphone played La Marseilles. Groping through his million uniform pockets, he just managed to grab the call ..

'Allo?" il dit. He covered the mouthpiece. "It's Estelle," he said to BigHoof. "Oui? Oui? Non - je compris. D'accord." he said.

"Quelle?" asked BH "I mean, WHAT?"

"I don't really know," said Cedric. "She said something about stars TWINKLING when you look at them, but TINKLING when they talk. She also mentioned parapluie ..."

The two large shapes turned for home; Bighoof gratefully, Cedric perplexed.

As they ambled off into the Canadian darkness, you could hear them bickering, amicably...

"So we'll have a lie-in tomorrow ...?"
"No, we have to be back here at first light."
"I'm hungry."
"My FEET are cold .."
"With big hairy feet like yours..?"
"Watchit, MisterHorse.. and back to YOU, Mr. HOOVES..."

And finally, as the mountains closed in on them :

"Merde! Il pleuts!"

Meanwhile, at Luci's place ...

[Bara]

POSITIVELY THE LAST!

In the early dawn, Rad's eyes were closing, he was shivering in the frosty dew, but still diligently maintaining his watch.

At his hooves, Capri was curled up, also shivering, but tucking his beard into Rad's fetlocks.

From the house behind them, came the faint sounds of music, and shapes shifting across the lamplight.

"Teddy Bear," muttered Rad, nudging his watchmate with one hoof. "Elvish Preshleee, 1964, " said Capricorn, in his sleep.

The two stamped in the cold, their breath forming clouds.

"There's a light!" exclaimed Rad.

"Over in the Frankenshtein'sh housh," muttered Capri. "Rocky Horror Show, Tim Curry, 1978 ..."

"NO! There's a light!" He nudged Capricorn. The hoofmates scrambled to their feet.

True enough there was a light on the CANADIAN side of the river. They read the morse code ...

"GOSH!" said Capricorn, "We'd best make tracks! It's Cedric and BigHoof..."

[pedrodeshyburro]

Sorry , she really has dropped off the internet world and a few of us are really worried. Don't feel much like continuing the story. Thanks for what you have written as always it's great.

[Bara]

OK, Hun.  

[diane]

aww I loved it

[pedrodeshyburro]

( Now that I know it's just her computer shall we continue )


Brooks knew it would be a long drive today, she had to get father north. She had to make that delivery. She thought of the special package she had stowed away in the back of the truck.

"WAKE UP EVERYONE" she yelled. "We must be off! Thank You Luci so much for put up with us, I mean putting us up for the night on such short notice."

As the sun rose over the valley they were off once again. Estelle was still very sleepy and curled up on the front seat.

After many hours of driving, Brooks just had to find a Starbucks for coffee, what she didn't expect to find was..............

[Bara]

... a roadside Dairy Queen with an extremely large horse tethered in the carpark.

Brooks shrugged and pulled into the carpark, bringing the truck to a stop next to BigHoof.

"Good morning! Good morning!" neighed BH.

"Dorish Day, nineteen fifty-shicks," muttered Capricorn from the back of the truck.

Seconds later, they were all crammed into a booth with an extremely large Mountie with huge bare, furry feet.

Allouette was gazing at him, starry-eyed .. ("Hey," tinkled/twinkled Estelle, pointedly : "Nix with the star jokes..")

Cedric was blushing and shuffling his bigfeet, unable to look directly at the Christmas fairy.

Brooks took in the situation.

"Right," she said determinedly. "Here we are. Rad, Capricorn, Allouette, Estelle, Cedric and Bighoof ..."

"And you ..." snuffled Estelle, still half asleep. "And a mysterious package .."

They all looked at Brooks, as their breakfast order was delivered.

"Hash browns?" cried the waitress. Brooks raised her hand.
"Double order Hay?" Rad and Bighoof raised their hooves.
"Errr - one laundry line???" Capricorn smiled.
"One ..." she consulted her order pad. "Everything on the menu, twice?" Cedric's blush deepened, but he raised his hand.
"And - errr - and ... Single order of Christmas cake? And a big dipper of Milky Way?"

Everyone settled down to breakfast.

"The way I see it," said Cedric, finally overcoming his blushing, but not daring to look directly at Allouette, "The way I see it - I can lead you to 3 miles outside Dog River, but finding a computer shop....?" He tailed off.

Brooks smiled, thinking of the mysterious package in the back of the truck.

"We'll have to climb every mountain ..." continued Cedric ...

"SOUND OF MUSIC, JULIE ANDREWS, 19 ..." They all jumped on Capricorn ...

[Bara]

.. there was a tapping on the window.

Outside was Henry. Cold, forgotten, his feathers ruffled up for warmth, tapping with his beak.

"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Brooks, scooting her chair to the door and scooping Henry up into her lap and covering him with her wrap.

"I am SO sorry, Henry!" she cried. Then "Waitress! Another order, here, please." The waitress appeared, bewildered by this strange party.

"Bread in warm milk, please?" Asked Brooks.

Henry's feathers started to settle.

[pedrodeshyburro]

As she sat there among this strange party, the cold and tiredness took it's effect on Brooks. She started to remember back as a young girl, family vacations. The one that brought them all to Canada. Horsefly Lake in BC it was and what fun. The cute kid in the dinning room of the lodge, the little cabin they stayed in and oh of course the pot bellied stove. How she and her Mother laughed so hard and how angry her Father was at himself. He had put too much wood in the stove and by 2am the cabin was so hot they had to open all the doors and windows. The little oven door said it was 600 degrees!!! And then they realized the cabin was surrounded by cattle, it was all open range grazing there.

Henry felted her begin to slump in her chair and flapped his wings to wake her up. Startled Brooks sat straight up. "Oh!! yes of course" she said. "Well what are the next plans Cedric and Bighoof? What's the best way to get to Dog River?" " It's starting to snow!!"

[Bara]

By now it was only 7 a.m., but our party had stayed up most of the night and everyone was drooping.

"Ms Brooks?" said the waitress. "We have cabins and stalls." Brooks thought for a moment, then realised that her party was exhausted. She knew that Big Tee was ok...

So she gratefully accepted.

Rad and Bighoof shared an extra large stable, with Capricorn tucked up beside them and Henry roosting on the wall.

Brooks, Allouette and Estelle had a snug cabin with all of them tucked up in one bed.

Cedric had a double room, all to himself. and even then he took all the bed linen onto the floor and stretched out.

"Would you wake us at noon, please, Louise?" asked Brooks of the waitress.

So, our adventurers sunk into slumber. Brooks dreaming of childhood holidays, Rad dreaming of hay. Bighoof dreaming of dressage he would never do. Henry dreaming of southern climes. Estelle dreaming of the beginning of time.

And Cedric and Allouette?

"Come back HERE!" murmured Brooks, in her sleep, as the fairy tried to tip-toe out the door.

[Bara]

For Diane ...

Cedric was caught. Tip-toeing through the snow towards Unit 14. Caught in the blaze of Louise's flashlight, the Bigfoot froze in the snow.

"I just wanted to SPEAK to her," explained Cedric.

"STEP AWAY from the fairy!" said Louise. "We're not THAT sort of motel."

"No, no, I just wanted ..." protested Cedric.

In Unit 14, Brooks slept on, blissfully unaware of the drama outside. The Star was softly twinkling or tinkling in her sleep.

Allouette was at the window, watching her lover being led away.

"Will you MARRY me?" shouted Cedric over his shoulder.

"YES! Oh, YES!" But Allouette's answer was muted by the glass between them.

She sank onto the windowcill in a damp heap of glitters and tears. "Oh, yes," she sobbed.

Brooks and Estelle slept on.

Suddenly, headlights split the night. Louise shielded her eyes, Cedric dropped to his knees.

There was a long pause.

The driver's door opened. A woman in black riot gear stepped out. The door slammed.

The pause lengthened. A flashlight cut the night, glancing off their eyes.

"It's me," said a deceptively gentle voice. "It's me, Diane. I'm here to straighten things out. I've driven a long way ..." she said.

[pedrodeshyburro]

"What room is she in ?" said Diane. "Unit 14" someone shouted. Diane pounded on the door of 14, Brooks muttered something while Estelle got up to answer the door. "Diane!!! Oh good heavens !! at last reinforcements!!" Everyone started talking at once all trying to tell how they got to this point. Brooks was fully wake and so glad to see Diane. " SSSHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Diane said "I have a plan to get that package to Big Tee. We must trust now in Bighoof. We must let him carry the package from here on to Big Tee, he is the only one who get through the snow and ice from here."

Brooks thought about this for a minute and saw she was right. She certainly didn't know how to drive in the snow and she was so cold already. There was no way she could continue. She would have to trust in Bighoof.

"Your right Diane" Brooks said "We must make sure that he has everything he needs, including Allouette and Estelle, they should go with him."

So Diane and Brooks made a list of things the party would need. Which included..............



Ok Diane or Bara what would they need, LOL Sorry I took so long

[diane]

protein bars for bighoof ( he didnt have room in his pack to carry hay and grain.)

a compass for traveling through a white out

[Bara]

There was a moment of total silence outside Unit 14. Diane was poised outside the door, all dressed in her black riot gear. Inside her truck was a mountain of goodies for our heroes and heroines.

Inside the door, our crew was
bickering. Allouette, bless her tiny little cotton socks, had her back to the door, wings slightly crushed and drooping; facing the others off.

"Friend!" she cried.
"Maybe?" tinkled or twinkled Estelle.

Capricorn continued munching on the mattress and Henry did a Whoopsie on the bathroom floor.

Rad and Bighoof didn't wake up, still grazing contentedly on the motel carpet. Brooks shouted "HOLD IT!'

Everyone froze and Cedric emerged sheepishly from the motel bathroom.

They all looked at Brooks.

"There's an easy way," she said, "to find out if that is really Diane. Are you ready everyone? ONE, TWO, THREE!'

Reluctantly, they all joined in and the ragged chorus sang out to Diane outside the window. Then waited for her answer.

Diane groaned. But she joined in to prove exactly who she was :

"West Virginia, Mountain Momma. Take me home ..." she sang in a slightly quavery, but true voice...

The door of Unit 14 burst open and Diane was mobbed by stars, fairies, Bigfeet and Hooves, Ducks, Goats, Horses and humans. Oh ok, only one of each.

In the excitement, Brooks and Diane were able to have a quiet word.

"We're HERE," said Brooks, tapping the map. "And we need to get to Dog River and then journey 3 miles outside." She tapped the map again. "The weather is forecasting blizzards and our mission is to install a fully-functioning broadband."

Diane looked doubtful.

"No," Brooks was determined. "We can do that. I have a good team." She and Diane looked around.

Allouette and Cedric were spooning on the window seat. Henry and Estelle were web/point wrestling, each wearing green eye-shades and with a pile of poker chips beside them and a group of spectators chanting 'down, down, down'.

Rad and Bighoof were trying to play 'scissors/paper/stone' for money. Which is extremely difficult when you have hooves.

"CAPRICORN?" Shouted Brooks. The goat turned around from his chalkboard, where he was marking up the odds on each contest.

Capri tutted and took a moment to note the odds on each of his endeavours before reporting for duty.

"This is Diane," said Brooks. "she'll be taking us home."

Capricorn thought for a moment. Then bleated a greeting.

"Take us home?" he asked. "Country road?"

Diane groaned.

[diane]

(giggles)