All Smiles in the Darkness
By RedSwift
Chapter 5
Everyone stared at the note, the sun’s reflection on the pin glaring in their eyes. Chip slowly walked up to the note and removed the pin. Everyone else crowded around him as he opened it and read it aloud:
Dear Mr. Maplewood and team,
Congratulations on catching Fat Cat so fast. He was going to be one of my harder advesaries, but you took him down in a matter of minutes. I’m sure the sedated state my products had them in helped, but I was planning on taking him out myself. For doing me a favor, allow me to return it. I will leave you and your team of do-gooders alone, for now. As long as you don’t stick your noses where they don’t belong, you will get to keep them. If I hear of you snooping around into my business, let’s just say there will be more than a note waiting for you when you get home.
Smiles
And underneath his name there was a drawing of a Smiley face. There was an uneasy silence as everyone went over what the message had said.
Gadget finally broke the silence, “Well, what do you think we should do?”
“For now, we’ll let him go, I’ll put tentative feelers around the city, but nothing to raise his suspicions. For the next few days we’ll act like Smiles doesn’t exist,” Chip replied.
Everyone went inside, and Chip sat at the table, intently studying the note and pin. Dale began walking towards the couch when he suddenly exclaimed, “OOPS!”
“Oops what?” Chip said, not looking up from the note.
“I forgot to stop at the music store, I’ll be back later.”
“OK Dale, if anything else comes up, we’ll come get you.”
“Alright,” and with that Dale was off.
Dale got to the music store, and went to look at the electric bass guitars. As he studied one intently, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking around, he saw Darice dressed in one of the shirts the store’s employees wore.
“You work here?” he asked her.
“Yeah, for awhile now.”
“That’s so cool.”
“I enjoy it, so have you picked one yet?” she said, waving her arm over the assembled instruments, “All you need is the guitar, you’re free to use my euipment, of course you may want your own amp for practicing at home.”
As Dale perused his selections, with Darice sometimes commenting on one or the other, he saw Støy without his make-up emerge from a back room in one of the store’s shirts, come talk to the employee behind the counter, and went back. He looked at Darice and asked, “What’s Støy’s story anyways? He didn’t seem to like me much.”
“Støy has had a hard life,” Darice replied, “Støy is only his pet name, none of us know his real name.”
“You mean Støy was a human’s pet? That’s awful.”
“Not for Støy it wasn’t. You see, his owner was a Speaker, and Støy loved him dearly. Leif was in some Norwegian black metal band, and bought Støy as a novelty.”
Dale picked up a large black bodied bass, and said, “Not to interrupt, but I think I’ll take this one.”
“That’s a good one, let’s go ring you out,” as they walked to the front, Darice continued, “Neither knew Leif was a Speaker, and eventually Leif found out. They became fast friends. When Leif’s band came to America for the first time, as Leif went through customs, somehow Støy’s cage got on the wrong conveyor belt. He ended up in a truck and dumped at a warehouse. The crew there saw him, and just set him free. Leif’s band has since toured the country, and went back to Norway to work on another album. Støy misses him so much, sometimes its all he talks about when he’s especially down.”
Dale looked over at Støy, who had again emerged from the back and was conversing with some young kids looking at guitars. “Boy, I didn’t know he’d had it that hard.”
“Yeah, its something we don’t usually bring up. Støy’s been here nearly five years now, and is always on the lookout for anything that could reunite him and Leif. We all try to subtly tell him to give up, but he won’t. Lately, its been really eating him up inside. Our music somewhat gives him an outlet, but he won’t let it rid him of the pain completely.”
As Dale paid for his guitar and amp, Darice went on, “You know, I’m off in a few minutes, why don’t you stick around, then we can do some practicing.”
“Well, if its OK with you, can we do it back at my place, I received a death threat today and might be needed quickly by the Rangers.”
“That’s fine, wait, a death threat? From who?”
“Well, it’s from some mysterious drug dealer, but he’s promised to leave us alone for now.”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” she replied jokingly.
“All a day in the life of the Rescue Rangers.”
They walked to the park in silence, Darice stealing glances over at the chipmunk walking next to her.
Foxglove was hanging in the tree, watching the goings on in the park. Just as she was about to drift off, she heard her cutie’s voice from below. He was talking to someone about how the tree was lined out, and she echosounded down. She heard Dale carrying two boxes and next to him the female mouse she’d seen the day before. *Now what was her name again? Daria, Darlene, ah, Darice, that was it!!* Once they had entered the garage and gone inside, she flew down to the veranda and went in through the front door, and waited for Dale at the top of the stairs. As the two rodents rounded the corner, she saw Dale carrying what looked like a crate and Darice carrying a long, thin box.
“Heya cutie, whatcha up to?” she said to him.
“I just brought Darice to the tree for my lesson for the day.”
“Hi, I’m Darice,” she said, raising her hand to the bat.
Foxglove took it and responded briskly, “Foxglove, nice to meet you.” The two females looked each other up and down, and Dale unknowingly broke it up.
“Foxy, I’m gonna take Darice around real quick, then we’re gonna practice, tonight there’s some good movies on, so I’ll watch them with you later.”
“OK, until later,” and she walked off, oozing jealousy.
Dale, oblivious to it all, put their packages outside of his and Chip’s room and took Darice to the main room, where Chip sat reading a book while Monty and Zipper watched TV.
“Hey everyone,” Dale interrupted what they were doing, “this is Darice, my bass instructor and singer in the band I’ll be joining.”
This took them by surprise, Dale had never said anything about this with any of them. “Uh, hi Darice,” Chip finally responded,” finally noticing how striking she really was, “nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, same here,” stammered Monty. Zipper buzzed a hello.
“Well, I’m gonna show her everything else, then we’re gonna take a lesson in our bedroom, OK Chip?”
“That’s fine Dale, just don’t be too loud.”
“I’ll try,” and with that, Dale bounded down the hallway, naming off the rooms to Darice. They eventually made it to Gadget’s workshop. Before opening the door, Dale looked at Darice, and quietly said, “This is Gadget’s workshop. No one usually disturbs her in there unless its really important. I’ll introduce you to her later. Let’s go back to my room to work.”
Dale and Darice spent the afternoon practicing. Chip couldn’t stand the noise and went to find a quieter place to read. He made his way down to the fountain and laid down on its lip, crossing his legs and basked in the sun for a minute before he dove into his book. Seeing nothing but his book, he failed to see the female squirrel approach him. She stood above his head and looked down at his now upside down face.
“Heya Chip,” she cheerily beamed down to him.
“AAAHH,” he yelled. Upon seeing Tammy, he calmed down, “Tammy, how many times have I told you not to do that?”
“Uh, I lost count a long time ago.”
“I thought so, now if you really don’t mind, I want to get back to my book,” he said, wanting to get rid of Tammy before she went all mushy over him.
“OK, but why are you out here anyway, you usually read back in your tree.”
“If you must know, Dale has decided to take up being in a metal band on bass, and I can’t stand the noise.”
Tammy snickered, “Dale, in a metal band, that’s kind of funny isn’t it?”
“Despite Dale’s goofy side, he does have a serious side.” After a long pause, “sometimes.”
“I’ve gotta go see this, you don’t think he’d mind, would you.”
“Sure, go on ahead.”
With that, Tammy ran off for the Rangers’ tree. As she reached the veranda, she could hear Dale’s playing. *He actually sounds pretty good.* She knocked on the door and Monty answered with earmuffs on.
“Oh, heya Tammy lass, whatcha need?” He yelled at her.
“I just wanted to watch Dale practice,” she told him.
“Huh?”
“I wanted to watch Dale practice,” she said a little louder.
“I’m sorry luv, could you say that again?”
“I think it would help to take off the earmuffs!” she yelled to him.
“You know, I think takin’ off these here earmuffs would help.”
Tammy slapped herself on the head and shook her head. *And they say I act like a child.* “I wanted to see Dale practice.”
“Oh, go right on in then,” he said, bowing down and motioning her in with a wave of his hand.
“Always such a gentleman Monty?” she blushed, walking towards the hallway.
“Always with a lady,” he called after her
Tammy blushed even more as she neared the bedroom door where the music was coming from, glad Monty couldn’t see her. She knocked on the door, and the playing stopped.
“Who is it?” Dale’s voice drifted from the room.
“Its me, Tammy, I just wanted to see you play for awhile.”
“OK, come on in.”
As Tammy opened the door, she saw the last person she had ever expected Dale to be with…
Disclaimer: The Rangers, Foxglove, Tammy, and Fat Cat are Copyright Disney. Used without permission but with the utmost respect. Darice, Støy and Smiles are figments of my imagination trying to get out. You may post this story in any way, so long as you don’t modify my words or gain profit from it. (Boy, isn’t all this legal mumbo jumbo fun?)