Robbie Remembered

4:3

Everyone else arrived in quick order to get the Sportscandy Festival in full swing. Trixie and Stingy carted in all of the games with a little wagon and Stingy's car. There was apple bowling and a space set aside to try one's hand at juggling with the fruit, paint to decorate apples and turn them into funny faces and more. They filled an oversized bucket with water and dumped a bushel of apples into the drink so that they floated in a colorful armada of reds, greens, and golds.

"What's that supposed to be, fruit punch?" Robbie asked, keeping a safe distance up on the stage away from the kids.

"It's bobbing for apples, of course," Stingy said.

"Why don't you give it a try, Robbie?" Trixie invited the man down with a wave. "Dunk your head in and try to fish one out."

"I'll dunk something," Robbie growled, and declined.

Stephanie and Ziggy took care of decorations between themselves. Stephanie had built an apple Eiffel tower to display while Ziggy had tried to put together a castle but had eaten the watch towers. They hung up streamers and balloons and garlands, turning the town square into party central.

Milford helped Ms Busybody to set up her food stand and the sweet smell of apples filled the air. She had gone all out baking every conceivable iteration of apple dishes; apple strudel and apple cake, apple cobbler and apple donuts, tarts and danishes and turnovers and dumplings and simple baked apples filled with molten fillings that wafted burnt sugar under every nose. There was apple cider and apple juice, apple butter and applesauce, and of course there was pie, more pie than anyone could ever eat. The pie tins stacked up high over Bessie's head as she sat in her booth, setting out a tray of caramel dipped apples and candied apples that glistened in the morning light.

"Maybe we should rename today Apple Pi Day," Pixel suggested, and no one had any objections.

"It is a lot of pie," Milford said, wiping sweat from his forehead and catching his breath after setting down another armload of pastries. "I don't know how we'll get through it all."

"Don't you remember, Uncle?" Stephanie asked. "We're having a pie eating contest!"

"That's right! We'll need a table and chairs and numbers for everyone who wants to partake. Now, who will be competing?"

"Me! I want to compete!" Stingy's hand shot up first.

"Me too," Trixie said, raising her hand. "I bet I'll eat more pies than you, Stingy."

"I'm gonna eat a whole apple tree's worth of apple pies!" Ziggy rubbed his belly and licked his lips.

"That would be at least three bushels of apples," Pixel said. Ziggy tilted his head to one side as he contemplated the estimate.

"How much is that?"

"By my calculations, over one hundred and fifty pounds."

"I don't think I weigh that much now," Ziggy said.

"You'll weigh more than that when you're done," Pixel said.

"Only eat as much are you're comfortable, Ziggy," Sportacus advised the little boy. "Apples are good for you, but apple pies have a lot of sugar."

"Does that mean you won't be competing, Sportacus?" Stephanie asked. Sportacus shook his head with a smile.

"I like my apples straight from the tree. But I'll watch you guys."

"Is that everyone?" the mayor asked.

Robbie raised his hand. "I'll do it."

The chatter stopped and everyone looked up at the skinny man on the stage. "You wish to participate, Mr. Rotten?" Milford asked.

"The pies are for eating, you know," Bessie said in severe tones.

"I'm aware of that," Robbie said, his facial muscles fighting against a spasmodic fit.

"But you hate sportscandy," Ziggy pointed out.

"Just because I hate it doesn't mean I can't eat it," Robbie said. "I ate plenty of it before, didn't I?"

"Why would you want to compete?" Trixie asked. Robbie rolled his eyes, his mouth tightening against a scowl.

"I see no reason why I shouldn't put a bunch of apple picking pests in their places, unless this ridiculous contest is only for kids."

The kids looked to each other and found no protests to be had. "All right, Robbie," Trixie spoke for the group, "you're on."

"All right then," Milford said. "We'll start the contest in five minutes. Sportacus, would you help me bring up the table and chairs?"

The mayor and the hero left together. On their way out of the square Milford tripped over some of the copious electrical cables crisscrossing the ground and Sportacus saved him from falling on his face. Bessie busied herself setting out more of her apple based baked goods. The kids still looked up at Robbie. The man cast a lazy gaze around the area before settling on them once more.

"Why don't we make this more interesting while we're at it?" Robbie suggested.

"Interesting how?" Trixie asked.

"Say for example if I beat all of you," Robbie said, "you don't play outside anymore. No more sports, no more playground. No more of your pathetic pranks either. All of you stay in your rooms and let LazyTown be lazy once and for all."

"Stay inside doing nothing?" Ziggy boggled. "But that's not fair!"

"As if he could beat all of us," Trixie said. "Still, what's in it for us if we win?"

Robbie gave them a small, peculiar smile. "I'll leave LazyTown forever."

A collective disturbance stirred the children. "For how long did you say?" Stingy asked. Robbie snorted and repeated himself in the same low voice as before.

"Forever."