Mock a Mile in My Shoes

Chapter 1

Why did he ever think this would work? Robbie dug the hole and covered it up with sticks and leaves. When he heard Sportacus coming he dove behind the wall to get out of sight. Watching with bated breath he marked Sportacus' progress down the street. The annoyingly athletic man ran and jumped and somersaulted on a direct course for the hidden hole.

And like always Sportacus never stepped foot into the perilous pit. He didn't slow for an instant as he tumbled into a hand spring that flipped him upside down in a dizzying spin, over the hole. On the other side he flipped back onto his feet and kept on running.

It was enough to drive Robbie crazy. He couldn't contain himself anymore and jumped out from behind the wall with a frustrated scream. Blinded by his own anger he ran after the elf shaking his fist. So blinded that he stepped right onto the covered hole and fell in, his scream drowned out by the snapping of twigs and his body thumping the bottom with a bang. He shot back out of it up to his shoulders, slapping away leaves and sticks with a roar.

"I just can't figure him out!" Robbie banged his fists on the ground and shook them with a hiss, already sore. "How does he DO that? No matter how I try to hide my trap, somehow Sportacreep always knows to avoid it! Ugh," he grunted, and crossed his arms, sinking down into the pit for a moment. "It's no use, I'll never know what makes him tick. It's not like I can get into his head..."

Robbie crawled out of the hole with difficulty. He continued to stew as he brushed himself off and got to his feet, rubbing his aching back. Something flickered across his face then, dispersing his foul mood.

"Wait." Robbie stood there, staring into the middle space where his thoughts consumed him. "Why couldn't I get into his head? Or even better." A devilish grin stretched his mouth and showed his teeth. "Why couldn't I control what's inside old Sportaloon's head? If I can control what he thinks, I can control what he does. I could make the blue elf make himself leave town, forever!"

All aches and pains forgotten, Robbie allowed himself a prematurely triumphant laugh and strode away from the sight of his last failure. He had just what he needed in his lair.

------

When inspired Robbie could put together an invention in no time at all. Some springs and sheets of metal, a hammer and a blowtorch, parts from an old hair dryer and the leftover bits of a broken remote control, and voilà! He had it, the Mind-Me-Matic! He put the headpiece on first, adjusting the band so that it fit snugly without messing up his hair. With that in place all he needed now was to target someone with the main part of the device. It fit in his hand like a gun and it was loaded, ready to fire.

He scuttled around LazyTown, keeping low and out of sight as he searched for his target. Over there! Sportacus had finally stopped all that skipping and flipping and was face down on the ground doing pushups.

It was the perfect setup, none of those meddlesome kids in sight and Sportacus none the wiser. Robbie crept in close and hid in the nearest bush. He stuck the Mind-Me-Matic gun out through the branches, pointing it at the back of Sportacus' head. He followed the up and down movement of every pushup Sportacus executed, keeping his arm steady, not wanting to miss his mark.

Now! Robbie pulled the trigger and blasted Sportacus with the mind rays at point blank range. Already the device was working, feeding Sportacus' brain waves into his headpiece. With this connection he could control Sportacus' mind!

BZZZTTT

"YEE-OWW!" The headpiece sparked and shocked Robbie so hard that stars exploded behind his eyes.

"Robbie?" Sportacus flipped over and turned around but swayed and teetered from the force of the machine. He fell back onto one side, weaving under the heady influence. "What's happen...ing...?"