The War On Sesame Street

chapter 1

Word count: 1300
Summary: Big Bird leaves his home to the wasteland of Old Sesame Street. Hooper's Store isn't doing very well, so they need someone to venture to New Sesame Street in order to get the inventory restock.

Big Bird puts his writing feather down, the feather of his fallen pigeon brethren. He cried as he wrote his first journal entry, then again, don’t we all when we have something so emotional to admit? He got up from his seat, wiping away his colossal tears with his handkerchief he bought from Hooper’s Store. Despite being in complete rubble, the old store was still up and running. Not much food and drinks as before, but they have what can keep everyone alive for another day or so. Big Bird walks away from his desk, looking up to the ceiling. “Fuck, should I do it?” Big Bird isn’t the most mentally stable muppet. He continues to look at his dense, low hanging ceiling, damp and moldy from the rapid storms.

Now, Big Bird wasn’t the type to think these thoughts, but when you’ve endured the death of many of your friends, watched as your closest was being beaten to his end, and being constantly harassed by those under Elmo’s power for 2 decades, you’d want to hang yourself as well. He groaned, removing himself from the area. He needs to go and be a leader for those who have continued to stay in Old Sesame Street.

He walked outside, nothing new to him. He watched as the newcomers that didn’t like Elmo’s ruling tried to sew their clothes with rags, twine, and the thorns of a prickly bush, now very native to the area. He looked over to the laundromat, taking notice of someone trying to drink the water in the washers as they haven’t had clean water in years. And finally, he arrived at his favorite place in Old Sesame Street; Hooper’s Store. Although the store was in rough shape and the sign was missing a few letters, Hooper’s Store was a home away from home.

Big Bird enters the store to see a sad face on Chris, now 43. “Good afternoon, Chris”, he greeted the poor man with the best smile he could push out of him in his time of sorrow. “Big Bird, I gotta be honest with you”, Chris looked up, showing his red eyes and tear soaked face. “I can’t keep doing this. I just can’t”, his voice begins to crack, as he reaches for what was assumed to be a drawer right under the register. The sound of a button clicking follows. “I can’t call for help, Big Bird. I have no way of getting the help I need.”

“Well, what do you mean, Chris?” Big Bird sounded confused and a bit hurt, thinking that Chris was going through exactly what he was. But then it really hit him. Maybe Big Bird wasn’t alone. Maybe he could have and help someone get out of the hole they dug themself into instead of having to worry about his. “Big Bird, Hooper’s Store won’t last any longer until we get the resources we need”, Chris said in a depressing tone. Big Bird couldn’t help but cry with him. He hated seeing anyone that had gone under his wing in pain, it made him feel like a terrible leader, and worse, a terrible friend.

“No matter how much I hate Elmo, someone needs to go and ask him for a truck to come and fill the store. If we don’t, everyone is dying”, his voice continued to crumble. Big Bird felt terrible. Chris was in no shape to walk, let alone ride, all the way to New Sesame Street. He wouldn’t make it in time. And in the end, someone needs to watch and run the store, giving out what’s left of the few items that aren’t torn or beaten or bruised still on the shelves. Big Bird took a deep breath, thinking about the treacherous path ahead if he so dares to take what hasn’t even been offered.

“I’ll send Abby out”, he said. “Abby is one of the only muppets in Old Sesame Street that Elmo is still willing to speak with and she’s very good at persuading muppets”, which was true. Abby was known to be a very cunning muppet, being able to trick even the highest of intelligence on Old Sesame Street. “I don’t know, she might not like the sound of that. She hates Elmo just as much as every other person you’d come across”, which was also true. Abby had a dart board with an old picture of Elmo hung on her wall, throwing darts at it every time she thinks of all the times he wronged her, her brother, and her home.

Rudy had passed away from an illness no one thought a muppet could catch. During that time, Abby and Elmo were still friends, and everyone thought Elmo knew what was happening to Rudy after all the rumors had spread to New Sesame Street and all the letters Abby had sent. Rudy cried and whimpered, “Abby, it hurts. Abby, help me”. “It’s okay, Rudy!”, she reassured the ill little muppet. “It’s all gonna be okay, Rudy. Elmo’s gonna be here and he’s gonna give us the medicine to help. Everything will be okay, Rudy”. “Elmo won’t do it”, he replied, with the amount of pain he was in being very loud to the naked ear. “Elmo will, Rudy! He’d never do anything like this to us”, by now, Abby was having her own doubts.

15 letters. It took 15 letters before Elmo came into town on his big, shiny carriage. He didn’t believe Abby at first, thinking that she just needed the medicine to go and sell to others. Yes, despite being mentally 7, he understands drug usage. As he opened the door, letting in the winds of death, Rudy took his final breath and cried his last tear, being let go from this mortal plain and pure hell. Abby cried into her late stepbrothers’ deathbed, as Elmo just sat there and watched, Rudys’ lifeless eyes staring right into Elmos’ nonexistent soul. Elmo took a few silent steps towards his best friend, or so he thought at the time.

Elmo reached out to console the sad little fairy, only for her to push him right off into the ground, his new crown falling onto the ground behind him. “YOU DID THIS TO HIM, ELMO”, she yelled out, enraged that he couldn’t have gotten there any sooner. “What’s Abby talking about? Elmo just got-”, before he could finish, she interrupted him, the tears on her face only continuing to fuel her hatred. “15 LETTERS”, she shrieked. “FIFTEEN FUCKING LETTERS, AND YOU COULDN’T FIND ANY BUT THE LAST ONE? THE ONE I HAD SENT TO YOU WHILE RUDY WAS STILL GASPING FOR AIR? FUCK YOU, ELMO. FUCK YOU AND FUCK THIS STUPID MONARCHY YOU FORGED ON TURNING YOUR BACK ON THOSE YOU CARED ABOUT!”

Elmo couldn’t help but cry as well. He’s seen Abby mad, but this wasn’t her being mad. This was hurt. This was pain. And he couldn’t do anything but watch. Watch as his closest friend of decades was in so much incomprehensible pain. He fell apart from then on, knowing that he lost a relationship that was promised forever. He couldn’t even think in the moment, all he could do was sit on the cold, wooden floor as Abby berated him for letting her brother suffer.

It was all a blur before he heard the familiar phrase, “Zippity ZAP!”. He looked up to see Abby flying, pointing her magic wand right at Elmos’ head. He moved just quickly enough to dodge her magic rays. Abby burnt a hole right through the floor, so big you could fit Cookie Monster through it. Abby wasn’t very happy anymore. Abby wanted revenge. And in order to avenge her brothers’ passing was to kill the reason he could’ve lived.