Christmas Crisis

Act 3: Starring Up Something Magical

As soon as the quartet went into their room, they were in for a surprise. Well, not really a surprise as much as a very nasty shock. When they knocked on all their friends' room doors, there was no answer. They knocked and knocked and they were starting to get very concerned.

"That's odd," Huck observed. "It ain't like our friends to not say hello!"

"Not even an invitation in, or a means of addressing us, even!" Snag added.

"We'll check my room," Quick Draw suggested. "That's where the others took Snooper and Blabber."

They then noticed that the door to Quick Draw's room was a tiny bit ajar, so they crept over and pushed it open the rest of the way. Both of them let out gasps of shock and horror as they took a look inside the room. Yogi, Boo-Boo, Augie, Doggie Daddy, Hokey and Mr. Jinks were all there, frozen in place like statues, just like Snooper and Blabber!

"Oh no!" Huck cried. "What happened?"

Just then, the four friends heard a panicked bark, followed by a meow, and Pudgy and Mimi came running down the hall from Huck's room. Mimi rubbed against their legs and looked up at them, and Pudgy started running all around the gang, barking frantically.

"Pudgy!" Huck cried. "What is it, boy?"

"What's the matter, Mimi?" Quick Draw asked.

The puppy and kitten looked at them sadly and ran toward the gang of frozen friends as they frowned and looked back at the four companions.

"It seems to me that they're trying to warn us about something," Snag said. "Perhaps that we better be careful."

TC facepalmed. "This isn't good. First my gang, and now this! Things are really gettin' out of hand!"

"Yeah," Huck replied. "It looks like Jackie ain't messin' around no more. She's gone and frozen all of our friends!" He then did a double take and gasped. "An' if'n she's done that, ain't no tellin' what she's up to right now! We'd better git a move-on, Snag! We gotta tell Santa!"

"Then let's exit, stage left, back to ol' Saint Nick...to deliver the message, the warning, even!"

Huck grabbed Pudgy and Mimi, and put them in their carrier, and remembered to lock it. "You two had better stay put in here," he explained. "I don't want Jackie comin' after you! I'll be back in a flash!"

Huck then put the carrier back in his room, with his two pets inside it, then the four friends ran back outside to tell Santa everything.

"Oh dear," Santa sighed after he had heard Huck's story. "Time is running out...tonight is Christmas Eve after all, and we can't let her spoil it for everyone! We must get to the big Christmas tree and place the star on top so that my magic can break the curse!"

"Not to mention that you still have to deliver all the presents to all the children around the world!" Snag added. "How are you gonna do that, Santa?"

"Yeah, how?" Quick Draw added.

"I fear that if everyone is cold-hearted and frozen, those presents won't be of much use to anyone!" Santa replied. "Everyone will be on the naughty list if my elves' special computer detects what Jackie is doing to everyone's hearts!"

"That would be plumb awful!" Huck cried. "We gotta git down to Rockefeller Center lickety-quick, then!"

"I think I know a shortcut to the tree!" Alfie cried. "Follow me!"

Huck, Snag, Quick Draw, TC,and Santa followed Alfie across town, and straight to the tree, but upon arrival, they could see that Jackie's curse had gotten worse. But as they arrived, there stood Officer Dibble.