A Half Shell Christmas

Chapter 4: Whoville Heart Sizer

Song: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas
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While the living room was empty back at the lair, it was far from completely silent. Master Splinter was mediating in the dojo, the incense sticks wafting the aroma of cinnamon, evergreen, and sweet citrus, his breathing steady and his eyes shut. In Shelby's room, Michelangelo was busy telling Shelby the different stories of Santa Claus, from explanations of how the jolly man had come about, to the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He also explained different winter figures, such as Frosty the Snowman, and Jack Frost; even though they were irrelevant to the Christmas holiday, they still seemed to carry along the same seasonal spirit.

Raphael was still locked away in his room, impatiently waiting as he stared up at ceiling of his bedroom, worried that Tyler might arrive after Scarlet came home from her friend's house, and the naïve teen would screw everything up. He took a deep breath, trying to relax.

"He's not that much of a screw up." Raph whispered to himself, trying wrestle the negative thoughts in his head away, but to no prevail.

He definitely is, he thought with an exasperated sigh.

Still, two more mutants had stayed behind in the lair, and remained locked away in the laboratory, busying themselves with work.

"Almost done..." Donnie muttered, sticking out his tongue slightly as he tightened a bolt on his project with a wrench.

"Jeez, D, you're making me feel bad for finishing early." A female voice growled, although it was completely sarcastic and teasing, in no way aggressive. A mutant Italian Wall lizard tried to peer over the tall terrapin's shoulder, but being about a foot shorter than him really had its downfalls. "What is it, anyway?"

"Oh no, no peeking, Penelope." He shook his head as he worked. Somehow, he was easily able to converse with his reptilian friend without messing up any of his handy work.

She let out a frustrated breath, and made her way to her seat, placing her cheek on the heel of her hand as she poked at the tarp that covered her own creation. Her grey-blue eyes screamed boredom, and were desperate for Donatello to finish his project. Absentmindedly, she lifted her hand from the tarp and ran it half-way through her thick mass of black, curly hair. Usually, the knots were too thick for her to run her four-fingered hand all the way through. She flicked her long, powerful tail in impatience, but decided not to complain any further, and instead made herself comfortable by leaning back and closing her eyes, letting a relaxed smile fix itself on her lips.

"Done!" Donatello exclaimed, causing Penelope to jerk up in surprise.

"Seriously, Donnie? I just got settled." Penelope grumbled, her tail lashing once in irritation. Still, she sat up from her chair and crossed her legs, brushing her curly hair out of her face once again. "Okay, lay it on me."

Donnie stood, standing proudly in front of his invention. His stance was that of confidence, a playful smirk set on his lips as he looked down to Penelope. "I present to you, the Winter Wonderland simulator!" He exclaimed, and stepped to the side, revealing his machine. It was an assortment of tubes, wires, and dials, along with gauges that seemed to lack life- probably due to the fact that the device was off.

Penelope snickered, "Winter Wonderland?"

"Yes! As the name implies, this device can turn a quart of water into millions of snowflakes. And these snowflakes can last in temperatures up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit; that's around 27 degrees Celsius."

"Donnie-"

"You simply poor in the water," Donatello started, taking a quart of water that he had waiting, "and poor it into the device."

"Don-"

Ignoring Penelope's words, Donnie began to pour the water into one of the tubes, and switched the machine on. It whirled to life, the gauges jumping back and forth across their screens, lights flashing as the gears and levers cranked inside. Donnie stepped back, flashing a gapped tooth smile as the top the machine popped, and snowflakes began shooting out in a gentle flow. A fan installed near the top of the machine clicked on, and sent the flurries across the room. They fell in a gentle cascade, and Penelope smiled.

"That's great, Donnie, it really is. But... You know if we want to make snow, we have Shelby, right?" She asked in a small voice, as if not to say it loud enough to sound cruel or demeaning.

After her words sank in, Donnie's wide smile fell, his russet eyes widening in realization. "Ah, sewer apples!" He cursed, smacking his forehead with the palm of his three-fingered hand. "I didn't even think of that! I just wasted the last 5 hours-"

"Oh, Donnie, it wasn't a waste! Did you have fun making it?" Penelope asked, walking up to him.

Donnie looked to his feet. "Well, yeah, but-"

Penelope interrupted him, "And did you have fun hanging out with me?"

"Of course-"

"And is it not Christmas Eve?"

He sighed. "It is."

Penelope smiled, "Well, it sounds like you didn't waste your time at all!"

Donnie looked down at her, and gave a solemn half smile, before stooping down and giving her a loving peck on the cheek. Instantly, Penelope's scaly, forest green cheeks became unnaturally warm, and Donatello, though he didn't say anything, swore he could see a hint of pink color flush through.

"Well, let's see you're invention." Donnie said enthusiastically.

"Okay!" Penelope chirped, running over to her table, where her project had been covered for about a half hour. "Have you ever seen the movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas?"

Donnie let out a short snort. "Who hasn't?"

Penelope smiled wickedly. "Well then, without further-a-due, I present to you..." She clicked a video on her phone before yanking off the cover, "The Whoville Heart Sizer!"

One of Donnie's eye-ridges cocked in confusion as he stared at Penelope's invention as her music began playing. Of course, she couldn't help but sing along.

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch! You really are a heel! You're as cuddly as a cactus, and as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch! You're a bad banana with a, greasy black peel!" She sang loudly, clenching her fists as the music surged through her.

The machine was basically a screen that had a blood pressure reader hooked up to it through some wires. Donnie turned to Penelope, still some-what confused. "How does it work?"

She didn't answer his question, but instead continued singing. "You're a monster, Mr. Grinch! Your heart's, an empty, hole! Your brain is full of spiders, you've got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch! I wouldn't touch you with a, thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole!" She sang at the top of her lungs. "Take it away, Donnie!"

"Ohh, uh, um, y-you're a vile one, Mr. Grinch! You have termites, in, your smile. You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch! Given the choice between the two of you, I'd take the seasick crocodile!" Donnie sang shyly, though he still had a partial smile on his face.

"You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch! You're a nasty, wasty skunk! Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch! The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote, 'Stink, stank, stunk!'" They sang together, before laughing uncontrollably. Penelope took a deep breath, trying to contain her laughter as she turned off the music, her abdomen beginning to cramp from the amount of short spasms it was experiencing.

It took a second for the two to settle down, before Donnie was able to speak again. "How does it work?" He repeated his initial question.

"That, my dear Donatello, will be revealed once April and Casey get their butts over here for cookies and coco." Penelope smiled, winking. "So, I guess you'll have to wait just a bit longer."