Robbie Forgotten

4

"And I like doing chores?" Robbie handled the broom as though it was liable to jump to life.

"You don't just like it," Trixie said, "you LOVE it! In fact, you are LazyTown's handyman!"

"Really...?" Robbie considered the idea and tried to twirl the broom around with his fingers but all he managed to do was drop it on the ground. He hastened to pick it back up while the pigtailed girl snickered at him.

"Yes," Trixie assured him. She waved good bye. "Have a nice time!"

"Thanks," Robbie said without much energy as Trixie ran away, leaving him to his duties. Setting his jaw and squaring his shoulders he gripped the broom in both hands. "Okay. I can do this."

There was a lot to clean up in the town square. Somebody had left a big mess of broken metal bits over near the stone wall. And according to Trixie, it was Robbie's job to clean it up. So be it. He put his head down and got to work sweeping it up.

For a good couple of minutes he swept. After that his back ached and his hands were stiff from squeezing the broom handle. He had to stop and wipe at the sweat already forming on his forehead. The trash had barely shifted but he went to get the dustpan anyway.

It was even harder for him to crouch down and sweep some of the scrap metal into the pan. The physical labor had him grumbling under his breath.

"Stupid piece of junk. Whoever left this here should be the one to clean it up, not me!"

Pixel walked by, passing through the town square with his head down. He was so absorbed mumbling to himself that he didn't even notice Robbie to say hello. Robbie stopped what he was doing to listen in, anything besides do his chores.

"Oh, I can't get my computer to work!" the gizmo guy lamented.

"Maybe I can fix it," Robbie offered. "After all, I am LazyTown's handyman."

"Huh?" Pixel looked at Robbie nonplused before shaking his head. "Never mind, it's hopeless. The memory's gone from my computer for good." He let out a big sigh. "None of the other kids understand either. They think I'm freaking out over nothing."

"I think I understand," Robbie said. "With no memory, you don't know who you are or what you do. No memory means no you..."

Now it was Robbie's turn to sigh. Pixel meanwhile got a little fidgety in the face of Robbie's somber words and cast about for any means of changing the subject.

"Hey, there's Ms Busybody!" Pixel put on a lighter tone of voice. "She always likes to get help around her house, why don't you go see her and lend a hand?"

"Ms Busy-what?" Robbie squinted across the square towards where Pixel was directing him. The woman had her big blue hair perfectly styled today for the special occasion of hanging her sheets out on the laundry line. Robbie looked the fashionably dressed woman over and kept his distance. "I couldn't do that, I've never even met her before."

"Sure you have," Pixel said. "You just don't remember."

"Then we're as good as strangers," Robbie said.

"Then I'll reintroduce you to her," Pixel said, not taking "no" for an answer. "Come on!"

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Bessie Busybody didn't need much persuasion to welcome Robbie in for help with the yard work and take him off of Pixel's hands. She gave the lanky man a rolled up list of chores for him to peruse.

"It's only a few teeny-tiny things I need help with," the woman tittered. Robbie unrolled the list more and more until the whole lengthy spool unfurled across the yard. His eyes bugged out a little.