07/05/2024
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The Chronicles of the Man From La Munchies
Beetle and the Beast
Anyone familiar with Tubby knows that he fancies himself a master sleuth. Others may think of him as a master sloth, but that is another chapter in his tale. One day as Tubby was resting from his labors at the keyboard taking it to the A5, he started to daydream about the ultimate win, pinning down the identity of the elusive Denny Johnson. Because Kim had told him that Denny was not a real property owner, he fully believed that Denny must be a pseudonym, and nobody was more likely to figure out this rat than Tubby. He knew in his heart that Denny was the central figure to the vast A5 Click Cult conspiracy and putting him down would mean peace at last. However, after hours of dead ends and conflicting results he decided it was time to admit he needed help and who better to ask than the second-best detective in all of Dixie Springs, Rick.
Tubby and Rick had their differences at times, but they were more alike than either of them thought. They both had an amazing knack for being the only one to know the truth, or to comprehend things that the dumb locals would never understand without their help. It was time that the rivalry became a partnership and Tubby picked up his phone to ask for help. Sausage fingers are not easy to type with on small keyboards and Tubby’s sausages could be compared to a nice big summer sausage, so when he typed his message to Rick it came out like this:
“_rick, help i ned a favur, I’m looking for my Johnson,” among his many mistakes he mistyped “my” instead of “Denny.”
Baffled by the message as he read it, Rick hesitantly responded, “Well, you are a friend, but I think you will need to take care of that one yourself.”
Tubby, unhindered by the response tried a different approach, “Rick! I'm in hot pursuit of A. Johnson and I won’t stop until he’s mine. Need your help!”
Unsure of what Tubby was implying, Rick replied with a hint of confusion, "Tubby, are you sure you texted the right person? What's this about a Johnson?"
Tubby, distracted and typing in a rush, replied with a critical typo: "We’ve got to expose my Johnson, Rick! He’s been dodging us for too long, and you're just the man to help me expose everything."
Rick, now thoroughly puzzled and a bit concerned answered him, “Look Tubby, I am not sure if you are messing with me, or into something new, but either way I need to go to bed, here. So good night and good luck with your Johnson.”
Tubby, misunderstanding Rick’s confusion for mockery, snapped. His frustration, fueled by his obsession with the case and compounded by Rick’s apparent lack of urgency, boiled over. "If you’re going to twist my words, maybe I was wrong to ask for your help. This is serious, and I don’t need your jokes right now! You know me, don’t start no crap, won’t be no crap! If you are not with me you are against me. This is an urgent, urgent, emergency! I do not understand why you do not feel the same need, the need for speed, so I will do this on my own." He then called Rick but got his voice mail so he began furiously yelling into the phone, a 12 minute tirade which ended with “my chair, my lamp and my remote control, and that’s all I need! And my dog!” to that Rex gave a low growl and Tubby said, “I don’t need my dog.”
Tubby hung up the phone and began to reflect on his life. He wondered why crap always seemed to follow him. Why was it that he was always the target for everyone’s abuse? He had done hours of research on people, he felt he knew them intimately. He knew their birthdays, their employers, work schedule, blood type, shoe size and even if they had any parking tickets, so why would they all be so negative toward him? He opted for a moonlight walk in the park to calm his nerves.
As he walked around the park he happened to see a dung beetle, doing its duty, rolling a small ball of poo back to its home. He thought, “Hey, that’s like me! I am always having to deal with other people’s garbage! I am literally up to my elbows in the neighborhood’s crap, but why? Why me?”
Tubby returned to his home and went to bed. He thought to himself that maybe, just maybe it wasn’t the neighborhood and it is possible that he did something to start things off on a bad foot. Then he chuckled and thought that was a dumb thought. He then remembered that stupid dung beetle he had stomped on before leaving the park. Tubby smiled as he drifted off to sleep wondering what the future would hold.
To be continued…