AAOOOSC!: Gulls' Adventures!

By the Valley View Casino Center, there is an odd case of earth-shaking thumps.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

People in their cars are bracing!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

All fear is shown from the people as they peer up at the immense shadow that is crossing over them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sun is blocked by an ominous shadow.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The shadow then slips over the Gulls’ home.

And that shadow belongs to Joseph with a major height difference compared to his state a couple of minutes ago: he is now a good five hundred feet tall.

It is obvious that he is tall enough to tower over the Nest.

As giant Joseph slowly approaches the players’ lot of the Valley View Casino Center, a lonely Ontario Reign player is strolling toward the building as a part of his mundane schedule. And this lone hockey players is Peter Budaj, the starting goalie.

Joseph’s shadow is casted upon him, immediately freezing the goalie in place. Peter slowly turns around and catches the sight of his worst nightmare being several hundred feet taller than him. His eyes fly open in pure fright.

“This is for the time you saved my shot,” Joseph growls to him. He then swings his massive leg backward and slingshots it forward, booting Peter over the arena and through the sky.

“AAAIIIEEE!!!” Peter’s screams fade off as he turns into a tiny speck in the sky before he disappears over the hills.

Joseph gazes out at his direction with his hand over his eyes. “Hm, must be in El Cajon by now.”

With a sigh, he peers down at what is next to him: He is standing on the asphalt of the parking lot; to his right is the Valley View Casino Center. He then settles himself on the oval top of the arena, using it as a short chair. He gazes at the San Diegan view with a depressed mien, his hands holding his fuzzy jaw while his elbows are on his thighs.

Then, he hears a scratchy, ebullient voice coming from a lady: “I wanna see my boys play!”

“Can you clarify that, please?” a second voice, much softer than the other one, that belongs to another lady is heard asking.

“My boys, the Gulls!” the first voice squeaks. “I want tickets to their next game! I need to see them play!”

Joseph peers over to the other side of the arena to spot the source of the voices: the Gulls’ number one fan, nicknamed The Gulls’ Lady, is happily standing in front of the box office, where the lady working at the box office is hidden from his view. This fan has short, dark hair, sunglasses, and an ECHL Gulls’ jersey.

“Bad idea,” he grumbles to her.

The Gulls’ Lady peers up at the oversized Gulls’ forward. “Oh, Joey, you and your pessimism! I think seeing my boys play is a great idea!” She pumps her fist in the air. “I must root for them!”

“Which section would you like to sit at?” the lady in the box office asks.

“The section out of the arena,” Joseph answers for her with apathy.

The Gulls’ Lady perks back up at him with her hands on her hips. “Now how would I get to see your pretty faces if I’m sitting out of the arena?” She whirls back to the box office. “Lower level one, row one, seat one!” She throws her index finger in the air. “I must get a close-up view of them!”

“A close-up view of us losing,” Joseph flatly adds in.

She turns back to him. “Whether you guys win or lose, I still love my boys!”

The lady in the box office pushes a pen and ticket up to the fan. “Please sign right here--”

“--to depression,” he finishes off.

The fan raises her head back up at him. “Aw, Crammer, lighten up a bit!” She shakes her finger at him. “You guys will do great against the Reign! You guys are all—”

“Alright, here are your tickets!” the lady in the box office cuts in, pushing an envelope to the fan.

The Gulls’ Lady whirls back to the box office. “Yes!” She snatches the envelope excitedly and peers at Joseph. “I’ll see you tomorrow night! Score some for me!” She then struts off happily down the audience’s parking lot, never expressing any notice of his abnormal size.

Joseph follows her with his sullen eyes. “Hm. She’s setting herself up for disappointment. I’m not gonna be playing.”

Once the Gulls’ Lady drives off in her deck-out Gulls’ van, he resorts to staring at the view once again, sulking.

A few moments later, Brandon and Nick enter the audience’s parking lot through the chain-link fence.

Brandon’s eyes widen at the sight of his roommate. “JOEY?!” He rushes down the black asphalt with his best friend right behind him.

Brandon halts a few yards away from the arena, getting a good view of his giant roommate. Nick halts behind him with his jaw dropped.

Brandon is gawking at him. “What the heck—? You were just—?”

From the top of the arena, Joseph is staring at his apparently tiny roommates when an idea pops into his mind. An insidious smile instantly spreads across his face.

“You were just small,” Nick calls out to him. He turns to his best friend. “Are we small now?” He then perks up at him as Joseph’s shadow engulfs them.

A shadow has come across Joseph, who is rising to his feet, giving him a baleful appearance, due to the sun that is being blocked from behind him.

“As far as I am concerned,” Joseph starts off, “I’m the tallest person here.” He takes a step closer to them, having the tip of his shoe become inches from their heads. “I can just…” He then lifts his foot up with his heel still on the ground and moves it up and down in tiny motions, threatening to squish them.

Joseph then retracts his foot back and peers up with crossed arms. “Actually, this is better than what I thought. I can see all of San Diego from here. I can travel faster. And nothing can bring me down.” A massive smirk crosses his face.

Brandon has his eyes upon him with his jaw slacked. “Uhhh, Joey--” He shakes his head along with his hands in the air, composing himself. “--Joey, Joey, hear me out for a sec—”

Before he could continue on though, Joseph slowly turns around, steps over the arena, and begins to stomp off through miles of land in mere seconds.

Brandon bolts after him, but stops after nearing the box office as he sees his roommate disappear over the hills.

Brandon stares ahead at the Joseph-less scenery, panting with trepidation-filled eyes. “Oh man.” He peers over his shoulder to face his friend. “Now what?”

Nick approaches him. “We have a giant Crammer on the loose. We gotta catch him before he smashes the whole city.” He halts next to him.

“But how?!” He throws his hands out from his sides. “He won’t listen to us! And it’s impossible to catch him physically!”

Nick’s eyes drift off into deep thought. “We can…” He lands them back on his friend. “...call Jack.”

Brandon shoots him a bewildered expression. “Jack?”

“Yeah, Jack— He climbed a beanstalk and tamed giants.”

Brandon proceeds to smack his forehead with his hand. “Not helping.”

He shrugs.

Brandon slides his hand from his face and sighs. “We’ll just have to find the cure for this…” He begins to shuffle away. “This is so weird…,” he mumbles. “I swore he was just tiny this morning…”

Nick follows him at the same pace.

Then, Michael Mersch, a forward of the Ontario Reign, rushes up to them from behind and taps Brandon’s shoulder.

Brandon whirls around to face him; Nick does the same in a slower manner. He shoots him a dirty expression.

“Hey, do you now where our goalie went?” Michael asks.

“How am I supposed to know?” he shrugs. “He’s your goalie.”

“Oh, he just mysteriously disappeared. Thought you might’ve seen him.” He nods to him. “Thanks though.” He then turns back around and jogs off.

Nick gazes at his friend. “Poor guys. Can’t find their goalie.”

Brandon rolls his eyes. “Let’s go figure out this giant situation.” He pauses. “Literally.” He then sighs with a distress expression. “I gotta stop making puns.”

Nick shoots him a sweet smile. “I like them.”

Notes

E.6 "Down Here, Up Here!"
Part 3/4
Episode 6/20