AAOOOSC!: Gulls' Adventures!

Four hours later, just like what Ryan has said, the two goalies arrive home. They are stepping up the stairs to the small patio that sits below their front door.

Matt has a frown on his face with wide eyes cast on the ground. On the other hand, Ryan has concerned eyes on him with a slight smile.

“You did great out there!” Ryan tells his goalie buddy.

“No, I didn’t—!” Matt whines as he stops at the top of the staircase. “I let in sooo many goals!”

He places a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it was only three to six! It could’ve been worse: we could’ve lost seven to zero!”

Matt turns to him with watering eyes. “I did terrible! I let down the whole team! It’s all my fault!” He then digs his face into his hands.

Ryan shakes his shoulder. “No, no, it’s not all your fault! Don’t worry, you’ll get another chance soon!”

Matt throws his head back and wails, “No I won’t because Coach’ll never let me in the net again!!!” He then lets out sob before hiding his face behind his hands again.

Ryan stands still in the luminance of the porch light as his goalie buddy weeps. He then hears music echoing in the night.

“Wait,” he snaps quietly. “Do you hear that?”

Matt immediately sniffs, forcing his sobs to cease.

In the dead of night, music along with singing is heard clearly pulsing from their house.

Ryan’s eyes widen. “Music’s coming from our house…” He turns to Matt. “...and singing?” He then immediately rushes into the house and bursts into the living room.

Once he sees the source of the music, his jaw drops.

On the coffee table, Zeppelin and Mr. Ernie are huddled around the microphone, singing their hearts out together to “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John.

Matt appears from behind his goalie buddy. His eyes immediately fly open at the sight.
“Mr. Ernie!!!” he exclaims with a gasp in shock.

Mr. Ernie stops his singing and peers up at his temporal owner. “Oh!” He waves to him with his tiny paw. “Hi, Matt!” He turns to Ryan and waves to him. “Hi, Matt’s friend! We’re doing karaoke! Wanna join?”

Ryan responses by gawking at the scene. It is evident by his facial expression that he is weirded out.

Matt gasps again, this time with surprise. He whirls to his goalie buddy. “Mr. Ernie said my name!!!”

The hamster scratches his head with confusion. “It’s not the first time I said your name…,” he mumbles to himself.

The song then ends and Zeppelin turns to her left, spotting her owner. “Ryan!” she exclaims with hope in her eyes. “You’re back!” She jumps down from the coffee table and rushes over to him. “Finally!” She then rubs herself against his legs as she purrs in affection and wraps her tail around them.

Ryan is frozen in place with shock that his cat just spoke to him. “My cat is talking,” he forces out monotonously. He darts his eyes to his goalie buddy. “Zeppelin is talking.”

“Why are you so freaked out about that?” Zeppelin asks from below him.

Ryan’s eyes widen at her. “MY CAT IS TALKING TO ME!!!” His hands fly to Matt’s shoulders and shake them. “MY CAT IS TALKING TO ME!!!”

“Ryan, it’s not the end of the world!” his cat snaps at him. “Chill!”

“SHE SAID MY NAME!!!” She shakes Matt even more. “MY CAT SAID MY NAME!!!”

“Matt says my name all the time,” Mr. Ernie points out.

Matt pushes Ryan’s hands off from his shoulders and peers down at the hamster. “Mr. Ernie, how can you talk?!”

Ryan’s eyes roll up as he murmurs, “I think I’m gonna faint.”

Zeppelin shoots her two front paws up to Ryan’s knees with longing eyes. “Please don’t faint on me! If you do, who would feed me?”

Ryan peers down at her. “Can you meow?”

“Meow,” she replies apathetically.

He lets out a sigh of relief. “Good, you’re still a cat.”

“But seriously--” She hops back down to her four paws and trots backward to see the two. “--why are you guys all freakin’ out like chickens with their heads chopped off? Nothing’s off.”

“Nothing’s off?” Ryan shouts incredulously. “Nothing’s off?” He extends his hand to her. “You’re talking!”

“I don’t think animals are supposed to talk…,” Matt adds in softly.

Zeppelin and Mr. Ernie exchange looks.

“Well, we are having a legit conversation with them now,” Mr. Ernie points out.

“Oh, I thought that was because they got smarter,” Zeppelin remarks with a roll of her eyes.

Ryan shoots her an offended look.

Zeppelin peers up at him with a frown. “What? You never understood me before.”

“Oh my goodness…” Ryan slides his face into his hands. “My cat talks AND has an attitude.”

Matt turns to his goalie buddy. “What are we gonna do? I can’t give Mr. Ernie back to his owner like this!” He extends his both hands toward the hamster.

Mr. Ernie perks up at him. “Like what? Is my fur all scuffed up?” He starts brushing down scraggly fur with his paw.

Ryan turns to goalie buddy. “The question is, HOW are they able to talk?” Then he and Matt turn to the two pets and stare down at them like disappointed parents.

“I’ve been talking all this time,” Zeppelin tells them. “I don’t know.”

Mr. Ernie stuffs his paws into his cheeks and pulls out a cereal piece in the letter of an “O.” He starts nibbling on it.

Matt knits his eyebrows at him. “What are you eating there, Mr. Ernie?”

“Oh!” Mr. Ernie perks up from his eating. “I’m eating an ‘O’ from this delicious alphabet cereal Zeppelin and I had! You should try some, it’s good!”

“Alphabet cereal?” Matt tilts his head.

“Zeppelin, you had some?!” Ryan shouts with wide eyes.

Zeppelin scoffs. “So?”

“Nooooo!!!” Ryan starts rushing at her.

“Nooooo!!!” Zeppelin speeds away from him. Ryan begins chasing after her throughout the whole house.

Matt peers down at his hamster. “Are you talking about the alphabet cereal the guys gave to us?”

“The cereal over there.” Mr. Ernie points to his left, where the cereal is lying on the table.

Matt cranes his head past the wall to spot the fallen cereal box in the dining room.

“Oh…” He nods head. “Okay…”

His face then immediately crumbles with a frown. He gags. “Ryan, take your cat out,” he croaks. He then staggers out of the house.

Notes

E.8 "They Speak!"
Part 2/5
Episode 8/20