by Baltazar Ray
“We will watch out for them. Thanks for the warning but now we have to go. What are their names again? Pete and Roth?” Hydra asked, as he glided backwards away from Crooton. Pluggo stood there in front of Crooton with a blank face.
“Err… ” Pluggo murmured. He turned his back, with his head bowed embarrassed that he didn’t know what to say.
All of a sudden, he perked up and turned back, looked at Crooton and said, “Do you know that if you try hard, you can pop out your arms and claws?”
“Okay kid, I’ll try that!” Crooton replied with a smile.
Pluggo ran to catch up with Hydra who was already three blocks away headed for the highway. “Boy, you’re fast! And what mission are you talking about?”
Hydra didn’t answer. He knew that Pluggo was still wondering what their mission was all about. And Hydra doesn't know how to explain to Pluggo the details of their mission.
“How do you feel Hydra?” Pluggo asked, panting and gasping for air.
“Great! I’m glad to be meeting new friends like Grunt and Crooton. I wish we had more time to meet Rooto the Rooster and his hens, the rabbits, and the goats, you know? It would be fun going back and meeting them all,” Hydra said.
Pluggo just gave him a blank stare. He couldn’t tell Hydra how much he would like to stay behind, how much he liked the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, and how he didn’t want to leave because of them. They were the most fascinating group of stars in the sky—like a puzzle. First, you find the Big Dipper—so big you can’t miss it. Then you follow the tail, I don’t know, pointing south maybe, and there you go… the Little Dipper! MAGIC! Pluggo was still in reverie when the noise made him jump.
“WHOOOOOOOHRMHHH!"
"HOOOOOOOOOOOONK!”
“WHOOOOOOOHRMHHH!"
"HOOOOOOOOOOOONK!"
"Whoa! Look at those trucks! It’s like they're racing for the finish line. And the cars too—they look like a bunch of sharks racing each other. This is exciting!” Hydra exclaimed, his eyes wide as the traffic zoomed past them.
Hydra and Pluggo stood on the side of the road for a while and just watch the cars and trucks whizzed by.
“WHOOOOOOOHRMHHH!"
* *
They kept walking and gliding on the side of the road until they noticed the change in scenery. There were more houses and people around as compared to Grunt's Farm.
Suddenly, Hydra saw red all over—there was a flood of blinding brake lights as the cars and trucks began to slow down to a stop. He thought that he and Pluggo must be approaching the city.
CHAPTER 6
Beatree
* *
HYDRA AND PLUGGO WERE IN AWE as they strolled the streets of Guerlin City—the throng of people seemed oblivious to their presence. They noticed that people kept walking around like spellbound robots on their way to their various destinations, minding their own business.
“Wow, I’ve never seen so many people!” Pluggo screamed looking giddy and anxious.
"They all seem to be in a rush," Hydra added.
Hydra just stood there, quiet but confident. He was a bit nervous too but he never showed it, he just exuded confidence with his sheer size.
“Is everything cool, Pluggo?” Hydra asked, concerned.
“Cool? Of course! How’s your side?”
“Great! Although I’m feeling a little bit tired,” Hydra replied. He thought that statement would seem like a good way to hide his excitement.
“Frankly, I miss Grunt’s Farm already. Besides, there’s no Big Dipper here—just huge buildings blocking the sky. And look at these people—there are so many of them— they’re like ants. What’s going on here? What are all these people doing here? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” Pluggo asked, musing.
“C’mon Pluggo! Things are starting to look familiar. I know where we are now,” Hydra said reassuringly, as he waded amongst the crowd.
Pluggo could barely hear Hydra. The noise was becoming so intense, that soon both hydrants were screaming at each other to be heard. There were incoming sirens from different directions.
“TOOOOOOOOOTEEEE!"
"TOOOOOOOOOTEEEE!”
“TOOOOOOOOOTEEEE!"
"TOOOOOOOOOTEEEE!”
It may sound like an exaggeration, but the sirens really kept coming and new ones would come up almost every other minute. For two Big Dipper gazers, starry-eyed hydrants, this was a revelation. But the noise did not faze the two hydrants. Hydra led the way while Pluggo struggled to keep up.
Farther along the road they hit a junction full of installed hydrants, all gleaming with new paint. They didn’t seem to notice Hydra and Pluggo. In fact, the all-friendly Pluggo uttered a greeting to one of them, and got no response—just a cold stare with no regard for courtesy. Pluggo tried again, “Good morning!”
Nothing.
“How rude!” Pluggo exclaimed.
“Stop trying Pluggo. We are in the city and no one here has the time to say hello. Although, there are some who will go out of their way, but most of them will not,” said the ever-knowing Hydra.
“Why is that?” Pluggo asked, discouraged and forlorn.
“They all think they're busy. They come here, they work, and then they go home. They do this every day until they die. Isn’t that sad? They really forget the qualities of… you know… ” Hydra paused, as if lost in his thoughts… "the qualities of LIFE! That’s it! That’s what I mean! You know how the saying goes, ‘stop and smell the roses?’ This is where all that applies. People are so busy working, literally ‘choking’ each other that they have no more time to 'smell the roses,' or sincerely say ‘hello’ or ‘good morning,’ you know? Capish? But imagine greeting all the people you meet. You’d always be late for work, (chuckle). Ironic, isn’t it?” Hydra babbled on.
Pluggo listened intently. He was trying to absorb everything.
“The worst kinds are the stuck-ups. These are the people with all the traits I mentioned earlier, but worse. They’re insecure and full of themselves. Ignore them. They’re simply… hmm… people,” Hydra continued.
* *
Things were slowly becoming clear to Hydra. The place, the noise, and everything else were becoming familiar. Pluggo, on the other hand, gave no other indication except that he was just riding along, enjoying the view, and learning from his pal, Hydra.
They were walking behind a group of slow moving people, taking a few steps at a time. They would walk, then stop, then walk a few steps again, holding up the pedestrian traffic. And then, there were all these camera flashes.
“Excuse me!” Hydra screamed. “Excuse me!” he screamed again, his voice getting louder. “Watch your back! Coming through!”
“Hydra, be nice!” Pluggo yelled.
“Tourists! Definitely tourists!” Hydra exclaimed.
"But Hydra, we are tourists too!"
Hydra just gave him the look.
* *
The two hydrants continued heading north. They talked about how the traffic was dispersing, and how the fire hydrants were getting more interesting. Pluggo said that he hoped these guys were at least friendly.
When the pair approached a corner, they met up with an unusual hydrant covered with leaves. A small tree with loosely scattered leaves almost concealed the hydrant—like a prop, with its main branch growing from the side of the hydrant’s base. Dust and soot just about covered the entire collection of the once green leaves of the tree. Hydra thought that it might actually be a weed disguised as a small tree. Peering through its leaves, the hydrant nodded as if summoning them to come over. Pluggo dashed towards the leafy hydrant with Hydra tagging along.
“Hello! How are you?” Pluggo asked.
The hydrant parted the leaves with her head. She was all black and sooty.
“I’m fine, thanks!” the hydrant replied, a bit shy because of her strange look.
“Hi, my name is Pluggo. And this here—is my friend Hydra.” Hydra stood there looking 'stuck-up' himself.
“Hydra, sa
y hello to our friend,” Pluggo said as he nudged Hydra. Hydra never uttered a word. He was acting like a city slicker and checking out what else might be lurking around.
“My name is Beatree. Sorry about my sooty look. The WDs have neglected me for some time. I usually get a coat of paint every now and then but for some reason, I have not seen the WDs around,” she said, excited to meet Hydra and Pluggo.
“Oh, you look great, Beatree! Don’t worry about it. This is the city. Anything goes, right? And besides, your tree looks cool.” Pluggo said reassuringly.
“Oh thanks, Pluggo, that’s very nice of you. I’ve never met such a well-mannered hydrant. What about you Hydra? What’s up with you?” Beatree asked, looking more confident after hearing Pluggo’s kind words.
“Err… we’ll… hmm… where are we?” Hydra was talking to himself, unmindful of Beatree.
“You are in Uptown Guerlin, City of Guerlin. And farther up the block you’ll hit the Mohegan Bridge, which will take you to the next town," Beatree happily answered Hydra's question.
“Oh, okay,” Hydra said, feeling more relaxed since Beatree was so helpful.
“I know where we are now, Pluggo. We better run,” Hydra said.
“So soon? You just got here!” Beatree said. “And besides, I’ve never met anyone like you before. You guys look cool.”
“Oh, you look great yourself too, Beatree. I wish I had the same tree to cover me. It’s like a Halloween costume! I’m sure you have some kind of power.”
When Pluggo said this, Hydra glared at him as if saying, “KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND LET’S MOVE ON!”
But Pluggo continued to be friendly. His innocence radiated around him. He could not tell a lie.
“What power?” Beatree asked.
“Ha-ha-ha! Believe it or not, we were asking that ourselves too!” Hydra said, abruptly cutting off Beatree.
Hydra walked away without saying goodbye. Pluggo glowered and followed him hesitantly.
“Err… Hydra! Wait!” Pluggo yelled.
“We’ll see you around, Beatree! Nice meeting you. Have a nice day. Take care.” Pluggo gushed, as he continued to be overly nice to Beatree. “I’d like to stay and chat with you some more but Hydra thinks he’s out on a mission, and I have to help out,” Pluggo continued yelling from down the street.
* *
Hydra was sprinting, trying to find out the best way to reach the place of his mission—-right away, before it's too late. Pluggo struggled to catch up.
"Hurry up, Pluggo!" Hydra yelled without looking.
The traffic was getting heavy again, and the noise was getting louder.
“HOOOOOOOOOONK! %$#@ “HOOOOOOOOOONK! %$#@”
“TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE!”
The sirens were much louder this time. Something was going on.
CHAPTER 7
Sabrina
HYDRA AND PLUGGO WEAVED through the traffic, sidestepping and bumping into people along the way. Hydra sensed that something terrible was going on. The traffic was at a standstill and sirens kept coming from all directions.
The sirens sounded more like fire trucks than ambulances. It’s easy to distinguish the sound if you listen closely. The ambulance’s sirens although loud and wailing could not match with the fire truck’s intensified and obnoxious horn. The fire trucks can slice into traffic with little effort and have the cars scrambling to give way because of its ultra loud horn.
“BAAAAAAAAHHNNKKK! BAAAAAAAAHHNNKKK!"
More fire trucks arrived and converged in the area. Anxious bystanders were milling around, apparently baffled by the bright and noisy event. Obviously, there was a fire in one of the tall buildings as Hydra saw a bright pulsating light above emitting dark smoke. Hydra and Pluggo weaved through the wave of people to reach the site.
“C’mon Pluggo, it should be around here somewhere.” Hydra pushed his way through the crowd.
“Wait! Wait for me!” Pluggo yelled.
Nothing is more exciting than watching a fire scene. Unfortunately, it is exciting but sad—usually depressing. On one side you see the hapless people clinging for their lives, on the other side are the helpless people just watching, like they're witnessing a movie or a drama unfold.
Hydra and Pluggo huddled with the crowd. Hydra was nervous but gleaming with excitement. This is it, Hydra thought. This is their gig—their mission. It’s the moment they’ve been waiting for—like the Voice was telling them.
Hydra paced nervously about, almost frantic, wondering what to do. He didn’t want to screw things up. At first, there were only a few fire trucks parked in the middle of the street. Then the policemen blocked off the street to allow more fire trucks closer to the burning building. But the traffic was so heavy it was difficult to get the other fire trucks into place.
* *
Meanwhile, thick swelling black smoke with streaks of reddish flame started creeping across one side of the multi-story building. A faint voice could be heard, "Help!" Hydra and Pluggo looked up and saw a little girl high up in the building. She was about four or five years old, and was desperately yelling for help as the fire inched closer to her. She looked helpless and desperate in the unbearable heat.
“HEEEELP!” cried the little girl.
The firemen scrambled to get their hoses ready. But there was another problem—the tall ladder truck couldn’t get through the snarled traffic. The firemen ran around and didn’t know what to do. One of them dragged a thick fire hose and searched for a hydrant. There was no hydrant—only a gaping hole where a hydrant used to be—a huge main pipe protruding from it.
Hydra looked at Pluggo. Now it all came back to him. This was the place where he had been knocked over by the taxicab. Pluggo broke away from Hydra and moved through the crowd. He hurled himself on top of the pipe hole—but he didn’t fit.
“THUD!”
Pluggo jumped up and down on the hole—but still he didn't fit.
“HEEELLPP!” The desperate girl screamed again, her voice slowly fading and close to being suffocated. The heat and smoke were closing in fast.
Pluggo continued his vain attempts to couple with the pipe hole, when Hydra pulled him off and moved him to one side—there was no more time.
Hydra saw the already unconscious child; her arms limp as they dangled out the window. He jumped on top the pipe hole—and fit perfectly. All he needed was the fireman’s help and everything would be fine. At the same time, the tall ladder truck arrived and raised its ladder against the building. The other firemen ran to Hydra and tried to attach their hoses to his nozzles.
“THEY DON’T FIT! THIS HYDRANT IS OBSOLETE!” yelled one of the firemen. In the confusion, none of them had noticed how old Hydra was. That was why the WDs didn’t repair his kind anymore. Hydra was definitely obsolete and only good for causing people to get parking tickets.
* *
Hydra was thinking. He was running out of options. He looked at Pluggo as if pleading.
“THIS IS A JOB FOR YOU PLUGGO!” Hydra exclaimed. He knew that only Pluggo could fly that high and stop the fire. Although, it looked like Pluggo could only blow water from his base, there wasn’t any more time to worry about that—he would have to try it anyway.
Pluggo pushed his way through the crowd. They parted for this unusual creature. Hydra yelled, “Pluggo, go for it! Remember the Voice!” Pluggo clenched his eyes and focused. He stood there for a moment as the crowd encircled him and watched quietly. Suddenly, his face and body changed, heaving, and throbbing, and ready to explode. His body continued to balloon until he was visibly shaking. Soon there was a thunderous noise, as tons of water hurled him upwards from his base.
“SPLASSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!”
Pluggo flew straight up—fifteen feet, twenty-five feet, thirty-five feet, to fifty feet! He was almost up there. The girl was barely moving as the fire inched closer, ready to engulf her. Pluggo started to turn slowly and was ready to blast a torrent of water through his
nozzles; he wasn't even sure if it would work. He closed his eyes again and concentrated. Suddenly, his arms started to grow and heaved—there was a second explosion of water though his nozzles…
“KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!”
The explosion twirled him around like a craze garden sprinkler…
“WIISSHH-WIISSHH-WIISSHH-WIISSHH-WIISSHH-WIISSHH!”
The repeated swirling noise sounded like a flying helicopter. Pluggo showered water all around and put out the fire in no time. The whole building was awash as water poured out of the building's windows.
The little girl was revived— she was almost drowning and was gasping for air—soaked from the drench but was glad with the relief from the heat.
Pluggo started to fall slowly back to the ground, safely as he cushioned his fall with water.
What a scene! Everyone was drenched with water. The firemen quickly climbed their ladders and rescued the girl and all the other people trapped in the building. Although the damage to the building was extensive, amazingly, no one was seriously injured by the fire. The firemen had no one else to thank but Pluggo—he had single-handedly put out the fire.
The crowd cheered and chanted, “PLU-GGO! PLU-GGO! PLU-GGO!”
The crowd erupted in high-fives and backslappings. Even though everyone had gotten their office clothes soaking wet, they have become ecstatic to see such a potential tragedy have a happy ending.
“PLU-GGO! PLU-GGO! PLU-GGO!” The chanting continued and threatened to keep going without stop.
The little girl was all smiles as the fireman brought her down by the ladder. Ironically, she was shivering from all the water that had put out the fire. With her eyes full of tears, she asked the fireman for the hydrant that had saved her life. She said that she only caught a glimpse of it but remembered the prominent red head and the small white body. Just then her parents scooped her up and they all hugged and cried at the same time.
“Thank God you’re saved!” said the father as he held her tight.
“It’s the hydrant Daddy. The hydrant saved my life,” said the little girl proudly. The mother hugged her and sobbed uncontrollably.
* *
Meanwhile, Hydra and Pluggo snuck out before the crowd got out of control.
* *
“Good work Pluggo! I’m proud of you!” Hydra’s eyes turned misty. “I know that little girl. Her name is Sabrina and she is a very special kid. She grew up in my neighborhood where I was based, and I witnessed her growing up as the years went by. I remember her hugging me while her father took a picture of her. She was only two years old then. She was a good and happy child.”
