over here right away. There’s a local youngster stuck up in a really tall tree and the Radleys are going to rescue her. It’ll be high octane excitement.”
He hangs up the phone and yells up to Marla, “Don’t you worry little Marla, you’re about to be rescued … Radley’s style!” Then he flashes a big smile.
Not five minutes later, they hear the roar of engines coming their way. Before Marvin, Daffodil, Marla, Albert and Larue know what’s happening, the whole Radleys crew has arrived. Immediately they get to work. They build a small stage right under the tree. They also set up ramps and other types of strange equipment. For a few minutes they forget that Marla is stuck. It’s quite a sight to see the Radleys go to work. They work hard and get things done quickly.
As this is going on, a television news van pulls up. As soon as the van stops, a reporter and cameraman get out. They head right over to Hutch and start interviewing him. Hutch reports, “There’s a poor little youngster stuck in that tree right there. She’s scared and needs help. The Radleys are here to give her that help. Everyone in T.V. land should just sit tight and get ready for the most amazing rescue ever. And if you like what you see here, make sure you come out tomorrow to see The Radleys Stunt Show. You’ll see even more exciting, daring stunts!”
By this time a small crowd has started to gather. The Radleys have finished setting up and like the leader of a circus, Hutch jumps on stage. He announces to the crowd, “You’re about to see one of the most thrilling rescues ever! And please remember that the Radleys are trained professionals, so don’t try any of this at home. I’d like to direct your attention stage right out yonder to Zudza… The human cannonball!!!”
As the crowd looks over, Zudza is launched from a giant cannon and fireworks shoot from the stage. Zudza flies over the crowd like a superhero with arms outstretched towards Marla. She’s shaking with fear and not sure what to do. She tries to remain still, wishing she was down on the ground and none of this was going on. Zudza flies by about two feet away and lands in a safety net on the other side of the stage. The crowd lets out a big, “Aaaahhhh!!!” and starts applauding.
Hutch says, “Marla was nearly rescued, but it looks like we’ll have to try again. Who wants to see another rescue attempt?” The crowd responds by applauding. Hutch responds to this by saying, “You got more than that. I said who wants to see another rescue attempt?”
At this point the crowd applauds even louder. To which, Hutch says, “Now that’s what I thought. Please look to either side of the stage where you will see the Chooch Brothers on their motorcycles. Let’s hear it for them!” Again the crowd applauds. With that as their cue, the Chooch Brothers rev their motorcycles and each head towards a ramp.
They’re moving fast and Hutch yells, “Surely the Chooch Brothers will rescue little Marla!”
Each brother launches off a ramp as fireworks go off and colored smoke comes from the stage. The Chooch Brothers fly through the air and barely miss each other as they pass in front of Marla. They give each other a thumbs up mid jump. They each land on opposite ramps. The crowd goes crazy with applause. They like the fast motorcycles, fireworks and smoke. They seem to forget that Marla has not yet been rescued. And if they do remember, they cheer anyway.
By now Marvin is worried about Marla. He turns to Daffodil and says, “It doesn’t seem like they’re really trying to rescue her.”
“Yeah,” says Daffodil, “It’s like they just want to show off.”
Marvin declares, “We need to do something about this.”
“Like what?” asks Daffodil.
“Like climb up that tree and rescue her myself!” says Marvin.
“I think that’s a good idea,” agrees Daffodil, “Just please be careful.”
Marvin starts to climb the tree as Hutch announces the next stunt. He says, “Please look up in the sky. There you’ll see Sabie as he parachutes down to rescue poor little Marla!”
Sabie is parachuting with colorful smoke billowing off him. Fireworks and even more smoke are coming off the stage. This must be the big finale!
By this time, Marvin has made his way up the tree and is on a branch slowly moving towards Marla. Her face lights up when she sees him.
Marvin says, “Don’t worry Marla. I’ll have you down in no time.”
There’s so much smoke it’s hard to see anything, but Marvin is close enough to help Marla. He grabs her with one hand and loosens her from the branch with the other. Just as Sabie floats by in his parachute, Marla climbs on Marvin’s back for the climb down. Marvin, with Marla riding piggy-back style, quickly descends through the thick smoke.
When he gets to the bottom of the tree and is standing firmly on the ground, he asks, “Are you okay, Marla?”
Marla smiles and nods her head yes.
Hand in hand, they walk across the stage until they are standing near the edge, right in front of Hutch. Marvin holds Marla up with two hands and says, “Look Hutch. I rescued Marla and she’s okay now.”
Hutch is surprised to see them. By this time, Sabie is up on the stage next to him. Before the smoke has time to clear, Hutch quickly snatches Marla from Marvin’s hands. This startles him and he’s knocked off balance. He teeters on the edge of the stage. But instead of lending him a hand, Hutch gives him a little push. This little push is just enough to send Marvin tumbling off the stage. He lands right in the middle of the giant mud pie that Daffodil and Larue made.
When the smoke clears, Hutch is holding Marla, and Marvin is sitting in the mud pie. Hutch announces to the crowd, “Marvin Theodore Harvey may have taken a tumble into the mud…” at which point the crowd laughs at Marvin, “But, the Radleys came here to rescue Marla. And that’s what we did! Here she is! Mission accomplished!”
Hutch raises Marla above his head and the crowds start cheering. The crowd thinks it was the Radleys who rescued Marla. Through all the smoke, they couldn’t see that it was actually Marvin. When the applause dies down, Hutch adds, “If you guys like what you saw here today, make sure to come out to the Radleys Stunt Show tomorrow. It will blow your minds!” The crowd cheers again and Hutch finishes with, “I’ll see you there!”
And with that, the crowd quickly leaves. The television news team wraps it up, gets in their van and drives away. The Radleys break down all their equipment even faster then they set it up. Before he takes off on his motorcycle, Hutch rides over to Marvin. He leans in and whispers, “Sorry kid, but I can’t have you making The Radleys look bad.”
Hutch smiles and rides off. Within 15 minutes, everyone and everything is gone. Marvin, Daffodil, Marla, Larue and Albert are by themselves. They are all in a bit of shock over everything that just happened.
Marvin is covered in mud and looking a bit sad. He says, “I can’t believe the Radleys took credit for rescuing Marla.”
All his friends sit there for a minute and think about it. Then Marla walks up to Marvin. In her hand she has the flower she picked from way up in the tree. In all the excitement she never let it go. She walks up to Marvin, hands him the flower and gives him a big hug.
Daffodil, Larue and Albert start to clap. Daffodil says, “That’s okay Marvin Theodore Harvey. Let’s just be happy Marla is okay. All of your friends know what really happened. And friendship is the most important thing.”
Marvin says, “Thanks Daffodil.”
Then he smiles because he knows she’s right.
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The Adventures of Marvin Theodore Harvey: Wow! It's the Radleys Page 2
