The Fraggle From Outer Space
Chapter 15

“Thank you SO much for agreeing to pose for me, Goldie. I’ve just been so inspired today, I just have to get this out.”

Goldie was lying on Red’s hammock with her legs crossed and her hands behind her head. Mokey stood a few feet away with a canvas in front of her and a paintbrush in her hand. On this canvas she painted Goldie on the hammock. Behind her was another canvas that she was painting on using her tail as a brush, on which was appearing a picture of her plant, Lanford.

“No problem, Mokey. I didn’t really have anything better to do. Doesn’t help that I’m still really full from all those doozer constructions I knocked down today.”

“Oh, I know. I still can’t believe you ate so many. I’ll bet the doozers were pretty pleased, though.”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t see any. How are you able to do two paintings at the same time?”

“It’s simple. I have so many ideas in my head, I couldn’t possibly do them all one at a time.”

Goldie didn’t respond to that. In a way it made sense, but at the same time it didn’t. She looked off to the side at Lanford, who seemed to be glaring holes into her from its pot at the other side of the room, which was strange because it didn’t have any eyes to glare with.

“And what’s YOUR problem?”

Lanford growled at her.

“Yeah, same to you!”

“Lanford!”

The plant’s nasty stare disappeared at the sound of its name as it looked over to its owner, letting out an inquisitive purr.

“You be nice!”

It lowered its head to the rock its pot was sitting on, purring sadly. When Mokey took her gaze back to her painting, Lanford looked back at Goldie and quickly stuck its tongue out at her. And Goldie replied by sticking her tongue out at him, which somehow seemed to satisfy the both of them for the moment.

“Sorry about that, Goldie. I don’t know why Lanford’s so uncomfortable around you. He’s usually so friendly. Well... Red doesn’t get along with Lanford that well, either.”

“It’s alright, Mokey. Maybe he just doesn’t like yellow fraggles.”

“Well, that’s a silly reason to not like someone.”

“Tell that to some of the humans in Outer Space.”

“They don’t get along because of what color they are?”

“A lot of them. And that’s just one of the reasons they don’t get along with each other.”

“Well, why don’t they? I mean it’s so easy to just accept a person for what they are and move on.”

“Apparently, it’s not that simple for them. One of a lot of things that makes me glad I’m not one of them.”

“It’s so strange. When Gobo’s Uncle Traveling Matt writes about the silly creatures in Outer Space, it’s always something nice and silly.”

“That’s because he’s blessed with the inability to see any of the awful things in Outer Space. He doesn’t know it like I do, so all he sees is the wonder and the excitement.”

“Oh... I see.”

“Don’t get me wrong, though. Not all humans are like that. My grandparents, for example. They love me for who I am, and they don’t really care WHAT I am. They always supported me in anything I wanted to do, even after I made my decision to leave home and come here.”

“It must’ve been so hard for you to leave such a caring family behind.”

“Yeah...”

Goldie’s mind trailed off to her grandparents, to their nice comfy house. She wondered what they were doing at this very moment.

Mokey noted the distant look on Goldie’s face.

“Goldie?”

“Hm?”

“Do you like it here in Fraggle Rock?”

“Yeah, I love it here. I’ve made so many wonderful new friends; I can’t even count them all. And I’ve even learned a lot about myself and why I am the way I am. I think coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“Well, that’s good at least.”

Mokey continued her paintings for a moment until another question crossed her mind.

“Say, Goldie.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think of Boober?”

“What?” Goldie replied in confusion at the sudden change of topic.

“You know, Boober. What do you think of him?”

“I think he’s a weirdo.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“I dunno. One minute he seems like a really nice guy, and the next he’s all crazy. Like today, he was hiding in his room again, babbling about how he was dying of some horrible disease.”

Mokey bit her lip so she wouldn’t tell Goldie the truth about Boober’s so-called illness. She remembered she’d promised Boober she wouldn’t tell her and that she’d let Boober do it. It was apparent that he hadn’t done so yet.

“I could tell there was something else going on with him, but he wouldn’t tell me what. It made me so mad, I had to go and vent my anger before something regrettable happened.”

“Oh, so THAT’S why you were tearing at those doozer constructions.”

“Yeah... Hey, are you done with that painting yet?”

-

-

“Hey, has anyone seen Goldie?” called Gobo as he entered the Great Hall.

His question was followed by a series of no’s and head shakes from most of the other fraggles in the room. Gobo then walked over to the pond, where Red was getting ready to make her jump from high on one of the taller rocks.

“Hey, Red. Ya got a minute?”

“Can’t talk now, Gobo,” she said plainly as she started her stretches, “I’m way too busy right now.”

“Tryin’ to break the splash record again, eh?”

“You betcha.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little silly to try and beat a record you already beat?”

“What, and let my guard down while somebody else tries and take it? I think not!”

“Suit yerself.”

“Alright, you ready, Lou?” Red called to the lavender fraggle taking notes below.

“Yup!” she called back “Ready to go, Red!”

“Okay, here I go!” she called and made a back flip off the rock, “WOOHOO!”

She curled into a tight cannonball and spun wildly as she hit the water, creating a huge splash that sent water through most of the Great Hall. Fortunately, Gobo had the letter and postcard safely put away in his vest pocket before the splash hit him. He shook himself dry as Red came swimming up to the edge of the pond.

“Did you see that, Gobo? I’ll bet that was the record-breaker! What was the score on that one, Lou?”

“You made a perfect barrel-roll cannonball, Red.”

“I already know the technique I used. What was the score on the splash? Did I beat the record or what?”

“Nope, you were just two inches short of the record. Sorry, Red.”

“No problem. All I gotta do is try again.”

“Uh, this was your tenth attempt, Red,” Lou pointed out, “I think maybe you should take a break before making your next one.”

“Good idea,” Red replied as she climbed out of the pond and dried herself with a towel Lou handed to her. “I need to be perfectly focused if I’m gonna beat that record. I’ll see you in a few minutes, Lou.”

“Roger,” she replied with a salute as she set her notes down and walked away.

“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Gobo?” Red said as she finished toweling herself.

“I went to Outer Space to pick up my postcard today.”

“Well, that’s nothing new. You go EVERY week.”

“Yeah, but this week I also found a letter for Goldie. I didn’t see her in her room, so I was wondering if you’ve seen her around.”

“Nope. Sorry, Gobo. Haven’t seen her all day.”

“Haven’t seen who all day?” Mokey asked as she walked in.

“Hey, Mokey,” Gobo greeted, “I’ve got a letter here for Goldie. Have you seen her?”

“She was just in my room with me a few minutes ago.”

“Any idea where she is now?”

“Sorry, Gobo. I haven’t a clue.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just leave this in her room for her to find later then,” he said as he started walking past the girls and out of the Great Hall, “Thanks anyway. I’ll catch ya later, eh. Hey, maybe I’ll come back and break yer record for you, Red.”

“Ha! Not if I beat it first! Come on, Mokey, pick up Lou’s notes real quick.”

“Okay, Red.”

-

-

“So where are you taking me, Wembley?”

“Oh, you’re really gonna love it, Goldie. It’s real pretty there. Lotsa pretty lights. And the acoustics aren’t too bad, either.”

Wembley was taking Goldie to Firefly Cavern, a place which served as an alternative gathering place for the fraggles for when they decide not to gather in the Great Hall. Sidebottom, posing as Boober, had sent Wembley on a series of errands, the last of which was to bring Goldie to the cavern.

“So I guess it’s a good place to make music, huh?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. Just wait and see. You’ll love it. Oh boy, there it is! Come on!”

Wembley broke into a run as they arrived at the cavern, and Goldie followed close behind. To Goldie’s surprise, the cavern was actually quite dark. She stopped for a moment as Wembley kept running to the far end of the room. Confused, Goldie looked around the room trying to figure out why the place was called Firefly Cavern if there weren’t any lights. And then she realized that Wembley had disappeared into the darkness.

“Wembley?” She called. “Hello?”

“Hit it!” Wembley yelled and then began a beat on the bongo drums he had laid in front of him.

Then a spotlight appeared ahead, shining on a fraggle that Goldie thought resembled Boober, only he was wearing a poofy white shirt with frills at the sleeves and neck, and he had a pair of maracas in his hands and a wide smile on his face.

“Ugh, how did I let you talk me into this?” the image of Boober asked as Sidebottom flaunted his newest costume. “This isn’t going to work.”

“Trust me, Boober,” Sidebottom replied to him in thought, “You’ll thank me for this.”

“Hahh,” Boober sighed and covered his eyes, “I can’t bear to watch.”

Then the sound of bongo drums and trumpets began to play as Sidebottom began to dance with his maracas. Goldie couldn’t help but laugh at this as the fraggle she assumed to be Boober began to sing.

(Sidebottom)
They call me Cuban Pete.
I’m the king of the rumba beat.
When I play the maracas I go
Chick Chicky-boom, Chick Chicky-boom.

As he continued singing and dancing, he slowly made his way towards Goldie, who just chuckled at him as she crossed her arms and watched him perform.

Yes sir, I’m Cuban Pete.
I’m the craze of my native street.
When I start to dance everything goes
Chich chicky-boom, Chick Chicky-boom.

The senoritas, they sing and how they swing with this rumbero
It's very nice, so full of spice
And when they're dancin they bring a happy ring the maraquero
Singin a song, all the day long

So if you like the beat
Take a lesson from Cuban Pete,
And I'll teach you to Chick Chicky-boom,
Chick Chicky-boom, Chick Chicky-boom

Sidebottom tossed his maracas aside, took Goldie by the hand, and swung her around to start dancing with her.

“Woah, Boober!” she laughed as she was caught in the dance, “What’s all this?”

“What, you don’t like to dance?”

“No, I love to dance.”

“Perfect.”

(Sidebottom)
Si, señorita, I know that you will like the chicky boom chick
It’s very nice, so full of spice.
I'll place my hand on your hip and if you will just give me your hand
Then we shall try, just you and I.

So if you like the beat
Take a lesson from Cuban Pete
And I'll teach you to Chick chicky boom,
Chick Chicky-boom, Chick Chicky-boom

As Sidebottom continued their dance to the beat of the music, Goldie watched him carefully. She knew that he had to be Boober, but she could feel there was something else going on.

“So what’s going on here, Boober?”

“I just wanted to make up for how I acted earlier. Is that so wrong?”

“No I guess not,” she chuckled and then paused for a moment. “But I can’t help but feel like there’s more to it than that.”

At that instant, time seemed to slow to a crawl as the image of Sidebottom stepped out of Boober’s body and walked around behind Boober’s image.

“That’s your cue, Boober. Break a leg.”

“Wait! Wha--?!” Boober protested as Sidebottom pushed him to his body “Sidebottom, wait! Stop! No!”

Boober shook off the rush of being shoved back into his own body. Goldie tilted her head in confusion as the dance suddenly stopped, though the music still kept playing. Then Boober realized the position he was in and quickly took a couple steps back away from Goldie.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “This was all too weird. I... This wasn’t...”

“Boober, what’s going on with you?”

“It’s just that... Well...”

“Tell her you wanted to make up for being a jerk earlier!” Sidebottom whispered from behind him.

“Oh, you be quiet!”

“Who are you telling to be quiet?!” Goldie

“What!? No! Not you! Somebody else! It’s uh... The music. Yeah! Stop the music, Wembley! Be quiet!”

The cave creatures that were playing the trumpets quickly ended their music while Wembley stopped beating on his drums.

“Uh, okay, Boober,” Wembley replied nervously as he picked up his bongos and left. “I guess I’ll just be going then.”

After Wembley and the cave creatures were gone, Boober looked at Goldie, who had the most perplexed look on her face he’d ever seen. He let out a sigh and shook his head.

“Look, Goldie, I... I don’t like making you mad. I... I know I can be a little... eccentric at times, and I can’t help the things I’m afraid of, but... the truth is... I like you. I don’t want you to hate me.”

This caught Goldie completely off guard. She didn’t know what to say to that.

“All of this...” he continued, looking around the room and pointing to the firefly lights, “Was mostly to make up for what happened earlier. I just wanted you to see something of me besides a... a germaphobic hypochondriac.”

Goldie smiled as he finished speaking. She stepped up to him and took his hand, clasping it with both her hands.

“I don’t hate you, Boober.”

“You don’t?”

She shook her head.

“You didn’t have to do all this just to apologize. I’d already forgiven you long before I was brought here.”

“You had?”

She nodded.

“You’re a really nice fraggle, Boober... in spite of your little eccentricities.”

“Eh heh-heh.”

“And for the record, I like you, too.”

Boober let out a gasp as his face suddenly turned as red as his hair. His heart began racing and his knees grew weak. It was right then that Boober finally figured out what Mokey was talking about. But then he wildly shook his head to snap himself out of it.

“No! Nonononono!” he sputtered and started to run away.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Goldie yelled and grabbed his tail so he couldn’t go anywhere.

“I can’t do this, Goldie!” he yelled back, “I’m not ready for it!”

“Ready for what?”

“When two fraggles fall in love with each other, they sing the Song of the Forever Promise, and then their lives get completely turned around! I’m not ready for that yet!”

Goldie blinked at Boober for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant. Then something clicked in her head, and she knew exactly what the problem was.

“So you’re afraid of getting married,” she smiled.

“Getting what?”

“When two humans are in love with each other--”

“Humans?”

“Er, Silly Creatures. When they love each other enough, they get married. They promise to live together and stay together forever.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it. I don’t want that yet.”

“But you do like me, right?”

Boober hung his head, not really wanting to answer the question.

“Yes. Very much so.”

Goldie smiled and released her grip on his tail.

“When two humans fall in love, they first do this thing called ‘going steady’.”

“Going steady?”

“Humans don’t get married right when they fall in love. They go steady first. Spend some time to really get to know each other before they make the promise and move in together.”

This idea sparked Boober’s interest. He was wide-eyed with amazement at the sheer brilliance of the idea.

“So nothing has to change?”

“Nope, nothing,” Goldie answered, “I don’t want to get married yet, either. So maybe you would like to go steady with me instead?”

Boober hopped closer to Goldie and took her hands in his.

“Are you kidding? I’d love to! That is the most ingenious concept I’ve ever heard! And it was invented by Silly Creatures!”

Goldie giggled. This was the happiest she’d seen Boober since she arrived, and she found it absolutely charming.

“Hey, let’s go back to my cave,” Boober suggested as the two started walking, “I’ll whip up my famous Radish Soufflé.”

“You can cook?”

“Cooking happens to be my expertise. That and laundry.”

“Of course,” she laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“I’m serious. Cooking and laundry are my areas of expertise.”

Goldie decided to leave that topic where it was. She looked to Boober, who couldn’t keep his eyes off her. The instant their eyes met, he blushed and looked away. She grinned as a thought suddenly occurred to her.

“So all that talk of you thinking you were dying,” she said, “It was actually these feelings, wasn’t it? You just didn’t know what it was.”

“Ngh!”

Goldie laughed at his sudden tenseness.

“You know what, Boober? You’re a dork.”

“Is... Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Goldie just busted up laughing, realizing that Boober didn’t know what a dork was. She placed an arm over his shoulder.

“Never mind, Boober. Let’s just get to your place.”

-

Song Credits:

- Cuban Pete—by Desi Arnaz, shortened version

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