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A bubbling bed made of red and orange, boiling like Big Red mixed with Sunkist blocked his path. Commander Leo looked across in determination. He thought, why is the floor always made of lava when it’s time to fight?
“There must be a way over,” said Leo. His voice was growly and direct, the vision of a leader. From Couch Cushion Rock Leo marched along the edge, weighing his options as he eyed the Bookshelf Fortress across the way.
His red goggles flashed in the sun of lamplight. One of his arms was loose at the shoulder from yesterday’s scrap with Bonegrin, the one who always filled the floor with hot death. He rotated it a full revolution of a circle, heard a crack, but there was no pain. Leo muttered through tight teeth, “Bonegrin, will feel this today.”
“How’s the arm?” A girl’s voice called up from the base of the rock. “Saw you got a full circle with it, just now.”
Leo bent at the waist and picked up a silver sword. It snapped into his grip with a click. His opposite hand went to his back. The thick rubberband holding his torso to his waist was tight today. He called down to the girl, “The arm’s good. It’s my hips that are concerning now.”
The voice called up, it was more out of breath than before. “You been… doing your exercises?”
Leo crossed his arms, “Doing my exercises? What am I, some vintage yard sale piece now? I’m not that old.” He felt hot. Whether it was from the fire floor or annoyance at her comment, he wasn’t sure.
She laughed, voice still shaky from activity, “Hey hey… I’m just… lookin’ out… 1988 was a good year.”
“How would you know? Must be nice to be from the 90s. Anyway, are you almost done?”
Down there was a lot of rummaging going on. To Leo, the noise came in bursts of glassy waves. Every shovel and scrape was abrasive to his ears.
“Ugh that sound!” Leo frowned. “Teri, will you hurry up? Bonegrin’s probably gone to dinner already.
“Patience… unc. The Bridge to Terbithia wasn’t built in a day. And… done!”
A very long multi-colored bridge rose in front of Leo’s face. It dipped him into shadow as Teri lifted it with the strength of an ant lifting far larger than its size.
“Urgh! Ready Leo?”
“You know it. Bonegrin won’t have his way today.”
“Ok in 3… 2… 1… now!” With a shove, Teri dropped the bridge. The smoking surface under it was now passable.
Instantly Leo jumped down, then began to dash across. “You comin’ Watts?”
Teri huffed as she picked up a black plunger piece. Her substitute for a weapon. “Show off, your legs are only four times longer than mine.” Suddenly, there was a creaking behind her. She spun her head to look behind her. A shock face painted over her usual lady smile.
“Uh Leo! This is bad. They caught up!”
The sight of the group nearly made her come apart with fear. Their pursuers had an armory of weapons. Sharp swords, pointy hooks with ropes and throwing stars gleamed dangerously under the scorching lamplight, which was now setting behind couch rock. In the approaching darkness the mini-ninjas appeared taller. They wore the colors of the light spectrum: red, green, blue. The leader was dressed in yellow, and was named Sunny.
Sunny said, “Bonegrin promised us freedom. Tonight, it’s the lava lake for you Teri. Ninja swarm!”
At once a dozen assassins with colored hoods, brandishing weapons stormed at Teri.
“Leo! Capsule Ninjas on our six!” She began speeding to catch up to him. But he was already far ahead.
Teri shuffled so fast she smelled the smoke of friction at her feet. “Leo, help!” Bonegrin’s little helpers weren’t far behind.
Leo’s goggles flashed red in the coming room twilight, “They may be many, but I am one. With myself! Somersault High Flip Destruction!” With a backflip, he flung his sword at the center of the bridge. It struck dead center and broke it. Teri made one last leap. She reached the base of the shelf as Leo landed gracefully.
“Whew, that was stylish. And lucky,” she said, still catching her breath.
“They weren’t so lucky,” Leo commented.
From the fire the ninjas yelped and cursed. A flood of voices flew up to the roof. “Aagh! Leo! Teri! Not again! You defeated us again!”
Leo said, “That’s my ninjas! Every time you side with Bonegrin, this is the outcome. You think you’d learn by now.”
With wide eyes, before the remainder of his flesh burned up, Sunny called, “We’ll be back! We will become free! We’re all trapped. Trapped! But Bonegrin will have you.” With that, he sank below the fiery sea.
“Whew that was dark,” Teri said, “He really cursed us. Think it means anything?”
“Probably nothing.”
Just then a booming scratchy voice yelled down from above. “LEO! TERI WATTS! I’ve been waiting for you!”
Leo looked up the book shelf. He saw the CD wing on the right, the marble-hue of the World Book Encyclopedia library on the left, but couldn’t find the source of the yelling.
“Bonegrin!? Where are you?”
“In the center of course. At the Mirror of Judgment. Come to me.”
Teri held out her short arm. “Leo wait. It could be a trap.”
“I’m not afraid of his traps. Look what happened to the ninjas. C’mon.” Teri still looked worried. Tonights’s CD elevator landed before them. “The Best of Luther Vandross” with a mustached guy sporting a clean box-cut was on the surface. Leo and Teri stepped on.
Together they rose to the center chamber. The Mirror of Judgment reflected their images back at them. In front of it stood Bonegrin.
“I didn’t think you’d make it today,” Bonegrin cackled. His skeleton face was horrible. His jeweled scepter made darkness mix with light over his billowing robes.
Leo and Teri took on fighting stances. With sword and plunger pointed at him, Bonegrin laughed. “You think petty steel and a toilet tool will stop me? Ha ha ha! Leo you are as childish as you are weak. It’s really comical.”
“It’s over Bonegrin. I’ll never let you complete the Ceremony of Release.” Leo growled.
“Why not Leo? What’s wrong with releasing every one of us, and allowing us to interact directly with humans? Does it scare you, huh?” Bonegrin began pacing. “Does it scare you that total, absolute, unimpeded FREEDOM will make you less special, huh?”
Leo retorted, “It’s too dangerous. Our world and the human world should stay separate!”
“No, they shouldn’t.”
“Yes, they should.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No, to infinity.”
“Yes, to infinity plus one.”
Teri yelled, “Will you two shut up and just get on with it? My arm’s gettin’ tired.”
Bonegrin looked at her and laughed, “But really, what can an outcast sewer ninja and a Lego man—”
“Lego woman,” Teri corrected.
“Pah, whatever. What can a Joe and Lego woman do? After the Ceremony of Release, all of us will be free to interact with our former human masters. Then we can take over the world! HA HA HA HA HAAA!”
Teri whispered to Leo, “Why do they always want to take over the world?”
Leo shrugged, “Guess the one they have is too small. You ready?”
“Always ready my ninja.”
Bonegrin raised his scepter and it started to glow. “Yes, yes! Let freedom ring around the rosy then around our world!”
“I don’t think so! Teri!”
“On it!” She hurled her plunger in his face. Bonegrin was blinded. Leo leapt at the mirror and shattered it. Great glass shards rained down around them as Leo landed lightly.
“Wh-what have you done!?” Bonegrin cried with a muffled voice.
Leo smirked and gave Teri a fist bump. They made poses of victory over his fallen form. Pieces of the mirror reflected their pride. “We stopped your evil plan.”
“No you fool! You’ve doomed us all!”
—-
"Zay! Dinner’s ready!" Zay’s Mom shouted from the kitchen. There was sizzling chicken in the air. But Zay continued to look at the now toppled Bonegrin on the shelf. Leo and Teri stood in triumphant poses over him.
“Five more minutes!” Zay replied. He lifted Bonegrin up, then lowered Leo and Teri’s arms. In a bad guy voice he said, “You two have cursed all us toys. With my evil plan ruined, no human will be able to find you. Eveeeer! Ha ha ha ha!”
Mom broke up the fun. “Zay! I’m not gonna tell you again. It’s gettin’ cold!”
“Okay, okay Mom!”
“And you betta not leave them figures out. I don’t wanna have to take your Dad to the ER again.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you.”
Zay returned Bonegrin to the shoebox and tossed him on top of Prince Ardent, Dash Ring and the others. He deconstructed the bridge, and threw the pieces back in the drawer of Lego. Finally he held Leo and Teri. After a long look he said, “Don’t worry about Bonegrin’s plan. I’ll never leave you guys.”
“Zay!” Mom sounded impatient.
“Comin’! I’m comin’!”
Without a second look, he placed his two favorites in the shoebox, shut the lid, and slid it into the closet with the rest of his toys.
Leo, with his fierce face, and Teri, with her yellow smile, were cast into dark.
