Horse Trouble

[Treasure_House]

TITLE: Horse Trouble
CHARACTERS: Murky & Lurk

ABOUT:

Murky is up to his old tricks. Thinking up ways to rid Rainbow Land of color. But when an angry wild black stallion comes to the Pits to blow off some steam, the horse chases Murky around like a cat after a mouse. Meanwhile; Lurky tries to help but has problems the grundge buggy. And if this doesn’t make things worse, nothing Murky tries seems to be working either. So what are they to do? Join Murky and Lurky in this fun filled comedy of working together to save themselves from a disaster waiting to happen.

** HORSE TROUBLE **

As if things couldn’t get any worse. First it was colors. Then it was kids. Then it was sprites. Then…. Then… Murky Dismal slammed his books down. “LURKY!!” he shouted. After a moment or two of waiting, Murky looked around. “Odd”, he said to himself. Then he remembered that he’d sent Lurky to the Murky Swamp Lands. Problem was, he couldn't remember why. Getting up he wander from this room to that room counting off kids and sprites in his head. The sound of horses in the distant made him stop. He heaved a sigh, “Oh right”, he grumbled. “What I need is something.. But what?… Something… But…”, he looked around with a sudden burst of thought and dashed out the door to find Lurky. As he raced through the Pits, Murky stopped short and noticed wild bucks drinking from a watering hole. Dashing, Murky zoomed to the swamp only to find Lurky heading back up the path.

“I got it, Murky!”, Lurky chuckled.

Murky just glared, “Never mind that Banana Beak. Come on!”. Lurky stood puzzled, then followed Murky back to the lair. “We’ve been going on about this all wrong. There’s just too many kids and sprites and … uh…”

Lurky burst with joy as he hopped up and down, “COLORS!!"

“Yeah. That…”, Murky grumbled as they walked inside the lair. Going to his desk he sat down and practically threw his body over the desk covering his head with his arms. Jolting he straightening up and grabbed his books. “What we need is an army!”

Lurky stopped, “But Murky? Where are we going to get an army?”

Murky spun, “Simple, you overgrown hair ball. We’ll turn the sprites against Rainbow Land!” Lurky stood dumbfounded as he tried to figure out what Murky meant. Murky threw open his book of sketches, “First we capture the sprites. Then we use the mind control ray gun I just invented, then….”

“HORSY!! MURKY!! HORSY!!”, Lurky jumped up and down.

“No you blithering….”, Murky started but was stopped at the sound of a thud. Turning, Murky looked out the window and noticed a huge black stallion running this way and that way throughout the Pits. “A horse?”, he asked. Walking outside, Murky Dismal stared at the beast running around before him. It was obvious something was wrong with it. But the only question on Murky’s mind was, “Where in the world did that come from?” As the two watched the horse, Murky suddenly got a brilliant idea. “What we need is a horse. Then that Rainbow pest won’t know what hit her!”, he laughed at the idea. As Lurky stood confused.

“But Murky?”, Lurky asked, “How are we going to get a horse? Is Starlite coming to the Pits? Ooo.. I Get to ride the horsy… I get to ride the horsy…”, Lurky danced but Murky’s eyes were glued to the black stallion before him. No matter where it came from, Murky intended to have it for himself. Problem was… how?

Dashing back inside, he grabbed his mind control ray gun and bolted back outside. He pointed the gun and waited till the horse was within range. “Just a little bit more.”, Murky breathed till finally the horse was within sight. With a burst from the gun, the startled animal rose to his hindquarters. “Come on! You belong to me now!”, Murky laughed as Lurky watched. The ray of the gun was a direct hit as the horse bucked this way and that way.

Lurky side stepped and jumped, “Murky?”, he said. Murky was too busy laughing and dancing to even notice then turned when Lurky stopped him. Gasping, Murky and Lurky dodged out of the way as the horse charged right between them. Coughing, Murky stood up from the smoke, waving a hand in front of his face. After his coughing fit, Murky turned in time to see the horse charging a second time. Jumping, Murky ran with Lurky right behind. As Murky dodged behind a bush, Lurky jumped and landed on top of Murky with a thud. The two collided into the dirt which started another coughing fit. Getting up, Murky pulled out his ray gun again and pointed. “Murky?”, Lurky asked as Murky fired. This time the horse dodged the blast and leaped. Panicked, Murky and Lurky ran from the bush as the horse turned and charged after them. Murky threw the gun realizing it wasn’t working. “Now what do we do?”, Lurky called from behind.

“The grundge buggy you nitwit. The grundge buggy. Go get the grundge buggy!”, Murky called back. Turning, Lurky flew behind a rock as the horse charged right past him. Running, Murky dodged around trees. Then slid under a fallen tree trunk. The horse slid to a stop. To big to fit. As it huffed and puffed, the stallion paced back and forth. As if looking for a way in. Murky lay there watching in deep thought, “Odd. I‘ve had worse problems with Starlite than this thing.” Looking around he suddenly noticed it. “Is that….?”, he trailed off staring at the horse’s right hind leg. A closer look confirmed his original thought, “That’s a bite mark. And it’s fresh.”, Murky thought more on it then had an idea. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out a rubber band, picked up a rock, and pulled back the rubber band with the rock ready to fly. Aiming, he fired the rock on the horse’s wound. The horse reared in total pain and started thrashing and bucking around. Quickly, Murky ran from his hiding place just as the grundge buggy sped up to him. Jumping in, Murky turned, “Floor it!”, Murky screamed as Lurky slammed on the gas. The horse reared and bolted after them.

“What do we do, Murky?”, Lurky asked. “The grundge buggy can’t hold”.

Murky reached in his seat and pulled out his gloom gun, “This’ll slow him down.”, he replied as he fired the gun. Thick black smoke billowed behind them as the grundge buggy sped further and further away. Watching, Murky sat firm with his gloom gun, “HA!”, he yelled, “No dumb animal can handle the gloom gun!!” he laughed as he turned, “Now Lurky! Back to the lair. We have to come up with an invention that’ll stop that horse. Then he’ll me mine!!”, he danced in his seat just as the grundge buggy came to an abrupt halt, forcing Murky to fly out and land with a thud at the horse’s feet. Shaking off his fall, Murky spun around ready to yell at Lurky when a huffing sound startled him. He turned and looked up at the massive beast. Cringing, Murky took a step back. He then ran from the horse yelling, “Luuuuurrrrrrrrky!!!!”

“Coming Murky!”, Lurky called. But the grundge buggy wouldn’t start. The engine gave way and shut off. Turning the key and hitting the gas peddle the grundge buggy just wouldn’t come back on. “Umm… Murky?”, Lurky called. “We have a problem!”

Murky ran this way and that way trying to get away from the mad charging horse as Murky looked back, “Do something!!”, he called back.

“Okay, Murky!”, Lurky called back. Getting out of the grundge buggy, Lurky picked up a large thick stick and started hitting the grundge bugging on the hood. As Murky continued to run. Finally Lurky turned sadly, “It’s not working Murky!”, he called.

Murky dodged under the same tree trunk from before just as the horse came to sudden stop. “Okay, this is getting old.”, Murky said. Looking around he picked up a rock and tried to hit the horse a second time. The horse dodged the rock and kicked the tree hard. Luckily for Murky the tree didn’t budge. Picking up another rock, Murky fired again. “This is getting really really old!”, he yelled. “Lurky!”, he screamed.

Lurky, who was still hitting the grundge buggy with the stick, turned. “Coming Murky!”, he called. Jumping in the grundge buggy, Lurky turned the key and hit the gas. Again, the grundge buggy wouldn't budge. Looking around he finally looked up, “Murky! The grudge buggy’s out of gas!”

Murky slapped his face with a moan. “That tares it!”, he said coldly. Getting out from under the tree, Murky looked up at the horse. The horse reared just as Murky pulled out his gloom gun and fired. The horse fell over just as Murky blasted him a second time. The horse snorted and backed off just as Murky ran around him. “NOW LURKY!”, he shouted as Lurky ran to the horse with rope in hand. Together they tied the beast and held him tight. Snorting and kicking, the horse lowered his head and charged. The sheer force dragged the two behind the horse. Entangled in the rope and unable to get free, Murky bounced this way and that way till finally he was sent flying into a bush. Sitting up, Murky groaned. Rope all around him. “Well that worked like a charm”, Murky huffed. “But… Where’s…..” he trailed off till heard a noise and looked up just in time to see Lurky. With a thud, Lurky landed on Murky in a cloud of smoke.

Lurky laughed as he sat on Murky, “That was fun! Let’s do that again!!”

Murky groaned as he pushed Lurky off. Getting up, he didn’t see the horse anywhere. “He escaped.”, he muttered. Turning, he froze as he stared into the eyes of Starlite and suddenly realized they were in Rainbow Land.

Starlite snorted as Lurky turned, “Look Murky! A horsy!”

Murky jumped, “Run you hairball! RUN!!”

Dumbfounded, Starlite stood as he watched the two disappear back into the Pits. “Hey there, Starlite.”, Twink said as he walked over. “What are you looking at?”

Starlite turned, “Just Murky and Lurky acting strange again. Should we inform Rainbow?”

Twink shrugged, “As long as they’re not acting strange with us, I don’t think we need to.” Together they looked at the Pits then finally Starlite turned and agreed. Twink winked then climbed up on top of Starlite’s back and together they headed back to the Color Castle.

***

High on a peak that overlooked Rainbow Land and the Pits, the black stallion looked down at the Pits and snorted. With a swish of his tail, the horse reared and headed back into the Pits. Meanwhile; Rainbow Brite met up Starlite in time to hear Murky screaming. Together; Rainbow Brite, Starlite, and Twink Sprite all turned and watched as birds scattered away from the Pits. “Oh my!”, said Rainbow. “Guess Murky’s latest invention backfired.” Rainbow turned to her friends with a shrug as Starlite snorted in agreement.

** THE END **