MaryAnne and Snifflly 4,700 YA Comic book characters get their revenge. (standard:adventure, 4309 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jul 06 2020	Views/Reads: 1420/1028	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Have you ever wondered about the fates of your childhood comic friends?

“Sniffly, get your mousy ass up and fix me a hamburger,”  MaryAnne
called to her companion. 

Sniffly raised his head from a book he was reading, “War and Peace,” by
Tolstoy. 

“Why don't ya just eat a cracker like I do, you old maid?”  he squeaked
back at her.  “Or get it yourself.” 

With only weak and sporadic comic book royalties coming in, they were
both on edge.  There hadn't been a speaking engagement in years and the 
savings were getting low.  The heroes of great comic book series' from 
the 1940s to 1960s, they had been living off their former popularity 
ever since. 

That popularity, or lack of, had finally reduced them to a small room in
the Old Comics Home.  The building stood in back of a Warmer Sisters 
lot outside of Cleveland, Ohio.  You couldn't get any lower if you 
tried. 

“We need to find some money, somewhere, Sniffly,”  MaryAnne mumbled as
she slapped together a Spam and jelly sandwich. “Somewhere or other.  
You have any ideas?” 

“Baby, I only got me a mouse brain ya' know?” Sniffly sniffled. “What do
I know about money?” 

There came a knock on the door to their room.  Sniffly Mouse being too
small to reach the knob, MaryAnne sighed and, putting on slippers 
because of a cold linoleum floor, shuffled over and opened it. 

“Morning Peggy,”  she lazily greeted her neighbor.  The neighbor, Peggy
Pen, was in the same fix as her and Sniffly.  Peggy had won fame with a 
magic Magic Marker.  When she drew something, it came into existence.  
A drawn door would become a real one, a drawn rabbit would jump around, 
even though only two dimensional.  Now, with arthritis, she could 
hardly write her name, much less draw pretty pictures. 

On a good day, not very many of those anymore, she had drawn the picture
of San Francisco Bay on MaryAnne's wall.  Boats crept back along and 
forth, smokestacks puffed smoke, and little people walked along the 
shore of the drawing on their wall.  It was nice to have that constant 
motion because the cheap rented room didn't have a window. 

“Morning, MaryAnne.  You have any instant coffee for me?  I ran out,
honey.” 

“Sure, come on in and have a cup or two.  We ain't got us no other
plans.”  She pulled a wooden chair out for Peggy. “If this useless 
mouse has time to fix us some?  It's his turn.” 

Peggy maneuvered her walker slowly through a narrow doorway and plopped
her fat butt onto a chair.   Sniffly, giving a loud snort, hopped up to 
a tiny sink and counter holding the coffee pot.  It was a hard task for 
a mouse but he was practiced at the job.  He soon had two large cups 
ready, along with a small one for himself. 

“This is a waste'a coffee, ya' know?”  the mouse complained.  Usually
they saved coffee, and money, by MaryAnne shrinking down to Sniffly's 
size and using a much smaller cup like his.  MaryAnne had the ability 
to shrink down to mouse size, that and to go back and forth to Toyland. 
 At her age, she didn't go to Toyland very often.  Not very important 
talents but good enough to bring in money for a good many years. 

Sniffly hopped onto the tray containing coffee, and MaryAnne carried it
over to the table. 

While the three prepared their drinks, MaryAnne turned to Peggy. 

“We was just talking, Peggy, about finding some way to make a little
money.  The government dole doesn't go very far and our savings have 
gone way down.  You have any ideas?” 

“You broads could go out hooking,”  Sniffly suggested, giving them a
toothy grin. 


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