 |
|
|
|
Back to Fan Works for more stories
|
"Ackie!" squealed Dil one Saturday morning. "Oh! You dumb baby!" thundered Angelica Pickles, Dil’s three-year-old cousin, "I’m not Ackie! Won’t you ever learn to say Angelica?" "Ackie." "Humph!" "Dil can’t say many words yet Angelica," said Tommy, Angelica’s one-year-old cousin and Dil’s older brother, "He’s too little." "Well, he’s not to little to say Ackie!" Angelica replied angrily. "Ackie!" "BE QUIET!" "Angelica," Chuckie, Tommy’s best friend spoke up, "I don’t think yelling at Dil will make him talk." "What do you know, freckle-face?" asked Angelica. Chuckie cowered down in a corner of the Pickles’ living room. "That wasn’t nice Angelica," Tommy informed her. "Hey," Chuckie exclaimed suddenly, "maybe we could teach Dil to talk!" "Great idea, Chuckie," praised Tommy, "Let’s do it!" "Since I’m the oldest and the smartest and the prettiest I get to be the teacher," Angelica pushed Tommy and Chuckie out of her way and ran upstairs, "Be right back," she called, "and don’t you babies go anywhere." Five minutes later Angelica returned with Tommy’s chalkboard, and two pieces of chalk. "What’s the chalkboard for, Angelica?" Tommy asked. "To write words that I wanna teach," Angelica said in a you-should-know-that-already voice. "OK, now sit down," she commanded. "Ackie!" Dil giggled. Angelica glared at him. "Now, this is my school and since I’m the teacher I get to make up the rules. There’s no talking and no getting up! Now sit down!" Tommy and Chuckie immediately plopped down on their knees. Dil was already sitting. "Now," began teacher Angelica, "I want you all to say the word Angelica. Tommy, you go first, then Chuckie, then Dil." She wrote A-n-j-e-l-k-a on the chalkboard. "Angelica," Tommy replied. "Not bad, Baldy Boy," Angelica commented, "Now you Chuckie." "Aw. I don’t really wanna…" "What did you say?" Angelica asked in a menacing voice. "Oh nothing," Chuckie quickly replied. "Then say Angelica." "Angelica." "Not bad either. Now Dil, can you say Angelica?" she sounded out the word for him, "Anngelliiccaaa." "Ackie!" "No! No! No! You really are a dumb baby!" Angelica was starting to loose her patience. "Ackie!" "Maybe we should start with something easier," Tommy suggested. "No talking in class," Angelica shouted. She frowned in thought, "I guess we do need to start with something easier," she mumbled, "Dil’s brain isn’t big enough to say the beautiful word Angelica. Then she said loudly, "OK, babies, we’re going to start with the word Dil," she wrote the letters, D-y-l-l on the chalkboard, "Chuckie, you start this time." Chuckie immediately said the word. Then Tommy said it. When it was Dil’s turn he replied, "Hungy! Hungy!" "I think he’s hungry, Angelica," Tommy told her. "I’ll decide when one of my students are hungry, and Dil is not hungry right now!" It was clear that Angelica was becoming frustrated. Just then the doorbell rang. Tommy’s mommy, Didi, hurried to open it. "Oh hi Betty," the babies heard her say, "Come on in." Didi’s friend and neighbor walked into the living room and sat her twins, Phil and Lil in the playpen. Then she and Didi went into the kitchen for some coffee. "What are you guys doing?" asked Lil. "We’re trying to teach Dil how to talk," Chuckie told her. "QUIET!" roared Angelica, "Phil, Lil, sit down and join the class." The twins sat down. "Hungy!" Dil sounded more urgent this time. "Angelica, if Dil doesn’t get some eat soon he’s gonna get really cranky," Tommy told her. "I’ll decide when my students get cranky and Dil is not gonna get cranky!" Angelica glared at Dil, "And you," she told him, "You be quiet pay attention." "Hungy!" Dil started to cry. "Hungy! Hungy!" he wailed. Didi hurried into the room. "Oh, are you hungry, Dil?" she asked. Dil whimpered. Didi picked him up and started toward the kitchen. "But Aunt Didi," complained Angelica, "Dil’s my student and I need him here!" "Sorry, Angelica," Didi symphonized, "But first Dil needs some food. "Great! Just great!" Angelica whined, "Now who am I gonna teach?" she looked at the rest of the babies, sitting in front of her, "I’ll just have to keep teachin’ you I guess," she didn’t seem too happy at the prospect of loosing her main pupil. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Dil was busily swallowing the baby food that his mother was feeding him. "You were hungry, weren’t you?" Didi cooed. Dil just giggled. When he had finished the rest of his mashed peas, Didi put him back in the playpen. "Bout time you got here!" griped Angelica. "Ackie!" Dil squealed. "You know, Angelica," Chuckie spoke up, "I don’t think Dil’s big enough to learn how to talk good." "Yeah, he’s just a little baby," Tommy put in. "When he gets big enough like, one-years-old or something, then maybe he’ll be able to talk," said Lil. "But not now cus he’s too small," replied Phil. "You babies don’t know anything!" Angelica shouted. With that she leaped over the short wall surrounding the playpen and left. "You’ll see," she called back, "Dil will NEVER EVER learn how to say anything! Tommy, he’s your brother, so you can teach him! I quit!" The Rugrats glanced at each other in shocked silence. ******************************************************************* That night, after Stu and Didi had tucked Tommy and Dil into bed, Tommy glanced at Dil who seemed to be deep in thought. "What’s the matter Dilly?" Tommy asked. Dil looked back at his big brother through the bars of his crib. "Tomby," he whispered. "What?’ Tommy asked. Dil concentrated very hard. "Tomby," he thought to himself. No that wasen’t quite right! "Tomby," he thought again. Dil thought hard about what Angelica had said earlier that day, "Tommy, he’s your brother, so you can teach him!" He remembered what his daddy had said when he kissed Tommy good-night, "Sweet dreams, Tommy." Something was wrong with the way he said it! "Tommy," he whispered. "What are you saying, Dilly?" Tommy asked again. This time Dil spoke louder, "Tommy." "Dil!" Tommy exclaimed, "You talked! You said Tommy!" Tommy smiled. Dil was the best baby brother anybody could ever ask for! Then Dil settled down under his blankets and thought about the names of all his friends, "Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and Ackie!" THE END
|
|