Meet the Tests

*All this has happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time, it happened in Porkbelly. It happened on a quiet street in Toronto. That corner house over there is the home of the Test family, and Johnny chose this particular house because there were people and an animal who believed in him. There was Lila.*

In the bathroom of the corner house, there was a Canadian woman with auburn hair and jade green eyes, wearing a jade blue ball gown, white petticoat, a black choker, and glass slippers. Her name was Lila Test. And she was busy fixing her hair in front of the mirror for a ball.

"Hugh dear, do hurry," Lila called out. "We mustn't be late for the party, you know."

*Lila believed that her son Johnny was the spirit of youth. But Hugh...*

In the bedroom, there was a Canadian man with yellow hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a light gray turtleneck, a green sleeveless shirt, brown pants, and dark blue shoes. His name was Hugh Test, Lila's husband. And he was looking for his gold cuff links through some drawers.

"Lila, unless I find my cuff links, we don't go to the party," Hugh called back. "And if we don't go to the party, I can never show my face on the boat again. And if I can never--"

Unfortunately, he got cut off by bumping his head on the open top drawer.

"OUCH!!!" cried Hugh, as he hopped around, holding his head.

*Well, Hugh was a practical man. The boys, however, an elephant named Lumpy, who was Hugh and Lila's biological son, and a kangaroo named Roo who was also their son, believed Johnny was a real human and made him the hero of all their nursery games.*

In the nursery, we see two shadows fighting each other with toy swords. One has one in its left hand and a hanger in its right while the other has one in its right hand.

One of the shadows belonged to an 8-year old lavender heffalump with purple hair, wearing an orangish yellow nightshirt and an orangish yellow nightcap. His name was Lumpy, Hugh and Lila's son. And he was the one with the hanger in his right hand and the sword in his left.

The other shadow belonged to a 6-year-old brown kangaroo, wearing a bright red pajama jacket, a bright red nightcap, and bright yellow slippers. His name was Roo, Lumpy's brother and Hugh and Lila's other son. And he was the one with the sword in his right paw.

"Blast you, Johnny Test Pan!" Lumpy said in a scary voice.

Roo bonked his brother on the head twice with his sword. "Take that!" he cried. Then he and Lumpy blocked their toy swords together. "Give up, Mcleach?" he smirked, "Give up?"

"Never!" called Lumpy. Then he opened a drawer that was underneath Roo's feet with the hanger, and he fell in as Lumpy yelled, "I'll teach you to cut off my hand!"

Just about then, a 13-year-old girl with curly red hair and jade green eyes walked in. She was wearing bright yellow pajamas with light blue moons in them and bright pink slippers. Her name was Mary Test, Roo and Lumpy's sister and Hugh and Lila's daughter. She was also carrying a jug.

"Oh no, Lumpy," Mary giggled. "It was the hand."

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Mary." said Lumpy, as he switched the hanger from his right hand to his left and the scepter from his left hand to his right.

*Mariella Samantha Elizabeth Test, the daughter of Hugh and Lila, not only believed. She was the supreme authority on her brother Johnny and all his marvelous adventures.*

While Mary was in the hallway, she sighed as she talked to three figures, "Oh, Darwin, Shag, Gumball. Must we always take that nasty tonic?"

"Yes, you have to." said a voice. The figures walked out to reveal a bright orange fish wearing green shoes with light gray lining named Darwin, an orange bear with a bright yellow muzzle wearing a teal farmer hat and a dark blue vest named Shag Rugg, and a light blue cat with a baby blue muzzle and a dark pink nose wearing a tan turtle neck with brown lining, a brown collar, and gray pants named Gumball. Gumball was carrying a tray of three spoons and a bottle of tonic for Lumpy, Roo, and Mary.

*Darwin, Shag, and Gumball the butlers kept their opinions to themselves.*

"We do not!" Gumball insisted after he, Shag, and Darwin walked over a pillow.

*And they viewed the whole affair with a certain tolerance.*

Gumball put the tray on a small table. Then he, Shag, and Darwin went over to the pillow to pick it up while Roo and Lumpy were still playing.

"Take that!" Roo called.

Roo and Lumpy played around, hopping around the beds. "Insolent trog, I'll slash you to shreds!" Lumpy yelled.

Gumball went to the bed, placed the pillow there, and fixed up the sheets and blanket up. "And I'll scratch you to shreds! Aha!" Roo called.

As he hit Lumpy, the elephant yelped in pain. "Ouch! Careful, Roo!"

"I'm sorry, Lumpy." Roo said.

Then Shag picked up two blocks and went with Gumball and Darwin to the other blocks. Roo and Lumpy hopped back to the bed, messing it up again. "Ah! You'll never leave this ship alive!" Lumpy shouted.

So both of them bounced up and down as the pillow fell off again. "Oh yes, I will," Roo shouted back. "Take that!"

When Shag placed the ABC on the top, he, Darwin, and Gumball quickly turned as they realized that Shag had made a mistake. He got them to BAC. "Oops," said Shag. "I got A and B backwards." So he took the A block, moved the B block, and placed it to the first. He and the others smiled and walked to the tonic for the kids.

"Scuttle me losers, trog! I'll slit your gizzard!" Lumpy yelled, as he stabbed as his wooden sword. It ripped through the sheets.

Then Gumball poured on the spoons. "Oh, no, you won't," Roo cried. "Back, you villain!" As they moved through the sheets, he pushed his wooden sword against Lumpy's.

"Insolent creep!" Lumpy snarled.

Gumball heard that as he turned, only to get the tonic on his hand. He put it down. "Wicked pirate!" Roo cried.

"Aha! I got you!" Lumpy shouted.

"You didn't either. You never touched me!" Roo smirked. When Gumball licked it off, he was grossed out by the taste. "Yuck!" Gumball said, "This tonic *does* taste nasty." "Take that! And that! And that!" When Roo thrust his sword at Lumpy, he got it under his arm as if he made it look like he got him.

Pretending he was dead, Lumpy placed a hand over his chest, groaned a fake death groan, and collapsed to the floor. That was when Hugh came into the nursery.

"Okay, boys. Less noise, please." Hugh said, without looking where he was going. He knocked the blocks down as Darwin, Shag, and Gumball heard that, and they had to get them back together as they frowned in annoyance.

Lumpy saw him. "Oh, hello, Dad." he said in a normal voice. But Roo was still playing.

"You old bilge rat!" Roo cried out.

Then Hugh heard that and was insulted. "What? Now see here, Roo!"

"Oh, not you, Dad. You see, he's Johnny." Lumpy told him.

"And Lumpy's Mcleach." Roo added.

"Yes, yes, of course. Have you seen my cuff links?" Hugh asked before he bumped Darwin, Shag, and Gumball, knocking the blocks down again and spilling the water. "Oh, Darwin, Shag, Gumball, for Pete's sake!" Hugh shouted, walking past the annoyed fish, bear, and cat, "Where are these cuff links?" Gumball smashed the last blocks that were standing with his hand. "Here we go again!" said Shag, rolling his eyes. But Darwin just giggled.

"Cuff links, Dad?" asked Lumpy.

"Yes. The gray ones." Hugh answered, still looking around.

"Roo, the buried treasure," Lumpy whispered to his brother. "Where was it?"

"I do not know, Lumpy." Roo said in an innocent way.

"The map then… Where's the treasure map?" Lumpy whispered.

"It got lost." Roo said.

While Hugh was looking around the bed, he then spotted something under the covers, he was shocked as he shouted, "Good heavens! My vest!" He grabbed his vest.

"All right!! You found it, you found it!" Roo cheered.

Hugh had already put it on, as he turned. He didn't know that it got chalk all over his shirt front, the one that looked like the lost map. "Yes, so I have. And hereafter..." As then, Roo came and pulled his vest "Don't hand me, Roo! This is my clean..." It was loose as he has saw something shocking and horrifying. He saw a lost map. "No..." He can't say something, only he covered his vest shouting, "NO!!"

Lila came in and said, "Hugh dear, we really must hurry or we'll be late."

"Lila! Look!" Hugh said, showing Lila his vest.

Lila saw that and was shocked. "Hugh!"

"It was only chalk, Dad." Roo said.

"Why, Roo..." Lila was about to say something when Lumpy cut in.

"It's not his fault. It's in the story. And Mary said..." Lumpy said.

When Hugh heard what Lumpy said, he now knew what was up. "Mary? Story? I might have known." He walked to the door as he called out, "MARY?" He crossed his arms and called out even louder. "MARY!!"

Mary heard him, walked in, and asked, "Yes, Daddy?"

"Would you kindly expl-" Hugh was about to say something. But Mary walked by him when she saw the beauty of Lila's necklace.

"Oh, Mommy! You look simply lovely!" Mary said.

"Thank you, dear." Lila smiled.

Hugh turned to her in annoyance and said, "Mary..."

"Just my mother's necklace made over but it did turn out right. And I-" Lila was about to say.

"Lila, if you don't mind, I'd..." Hugh said, as Mary turned and saw his vest.

"Why, Daddy! What have you done to your vest?" Mary asked.

Hugh could not believe what she was saying. "What have.." He then turned and screamed in shame. "AAAAAOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!"

Lila walked to him with a damp washcloth "Now, Hugh, really. It comes right off." She washed off the chalk on his shirt.

"That's no excuse!" He frowned while Lumpy, Roo, and Mary were putting the toys away. "Mary, haven't I warned you? Stuffing the somebody's head with a lot of silly stories."

"But they aren't!" Mary protested.

"I say they are! Johnny the bear!" Hugh said.

"Johnny was a human, Daddy." Mary told him.

"Bear, Human," Hugh shouted, trying to put on collar around his neck. "Poppycock!"

"Oh no, Dad."

"Dad, have you ever-"

"You don't understand." The children tried to tell him.

"ABSOLUTE POPPYCOCK!!!" Hugh shouted, finally getting the collar together. "And let me tell you, this ridiculous..."

"Now, Hugh..." Lila said, about to put on his shiny silver chest armor.

"Now, Hugh" He repeated of what Lila said, while Shag and Gumball were almost done helping Darwin put the blocks back up. But they stopped to listen. "WELL, 'NOW, HUGH' WILL HAVE HIS SAY!!!" He tied it around his waist himself, but he made the knot too tight.

"Please, dear." Lila said, loosening the knot in his belt.

"Lila, when we became Mary's parents," As when Darwin picked up two more blocks, he listened very carefully. "It's time he had a room of his own!" He pointed at the hall as it shocked them all.

"Daddy!" Mary gasped.

"Hugh!" Lila gasped.

"What?!" Lumpy gasped.

"NO!!" Roo gasped.

Darwin dropped the blocks while he, Shag, and Gumball gasped in shock and could not believe what they were hearing and what Hugh was doing. "I mean it! Mary, this is your night in the nursery!" he said, as Mary lowered her head in sadness. "And that's my word on the matter!" He walked away, only to nearly stomp on Darwin, Shag, and Gumball and tried to get out of the way. Hugh could move around and was ready to fall. And he was losing his steps!

Darwin, Shag, and Gumball moved away, as they fully stopped. But they nearly knocked the blocks again because Hugh bumped into them and knocked them down. Now they must move away before it happens. But Darwin stepped the wagon, rolled back, and fell as Hugh stepped on it and rolled around here. "NO!!" And when Darwin, Shag, and Gumball were rolling by, the wagon made a tear in the rug, and Hugh was sent flying as he yelled, "NO!!" And with a crash, he fell into the dresser, knocking the toys down. Mary, Lumpy, Roo, and Lila were shocked that Darwin, Shag, and Gumball were against the wall.

As for Hugh, he was on the floor in pain, and the toys fell on his head, the last was the jack-in-the-box, and up popped the jack, as it stood on his head, which made Hugh mad and annoyed.

"Oh!" Lumpy, Roo, Mary and Lila said. Hugh heard them, and knew that they saw him get hurt, and caring of him. So he closed his eyes and waited for them. But suddenly, they ran past him, which made Hugh open his widened eyes in shock. As they ran to Darwin, Shag, and Gumball, but Hugh.

"Poor Darwin, Shag, and Gumball." They said together again.

Hugh could not believe what he was hearing. "Poor Darwin, Shag, and Gumball?" Now he was very angry as he hopped up on his feet when he stomped up and shouted, "This is the last straw!" He pointed his finger out the door shouting, "OUT!! OUT, I SAY!!"

Darwin, Shag, and Gumball were hugging each other while Roo was clinging onto Gumball's leg. "No, Dad, no!" Roo pleaded.

Hugh grabbed Darwin by the leg while he, Shag, and Gumball were still hugging each other and shouted, "YES!! There will be no more fishes, bears, and cats for butlers in this house!" Roo grabbed Gumball's leg. But Lila stopped him by picking him up as Hugh was dragging Darwin, Shag, and Gumball out the room.

Roo started to cry and sob as he waved to his good friends. "Goodbye, Darwin. Goodbye, Shag. Goodbye, Gumball."

"Goodbye, Roo!" Shag said cheerfully, as he, Gumball, and Darwin waved goodbye back. As Hugh walked out to the back, he muttered to himself, "Poor Darwin, Shag, and Gumball. Oh yes, poor Darwin, Shag, and Gumball. But poor father? Oh, no." He let go of Darwin, Shag, and Gumball and looked for some ropes, and couldn't find any. "Blast it! Where are those ropes?" He turned as he saw Darwin and Gumball holding two ropes in their mouths and Shag was holding a rope in his hand. Hugh walked to them and said, "Oh, thank you." As he was tying the ropes to Darwin, Shag, and Gumball's collars, Darwin, Shag, and Gumball gave him sad looks. "Oh, boy!" sighed Gumball. Hugh saw that and could not bear the sight. "Oh, dash it all, you three. Don't look at me like that."

He walked to the fountain and filled up Darwin, Shag, and Gumball's dishes. He picked them up and filled them more. "It's nothing personal. It's just that- Well, you're not really butlers at all You're… Well, a fish, a bear, and a cat. And the children aren't fishes, bears, or cats, they're a human, an elephant, and a kangaroo." He placed the water dishes near Darwin, Shag, and Gumball. "And sooner or later, Darwin, Shag, and Gumball, like Mary, Roo, and Lumpy have to grow up." He pet Darwin, Shag, and Gumball's heads.

Inside the house, the kids are in their beds, as Lila knew that Hugh did not mean to do that to Darwin, Shag, and Gumball.

Mary looked depressed. "But, Mommy, I do not want to grow up." she pleaded.

"Now dear," Lila said, as she kissed her on the forehead and covered her up with a light blue blanket. "Do not worry about it anymore tonight."

As for Lumpy, he was using his own bed. "He called Johnny 'absolute poppycock'." Lumpy said to himself after what his dad had said.

"I'm sure he did not mean it, Lumpy," Lila said, as she covered him up with a bright yellow blanket. "Your dad was just upset."

As for Roo, he was using his own bed. He had tears running down his cheeks. "Poor Darwin, Shag, and Gumball," he sniffled. "out there all alone."

"No more tears, Roo. It's a warm night. They'll be all right." Lila said, as she covered him up with a bright blue blanket, kissed his forehead, and left.

Then Roo remembered something. "Mom?" he asked.

Lila turned around and asked, "What is it, dear?"

"Buried treasure, Mom." Roo had the cuff links that Hugh was looking for, and he gave them to Lila.

"Now, children, don't judge your father too harshly. After all, he really loves you very much." She walked to the window door, and was about to lock it up.

But Mary stopped her as she said, "Oh don't lock it, Mommy. He might come back."

"He?" Lila asked in a puzzled way.

"Yes, Johnny Test Pan. You see, I found something that belongs to him." Mary said, as she lay down.

"Oh, and what's that?" asked Lila.

She said, "His shadow."

"Shadow?" Lila asked, very surprised.

"Mm-hmm. Darwin, Shag, and Gumball had it, but i took it away." Mary said, as she drifted off to sleep.

"Oh? Yes, of course. Good night, dear." Lila said, as she turned off the lights, and she and Hugh walked out, and they left for the party.