Chapter 56- The Gopher Grab

                                    

                                          
With the Goodwill Festival quickly underway, Varian and I have been making ourselves useful and helping to set up for the event. While it's been challenging, to say the least, but Varian has been able to use various alchemical solutions to help speed up our tasks. 
Finally, after several hours of working, we make our way to a teal-colored tent where Gregorio the gopher for the gopher grab is being held. I want to check and see if Rapunzel and Faith need any help. As we step into the tent, I quickly sense the melancholia in the air. My sister, Faith, and Eugene are all staring down the lethargic gopher as Varian asks, "Yeesh...What's going on in here?"
"Somehow, the gopher got even lazier," Eugene remarks. 
I approach Rapunzel as she gently waves the gopher's little paws in the air. "Come on, Gregorio! You can't wait for the grab, right?" She cheerily asks with as much optimism as ever. "I know you're pumped!!" 
I clear my throat as I glance at Gregorio's bored-looking eyes. "Uh, Raps? I don't think Gregorio is going anywhere. I mean, look at him." 
"I think he's a little past his prime," Varian adds, crossing his arms over his chest matter-of-factly. 
As if on cue, the gopher slumps down into a furry heap on his bed.
"I can see that," Rapunzel leads me back to the center of the room where Eugene, Varian, and Faith are still waiting. "But what's a gopher grab without a gopher? You just run around and grab nothing, that's not fun." 
"Hey," Faith speaks up. "Why don't I help you track down a gopher that's a little more...spry?" She offers. 
"That's a great idea, Faith!" Rapunzel grins. 
"I'll help, too!" I chime in.
Varian quickly joins in. "I've got
you're back, princess."
Eugene clears his throat. "Okay, this is really touching and all, but where are we supposed to find another gopher?" 
Suddenly, a new voice cuts into the atmosphere. "Sooo~ it's a gopher yer after..."
We all turn to the voice and see Shorty standing in the doorway, leaning against a wooden stake. 
"How long has he been standing there?" Varian mutters through his teeth, leaning closer to me but not taking his eyes off of the small, drunk man.
Shorty grins cheekily as he continues, slurring his words all the while. "There's only one place you can go to get a gopher."
:-:-:-:-: 
"Color me surprised," Eugene exclaims when we arrive at a valley abundant in gophers. "It actually does exist."
"I can't believe Shorty of all people was actually helpful." Varian chuckles. 
"I can't believe he knew about this place," I add. 
Rapunzel surveys the valley. "He said he got married here. So that's nice." Her eyes widen for a moment and she turns to Eugene. "Uh- do not read into that. I don't want my wedding here."
Her boyfriend laughs. "Yeah, that would be even worse than getting married in Vardaros."
"Oh, Vardaros isn't that bad...unless it's you getting married to Stalyan in Vardaros. Then it's bad."
I suddenly hear a tumbling noise from behind, but when I turn around to investigate, I only see Faith standing there, bent over so she's touching her toes. That's weird... I think to myself. "Faith? What are you doing?" I ask.
"What this? I'm-uh-I'm stretching." She quickly replies.
Varian raises an eyebrow at her, looking a bit skeptical, but brushes it off. Rapunzel, on the other hand, smiles as per usual. "Neat! Where'd you learn a stretch like that?"
"Uh..." Faith nervously smiles. "In...a-acting class! It's a warmup." She quickly changes topics. "Let's catch us a gopher, shall we?"
"Oh, um, okay," I reply, taken aback by the sudden change in the tone of her voice. 
Faith leads the way, and Varian, Rapunzel, Eugene, and I follow a few feet behind. 
"She's an actress?" Varian softly asks. "I wasn't expecting that."
"She doesn't exactly strike me as the performing type," Eugene adds, glancing over at Varian. 
The alchemist stares at the castle maid. "I don't know, something just seems off."
"I think the kid's right." Eugene agrees.
"What are you two saying?" Rapunzel asks.
Eugene puts his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying it's a little strange." 
I suddenly notice Faith pointing at a small cluster of gophers up ahead. I put my fingers to my lips to shush the others. "Guys, look!" 
We all rush over to a boulder to hide behind to observe the gophers. "There are so many..." Varian mutters as to not scare the creatures. "Which one do we grab?" 
Faith points with excitement. "There! That one's perfect!" 
I follow her gaze until I see a gopher with chubby cheeks and fur the color of lemon bread in the middle. 
"We got the bait, right?" Faith checks. "Who brought the bimberries?"
"Eugene did," I reply. 
"Bimberries? No, no, no, bimberries make them crazy. It's dimberries that you want." Eugene grins, dropping a dozen plum-colored berries on the grass.
I gasp in horror. "No!"
"What's wrong?" Varian asks.
"I read about dimberries in one of my science books!" I nervously eye a gopher whose just eaten one of the berries. "They make small animals act insane!" I watch as the gopher's eyes widen and I begin flashing purple. As if on cue, the other gophers begin munching on the berries as well. "We're doomed."
The gophers suddenly tackle Eugene to the ground and then begin running around like lunatics.  To our delight, Rapunzel notices that the lemon-bread-colored gopher hadn't eaten any of the dimberries. "We need that gopher!!" She cries. 
"Fear not!" Varian exclaims, getting into a heroic stance. "For I shall save you using the power of alchemy!" He reaches into his pocket, pulls out one of his alchemy spheres and chucks it towards the gophers. The sphere explodes, trapping the furry rodents in bubbles. 
"Yes! Way to go, Var!" I applaud.
He places his hands on his hips. "All in a day's work for a scientist."
"OH NO THE GOPHERS!!" Rapunzel shrieks, pointing towards the sky. 
It's then that Varian realizes that he royally screwed up. 
I look up to see the bubbles the gophers are trapped in floating farther and farther into the air and out of reach.
"Raps, your hair!!" Faith quickly suggests.
Rapunzel smiles and nods, pulling the red beads that secure her hair out, releasing her golden locks. Faith, Rapunzel, Eugene, and I each grab a chunk of her hair and begin using it to lasso gophers and pull them back down to earth. We pass the bubbles off to Varian who pops them and releases the crazy rodents. He quickly drops them into gopher holes so they can't go after us anymore until we've finally secured the lemon-bread-colored gopher. 
"Gotcha, little guy!" Varian exclaims, holding the chubby gopher close to his chest. I coo a little bit at the adorable sight. 
Rapunzel cheers. "Great job everyone! That's what I call teamwork!" 


As we walk back to the castle, something that Faith said echoes through my mind. It doesn't go away, the way a catchy song lyric gets caught in your head or the way honey gets stuck on your fingers. 
I more I ponder what she said, the more the dominos start falling into my head.
"Raps"
I only know two people who call my sister that name. 
Me...and Cassandra.