Part 1
Jo-Jo yawned from boredom and tiredness as he walked home from school with his hands crossed. He had been up the entire night because his father, the mayor of Who-Ville, was acting all busybody the entire night with a surprise for his oldest child and only son. He knew that meant disaster on his part. It was colder then normal, especially seeing as the news said it would be very warm that day. He turned the corner that lead to his house and walked inside.
The Mayor had senses like a bloodhound. As soon as he heard the front door shut, he jumped up from his chair and practically skipped to meet his son in the entryway. His smile spread for miles when he saw Jo-Jo. "I was wondering when you were going to get home! Took the long way didn't ya?" he stated with a small laugh. He'd been planning a special trip with his son for weeks and today was the day he was finally going to put his plans into action. Knowing he son most likely wouldn't return the greeting, he decided it would be best to just tell him now. "Hurry upstairs and pack some stuff so we can get going! We have a big weekend ahead of us!"
Jo-Jo blinked in surprise when his father ran after him the way he did. His shoulders slumped and walked slowly up to his room, passing Alyssa as he went. He walked into his room and flipped the light on, looking around the room for some things he'd need. There wasn't much he packed as he took the items and replaced them with his text books in his backpack. He rolled his eyes and walked downstairs with it, wishing he could spend the weekend watching tv and avoiding the Mayor.
The Mayor was ready to go; a backpack full of supplies slung over his shoulder. He was far to excited but he didn't seem to care or notice. As he watched his son wander back down the stairs, he gave an enthusiastic wave to catch his attention. "Already to go Jo-Jo?" he asked brightly. He didn't wait for an answer as he turned to receive a goodbye kiss from Sally and then walked out the front door. From there, he stood waiting for his only son to join him. This was going to be the greatest trip ever in his book.
Jo-Jo sighed and followed after his father. He was curious as to where they were going, but said nothing. He shifted the weight in his backpack as he looked up at the Mayor inquisitively.
The Mayor looked at his son's questioning expression and his grin only widened. Now was his time to reveal his master plan. "We're going out for a nice weekend in the woods!!" he announced proudly. Without even a second look to Jo-Jo, he marched off as if going to war with his head held high. He was sure Jo-Jo was just as excited as he was.
'What!?' Jo-Jo thought angrily in his head. He was sending his son to his doom! He knew his dad couldn't even read a compass, let alone travel into the woods. But he didn't want to disappoint his father and followed at his heels, his head down in thought. If something went bad though, he was sure the Mayor had SOMETHING useful in the overstuffed bag on his back. He already couldn't wait till it was over.
When they finally arrived, the Mayor was practically jumping in pure joy. The green scenery around them was like a wall; blocking out the rest of the world so the two of them could enjoy some unspoiled bonding time like the Mayor had seen on TV. He paused for a moment to look around at the flowers and trees that grew from the soft grass in all direction. Beautiful and untainted by the rest of civilization. "Well here we are Jo-Jo! The great outdoors!" His voice echoed and startled a few birds from their roosts, but the Mayor couldn't care less.
Jo-Jo looked around. It WAS peaceful, he had to admit. But for how long? When he was with his dad, something was BOUND to happen. "Where do we camp?" he whispered, looking down at the ground, kicking a small rock.

Part 2

The Mayor, still smiling as if he'd won some sort of award, continued to march forward into the brush. He was almost positive he was going the right way. If he was, then there would be a clearing right up ahead where they could sent up their tents and make a fire. Unfortunately, there wasn't. They walked for what seemed like years; the Mayor changing direction once in a while and mumbling "Maybe it's this way," under his breath. He could sense his son slowly losing faith in him so he decided to act like he had everything under control. When they reached a rather small grove of trees, he tossed his backpack to the ground and placed his hands on his hips triumphantly. "We set up camp here!" Jo-Jo looked around, relieved that they could stop and rest. His feet were killing him from the random rocks and debree that woods typically held. And they hadn't rested since he got home from school. As he looked around, he saw that there were no signs of others camping around here in the past. He looked up at his dad questioningly. The Mayor caught his son's stare and tied his best to act encouraging. No way was he going to tell his son that he'd gotten them lost. "Don't worry Jo-Jo. We're here to get away from everything after all so naturally we're the only ones around!" Somehow his own words didn't even make sense. "We'll have lots of fun! Come on, let's set up the tent!" He dug into his backpack in search of the tents he had packed; tossing out other items as he did so. Maps, field guides, water bottles, trail mix, and many other things were soon scattered about as he searched. Jo-Jo watched as the items poured out of the bag like a spring and stood up, gathering the things that were important: the food, water and a few shirts, and watched his dad toss out other items that he didn't even know someone could fit inside a backpack. He grabbed his tent and took it to the edge of the 'campground' to set it up away from his dad. When the Mayor finally did find his tent among the mountains of supplies, he seemed quite proud. Now all he had to do was set it up. Oblivious to where his son had gone to, he struggled to set the picks and position the polls. Even after so many years in the Who-Scouts, he could never set up a tent. "Stupid thing must be broken," was the answer he came up with when he somehow managed to tangle himself in the ropes. By the time the Mayor was tangled in the ropes, Jo-Jo was already finished setting his tent up. It was the first time he set up a tent, but it was pretty easy for him as he was used to putting together things without instruction. He looked up at his dad as he got tangled up and rolled his eyes, walking to the tent. He untangled him and put together the tent with ease. The Mayor watched in amazement but then gave a quick shake of his head and straightened up. "Well! Good job Jo-Jo. I could have done it myself but thanks anyways!" The Mayor didn't try to cover his ego as he dusted himself off. No, he was still the adult and still the most capable, right? With a quick surveying eye, he came to his next decision. "Alright, first off, we're going to go collect fire wood!" He wasn't sure why he was so excited about gathering wood, but it must have had something to do with the fact that every second with Jo-Jo would bring them a little closer. Jo-Jo glared a little when his dad hardly even acknowledged that he did something right, but straitened up and dusted himself off, walking off into the brush. "I'll get it..." He mumbled as he gathered wood under his arm. "Can't wait till this is over..." he whispered under his breath. The Mayor watched him walk away and frowned a bit. Had he said something wrong? It was hard to tell with Jo-Jo, but somehow he knew. With a slight hesitation, he followed Jo-Jo into the trees. "We're going to have a great time out here Jo-Jo. I promise," he stated; messing up his sons hair a bit as he walked by.

Part 3
'Yippee...' Jo-Jo thought bitterly, fixing his hair. He nodded lightly and walked ahead of him as he picked up more, tossing the wood at his dad as he walked, not even looking at him as he did.
The Mayor scrambled to catch the wood; catching a swift blow to the chest as he did along with a smack to the face from a low hanging branch. He felt the need to curse and grumble but stopped himself before he could. So far things weren't going quite as planned. "Come on Jo-Jo....aren't you having even a little fun? I mean look at this place! It's beautiful and peaceful! Nothing could go..." His voice was cut off when the ground under his feet gave way to a large cavern that had been covered by leaves. The Mayor hit the rocky floor with a groan and looked up at the sunlight filtering in from above. "Now how did that get there...."
Jo-Jo gasped and ran to the pit and looked down at his dad. He pressed himself to the ground and reached a hand out for him. He was out of reach even with his dad reaching out for him. He gave a motion to let him know he'd be right back and went to get a long branch to pull him up.
The Mayor stared up at where Jo-Jo had once stood and sighed; biting down on his lower lip in thought. He had two choices. He could wait for Jo-Jo to return or he could see just what lay down the tunnel to his left. Figuring it would be interesting enough, the Mayor left the safety of the sunlit area and wandered into the narrow passage. Maybe he would find a way out.
Jo-Jo came back with the stick, but froze when he saw that his dad was no where in sight. "Great..." He waited for a few seconds, but he heard no sounds or any signs of his dad. He knew that if he was gone too long, something bad was bound to happen. He tossed the stick away and slid down the side of the cavern.
The Mayor stopped when he heard something echo from behind him. Maybe there was something else in these caves other than himself. For a moment he remained frozen, but then decided it would be better to keep moving and put some distance between him and whoever it was behind him. The caves twisted and turned like some mixed up carnival ride and he soon had to stop and rest; leaning back against the wall.
Jo-Jo hit the ground hard and laid there for a few minutes to catch the breath that was knocked out of him. He coughed a little and stood up, looking around. Instead of taking the route that his father went on, he went in the opposite direction, not knowing which way he went. Pretty soon, he was completely lost. And the further he went, the darker it got. Jo-Jo had to hold onto the side of the wall to keep himself from falling over his own two feet. "Hello...?" He called, his voice echoing. "Dad?"
Jo-Jo's voice carried well through the caves and soon echoed in the Mayor's ears. At first, he jumped and looked around for any sign of danger but then he realized who's voice it was. "Jo-Jo? Where are you?" he called back. He didn't know if his son was really there or if it was the darkness playing tricks on him but he listened closely anyways.
When the Mayor's voice echoed back, Jo-Jo heard and was about to reply, when he saw something in the shadow. It had big yellow eyes. He gulped, his eyes wide, and backed away. "Dad!?" He said more frantically, hoping that some how that was him.
The Mayor sensed the fear in his son's voice as it echoed back again. Had he run into trouble? Not wasting a minute, he followed the voice back to where he came and through another row of twisting tunnels. "Jo-Jo? Where are you?" he called.
The Thing moved closer, its eyes glistening as its feet stepped on something that made a crunching noise. Jo-Jo backed away slowly and quietly, not wanting to aggravate it. Too late. The Thing jumped at him fiercely, barely missing him and slashing his arm. He yelped in pain and ran as fast as he could towards it, jumping up and grabbing a root from a tree above. He curled his feet closer to his body as the Thing jumped up to reach him.

Part 4

The Mayor reached where his son was just in time to see the horrible creature looming overhead. At first, he felt like he should run, but he couldn't; he had to save his son. Being one to leap before he looked, the Mayor jumped into action and gave the creature a swift kick. Not very effective. "Leave my son alone!" Jo-Jo looked down at his father with wide eyes. The monster hissed when he was kicked and glared down at the Mayor with glaring eyes. He bent low to the ground, ready to pounce on him. "Hey beezlebrain!" Jo-Jo got the monsters attention and he looked up at the boy dangling from the vine. He tossed a large item he used to make music with at him on the head. It didn't hurt, but was enough to distract it. He jumped down next to his dad and ran off, grabbing his arm with his slashed and bloodied arm. The Mayor kept his pace behind Jo-Jo until they came to the place he had originally fallen through. There was no way they were going to get up through the opening so instead, he took the route he had gone down originally. If they were lucky, they would find a way out and escape this terrible beast. Every now and then, he would look over at Jo-Jo to make sure he was still there, but other than that, he kept moving. Jo-Jo panted as he ran, not planning to get anywhere near the beast. The monster hissed and growled as it chased after them. "Faster!" He yelled. They soon came upon an upon an exit of cave. They ran outside and Jo-Jo tripped over a root, falling to the ground. He gasped and turned around to see the thing chasing after them. In the light you could see it was a Purple Land Scaligator. He sighed with relieve at this, as he was where the sun was and as the monster ran out of the cave it hissed as boils came on its body. It yelped and ran inside the cave. The Mayor took in the taste of fresh air. For a few minutes, he had wondered if he would ever see sunlight again. He took a moment to calm his racing heart and then turned to Jo-Jo who seemed just as out of breath as he was. "You alright Jo-Jo?" he asked; placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Right now he only cared about his son and his safety. After all, it was mostly his fault this had happened. Jo-Jo stood and pushed his hand away. "Yeah, no thanks to you." He glared. "It's your fault we're stuck in this mess! Do you even know the way out!?" He growled and brushed past him and walked a while off, sitting under a tree and rubbing his bloodied arm that now had matted fur. The Mayor looked at his son with eyes full of sadness. Maybe he should have just let the monster eat him. Then Jo-Jo would be happy. He followed Jo-Jo quietly and looked up at him with a sigh. "Jo-Jo....I just wanted to make us closer you know..." His words were quiet and regretful. "Once we get back to camp we can go home...." Jo-Jo felt slightly guilty for yelling at him, but he wouldn't let his dad know that. He winced at the pain from his arm and pulled a shirt out of his backpack to try and wrap it. That was when the Mayor saw his arm. He looked even more concerned than before as he walked a little closer and kneeled down to his level. With a slight second of hesitation, he moved a gentle hand over the wound to brush away some of the dirt. "We should wash that first so it doesn't get infected...." he muttered quietly. Why would Jo-Jo want to take his advice after all the trouble he'd gotten them into? Still as a father he had to care. Jo-Jo nodded lightly and pulled a bottled water out of his backpack, uncapping it. The Mayor watched as his son attempted to pour water on his arm, but he guessed the pain was too great for his son and because he couldn't concentrate, the water missed his arm completely. "Please, let me help, Jo-Jo." the Mayor took the bottle and poured it on his arm, watching as the dirt caked off his wounds. He took the shirt and wrapped it around his arm. "There." He brushed the hair out of his eyes. Then, the Mayor looked up at the sky and noticed the light fading. "looks like we're camping here..." he sighed, grabbing broken tree branches. If there was one thing he learned in the Who-Scouts, it was how to start a fire. "Come over here where it's warm." The Mayor said softly. Jo-jo sighed and walked to the fire, sitting on the opposite side. He hugged his legs and looked down at his feet.

Part 5

The Mayor watched his son in slight concern and gave a small sigh. He wouldn't sleep tonight. Rummaging into one of his pockets, he pulled out a bag of spare trail mix and offered it to him. "Go ahead and eat Jo-Jo. You must be hungry," he said with the best smile he could manage. All he had wanted was for them to get closer and they were just drifting further apart. Jo-Jo shook his head and laid back on the ground, curling up in a small ball. He was extremely cold even with the furry clothing and warm fire, but he wouldn't let his dad know as he shivered a little. The Mayor noticed though. He hesitated for a moment before moving a little closer to his son. The last thing he wanted was for his son to get sick with pneumonia or hypothermia. Ignoring any protest his son might have made, he caught him under the arms and pulled him up against him. After all, body heat was essential. The Mayor held his son close in the most pride saving way for the sake of his obviously upset son. They would make it through this. Jo-Jo was about to protest and push him away, but thought against it. He had cause his father far too much grief. He swallowed his pride and curled close, closing his eyes to try and get some rest. The Mayor stayed awake late into the night; keeping watch over his son. He didn't let Jo-Jo go for a second despite the rather frightening sounds coming from all directions and the cold breeze that moved through the trees. He could easily admit that he was afraid. The Mayor had always disliked the nights in the Who-Scouts and now he was completely unprotected with his wounded son. "This trip was supposed to be fun...." he muttered to himself as he looked up at the sky through a small clearing in the canopy. Jo-Jo was still wide awake as well. He couldn't get to sleep until he got something off his chest. He sighed and glanced up at him. "Dad...? I'm sorry for yelling at you...I didn't mean it. You didn't know this would happen..." The Mayor looked slightly shocked that Jo-Jo was still awake, but his expression slowly changed to an understanding smile. He felt a connection between them for a split second. "Don't worry about it Jo-Jo." he replied. With a small formation of tears in his eyes, the Mayor hugged his son closer. "I should have planned this better. All I really wanted was....well for us to spend some time together." "I think we're spending as much time as we can together." Jo-Jo smiled a little. He actually WANTED to make his dad feel better! "We'll get out." He laid his head against him and closed his eyes again. "That's the spirit Jo-Jo." The Mayor's voice was soft but his smile was wide as the midnight sky overhead. Maybe this trip wasn't such a bad idea. As the minutes passed, he felt himself drift off to sleep. Who knew what tomorrow would bring for them. Jo-Jo, his conscious finally clean, was able to get to sleep easier. Pretty soon it was morning and the sun shown above the trees. Jo-jo yawned and continued to sleep.

Part 6

As the sunlight touched the Mayor's face, his eyes fluttered open and her blink the sleep away. At first, he didn't remember where they were. The sound of the birds, the feel of the breeze, and the bright colors made it all return. The cave, the monster, and last night. He yawned a bit and looked down at his dozing son with a smile. "Jo-Jo? You awake buddy?" Jo-Jo blinked when he heard his fathers voice and remembered as well what had happened. "Yeah..." He mumbled from the tiredness and sat up. His hair was up and out everywhere. He blinked and glanced up at his hair with embarrassment. The Mayor gave a chuckle and smoothed back his own hair. "That's a good look for you Jo." he stated with a thumbs up. Despite how he smiled, the Mayor knew they had to get moving. The plan for that day was to either find their original camp or some help. He took another glance around for any sign of a trail and sighed slightly. "Ready to get moving?" he asked; trying to be as encouraging as possible. Jo-Jo nodded, but stopped when he stomach growled. "Do you have anything other then trail mix?" The Mayor furrowed his brow in thought. He really hadn't carried much other than the trail mix, but Jo-Jo was going to need a lot more than that to get him through the day. His eyes moved about the forest for a moment. Then he saw it. Hanging just above him was an apple trees; ripe with fruit. He reached up a hand and pulled one of them down only to be hit with another that made a loud clock noise as it hit his head. "Breakfast?" he offered with a laugh. Jo-Jo smiled and took the apple. He bit into it and beamed. "It's delicious! Grab some more so we can eat them when we get hungry." "Right!" The Mayor gathered a few more apples which he slipped into his pockets. "So I say we head North until we find the main road," he suggested. The Mayor didn't want to do things without consulting his son. That had already happened once and it hadn't turned out well. He took a bite of an apple as he waited for a response. Jo-Jo nodded and stood up. It sounded good if they knew which way to go. "So which way's north?" he asked. Now that was something the Mayor hadn't thought of. He stood there for a moment in thought and then snapped his fingers when he realized he had actually come prepare. Rumaging through his pockets, he pulled out a small gold compass on a chain. "North is...." He looked at the compass needle as it quivered slightly into place and then pointed to his left. "That way!" With that said, he began marching off toward the north; motioning over his shoulder for Jo-Jo to follow. Jo-jo shrugged and took another apple and followed after his dad. His dad ACTUALLY came prepared with something? Well, every dog had its day he supposed. They walked for a long while, but it didn't feel like they were getting anywhere. His feet hurt and his eyelids were heavy, but the Mayor kept going. They had to be getting closer, right? The further they traveled, the closer thicker the trees seemed to be; closing them in from all sides and making moving a lot harder. It was kinda like in those fairy tales where the kids got lost and the trees seemed to reach out for them. With an aggravated sigh, he sat down on a fallen log. "What am I doing wrong..." he grumbled as he looked over his compass again.

Part 7
Jo-Jo sat next to his dad with a thoughtful look on his face. "You didn't do anything wrong..." He looked down at the compass. It was pointing north in the direction they were headed, but why they couldn't get out was beyond him. He didn't hear the hissing and slithering of a poison slickserpent behind them as he stared at the compass.
The Mayor was about to toss the compass into the bushes. He just wanted to get out of these woods and hope that Jo-Jo didn't hate him for being such a terrible dad. His thoughts were interrupted though. The sound wasn't a friendly one and he instantly knew what it was. Without a moments hesitation he grabbed Jo-Jo and pulled him away. Just in time as the snake snapped it's jaws in the place Jo-Jo had once been sitting. "Jo-Jo.....Run....."
Jo-Jo gasped and nodded, running quickly. Because the snake was no fool, it knew that the Mayor was too large for it. But the little Who....It grinned and slithered past the Mayor hungrily.
Jo-Jo panted as he ran, but wouldn't let the beast get close. What was WITH these woods!?
The Mayor thought fast (which for him was more than impressive). He picked up a large rock and threw it; pinning the beast under it by the head and then rushed through the trees to catch up with Jo-Jo. There was no telling if he'd killed it, but he certainly wasn't going to stick around and find out. When he thought they'd gotten a good amount of distance, he slowed to catch his breath (after looking around to make sure it was safe) A few times he opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't have quite enough air to speak.
Jo-Jo turned and ran to his dad. He doubled over and panted heavily. "Is it...is it gone...?" It wasn't. The beast had wriggled free and was on their heels. Before any of them knew about it though, it reared back and hit the Mayor on the leg. Jo-Jo gasped when his dad fell over in pain. He grabbed a stick and swung it at the snake to try scare it away. "Get away!" He yelled.
The beast hissed, but did feel threatened enough to retreat into the underbrush; leaving its prey with its venom. The Mayor lay partially paralyzed in the dirt with his eyes wide and his face covered in sweat. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave Jo-Jo alone in these woods with no protection. He would fight it as long as he could. "You....ok Jo-Jo?" He forced a smile despite the pain. After all, he was a dad and dad's had to be strong.
Jo-Jo's eyes were wide as he dropped to his dad's side. "I'm fine..." he whispered, tears forming. "And...and you will be too okay...?" He pulled the shirt off of his arm and wrapped it tightly above the puncture in a tourniquet. "You'll be okay..." He pulled him up. "C'mon..." He staggered with the far heavier man as he pulled him towards North.
The Mayor struggled to both walk as much as he could and keep his eyes open. He couldn't let his son down. The comforting sound of cars made him smile. They were almost there, or he was hearing things. Either way, it seemed to give him a burst of strength to will him forward. "So close Jo-Jo...."
Jo-Jo looked around. There was no signs of cars or anything. But he did notice something. "A house!" He pulled his dad towards it. Maybe, since someone lived there, they would know the way out, or even have an antidote! He rushed to the door and knocked.

Part 8

An older looking woman answered the door; looking the two over in question. The Mayor was to out of it to explain what had happened and seemed to be falling asleep. "Can I help you boys?" the woman asked. Jo-Jo nodded. "Yeah. My dad...he was bitten by a snake.....do you have anything he can use...or do you have a way to get us to a hospital...? The woman glanced around and motioned for them to enter. "Snakes do tend to be a problem here, but there's one thing we can use. Don't tell anyone though. We try to keep it a secret," she explained. As she shuffled around the room, the Mayor started to drift off into a coma-ish sleep. His body felt numb all over, but the woman took her time; crushing herbs together into a liquid. She placed a small cup to the Mayor's mouth and forced him to drink before allowing him to sit on a couch. "It will take a bit before he can go anywhere. I'll make you something to eat while we wait." she stated quietly before shuffling off again. Jo-Jo held onto his dad for dear life. He felt that if he knew that someone was waiting for him; himself, his mother and all his sisters, that maybe it would quicken the healing. "I....I love you dad..." he whispered, hugging him tight. "I know I don't tell you that....but I do..." The words filled the Mayor's unconscious mind. It was like the voice of an angel echoing through the feverish thoughts swirling in his head and made everything clear. His hand twitched slightly for a moment and then placed itself upon his son's shoulder. "Jo-Jo," he whispered. Jo-Jo looked up in surprise, his eyes watering from joy. "Dad....?" he whispered, smiling. The Mayor opened his eyes about halfway and looked at Jo-Jo with a smile. "I love you too." His voice was raspy but serious in every way. The feeling was so warm and perfect and the Mayor knew he had succeeded Jo-Jo sniffed and whipped his eyes. He smiled wide and goofy, just happy that his dad was able to talk. He hugged him again and stayed there for a few minutes. The feeling of his son's hug was enough to make the Mayor want to jump for joy. He made the attempt to hug him back with his weak arms. It was the first time they'd made this kind of connection. "So did you have a good time on this trip then?" he asked with a small laugh. It wasn't really fun like he'd planned. Maybe Jo-Jo thought different. "It was...exciting...to say the least." Jo-Jo smiled a little. He looked around. "There was a woman that helped us..." He stood up. "I'll be back. She's kinda old. I wanna make sure she's alright." He left to find the woman.

Part 9
The woman was watching from the kitchen with a smile; a plate of cookies in her frail hands. It was easy to say that their moment had touched her. She shuffled over to Jo-Jo and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Your father is a good man...." was all she said before handing him the plate and shuffling back into the kitchen. The Mayor stared at the ceiling in silence for a moment before trying to flex his arms a bit. The feeling was coming back slowly. Good sign.
Jo-Jo blinked and looked down at the cookies. He shrugged and took one, biting into it. It was amazing! One of the best cookies ever. It was moist enough to melt in your mouth, but hard enough to crunch he took the cookies back to his dad and sat next to him, handing him one.
He eyed the cookie for a moment; trying to decided if he was hungry. It took a moment for him to raise his half numb hand and take it from him, but he was glad he did. The cookies were like a piece of heaven. You couldn't beat an old woman's cooking. "We'd better call your mother and have her come find us." he stated as he chewed. Sally was going to hit the roof when she found out about this.
"Yeah." Jo-Jo nodded. "I'll leave out some of the more life threatening details." He went back to the woman to see if she had a phone. When he got to her he inquired about it.
The old woman was quick to leave the room and then suddenly reappeared through another door on the opposite side of the room. Apparently, the house was bigger than it looked. She handed him the telephone with a smile and then gave him a pat on the head along with a tray with two glasses of milk. "Such a sweet boy..." she whispered before moving past him to the stairs. The Mayor watched as she passed and eyed the woman with curiosity. Why would she make a house out here so far away? It seemed strange. "Must be lonely out here for her," he mumbled. His eyes then passed to Jo-Jo and he smiled; still rather drowsy.
Jo-Jo smiled softly and dialed the phone number. "Hey mom. Hey, it's Jo-Jo." He went on with a conversation about how they got lost, but they were fine. He didn't mention the scalagator or the snake. He told her they'd be home soon and hung up. "Here." he handed the old woman the phone, sipping at the milk.
The old woman watched the two with the same smile she had showed before. She loved to watch them; having no family or grandchildren of her own. Taking the phone from Jo-Jo, she shuffled away once more. The Mayor watched as Jo-Jo finished talking to Sally and sighed. "At least Sally didn't find out about anything...." He sighed and tried to flex his legs which stung and cracked with each movement and the Mayor winced. Wasn't much movement left in him.
Jo-Jo blinked and followed the woman. "You...live here alone?" he whispered. "That's kind of dangerous isn't it?"
The old woman came to a halt from her baking. Her little blue eyes seemed to darken as she turned to look at Jo-Jo, but she continued to smile like a little girl. Placing a frail hand on Jo-Jo's shoulder, she turned him around and gave him a little nudge back towards the living room. "Don't worry for an old woman like me. Just drink your milk and be with your father," she stated brightly. Somehow though, her smile seemed strange. Forced yet twitching.
Jo-Jo blinked nervously and nodded. "Okay....well.....thanks...." he whispered and went back to his dad. He sat next to him and handed him the drink. "You think you can drink okay?" He asked.
The Mayor gave a nod and took the drink. His first attempt didn't go very smoothly; running down his partially numb chin, but he got the hang of it after a few minutes. His eyes then met the old woman's. What was wrong with her? She just stood there staring with her beady eyes cold and questioning. Just a second ago she had been sweet and kind, but now he wasn't sure. "Jo-Jo....is she ok?"
Jo-Jo shrugged. "I asked if she was lonely and she just shooed me away." Jo-Jo rubbed his head. "You think I offended her or something? I should apologize..."
The Mayor shook his head and eyed the woman more carefully. "Jo-Jo, I think we should go..." he whispered; struggling to his shaking feet. The way that woman looked at them was unsettling and he didn't want to stick around. He shuffled slowly toward the door, but was met by the figure of the old woman. How had she moved so fast? "Going somewhere sweetie?" she asked in a raspy voice. The Mayor was frozen under her gaze and backed away.
Jo-Jo stood next to his dad, eyeing the woman. "We were gonna find the way out." He said. "So....could you please move? We should get home." He felt uneasy with the woman’s stare now on him. He gulped. He wasn't sure WHY he was intimidated by an old crow, but he was.

Part 10

The old woman advanced on them and tucked a strand of gray hair behind back into place. "You're not leaving....I would be alone if you did." The Mayor was positive she was crazy now. His hand searched for his son who he pulled to his side in a protective manner. Jo-Jo stayed close to his father, not only for protection, but to protect his dad. "You...you can't keep us here!" He yelled. "It's illegal..." The old woman laughed; voice cracking into a high pitched squeak. Her cackle was like nails running down a chalkboard and the Mayor winced at the sound. What was wrong with this lady? "You think the law can stop me? Oh sweet old woman? Silly little boy." Her expression once more appeared like a grandmother's; sweet and charming. This woman was truly insane. The Mayor took a step back with Jo-Jo still held to his side and glared at their captor. Jo-Jo glared. He didn't care if she was just an old woman. He took his dads arm and ran, pushing past her as he bolted out the door, full blast. The old woman seemed confused as she stumbled backward onto the floor and watched them run. She was angrier than ever and reached out to grab the Mayor's ankle. He broke free though and kept running close behind Jo-Jo. "Follow the main road Jo-Jo. We'll find someone to get us out of here," he called to his son who was a few feet ahead. Jo-Jo nodded, panting as he ran. All the walking and running they had done had taken a toll out of him. He wheezed, not used to all the exertion and fell over, coughing and panting. The Mayor slowed to a stop beside him and knelt down to check and see if he was alright. He was tired too, but Jo-Jo wasn't exactly athletic and probably needed a break. However, a break wasn't something they couldn't afford. He lifted Jo-Jo into his arms and continued down the road at a slower pace. Someone would come along any minute now and they would be home free. Jo-Jo's head was laying on the Mayors shoulder as they ran so he saw behind them the woman at their heels. He figured living in the woods had made her pretty fit, despite her old age. She had a crazed and sad look on her face as she scurried after them. The Mayor didn't look back for even a split second but he could hear the old woman right behind them. Any second now she would probably catch up with them and then they'd be in trouble. "Wait Dearies!!!" she called but there was no way he was going to wait. That was when he saw it. "Sally1" he called when he saw the family car driving down the road with Sally at the wheel. He flagged her down and jumped into the passenger seat closing and locking the door behind him and hugging Jo-Jo and Sally together. "Man am I glad to see you..."

Part 11

"Ned!?" Sally gasped when he hugged her. "What's going on!?" Jo-jo breathed in deeply, starting to catch his breath. The Mayor didn't give her much of an answer other than telling her to drive and drive fast. He wanted as much distance from this place as possible. The explaining could come later. His eyes glanced back as the old woman drew closer with a crazed look in her eyes. This was going to end badly if they didn't get away. "Just drive Sally!" Sally saw the urgency in both Ned's and Jo-jo's eyes and knew this was no time for questions. She nodded and drove off quickly, but not too quickly because she didn't want to get pulled over. "Now explain..." She whispered. "I thought everything was fine." He glanced at Jo-Jo. "Sweetie you look really pale..." More pale then usual. Ned took in a few deep breaths and gave his son a comforting look. They were safe now and would be home soon. All he had to do was explain this to Sally. "We found this lady....and old lady and she was living all alone in the middle of the woods. She gave me some medicine and let us use her phone, but then..." He paused for a moment. It was unnerving to think about that sweet old lady just suddenly becoming so insane within seconds. "She just went insane and tried to keep us there. It was scary.....but Jo-Jo handled it very well." Ned smiled at Jo-Jo once again in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Oh my gosh...." Sally whispered. "I'm so glad you're safe!" They drove on, but Jo-jo still looked pretty bad. It was unable to tell if he was still shook up by the experience or if he was sick. But Jo-Jo hardly ever got sick. Then again, he hardly ever got shook up. They had seen they way he'd use the rubber band to shoot up to the observatory. It wasn't like him. "poor baby..." He brushed Jo-Jo's hair as he slept against Ned. The Mayor sighed as he held his son against him. Jo-Jo had probably been more scared than he was during this trip and it certainly hadn't done him any good. He gently kissed the top of his son's head; happy they were both alive. "You were brave Jo-Jo. I'm proud." he whispered to his sleeping child. Sally smiled softly when she saw Jo-jo curl closer in the corner of her eye. She made it home with them. "We won't tell the children about this okay?" he said, kissing the Mayor's cheek. She got out and shut the door. The Mayor nodded in agreement as he lifted Jo-Jo into his arms and made his way inside. Moving as quietly as he could, Ned brought his son to his room and set him down among the pillows; tucking him in before settling on the edge of his bed. "We sure had one exciting time, eh Champ?" he asked his sleeping son. Absently, he moved a strand of hair from Jo-Jo's face and smiled softly. "Gotta say, it was the time of my life." "Never gonna have a more exciting experience..." Jo-jo whispered, taking his hand as his eyes were still closed. "You're the best dad in the world..." he murmured softly. The Mayor felt like he might cry as his son said the words he had always wanted to hear. "And you're the best son." He added; kissing Jo-Jo's forehead and standing up. This trip had really worked. They were closer and they were happy. Perfect. "Goodnight Jo-Jo." "Night dad..." Jo-Jo yawned, curling into the bed and falling asleep instantly.