Work Text:
*Our story begins on a peaceful day in the Jungle Of Nool, we see Trinity laying on a tree branch while she's reading a book, we hear someone narrating as she does so*
Narrator: Today’s one of those days where nothing’s going wrong, but unfortunately for Trinity, that will not last long.
Trinity: No way.. It was the husband the whole time?! Aww.. But he seemed like he was actually sad about his wife's passing.. Wow, how do humans come up with this stuff?
*Horton then approaches her*
Horton: Hey, Clover, what’s that you’ve got there?
Trinity: It’s called a book.
*Horton cocks his head*
Horton: What’s a book?
Trinity: It’s got printed letters on it that tell a story of some kind. This one’s a murder mystery.
Horton: Oh, that sounds scary.
Trinity: It is, but it’s thrilling too.
*She closes the book and sets it down next to her*
Trinity: I'll probably finish it later tonight.
*She jumps down from the tree, just then, Morton zooms up to them*
Morton: Hey, Horton, are you gonna come to the lake or not?
Horton: I’ll be right there.
*Trinity's eyes widen in horror when she hears this*
Trinity: I-I’m sorry, did you just say the lake?
Morton: Yeah, wanna come along too?
*Trinity backs away and shakes her head*
Trinity: Uh, n-no thanks. But it’s not because I don’t want to or anything! I just…have something else to do.
Morton: Like what?
Trinity: Uh…pick fleas…from the flowers. Yeah, totally.
*Morton gives her a deadpan stare, and even Horton looks genuinely confused*
Horton: But…flowers don’t have fleas.
Trinity: Gotta go!
*She runs off, Morton just shakes his head*
Horton: Why does she always say no when we invite her to the lake?
Morton: Heck if I know, man. She’s always coming up with excuses. Like just a few days ago, she said she had to shampoo her fur. What even is shampoo, anyway?
Horton: I wonder if there’s a deeper reason. We should talk to her about it.
Morton: Yeah, good call.
*We then see Trinity hiding behind a bush and trembling*
Trinity: I can’t let them know I’m scared! It's so embarrassing!
*She hears Horton’s voice*
Horton: What’s embarrassing?
*Trinity yowls and jumps out of the bush, she ends up clinging to the underside of a branch with her claws*
Trinity: Ah! Wh-When did you get here?!
*Morton is right next to him*
Morton: We just came in.
Horton: Now, what’s this all about?
Trinity: U-Um.. It's nothing really. *She says with a nervous grin*
*Horton kneels down to her level*
Horton: Listen, Clover, if there’s something you gotta get off your chest, it just might help you feel better.
*Trinity looks down at the ground and sighs*
Trinity: I just can't lie to you… I...I can’t swim. I’m scared of water.
Horton: …Oh. That does explain how you were drowning when we first met. Though I thought you were stuck on something.
Morton: …That’s it? Why didn’t you say so before?
Horton: It’s true, we would’ve understood.
Trinity: It’s just embarrassing. Tigers are supposed to swim, but I can’t. And besides, I don’t like the feeling of letting you down.. You guys mean so much to me, I don't wanna disappoint you..
*Horton rests his trunk on her shoulder*
Horton: Clover, we’d never want to put you out of your comfort zone, you know you can tell us anything. Everyone’s scared of something, you know. Morton’s scared of avocados, for one thing.
Trinity: Really?
*Morton is flustered*
Morton: No, I’m not! …That much.
Horton: And besides, everybody’s unique, sometimes we’re not as good at something and that’s okay too.
Morton: I mean, you’ve got the collecting thing, that’s just one way you’re different.
*Trinity smiles at them*
Trinity: How did I ever get so lucky to have you two in my life?
Horton: I could say the same about you.
*He starts to turn away*
Horton: Me and Morton will see you later.
Morton: Have a good one.
*Horton and Morton take a few steps, Trinity is starting to feel conflicted*
Trinity: Spending more time with my Faith would be nice. *She thinks to herself*
*She then calls out to them*
Trinity: Wait up!
*They turn back to her*
Horton: Hmm?
Trinity: Um…maybe I could learn to swim too.
Morton: You sure turned around quickly.
Horton: Are you sure? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.
Trinity: O-Of course, I don’t wanna keep turning you down. I want to hang out with you as much as possible.
*Horton smiles at her*
Horton: You’re willing to face your fear for us? How brave of you. Let’s get going.
*He then takes her to the lake, Trinity looks at it hesitantly, Horton then gently steps into the water so that he doesn’t splash her*
Horton: The first thing you have to do is, well, get in the water itself.
*Morton hops off Horton’s trunk like a diving board and dives in, he emerges looking like a wet rat*
*Trinity gulps, she nervously moves her foot towards the surface of the water, she dips her toe in, only to shiver and jump back*
Trinity: Brrr!! Coldcoldcoldcold!!
Morton: And that right there is your first mistake.
Horton: True, going all in is a better way to get used to it.
Trinity: Okay, let me try again.
*She takes a few deep breaths to steady herself, and then she hears Jane nearby*
Jane: Incoming!
*Trinity looks up and sees Jane on a rock, the latter hops off and does a graceful swan dive into the water, causing a big splash and getting Trinity soaking wet, Trinity then hisses and jumps back*
Trinity: GAH!! I’m soaked! Get it off!! Why don’t you watch where you’re splashing?!
Jane: My, my, someone’s upset.
Morton: Oh, you think?
*Trinity shakes herself off, her fur then becomes poofy, Jane laughs at her*
Jane: You look ridiculous!
*Trinity puffs her cheeks out indignantly*
Trinity: Jane Kangaroo…! *She says in an annoyed tone*
Horton: Oh, that’s not true, you look so adorably fluffy.
*Jane then cocks a brow*
Jane: Why did you become so upset once you were drenched?
Trinity: Why don’t you just mind your own business?! It’s not because I’m scared or anything!
Jane: I…didn’t ask, but that answers my question. *She says with a smirk*
Trinity: No, it didn't! Shut it!
Jane: Aren’t tigers supposed to swim? It’s bad enough that you collect such worthless things, now you’re a failure for your own species for a different reason entirely. I swear, you’re not like anyone else in Nool.
Horton: Now, don’t judge her, we’re all afraid of something.
Jane: Well, I’m not. I’m above that kind of feeling.
*A bee then lands on her nose, her eyes widen in horror and she screams so loudly that birds fly off from the sound*
Jane: EEK!! BUG!!
*She jumps out of the water and runs away like a headless chicken, screaming her head off, more bees begin to chase her*
Jane: HEEEEEELLLPPP!! SOMEONE SAVE ME!!
*Morton huffs*
Morton: As if.
Trinity: You were saying?! …Now, where was I?
*She peers back into the lake, she starts to look anxious again*
Horton: Come on, you can do it.
*Trinity takes another deep breath and hops into the shallow end with a small splash, she then reemerges and gasps for air*
Horton: How’s it feeling now?
*Trinity’s pupils shrink into tiny dots and she freezes up for a second, only to immediately start freaking out and thrashing around*
Trinity: BAD! BADBADBADBAD!!
Horton: Okay, okay, just start paddling and you’ll stay afloat!
*Trinity obliges and tries to paddle, she does stay afloat, but then she has a brief vision of herself as a cub in a crate, floating in the ocean as the waves roughly jostle her around*
Little Trinity: Help!! Mama!! Papa!!
*Back in the present, Trinity begins to freak out again and splash around wildly, this time worse than before, Horton and Morton are both concerned for her*
Trinity: No!! Not doing this!! Get me outta here!! Get me out!! *She screams in pure terror*
*The concerned Horton then lifts her out with her trunk and sets her on the shore, as Trinity starts to hyperventilate, she clutches her chest and everything around her resembles a black void*
Horton: Clover? Clover! *His voice sounds muffled from her perspective*
*Trinity doesn’t even respond to him, she just continues to breathe heavily, tears well up in her eyes, Horton steps out of the water and shakes himself dry, he then approaches her*
Horton: Clover, you’ve gotta breathe!
Morton: Horton, I don’t think she can hear you!
*Knowing that he has to soothe her without words, Horton wraps his trunk around her and holds her close, when she feels her boyfriend’s big warm body against her, she finally regains her focus and breathes more slowly*
Trinity: Th-Thank you, Faith.. I really needed that..
Horton: I'm glad you're feeling better, Clover..
Morton: What was that all about? I haven't seen you that scared in forever.
*Trinity looks down at the ground in shame*
Trinity: I was just having…memories, that’s all.
Horton: Is it because it reminded you of when you almost drowned when we first met? Is that why you’re scared of it?
*Trinity talks a deep breath and sighs*
Trinity: I mean.. you're partially right, that did make my fear worse, but…It's not what started it..
*The other two look intrigued*
Morton: Spill the beans, Trin.
Trinity: Ok…I..I never told anyone this but… I wasn't actually.. born in the Jungle of Nool..
*Horton and Morton look genuinely surprised by this*
Horton: You weren't?
Trinity: Nope, in fact, I was never supposed to be here.. I was actually from some other island entirely. My parents and I were taken from it and we were put on a boat. We were going to be taken to a zoo.
*We see Trinity as a cub, she and her parents are in crates and they’re on the back of a ship*
Little Trinity: What do you think it’ll be like there?
Trinity’s Father: Hopefully there’ll be plenty of space.
Trinity’s Mother: And we’ll have so many friendly neighbors. Trust me, my itty-bitty Trinity, it’ll work out just fine.
*She reaches out from her bars and strokes her daughter’s head, Little Trinity smiles at her, and then we hear her narration*
Trinity: My parents were so sweet and gentle with me.. They always told me that no matter what happened, they would always be with me, and love me forever.. but it didn’t last.
*A storm is brewing at sea, there is lots of thunder, lightning, and rain, the boat is rocking back and forth from the force of the powerful waves, Little Trinity cowers and trembles in her crate*
Little Trinity: Papa, I’m scared!
Trinity's Father: Don’t worry, it’ll all blow over soon.
*Trinity’s father reaches through his crate and holds onto her hand, only for a huge wave to wash up on the deck of the boat and push Little Trinity’s crate, she holds on tight to her father’s hand*
Trinity’s Mother: Oh, no!!
Little Trinity: Help!!
Trinity’s Father: Hold on, Trinity! I will not let you go!
*He holds onto her as tightly as he can, but an even bigger wave crashes onto the deck, whisking Little Trinity’s crate into the ocean*
Trinity’s Mother and Father: NO!!
Little Trinity: Mama!! Papa!!
*The current takes her away, tears well up in her eyes and she screams in anguish*
Little Trinity: Come back!! Come back!!
*The waves push her further and further away until the boat is out of sight, the current only gets wilder and jostles her around, she begins to weep in grief and fear*
Little Trinity: Help!! Mama!! Papa!! …Help…
*She breaks down in tears, we hear Trinity narrating*
Trinity: The waves carried me away for what felt like years.. and that’s how I ended up here..
*Back in the past, Little Trinity’s crate washes up on the beach of Nool, a female sloth is resting on the shore, Little Trinity lies on the floor of her crate with bloodshot, puffy eyes and whimpers, the sloth looks up and sees her*
Sloth: Goodness gracious, it’s a child!
*Little Trinity is too distraught to say a word, the sloth unlocks her crate with one of her claws, opening the door*
Sloth: Little girl, are you alright?
*Little Trinity trudges out of her crate and just shakes her head, when she looks back at the ocean, her eyes widen in fear and she backs away from it, she clings to the sloth and begins to cry quietly*
Sloth: There, there. Ruth’s got ya.
*We then go back to the present, Trinity hangs her head, and Morton and Horton give her saddened looks*
Trinity: I never saw them again.. Ruth raised me in their place.. She made a great parent, but my first Mama and Papa never left my heart..
*She starts to tear up again*
Trinity: So.. That's why I'm afraid of water..
Horton: Trinity..
*She stands up and dusts herself off*
Trinity: I..I should go.. I'm sorry I wasted your time..
*And with that, she solemnly walks away*
Horton: Clover, wait!
Morton: Should I talk to her, too?
Horton: It’s fine, I’ve got this.
*He then follows Trinity and finds her sitting on a rock with her face in her hands*
Horton: Clover? I’m sorry I made you remember that part of your past.
*Trinity sniffles*
Trinity: It’s fine. I wanted to get over it to be with you, Faith, but it’s just so hard.
Horton: Well, this takes time. And you know what? You didn’t waste our time at all.
Trinity: I didn’t?
Horton: You know I said you could tell me anything. It did feel better to get that off your chest, didn’t it?
Trinity: Yeah, it did..
Horton: I’m sure your parents would be proud of you today. You’re kind, curious, and brave, and I couldn’t ask for a better girlfriend.
*Trinity smiles at him and does a slow blink*
Trinity: And I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend.
*Meanwhile, Morton is strolling by himself next to a raging river, he looks at how fast it’s moving*
Morton: Oof, that looks rough.
*Katie has her back to him, she’s eating something*
Katie: Chew. Chew. Chew.
Morton: Uh, whatcha doin’ there?
*Katie turns around, revealing that she’s eating an avocado*
Katie: Want some?
*Morton shouts in fear and backs away, only to end up tripping and falling into the river*
Katie: Whoopsie.
*Morton is whisked downstream*
Morton: Gah!! Help!!
*Horton and Trinity can hear him*
Trinity: Morton?!
Morton: Get me outta here!!
Horton: Don’t worry, little guy, we’re on our way!
*They both follow his distressed calls, they gasp in horror when they see him being pulled down the river*
Trinity: Morton!
Morton: Do something!! *He yells as he goes downstream*
*They both run after him, Trinity holds out a stick, which he grabs onto, but then it breaks off and he continues to move downstream*
Morton: Dang it!
*Horton then extends his trunk and tries to pick him up, but Morton is just out of his reach, he then ends up bumping right into a rock, knocking him unconscious, he starts to sink*
Horton and Trinity: No!!
*Trinity thinks to herself for a second, and in an act of desperation, she leaps towards the river and dives in*
Horton: What’re you doing?!
*Trinity re-emerges and gasps, she starts to flail around wildly in a panic, only to remember something*
Trinity: Morton needs me!
*She starts paddling as best as she can and dives in, she finds Morton underwater, still knocked-out, and she picks him up with her hand, she then comes to the surface, holding him close*
Trinity: I got him!!
*She reaches for Horton, he extends his trunk and takes her by the wrist, he then pulls her out of the river*
Horton: Are you alright?
Trinity: Y-Yeah, I am, but we should focus on our little friend here.
*She puts her ear on Morton’s chest and hears a pulse, much to her relief, she then sets him in the grass and presses a finger on his chest, he spits out water and finally wakes up*
Morton: What in the…
Trinity: Oh, thank Seuss you’re alright!
Morton: How’d I get back on land?
Horton: Well, if it weren’t for Trinity, you wouldn’t still be here right now.
*Trinity smiles modestly, Morton looks at her in surprise*
Morton: You were freaked out by the water, but you saved me anyway! Holy cow!
Trinity: Well, I couldn't just let you drown, after all, as a special person once said, when it comes to my friends, I'm faithful, one hundred percent.
*Horton beams*
Horton: I’m so very proud of you, my Clover.
Morton: Dang, thanks a lot, Trin. Did you get over your fear?
*Trinity shudders a bit*
Trinity: …I don’t think so. Like Horton said, it’s gonna take me a while to get over that.
Horton: Sometimes, we have to take baby steps.
*Trinity rubs her head against his hide like a cat, and then they hear someone narrating*
Narrator: Though the pain of her past is still there, Trinity has lots of love to spare.
Horton: Who said that?
*The Cat in the Hat is reclining on a branch*
Cat: There isn’t a thing she wouldn’t do for her friends. She’ll be with them to the very end.
Trinity: You again?
Morton: It’s like he follows us everywhere we go.
Horton: He’s a great poet.
Cat: And I know it.
*He takes out an umbrella and floats off in the wind, Horton and Trinity look at each other and shrug before walking away, she holds Horton’s trunk in her hands, Morton follows them*
(The end)