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Bubba was deep within the confines of his home. Looking over multiple books, papers, and general observations, trying to figure out what caused that sudden flash of red during the Summer Solstice Festival three days ago.
He was so deep in his research that he failed to hear a soft knock on his door or the soft, timid voice of one CraftyCorn calling his name. It wasn’t until she was right next to him that he noticed her presence.
“Bubba!”
He jumped in surprise, letting out a trumpeting noise. “Huh? What?” Looking around, he spotted Crafty. “Oh, it’s just you, Crafty.”
The young unicorn was giggling to herself, apologizing for startling him. “I’m sorry for scaring you, Bubba.”
“Do not worry, Crafty.” he shuffled his papers, organizing them in a neat little pile. “Now what can I do for you?”
Crafty held out a small paper bag. “I brought you lunch.”
Bubba took the bag. “ Is it already that time?”
“Bubba, it's well past that time. When you didn't show, we got worried.” Crafty added that Picky had been none too pleased. She had prepared lunches specifically tailored to everyone's diets and preferences. So when Bubba didn’t appear at all, she was not happy.
Bubba winced. Picky was rather particular about everyone always eating on time and not skipping meals. He was going to get an earful from the pink pig critter at some point in the future for sure.
“So what got you so preoccupied that you, of all critters, would forget to eat, Bubba?”
“Well, you see,” Bubba presented Crafty with his research, “ I am currently looking over the strange phenomenon that happened a few days ago.”
Looking through the papers, Crafty noticed how they all talked about the sky turning red. Crafty remembered that moment; she remembered it far too well. Bubba must have noticed her discomfort.
“Crafty, are you all right? I know I already asked this before, but are you sure you are okay?”
Crafty took a deep breath and nodded. The sudden flash of red had frightened her, given how fast it had happened. And the noise from the crowd only made things worse. But Bubba had helped her. Hoppy had too. They both had noticed how Crafty was feeling and helped calm her down.
Bubba sighs. “Only if you are sure, but if it ever starts to bother you, let me know. I am here for you.”
Crafty smiled. “I know. Thank you, Bubba.” Giving herself a little shake, she let out a small snort. “So what is it that you’re trying to find out?”
Bubba looked over his books and papers on his desk. “I am currently trying to figure out what caused that sudden flash of red. You see,” flipping through the pages of one of the books, “while there have been instances of this happening, none have happened like this one.”
Crafty looked at the page Bubba was showing her. It was about forest fires, so intense the sky turned red. There was one about some intense solar storms, one about a large amount of red sand scattered because of intense winds. And then there was the usual sunset, which at times could do the same thing.
“I was considering that the most logical thing was the bonfires. I thought that because there were so many of them being burned, that must be the reason. But…,” Bubba rubbed his forehead with his trunk, “ but it doesn’t make sense in the long run.”
Bubba showed Crafty some newspaper articles. All of them talked about the bonfires from the past festivals. “ However, the bonfires had not been burning for long, and even if they had, they would not have turned the sky red for a mere moment. And certainly not blood red.” He then pointed to the pictures he had. Some attendees had been taking pictures at the time, while some managed to take pictures as it was happening.
“It couldn’t have been dust, and there were no solar storms happening. At that time, in this area,” Bubba huffed.
“Crafty, you've been in town and have been in the valley far longer than I have. Has anything like this ever happened before?”
Crafty shook her head. She couldn’t remember anything like this ever happening during that time. Not once had the sky suddenly changed to a completely different color all of a sudden.
“So what could have caused it?” Bubba scanned the scattered books and papers. His answer had to be here somewhere.
“Why don’t we continue looking over it after you eat?”
The paper bag crumbled as she moved it forward. Bubba let out a deep sigh. Right. Lunch. He'd better eat before Picky came here herself.
After eating, Bubba and Crafty continued to research the event. Bubba decided that going over the books and papers was not enough. If he wanted to figure out what happened, he was going to have to do some field study.
He and Crafty were going to go and ask anyone who may have witnessed it what they saw. It might help him find some sort of pattern, some connection that could lead to the answer.
Firstly, they were going to ask the other critters. While six of eight have been together, two of them have not. And while 6 of them had witnessed it all together, it would be good to hear what they each saw and thought before, during, and after it had happened.
The first critter they interviewed was Bobby. They found the red bear watering her flower garden. With her, they also found Kickin. He was helping her move some things around. Bobby invited them in once she saw them, after they knocked on her fence entrance.
Sitting on one of the outdoor tables, they began the interview. Bubba brought out a voice recorder and asked the questions.
“Before I begin, I want to say thank you both for taking your time to answer some questions.”
“Of course, Bubba. It’s no trouble at all.” Bobby responded with a smile. “Now what do you need me to answer?”
“Yeah, dude, no problem at all,” Kickin answered, leaning back in the chair.
“Right. Like many of us, Bobby, Kickin, you saw what happened near the end of the festival, as the bonfires were being lit, is that correct?”
“Oh, you mean when the sky turned red?” Bobby asked
Bubba nodded.
“Well, it is true I saw what happened. And it was quite strange.”
“No kidding. Never seen something like that before. Talk about creepy.”
“Can you tell me what you saw exactly?”
“Well,” Bobby clasped her paws together, “ I assume, much like everyone else, I saw the sky suddenly turn red, but that’s not what got my attention…”
Bubba, having leaned in a bit, asked her what that was.
“The clouds.”
“The clouds…?”
“Yes. The clouds. They were different…”
“Different how?”
“Well, you see, the clouds form before and after we’re all fluffy clouds. They looked like cotton or wool, but the clouds formed during it looked like they had been stretched thin. They almost looked see-through.”
Crafty, who had been taking notes, stopped to listen more closely. “But don’t clouds sometimes change with the weather?” She asked.
“They can,” Bubba answered
"But that's not all,” Bobby argued. “They looked like mist or gas. And I know clouds. I know that different parts of the sky can have different types of clouds, and I know that types of clouds can change, but this was too sudden…”
“Explain.”
“When clouds change, you can normally see it. But with this change, you couldn’t. The clouds were suddenly fluffy, then not, and then were fluffy again… and it all happened in a blink of an eye.”
Bobby bit her lip. “I'm sorry, Bubba, I don't know how to properly describe it.”
Kickin raised a winged hand. “I think I can explain that part.”
They turned their attention to Kickin. “If I had to explain it, it's kinda like in a video game. You know how there are safe points?” They nodded. “ It’s kinda like that. When you lose after the safe point, it takes you back, and everything restarts again.”
“So what you're saying is…” Bubba raised a hoof to his chin. “...that before and after is just the sky going back to how it was. It was like everything restarted to that point. Like nothing had changed. “
“Yeah, pretty much,” Kickin shrugged.
Bubba stood up, and Crafty followed suit. “Well, thank you both. This was very helpful.”
Bobby and Kickin waved them off, wishing them good luck.
After Bobby and Kickin, they went to Picky. The pink pig critter was currently building a new bird feeder. They greeted her.
“Well, well, if it isn't Mister Skip-A-Meal,” she said, jokingly mocking. “Did ya have lunch?” she asked, placing her hooves on her hips.
“Yes. I had lunch, Picky. Thank you; it was a delicious meal.”
“Good.” She nodded. “Now what can I help ya with?” She said, as she measured a piece of wood.
Crafty was the one to answer this time. “We need you to tell us what it is you saw when the sky turned red a few days ago, Picky.”
Bubba biddd in agreement. “Oh…that…” Picky said, cringing. “Yeah, I guess I can tell ya.”
Bubba brought out the voice recorder again, and Crafty got ready to write anything important down. Picky told them very similar things Bobby and Kickn had. The sky turning red had been very sudden. “It was so strange, ya know. I thought there was a dust storm or something, but our surroundings were dust-free, and the sky didn't look dark or dirty, ya know?”
Bubba hummed, nodding. That was true; despite everything, the sky was rather bright. Even with the clouds. “Is there anything else you notice, Picky? Anything else at all?”
Picky shook her head. “Nope, Sorry Bubs. Nothing else.”
Bubba internally sighed. “Thank you either way, Picky. We’ll be out of your hair now.”
“It's no problem,” she said as she waved them off. “If ya need anything else, let me know.”
The last critter they asked was Hoppy. They found her jump-roping.
“HOPPY!!” Bubba yelled out. The green rabbit’s ears turned in his direction. “Oh, hey, Bubba. Crafty. What’s up?” She asked, still jumping.
“We need to ask you some questions regarding what happened at the festival a few days ago,” Bubba informed her.
“This ‘bout the sky being red all of a sudden?”
They nodded. “Hmmm, let me see.” She stopped jumping, paw tapping on the ground. “I notice how it had turned really red, but I guess everyone saw that, huh?’ Once again they nodded. She thought hard, trying to remember what she saw that day, when…
“Oh, I got it. The clouds. They were moving, even though there was no wind.” Bubba thought, and yes, he recalled there being movement.
“Is that normal, Bubba?” Crafty asked. Bubba shook his head. “Clouds can technically move without wind, at least wind that we can feel. There might be wind up in the sky that we can’t feel, but…”
Both girls stared at Bubba. One confused, one expectantly. “But the clouds were moving oddly. They moved in different directions. Not just in one. And it looked like they were disappearing and appearing. And that's not normal.”
“So…why did it happen, Bubba?” Hoppy asked. The whole thing was way freaky and made her feel on edge.
“That's what I am trying to find out.”
“Well, good luck on that. That whole sky turning red thing was way too creepy.” She shivered. Crafty nodded, agreeing. Hoppy asked her if she was feeling better. And Crafty nodded.
They said goodbye and continued their investigation.
In the end, they weren't able to get DogDay or CatNap’s accounts of the event. DogDay was still in town, helping with the clean-up of the festival, and who knew where CatNap was.
Bubba let out something between a sigh and a huff of annoyance. Even with this, he still couldn’t tell what had happened. All of his friends had noticed something different, that while useful; it didn't give him an answer. It was clear he needed to do more research. Perhaps ask around town…
“What are you going to do now, Bubba?” Crafty asked.
He looked over the notes Crafty had taken. “It seems I am going to have to ask around town. Perhaps someone there might know what happened or saw something that will help me find the answer.” He turned to look at her. “Did you notice something, Crafty?"
Crafty looked down, frowning. “No, I'm sorry, Bubba,” she murmured, feeling guilty. “I was too scared to really see anything useful.” Bubba placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “It is all right, Crafty—”
“No, it's not. I should be over it, but for some reason I'm not. I thought I was.”
“Crafty, what happened to you was something traumatic; even if you think you are ok, there are things that can retrigger that fear. And what happened at the festival was that.”
Crafty didn't look up. “Do not worry. You have friends here who care for you. It might take a while, but it will be ok.”
Crafty took a deep breath. Ok. “So are you going to go to town tomorrow?”
“Yes, would you like to join me again? “
Crafty shook her head, humming. “Tomorrow Hoppy is going to teach me some self-defense moves. She said I should learn, because apparently I have a really good kick.”
Bubba chuckle. “Well, good luck with that. Remember, if you feel that it is too much, you tell Hoppy you want to stop.”
Crafty nodded; she will.
The following day, Buba went to town as he said. He asked everyone he remembered having been at the festival. From vendors to planners to just attendees. And they all said the same things.
“All of a sudden the sky turned a dark red.”
“It was so weird.”
“So creepy.”
“I don't know why it happened.”
Nothing helpful. He continued to walk, wondering what else he should do. No one knew what had happened. He continued to walk when a speck of purple in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Lying on a bench was CatNap. He seemed sound asleep. Which was odd. Not him being asleep; no, it was the fact that CatNap was here in town. He knew CatNap wasn't a fan of the town. And would rarely, if ever, come here, and especially not on his own.
And looking around, he could not spot any of the other Smiling Critters anywhere. What he did see, however, was a white-and-black-spotted dog critter. He was rather close to CatNap, sitting on the same bench and fidgeting. He would look at CatNap, then look away.
Bubba's eyes narrowed. He didn't like this. As he approached, he noted how the dog was scooting closer and closer to CatNap. He walked faster. The spotted dog reached his paw out… and jumped when Bubba cleared his throat. “I believe it is rude to touch someone while they are sleeping.”
The dog turned to see Bubba, arms behind his back, frowning. “I uh…I wasn’t…I’m not…” he tried to explain. Bubba got closer. The dog cowered under his gaze.
“Hey, Bubba!” called out a cheerful, warm voice. DogDay approached, carrying two brown bags. He handed one off to the spotted dog; Lucky was his name, placing his own on the bench before sitting down. DogDay picked up the sleeping CatNap, holding him close. Arms wrapped around him, nuzzling his nose behind one of the feline's ears.
Bubba noticed something interesting. The other dog critter, Lucky, was frowning and looked enviously at the pair. Or more specifically at DogDay. He looked at CatNap tenderly but sadly.
I see.
Bubba watched as Lucky excused himself, saying he was going to go and see if anyone needed his help. DogDay asked him if he was sure, since the spotted dog seemed so keen about joining them (CatNap and DogDay) for lunch. Lucky assured him that he was sure, and walked off, rather dejected, if he had to guess based on the droopy ears.
“Well, that was rather rude; he did not even introduce himself as he should have.”
Bubba said, arms crossed.
“That's probably because you intimidated him, Bubba. Looking at him like you did… your height probably didn't help either.”
Bubba hummed thoughtfully. He supposed he was rather tall, for a critter that is.
“So Bubba, what brings you to town on this nice sunny day?”
“Well, I was investigating the strange phenomenon that had happened four days ago.”
“Four days—oh, you mean the sky turning red?!”
“Yes. Can you perhaps tell me what it is that you saw, that is if you saw it.
“Sure.” DogDay nodded. Much like everyone else, DogDay mentioned the sudden change from orange to red, the strangeness of the clouds, but also something else, something none had mentioned before.
“You say there was something glowing?”
DogDay nodded. “Yeah. I saw something glowing in the center, but I couldn’t tell you what it was; I could barely see it.”
“But there was something?”
DogDay hummed in response. “It was a faint glow, and after that, the sky went back to normal. It was weird.”
“Did CatNap perhaps see something as well?”
DogDay shrugged. “Maybe. He…he’s been a bit off since then…”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
DogDay told him that the whole thing had spooked CatNap very badly, and since it happened, the feline has been feeling down. He clung to DogDay, never leaving his side or straying too far, following him everywhere. And he meant everywhere.
“He followed me all the way to town, Bubba. Has been for the past four days. I don't mind it, but…”
“I’m really worried, but CatNap won’t tell me what’s bothering him.” DogDay brought the sleeping cat closer, rubbing his paws up and down the cat’s back. “And I don't know what to do. We were having such a fun day only for it to end like this.”
Bubba sighs. That did sound worrisome. “I’m sure he will be fine after a couple of days, but if it persists, perhaps you should take him to see Bobby. She is very good at these kinds of things.”
“Yeah, you’re right, and I’ll be there every step of the way.”
“Of course you will,” Bubba said dryly.
“Yep!” He replied, tail wagging happily. Was he oblivious or just ignoring his tone? The world may never know.
“Well, I thank you for this information; it was rather interesting. And I hope things with CatNap get better.”
DogDay just brought CatNap closer. In the years he’s known DogDay, Bubba definitely didn’t peg him as the possessive type. He said his goodbyes to DogDay, and left.
Back at his place, Bubba compiled all of his information. He looked over the notes Crafty had taken, listened to the recordings he took, looked over the newspaper, the pictures, everything, but nothing was lining up.
Everyone had seen the same thing. The only one who had seen something extra was DogDay, who had seen something glowing.
What could it have been? The sun? No, the sun was going down in the sky. And DogDay said it was in the center of the sky. So what could it be? He scratched his head. He couldn't figure it out.
He looked through the photos again. A blood-red sky, with clouds that looked like mist, clouds that had been moving, appearing and disappearing. He tapped his hoof on his desk. Over and over again. He went through everything one more time, trying to piece everything together. There had to be some sort of connection here; he knew it, but what was it?
“Bubba…?” A voice called out. Peeking through the door, Crafty appeared. He motioned for her to come in. She walked in, closing the door behind her. “I came because it's lun… oh, have you found anything yet?”
Bubba tiredly shook his head. “Nothing.”
Crafty walked closer and looked over the photos on the desk. She squinted her eyes and observed them carefully. And realized something…
“Hey Bubba…” The elephant looked at her. “Don't you think that the clouds…” She brought the photo closer to her face. “They kinda look like CatNap’s gas…” She showed him the photo. Bubba quickly grabbed it, looking at it himself.
And realized Crafty was right. The clouds looked a lot like CatNap’s gas. There was simply a darker shade of red. But when he thought about it, and with what he remembered, the clouds did move in an odd way, because that wasn't clouds; it was gas. Gas that was moving, appearing and disappearing.
But this only brought out more questions. He groaned, running his hooves down his face.
“Mmmm… maybe you should take a break, Bubba. You look very tired.”
“I appreciate the concern, Crafty, but I do not need a break; I need answers.”
“No, you definitely need a break.” Said a different voice. A higher-pitched, annoyed-sounding voice.
Looking back, he found PickyPiggy, smiling with a dark glint in her eyes.
“Bubba… you are going to take a break, and you are going to come and have lunch with us, ya hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good, now let's go.”
And with that, Bubba concluded his research… for now, anyways.
He’ll continue this some other day. Preferably, when he is least likely to anger a certain pink pig critter.