Chapter 1: The Beginning

Plip tottered along, the weight of her well-worn backpack hanging precariously off of her back in a jumble of lumps and bumps. It took so much longer to get around like this, hobbled down by convention. And it was so much more fun to just go where the wind went. Adventurous really! Which is the way Plip preferred to live. But she plodded on, painfully aware that her every move was now subject to eagle-eyed scrutiny as a result of her last “careless” adventure. What was a reasonable-minded, free-spirited faerie to do, ramshackled with all of these debilitating constraints?

Plip’s mind drifted back fondly to that day long ago when she had accidentally on purpose forgotten to adorn herself with her weighted shoes, skipping happily outside to enjoy the soft grass between her toes. She laughed aloud as she remembered how a mischievous gust of wind had picked her up and twirled her high into the sky, carrying her away to a part of the countryside so distant that it took her a full three days to walk home. It had been an enlightening and adventurous walk which Plip thoroughly enjoyed—except for the extreme hunger and the somewhat tedious carrying of the boulder that kept her firmly on the ground.

However, it had resulted in a pair of very frazzled parents. Parents who thenceforth insisted that Plip fastidiously wear a lovingly-stitched weighted backpack every time that she ventured outside their home so that they had blatant visual proof that she would not be blown away again, as happens to faeries who forget to wear their weights.

Plip sighed as she readjusted the worn pack on her back that still served its original purpose. It had been with her through countless adventures in the many years since then, though none of them had been high-flying or very far from home.

A rascally root caught Plip’s foot, failing to fell her, but succeeding in jolting her attention back to her current mission. Glancing at the sun’s position in the sky, Plip realized it was much later than she had planned. But at least she’d managed to bake Todard’s very favourite cupcakes for this momentous occasion. That would go well in her favour.

After a few stops for pretty flowers that needed sniffing, oddly-twisted roots that required goggling, and other such time-absorbing delights, Plip finally arrived at her destination: an unassuming castle carved out of granite and jade, bejewelled with diamonds and rubies, surrounded by a moat, and set at the very top of a very tall hill.

Sighing, Plip tried to one-handedly adjust her clothes, which had all managed to shift slightly askew, as was their wont, while she balanced a delightfully wrapped box that smelled of the most delicious mango cupcakes you can imagine in her other hand. Dissatisfied that she had achieved her goal of straightening, but not wanting to spend more precious time doing things that felt as if they were a waste of life, Plip left her slightly less askewed clothes, grabbed the knocker, and began to bang very loudly on the outer door of the castle.

Really! Would it be so very hard for them to have someone waiting to open the door, on THIS day, when surely they would be expecting many!

An odd feeling crept up Plip’s neck, prompting her to look around.

Not a single person was in sight.

A frown found Plip’s face as she suddenly began wondering why, indeed, she was the only one standing outside the castle door. She looked behind her down the hill from whence she came. Empty, save for a few squirrels and such bounding about. Still frowning, Plip turned back to the door and was about to resume her banging when the door swung open with a force that sucked a gasp out of Plip before she could suck it back in.

“What are you doing here?” came a booming voice projected from a very irritated, very squishy-looking face.

This set off a series of quick-flash thoughts through Plip’s head.

What are you DOING here? Am I doing the wrong thing? Backpack on. Check. Present in hand. Check. Nope. I’m DOING just fine.

He didn’t ask what are you doing HERE. So right place.

He didn’t ask what are YOU doing here. So right me.

He didn’t ask WHAT are you doing here. But that’s just the same as asking what are you DOING here, isn’t it?

As this quick flash of thoughts occupied Plip’s mind, a blank open-mouthed look occupied Plip’s face.

“Well!?!” boomed the now much angrier voice, jolting Plip back to the present, which she held out to the squishy-faced voice-boomer with two of her very own hands.

“Happy birthday to Todard!” Plip sang out, while her feet did a little side-to-side shuffle to accompany the greeting with what Plip deemed to be an appropriate degree of levity.

But it seemed that Mr. Grumpypants did not agree. “Happy what’s it? Are you out of your mind, Plip Tadadadah!”

Plip continued to hold out the lovingly wrapped present, a smile on her face and a thought in her head that perhaps she had just made a tremendous blunder.

“It’s nobody’s BIRTHDAY! Not today. Not tomorrow. It was YESTERDAY! How could you have missed it!?! There were people streaming in from ALL OVER the countryside. We had bands playing! We even had fireworks last night!”

Plip’s mind drifted back to yesterday. It all made sense now. Yesterday, amidst her hectic birthday preparation and diligent baking, she thought it was a strangely odd coincidence that there were so many people out and about and headed in the general direction of the castle. Thinking carefully, Plip was almost sure that most of those people actually had been heading in the castle’s direction. Hmmmm.

And she’d been wondering where that faint music on the wind was blowing from. But she was sure she hadn’t heard a birthday tune of any sort. At least, not more than once.

Shaking her head with amusement, she now realized that the resounding gunshots that had woken her from her sleep had not, in fact, been a pack of over-enthusiastic hunters out for a late-night death rampage.

Plip laughed out loud and was about to explain this amazing discovery to Mr. Grumpypants when a shuffle of energetic pushing wobbled the side of Mr. Grumpypants and enthusiastically shoved him aside whilst a wriggling bundle made its way past Mr. Grumpypants’ large furious frame.

“Plip! You made it!” was the joyous cry that jumped from Todard’s mouth straight into Plip’s heart. With not a word of apology to Mr. Grumpypants, who was by then stumbling gracelessly sideways, Todard leapt forward with a scream and attacked Plip with a flying front kick, which Plip deftly deflected with one hand while artfully balancing the present in her other hand, adding a nimble slap to the back of Todard’s head as his body careened past her to prove that she had dealt him a fatal injury.

“Sneak attack DEFEATED!” Plip yelled with revelry while raising one arm triumphantly in the air, shaking it in recognition of her win to the invisible crowd screaming her name.

Todard landed solidly and rolled with the trained grace of an athlete and the untrained antics of a superhero. He turned toward Plip and bowed solemnly to her in recognition of her undisputed show of superiority in this match. But in his mind, he was already tapping his fingers together with a crazed look on his face befitting the most sinister of villains as he planned his next sneak attack, which would be far better than this one.

“I was waiting for you yesterday,” Todard said with pretend sad wistfulness as he eyed the colourful present still secure in Plip’s one-handed grasp. “I knew you would come … eventually. It was almost agony waiting for you. But it will all be worth it if—”

Todard stepped toward Plip and pressed his nose against the present, inhaling deeply. “Yes! Mango cupcakes! My favourite!!!”

Plip beamed with delight, satisfied that she had chosen the very best gift for her very best friend in the world.

As the two of them walked into the castle, they had to shuffle past the now uprighted and stable angry door greeter who glared at Plip disapprovingly. “Your majesty,” he said, as he inclined his head toward Todard while completely ignoring Plip.

“Yes, er, thank you, Mr. Grumpypants,” Todard said with pretentious formality. “I bid you good day, sir.” Maintaining his newly acquired air of majestic dignity, Prince Todard offered his arm to Plip and escorted her with formal seriousness into the heart of the castle.

Chapter 2: Courtyard & Secrets

“You weren’t really very sad yesterday were you?” Plip asked as she walked along with Todard, feeling just the teeniest bit as if Todard might have been trying to make a gentle point.

“No!” Todard scoffed with a huge guffaw to make his feelings clear. “Yesterday was chaos.” He began gesticulating wildly as he continued, “Prince Todard, come hither to greet your guests. Prince Todard, come hither to cut your cake. Prince Todard, come hither to be hithered. It’s better that you came today, because today I actually have time to spend with you! Plus,” Todard grabbed the aromatic present from Plip’s hands that was making his mouth water, “I don’t have to share these with anyone!”

“Oh, good,” Plip sighed, contented that she had not inadvertently hurt her friend’s feelings with her well-known penchant for disorganized living. Todard was one of the few people whom she adored without reserve and was also one of the few who accepted her many quirks as charmingly refreshing rather than invariably irritating.

“Oh! And this is for you!” Todard said, as he reached a free hand into his pocket and pulled out a very wrinkled, very brightly coloured sash that had the words “Birthday Boy!” boldly embroidered upon it. “My brothers gave it to me and made me wear this ridiculous thing the entire day yesterday!” He slipped the sash over his head and did a twirl so that Plip could observe its full effect, then handed it to her.

“Wow, it really suits you!” Plip laughed as she stowed it in her backpack.

They made their way through the castle, slowing here and there for Prince Todard to make his formal replies to those who courteously greeted him in deference to his official princely title. Plip sometimes pretended that she, too, was an official part of the royal entourage and took on the same pretentious air of royal dignity that Todard used when responding. Usually they were able to maintain this pretense until they were out of the sight and hearing of their passersby, at which point they both unconsciously relaxed, their walks becoming startlingly similar to the patterns of drunken squirrels, darting capriciously here and there at every whim.

In time, they made it to a peaceful little courtyard situated on the opposite side of the castle. Stepping out into the warm sunlight that was now cascading down into the courtyard, Plip caught her breath, taking in the lovely wonder created by the strings of delicate lanterns and colourful flowers that were artfully placed all around.

Todard smiled as he watched Plip’s reaction unfold. “I thought you would like it. That’s why I told them to move all of my birthday decorations here, to our courtyard. So that we could have a private celebration for my birthday, just as I wanted in the first place.”

“Well, you can’t fault your parents for that,” Plip chided gently. “After all, it isn’t every day that their son turns fifteen years of age. They were right to have a big celebration for you.”

Todard, ruefully on the outside but thoughtfully on the inside, agreed.

Together, they made their way to a little table that had been heftily laden with an assortment of drinks and treats and Todard ripped the carefully wrapped gift open with abandonment and glee. Looking down into the box housing its golden mango treasure, Todard inhaled as its sweet essence drifted upwards, tempting his nose and tantalizing his taste buds.

“They look perfect,” Todard said while holding one cupcake up at eye level, scrutinizing it from all sides. “I don’t know how you do it, Plip. The perfect swirls of icing that taste—” he embedded his tongue into the thickly-topped, deep-yellow icing and licked out a decadent helping, “mmmmm … shooow very gooood.” He stopped and closed his eyes, hedonistically relishing the flavours as they made their way over his tongue and down his throat.

“It’s easy,” Plip said, watching as Todard devoured the cupcake. She always strangely felt like perhaps she should give Todard some privacy while he ate. Especially when he ate things such as mango cupcakes and other delicacies that he truly enjoyed. But she also always strangely thoroughly enjoyed watching him. So she didn’t turn away and instead continued to watch him, entranced, while a growing flutter flew about in her stomachy region.

“I can show you if you like,” Plip said after Todard had finished eating the cupcake.

“Hmmmm? Show me what?” Todard now sat, somewhat stupefied, with an expression of consummate gratification plastered on his face.

“How to make the cupcakes, silly!” Plip looked at Todard, thinking he was anything but silly. But felt that it would not do to have him realize that.

“Yes! I would very much like that. Unless … well … surely that would only add to their magic, wouldn’t it? I mean, all magic tricks are better once you know their secrets, right?”

“You certainly are better,” Plip’s voice whispered before she had a chance to tell it to stay quiet. Because while Plip’s mouth went rogue, inappropriately divulging her innermost thoughts, Plip’s brain was smiling with wonder at this newest discovery that Todard was the type of person who enjoyed magic more knowing the secret behind the tricks rather than being the type of person who wanted to be mystified. A day well spent then, Plip’s brain thought, congratulating itself on uncovering yet another important enigma of the universe.

Todard looked at Plip with a funny, lopsided grin on his face. “What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just agreeing. That magic tricks are better once you know their secrets.” Plip could feel her face holding up a red flag to let Todard know that she was lying.

“No,” Todard said with an even bigger grin. “I think you said that I—”

Plip accidentally knocked over a glass of lemonade directly into Todard’s lap.

Todard glanced down at the liquid pooling in his lap, but looked up quickly to catch Plip’s eyes and continued, unfazed. “You said that I certainly—”

Plip accidentally knocked over a large vase filled with flowers and a good quantity of water onto Todard to replace the lemonade that had seeped out of his lap.

Todard grinned with triumph and opened his mouth to speak, but then watched with incredulity as Plip clumsily spilled a plate of creamy puffs, a bowl full of cherries, and a ginormous pitcher of spiced nog all over his newly-flowered lap.

Plip looked Todard directly in the eyes as she held up a platter of pincer-laden lobster claws, waiting to see if he would dare to open his mouth yet again. Todard had been surprised, but fine, with the previous array of soft and fluidy substances aimed at his lap. But the very sharp looking pincers taking a dive at his delicate parts was another matter. He clamped his lips together and held up his hands in defeat as he slowly pushed his chair back from the table and got up, hands still raised to ward off any impending attack by claw.

“Well, I think I’d better change now,” Todard said, lowering his hands as Plip lowered the platter to the table. He looked down at the medley of mess that surrounded him and noticed the dismay on Plip’s face as she did the same.

“Don’t worry,” Todard assured her while wiping off the chunks of food and flowers that still clung to him. “I’ll let them know that I accidentally fell on the table and knocked everything off.”

“They’ll never believe you,” Plip said with worry, eyeing the disaster on the floor and the mess decorating Todard’s lap.

Todard pondered for a moment. Then brightly declared, “Sneak attack! I tried another poorly planned, though exquisitely executed, sneak attack on you, attempting to do a double backflip, roundhouse kick combination. My form was incredible to watch, a sublime study of perfection. But the table came to your defence.” He nodded his head, agreeing with himself that his plan was good.

Plip, glad to be finished with Todard’s insistence on pinning her to her mistakenly uttered compliment, but un-glad to now have to deal with the consequences, hoped that Todard’s scheme would work.

“I’ll get changed and send for someone to clean this up. Why don’t you meet me in the forest garden in about twenty minutes?”

Plip agreed, happy to escape from the scene of the grand mess without being seen. She began walking in the direction of the forest garden.

But Todard could tell that she still had a hint of worry. Chivalry, being in his nature, prodded him to do more. So he called out loudly to Plip while he quickly ran away, “And really, don’t worry, Plip. They’ll believe me. Because they know sneak attacks are MY SECRET.”

Plip froze.

“AND I REALLY AM EVEN BETTER ONCE YOU KNOW MY SECRETS!”

Chapter 3: Forest Garden

Plip’s heart and brain were still in a kerfuffle over the accidental revealing of her innermost thoughts to Todard. Their immense kerfuffledge combined with Plip’s very short wait for Todard to catalyze in a truly spectacular fashion.

By the time Todard changed his clothes, sorted out the cleaning arrangements for the courtyard, and found Plip at the forest garden, he was greeted by a very flustered but very determined Plip.

Unknowing of her state of mind because Todard was no mind reader, and oblivious to Plip’s state of body because Todard didn’t notice her somewhat frantic pacing, twisting of hands, and general unhinged demeanour, Todard began rather merrily, “Well, Plip, you will be glad to know that I have sorted everything out and the courtyard—”

“I’m going on a trip!” Plip blurted out, interrupting Todard’s sentence and, temporarily, his brain function.

Todard stared at Plip, open-mouthed, and Plip thought she saw three dots appear directly above his head, but then reminded herself that this made no sense at all because computers and cell phones didn’t exist anywhere on the planet of Dert. The three dots disappeared. Todard’s mouth closed. Then it opened quickly, and in startled tones it said, “What? What do you mean you’re going on a trip?”

Plip was afraid that Todard might ask that very question because she had just asked herself the same question and didn’t know what the answer was. So, she did what she always did when she didn’t know. She opened her mouth and waited to see what would pop out.

“I mean I’m going on a trip.”

“When?”

“Today.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because what?”

Plip paused and looked up, searching for her answer, but all she saw were those pesky three dots again, which were no help at all.

“Plip?” Todard looked at Plip with a mixture of bewilderment and hurt that made Plip feel a funny pang in her chest that might have been caused by a tiny sword or a tiny fork or some other tiny thing that was sharp and pointy. Immediately, Plip regretted letting her mouth run away on its own. But then Plip remembered the feeling she had felt when Todard found out accidentally on purpose that Plip might think he was more than a silly friend, and her heart, afraid of hurt as hearts are wont to do, decided that it was okay to let her mouth run away after all.

“Because it’s time for me to get out and see the world. Because I’m fifteen and I don’t know what I want to do for the rest of my life. Because I need some time to be alone and figure me out and I can’t do that here—”

“But why today? I thought we’d get to spend some time together. I thought you came to see me.” Todard halted, the wound clear in his voice.

Plip could see that Todard’s face had lost its shining delight and that is what prompted her mouth to stop. It had not meant to cause him hurt. It had only meant to prevent her own.

“I’m sorry, Todard. Truly I am,” Plip said. And she was. But even though her heart was fully sorry, she realized that her mouth had uttered some things that she actually wanted, and perhaps even needed.

“I thought we’d spend the day together too. At least, that’s what I had planned when I came. But then, things happened. And now it seems that I should be preparing to go on a journey instead.”

Todard looked at Plip. She thought she could see a shining glimmer that might be the beginnings of tears filling his eyes. But Todard took a deep breath, shook his head, and when he looked at her again, the glimmer was gone, so Plip was sure she must have imagined it.

“Could I come with you?” Todard asked hopefully, a half-smile on his face. “I could use an adventure as well. And I’m fifteen now, so my parents are sure to agree.” However, Todard’s face seemed to imply that he was sure that his parents would not.

Plip took a deep breath and filled her next words with all of the love and regard that she felt in her heart for her best friend. “Todard, if anyone in the world should come with me, it would be you. I don’t know why or how, but I feel like I need to do this on my own. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or make you feel that your birthday was unimportant. Things just happened. At first I got scared. But then plans just unfolded. I think I need to do this … I hope you understand.”

Todard sniffled. Plip looked closely at him again, but still, she was sure that he couldn’t possibly be crying.

“Alright then, Plip Tadadadah. If you must go on an adventure, then go. But be sure to be back before too long because I will miss you.” Todard gave Plip a crooked smile and a punch in the arm as he said the last words, which prompted a smile from Plip’s mouth and a skip from her heart.

“Perhaps,” Todard said while tilting his head in a thoughtful way, “I shall embark on an adventure of my own. Then we will be adventuring apart together. And who knows what will become of the two of us grand adventurers!”

Plip smiled at Todard’s words and the impishly maniacal look on his face as he uttered his proclamation. It seemed that the air of awkward hurt had cleared between them and they were back to being their regular bestest friends again, which made both of them feel better.

“I shall help you with your packing,” Todard continued, not leaving any room for argument.

Without further discussion, the two of them walked out of the forest garden and began making their way to Plip’s cottage. “It’s almost high noon already. There’s not much time if you want to get packed and started today.”

During their walk home, Plip wondered if she should change her mind and think things over and plan for a time in the future that would be more suitable. The more she thought about it, the more her brain disagreed with her heart, which was firmly fixed on leaving today.

Chapter 4: Setting Off

“I can’t believe your parents said you could go,” Todard said with a glazed look of disbelief on his face as he watched Plip stuff her backpack full of this and that, most of which Todard thought odd for the task of setting off on a grand adventure.

“Well, why wouldn’t they?” Plip asked, pausing momentarily in her packing while a befuddled look crunched her face into a peculiar shape. “Life’s a journey, as they say. So it all makes perfect sense that I should get on with it. Life and all.”

Todard nodded his head but his brain didn’t agree so it remained firmly in place, which made him feel a little dizzy. Also, he was in a slight state of shock at the speed at which Plip’s imminent departure was approaching, feeling as if he were in the midst of a fuzzy nightmare that was pulling him in a direction that he absolutely did not want to go.

“I just thought that your parents might convince you to stay. Or at the very least, to leave a bit later. To give you some time to think things through. Plan things out. This is all happening so very fast.”

Todard didn’t like the squeezy feeling that was happening in his chest or the stingy feeling that was happening in his eyes, so he employed his most useful defensive tactic. He put on his biggest grin, punched Plip lightly in the arm, and in his silliest voice he asked, “What’s a word that starts with “f” and ends in “uck”?”.

Plip looked at Todard blankly, not having the slightest idea what he was talking about. “Frenuck, flemluck, fatduck, fortschmuck, flybuck, forthpuck—”

“Those aren’t even words!” Todard retorted with a snort.

“Of course they are! I said them didn’t I?” Plip looked at Todard with amusement, realizing that he had no idea how words were made.

Todard was about to further retort and snort but realized with dismay that Plip was finished packing. “Oh. You’re finished.”

“Yup!” Plip said with glee, the excitement of her soon-to-be grand adventure filling her with a bubbling happiness. But as the sadness in Todard’s face registered in Plip’s eyes and then in her heart, she too felt a sinking feeling of sorrow begin to take hold of her.

“Maybe …” Plip began haltingly, as doubts began to weave their way through her bubbling happiness, “… maybe I should wait … until tomorrow? … Or until another day … when I’ve had more time to think things over and plan things—”

“No,” Todard said firmly as he watched Plip’s face slip from bright, unadulterated, confident joy to a spiritless, doubt-filled, wavering hesitation. He could not let his own sadness and his own fears be the things that held Plip back. Of course he would have done things differently. Because he liked to plan. And be sure. But that was precisely why he treasured his friendship with Plip so very much. Because she followed her heart, being led by joy and sunshine as much as plans and reason. He could not be the one to hold back his dear friend from something that made her sparkle the way she had just done. Even if it made his heart hurt.

“No. You are right, Plip. This is right for you. It feels right, doesn’t it? I could see it in your face.”

Plip closed her eyes, thought about leaving on her grand adventure, and put her hand on her cheek. The bubbles came back and a smile lit up her face again.

“Yes,” Plip said decidedly, having felt it in her face with her very own hand. “It does feel right. I am sorry to be leaving you though, Todard.”

“Don’t be sad, Plip. You’ll go on your grand adventure and when you come back we’ll spend days and days together while you tell me about all the amazing things you’ve done and seen.” Todard put on his biggest, brightest smile and gave Plip a gigantic hug that he held for just a little bit longer than normal so that he could properly say goodbye and indelibly imprint the smell and feel of her on him before they parted. “In fact, I think I will go on a grand adventure of my own too, just like you!” Todard added in to bolster Plip on her way, and perhaps to bolster his heart just a teensy bit as well.

“Yes!” Plip beamed with happiness. “We’ll be grand adventuring together!”

Plip turned to pick up her backpack as a lump of sadness began to form in her throat. Todard thought he might have seen a glimmer of tears in her eyes, but when she turned back to him with her huge, lumpy backpack settled on her back and a lopsided grin on her face, Todard realized that he must have just imagined it.

Todard watched as Plip said her goodbyes to her parents, who pushed a large bag of food into her hands and who went over a list of things to remember with Plip before finally hugging her and bidding her goodbye.

“I’ll mesej you,” Plip said as she turned to Todard for a final hug goodbye.

“You’d better!” Todard said in a teasing voice as he reminded himself to keep smiling even though it hurt to do it. “I’ll expect regular updates on all of your gallivanting!”

Plip laughed and Todard realized, with a twinge in his heart, that he would dearly miss that sound.

“So, where are you setting off to then?” Todard asked.

“Wherever the wind takes me,” Plip replied merrily while spinning around, arms outstretched. “After all, I am a faerie!”

“But your backpack looks much too heavy …”

“Oh no! Not at all! I stuffed the outside lining with dandelion wings, so it’s as light as if it were empty. Plus, they act as perfect cushions so everything inside stays cozy and safe.”

Todard looked down at Plip’s hand and now understood why she had been holding on to the bucket of rocks. His heart clenched as she bent over and put the bucket down on the ground.

“Now … just to wait for the right wind to find me,” Plip said with a smile, looking around at the leaves on the trees, which were all waiting quietly for the same thing. Plip drew in a deep breath and wished, with all her heart, that she would find the perfect wind to begin her grand adventure. Then she looked at Todard and wished with all her heart that they would find each other again after her adventure was over.

“Take care, Plip Tadadadah,” Todard said quietly, almost in a whisper. “I will miss you dearly.”

“And I will miss you, too, Todard, elven prince of Glonmorna.”

At that moment, the leaves began to murmur tidings of oceans and clouds and mountains far, far away as the wind played upon them and swirled, in a gust, to wrap around Plip, picking her up as easily as if she, too, were a leaf or a feather lying astray.

“Goodbye, Todard!” Plip yelled as the wind began to carry her faerie body up and away into the sky. “Goodbye, Mom! Goodbye, Dad!”

“Goodbye, Plip!” Todard yelled with Plip’s parents, watching as Plip careened and twirled about on the currents of air.

Fighting to hold back the stinging in his eyes as Plip was carried further and further away, Todard suddenly yelled, “FIRETRUCK! THE WORD IS FIRETRUCK!” at the top of his lungs.

And he was delighted to hear, being carried back to him by the gracious wind, the sound of Plip’s glorious guffaw as she snorted, “Firetruck!”