Jibbi

"Hello? Allen resistance, you've reached Boober."

"Hey, Toots."

"Red?"

"It's me. I need your help with something." "With what?" "With a case."

Boober huffed. "Red, I told you. I'm not a detective. I helped you find Wembley, that's it. I'm done." "I know, but I don't need you out in the field. I just need you to hop on over to my office and look at something."

"No. Whatever it is, you can bring it over when you and Mokey come over for supper." "It's a bit time sensitive, Boo. And it's laundry related."

Boober paused and stopped twirling the phone cord in his fingers.

"...Go on?" "Murder at a laundromat. Strange, blue-ish powder found near the body. I need you to tell me what it is."

"...Ok. Yeah, I'll...I'll be over soon. I've got a pie in the oven." "Aw, Wembley's so lucky to have you. How's he doing, by the way?" "Fine. His fur is growing back nicely...Sometimes he stares off into space, but...he's ok, besides that. We'll both be ok."

Red nodded. "Good to hear. Well, I'll see you in a bit, Sugartits."

~~~~~

"Evening, Detective." "Boober. Thanks for coming." "Your office feels more professional, now that you're not living in it. How's life with Mokey treatin' ya?" "She's the best thing to ever happen to me. She's incredible. But we can talk about that later."

Red opened a drawer in her desk, and pulled out a little baggie of powder. The same blue-ish powder Red had described on the phone.

"Do you know what this is?"

Boober took the baggie.

"Hmmm...Well, it looks like powdered laundry detergent...Where was it found?" "Around the mouth." "Cause of death?" "Stab wound. Not poisoning." "No signs at all?" "None." "Hm...Well, I think there's only one thing to do."

Boober reached into his purse and pulled out a dirty cloth.

"You got a bucket?"

~~~

"Well, it's definitely detergent..."

Boober mumbled, watching the power bubble up, and clean the fifth off of the cloth.

"The real question is, what was it doing around the victims mouth?" "That's for me to figure out. You've done enough." "Oh, no. This is a laundry related mystery. You need me." "I thought you weren't a detective."

Red teased, poking Boober in the chest.

"I'm not. But I am a laundry expert. You're going to want me around." "You're not exactly dressed for work, hm? Heels, corsets and a petticoat?"

Thank you, and have a magical day.

"Sidebottom? What kind of name is that?" "Red! Don't be rude..."

"...I guess it is kind of a strange name, huh? Well, I...I'm the boring side of Boober's personality...so I keep myself repressed at the back of our mind...So nobody has to deal with me."

"The boring side?" "The one obsessed with laundry, and cooking...the one who hates parties and songs and loud noises. I keep myself in our mind, and I only come out during dreams...makes life easier for everyone."

"Oh...Buddy, that's terrible. Why would you do that to yourself?"

Sidebottom began to play with his scarf, and stare around the room aimlessly.

"Look at me. Look at Boober. Look at yourselves. Look at all the other Fraggles...I wouldn't fit in. You're better off without me in your lives...So please, just go away!"

"But Boober-Er, Sidebottom, dear..." "Boober isn't my name anymore! Leave me alone!".

"Anymore?" "I said leave me alone! Get out of here before he finds me!" "Before who finds you?"

"SIDEY!" "Uuughhh..."

Boober came bounding into the room, tacking his other half to the ground.

"Aww, there's my favorite Bottom!" "Do NOT call me that!" "Why? We both know it's true, hehe!"

"Leave me alone, I'm busy!" "Busy, with what? All I see is piles of laundry! Let's go play, I'm bored!" "As am I. And I quite like it that way. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Sidebottom sat on the ground and continued scrubbing. Boober huffed, sitting down on the ground and rolling around.

"Will you stop that!?" "But I'm boooooooored! Our friends are here, let's play a game!" "They're your friends, not mine. If you're going to play a game, go play it elsewhere."

Mokey frowned, and walked over to where Sidebottom was sitting. "Sidebottom, dear...You understand that you're my brother too, yes? Don't you get lonely, all alone in here? It's so...dull, and empty." "I like it that way. I don't need anybody else."

"Surely that's not true. What if we stayed here with you? That would bring a little more joy, yes?"

Sidebottom looked up. "You'd stay with me?" "Of course! Wouldn't we all?"

Red and Gobo shared a hesitant look, but Wembley ran to go sit.

"Well, sure we would! Right, Boober?"

Boober huffed. "Sure, whatever. You hang out with Doom, Gloom and Laundry, I'm gonna go wander around!"

Boober stood up and marched off.

"Soo..." Red mumbled. "You said you keep yourself back here, yeah? Why?"

Sidebottom paused.

"I don't know. When I was little, I realized that I wasn't anything like other Fraggles...and I hated it. I was mocked, and bullied because I wasn't the same...so I hid myself away in my own mind...and I let Boober take my name and live my life in my place."

There was silence for a moment.

"So....You're the real Boober?"

"Well, I wouldn't say there's a real Boober, considering he's lived this life for so long. But, technically speaking...Yes. I'm the real Boober.

There was another brief moment of quiet.

Boober shot up in bed and turned to face Wembley.

"Wembles! Good morning! Aw, don't you worry about me for a second! Oh, I just had a terrible dream..." "Oh no! Was it scary?" "No, no scary! Just so boring! It was all about laundry, and soap and cleaning...I hated it! There weren't even any doozers for me to tell jokes to!" "Aww... I'm sorry...Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Aw!"

Boober grabbed his sparky plaid had and vest, and skipped over to Wembley.

"You're so sweeeeet! I love it!" "Just d-doing something nice for a friend, hehe...Want us to sleep in here tonight? Maybe make the dream less boring?" "Ooh, Wembley! How scandalous!" "Aw, I-It's not like that!"

"It's not? Oh, you're breaking my heart! Hehe!" "Aw, Boober!"

Boober gave Wembley a kiss on the cheek, and held his hand.

"Thanks, Wemb. You're really nice, and I really appreciate it. There's nothing I hate more than a boring dream..." "I know. That's why I want to help! Let's go tell the others, huh?" "Ok!"

~~~~

"Isn't a boring dream good, Boober?" "No! You think I want to spend all my time in dreamland doing laundry with a monster!?"

Everyone paused.

"A monster?" Mokey hummed. "You didn't say anything about a monster..." "He's the boredom monster! He loves laundry, and he's the woooorst! Just wait until you meet him!"

"Sounds awful...I'm sorry, dear. Why don't you lay down? We'll follow you into dreamland soon enough."

"Ok!"

Boober dramatically flopped on the bed and snuggled into his blankets, quickly falling asleep.

"The poor thing..." "You think? I mean, a boring dream isn't the end of the world." "You know how Boober feels about boring things! And it's not about the dreams. He's not sleeping well, and that breaks my heart."

Red put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mokes. Believe me, I'm excited to see what's inside Boober's noggin!" "Oh, wonderful!"

The Fraggle five all snuggled up in the bed, heads pressed together. Wembley grabbed Boober's paws and squeezed it, hoping it would bring some comfort.

"G'night, guys..." "Goodnight ." "Night."

Dream and a dream and see...What a dream can be...

Boober's dream was in a cave. A dark brown and grey cave, with almost no light and the subtle smell of laundry detergent.

"...Wow. Boober wasn't kidding. This is boring."

"Yeah. Where is he, anyway?"

"I dunno...Oh! I head humming! This way! No....no, it's this way! Er, Actually..." "This way, Wemb." "Ok!"

The group slowly made their way towards the sound of the humming. The sound of scrubbing soon joined it, like somebody was doing laundry...

"Mmmh...hmmm, hmmm, hmm..."

"Hello? Boober?"

"EEK!"

There was a loud splash and some shuffling, but when the Fraggles turned the corner, there was nothing, just a bucket of water and a pile of dirty laundry.

"...What is that?" "Dirty clothes. I suppose that is rather boring. Boober, dear? Are you here?"

"e-eugh...g-go away..."

"Is that you, dear? We're here to help!" "... Boober's not here." "What do you mean? Come on out, darling, it'll be ok!"

There was some more shuffling, and a Fraggle that looked almost identical to Boober stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a brown scarf and a matching newsboy cap, and his hair was neater than Boober's.

The Fraggle Five just stared.

"Boober?"