The egrets were now walking around Soma and laughing as they pointed at her goofy costume. Soma’s cheeks turned red and she started to chase them. Sensing that they better find cover, they fluttered away.
When Sydney landed back on Soma, she accidentally stepped on a loose thread from Soma’s costume. She was laughing so hard at the costume that her eyes were squeezed shut, and she did not even know that her feet were unraveling the unicorn outfit.
Soma whipped around to face her head-on, her eyes crossed and steam was coming out of her nose and ears. Sydney opened her eyes and saw Soma in front of her. When she noticed the unraveled costume she gulped. “Oops.”
Sydney lifted her foot off the thread. Like a boomerang, it shot out from under her. The thread stretched out and yanked Soma in the other direction. Sydney fell off and tumbled on the ground.
Frederick shook his head pathetically. “Oh, brother. We’ve got a live one here.”
Cedric shook his head at her. “Soma, you’ve got to take this seriously. Stop playin’ around.”
Soma shot him a dirty look.
Frederick rolled his eyes at the spectacle, then clapped his wings to get their attention. “Alright, alright, class, on to the next idea. Time to take it to the next level! Get out of the shallow end, if you know what I mean. And that means you, with the pointy protrusion. You know, you could hang things on that husky hook of yours!”
Frederick stood next to Soma. “Now, let’s see. What to do, what to do? Back to the drawing board. Hm. Large, round body, spear in head. What else can we do? Oy! Not much!”
Rolling his eyes, Frederick stepped away from her. He sashayed over to a sandy area surrounding the lagoon and used a toe claw to draw blueprints in the sand. Frederick drew what looked like complicated mathematical equations. He muttered to himself, “Hm. Let’s see. How about a hut? A boat? A tow truck? Dump truck?”
Soma scowled back at Frederick’s suggestions. “That one’s gone around the bend.”
“No…wait!! I’ve got it! Spandex!!” Frederick held his wing tip up as if he had the world’s best idea.
“Wait, what?” Soma’s head snapped around to look at the flamingo. “And what about my horn?”
Frederick shrugged his shoulders. “Small detail. No worries!”
“Is this new idea gonna get me home?” Thunder asked him.
“Honey, home is where you want it to be.” Frederick returned to his closet. He opened a large trunk and peeled through more layers of clothes.
“Aha! I knew they were in here somewhere!” Frederick pulled out a pair of black yoga pants and held them up. “This is your ticket out! Come with me!”
Soma groaned and shook her head. “Oh, no, no, no.”
“Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” returned Frederick.
Soma looked cross-eyed at Frederick. “You’re kidding, right?”
The egrets, all now sitting on her back again, broke out in laughter.
Persius hooted the loudest. “We should have tickets for this show!”
Frederick snapped his fingers. “Come stand over here! I don’t have all day.” Frederick pointed to a spot between two trees. He stretched the yoga pants between the trees. He planned to use the yoga pants as a slingshot to propel Thunder and Soma across the field.
Thunder and Soma walked over to the trees then stood on their hind legs, side by side before the pants. They leaned back into the spandex yoga pants and waited to see what would happen next.
Frederick pulled the yoga pants until they were taut. Closing one eye, he squinted with the other, aiming the slingshot device at the far edge of the field away from the lagoon. “Just a little more to the left. Okay! And you thought you couldn’t fly! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
Frederick released the yoga pants sling. Thwang! Thunder and Soma jettisoned through the air. Thunder’s ears flapped loudly in the wind as their two big bodies soared over the field.
Penelope, the egrets, and Frederick watched them catapult through the air.
“Are they gonna make it?” Cedric asked.
The answer came soon enough. Thunder and Soma landed just short of the edge of the field, in a muddy area. SPLAT!!
Persius shook his head. “Destination not reached.”
Soma rolled over and glared back over in their direction. As soon as she could, she stood up and charged toward the forest.
Cedric nodded to the others. “Okay, time to fly! Let’s go!”
“See ya, Frederick!” said Persius.
Penelope blinked her eyes. “Bye, bye big birdy.”
Frederick waved at them. “Don’t forget me when you write your memoirs!”
Penelope and the egrets took off over the field. Soma was charging so fast, they could not catch up to her.
“Hey, Ms. Soma! Hello!?” Cedric called from above.
“Whoa, sister! Wait for us!” Persius added.
Sydney had trouble getting her words out. “I can’t…hiccup…I can’t keep up!”
Persius flew up behind Sydney where she could not see him. “Boo!!”
Now startled, Sydney fell a few feet. “What are you doin’?”
“Tryin’ to scare the hiccups.” Persius heard her hiccup again as she flew in the air above Soma. “So much for that idea.”
“Wait for me!” Thunder called from far back.
“We’re on our own. She’s not stopping for anyone!”
All of the birds circled above. Thunder got up and trotted across the field. He was very excited. Today, he just might find his mother again. “I can’t wait for you to meet my mom! She’s the best! I think we’re almost there!”
Back at Frederick’s pad, the flamingo was putting on his makeup at the vanity in his outdoor dressing room. “Let’s see how my pupils are doing. Yes! Yes!”
Frederick strolled away from his lagoon and flew over to the border fence. He gingerly lifted his wing to shade his eyes. Scanning the field, he caught Penelope, the egrets, Thunder, and Soma in his sights as they made their way from open land and back into the covered forest.
He hooted in glee. “Woohooo-ooo. It worked! It worked!! I should patent those yoga pants.” Strolling back to his digs, he plucked a flower and smelled it. “This is the perfume for moi! Aahh.”