Join The Club

Join The Club is the third episode of the first season of The Adventures Of True. True learns about a kids' club run by Blue, her brother Sprinkles, and Stocking Head, and is invited to join.One Friday afternoon at Jim Henson Elementary School, True was in the school library checking out some books. The librarian, a blue octopus named Oswald, who wore nothing more than a small black bowler hat on his head, scanned the two books, which were two of the Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, the two in particular being Four Little Engines and Great Little Engines, under the scanner and gave them to her.

"These are due three weeks from today, okay?" he said.

"Okay, Mister Oswald." said True with a smile.

True collected her books and went back to Miss Busybody's classroom. Later, at lunch, True got her tray and went to sit down at her usual table with Blue, Stocking Head, Molly, Gil, Goby, Deema, Oona, Nonny, and Zooli, but when she arrived, she found then talking to two other kids at the table. One of them was a girl with golden blonde hair with bright scarlet and purple highlights, green eyes, and wearing a blue button-down shirt with a pink collar and trimming at the bottom, a yellow and red frill skirt, blue tights, and purple and yellow sneakers, and the other was a boy with dirty blond hair with gold streaks, light brown eyes, and wearing a two-toned light blue hoodie, a white undershirt, blue jeans, and dark red converse sneakers.

"Hey, guys." said True as she sat down. "Who're these two?"

"So glad you asked." said Blue. "True, meet Sunny Day and Timothy Haley."

"You can just call me "Timmy"." said the boy.

"Nice to meet you both." said True as she shook hands with Sunny and Timmy.

"The same can be said about us meeting you." said Sunny.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" asked True.

"Our club meeting." said Blue.

"Yeah, me, Timmy, Stocking Head, Blue, and Blue's kid brother Sprinkles run this kids' club in town." said Sunny.

"And we meet every Friday, like today." said Timmy.

"Oh, cool." said True. "What do you guys usually do?"

"Well, we pretty much just hang out." said Blue.

"Yeah, we just do normal kid stuff, like play games and such." said Gil. "And on the last Friday of every month, we usually have a pizza party."

"Sounds like fun." said True.

Just then, Blue had an idea.

"Hey, True, how would you like to come to this week's meeting?" Blue asked.

"Gee, I don't know." said True. "The show I come from doesn't air on Nick Jr. compared to yours."

"So?" asked Stocking Head. "I'm a non-Nick Jr. character myself, and I'm one of the honchos of the club."

"Yeah." said Blue. "Besides, wether you're a Nick Jr. character or not, anyone is welcome."

True thought about this for quite a bit.

"I'll talk to James and Moose about it." she said.

"Alright." said Blue. "And it's at 4:00 in my backyard."

"Thanks, Blue." said True.

"No problem." said Blue.

Later that afternoon, True arrived home from school and found James tuning his Squier SA-150 acoustic guitar and Moose playing NASCAR '15 on the Xbox 360.

"Hi, guys." said True.

"Hey, True." said Moose as he paused his game. "How was school today?"

"It was awesome!" said True. "We learned how fossils form in science and we watched a documentary about Pablo Picasso in art class.".

"Nice." said James.

"By the way, Moose and James, I have a question for you." said True.

"Sure." said James. "What do you need?"

"Well, you see, Blue invited me to this club she, Stocking Head, Sprinkles, and two kids named Sunny and Timmy run." said True. "Can I go?"

"Of course you can." said James.

"What time is it?" asked Moose.

"4:00." said True.

"Alright." said James.

James then checked the time on his phone, and it said 3:25.

"Say, it's almost 3:30." said James. "Why don't you go over there now?"

"Alright." said True. "See you later!"

"You too, cuz." said James as True went out the door. "And have fun!"

With that, True walked out the door and started on her way to Blue's house. She soon arrived, and when she rang the doorbell, she was greeted by Blue, Sprinkles, and Stocking Head.

"Hey, True, come on in." said Blue.

True did.

"So, where's the club?" True asked.

"In the backyard." said Stocking Head. "We're just waiting for Joe and Josh to finish making the snacks."

"Oh, okay." said True.

Just then, Josh came into the room, carrying a platter of brookies, followed by Joe, who was wearing his trademark orange shirt, and had a jug of orange Kool-Aid.

"What are those?" True asked upon seeing the treats.

"Brookies." said Josh. "They're a combination of brownies and chocolate chip brownies."

"Sounds delicious." said True.

"And here's some orange Kool-Aid." said Joe.

"Thanks, you two. As always." said Blue.

"Hey, no problem." said Josh.

"Yeah, no worries." said Joe.

"Do you guys need help carrying it outside?" True asked.

"No thanks, we got it." said Blue as she took the jug from Joe.

"But you can still carry something." said Stocking Head as he and Sprinkles both took the platter of brookies from Josh.

"Okie-doke." said True. "What can I carry?"

"Well, we'll need paper plates for the brookies and some plastic cups for the Kool-Aid." said Blue.

"And some napkins to wipe our mouths." said Stocking Head.

"I can get those." said True. "Where are they at?"

"They're in the pantry on the top shelf." said Joe. "I can help you with that if you want."

"That'd be nice." said True. "Thanks, Joe."

"No problem." said Joe.

"We'll meet you outside, True." said Blue as she, Stocking Head, and Sprinkles went outside.

"Alright." said True.

Soon, True, with the aid of Joe, had collected the cups, plates, and napkins, and was on her way outside. She went out the back door, and saw a clubhouse that looked like an inverted version of Blue's normal house.

"This must be the place." said True as she went inside.

When True got inside, she was surprised when she saw a sea of various characters from Nick Jr. shows.

"Wow." True said to herself. "What a joint!"

True then went over to Blue.

"I got the stuff." she said.

"Great." said Blue. "You can put it on that table over there.

Blue pointed to a table in a corner that had the brookie platter and Kool-Aid on it. Next to that was a fruit salad, and next to that a veggie tray that had carrots, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, celery, sugar snap peas, and hummus. She set the plates, cups, and napkins on the other end of the table.

"Everything's in place, Blue." True said.

"Great." said Blue, who then looked at the clock. "And now that it's 3:59, I think it's time to start."

Blue then picked up a plastic Whack-A-Mole mallet and banged it like a gavel to get everyone else's attention.

"Attention, everyone, attention." said Blue. "Before we begin this week's club meeting, I'd like to say that we have a new member joining us today. Everyone give a warm welcome to True."

"Hi, True!" the other club members chorused.

"Hi, everyone!" True said. "It's nice to be here!"

"And with that, let the fun begin!" said Blue.

And pretty soon, the clubhouse was filled with the sounds of friendly chatter and laughter. True happily sat at a table in another corner and did some coloring when Sprinkles came over to her.

"Blue, Stocking Head, Sunny, and Timmy wanna talk to you." he said.

"Oh, okay." said True.

True then went over to Blue, Stocking Head, Sunny, and Timmy, who were sitting at another table.

"Sprinkles told me you guys wanted to talk to me." said True.

"Yup." said Stocking Head. "Have a seat."

True pulled up a chair and sat down.

"So, what's up?" she asked.

"Nothing much." said Blue. "Just wanted to tell you something."

"Okay." said True. "What did you want to tell me?"

"That in order to be in this club, you have to perform a special task." said Stocking Head.

"What sort of "special task"?" True asked.

"A snipe hunt." said Sunny.

"Snipe?" True asked. "What's a snipe?"

"It's a really tall bird with beautiful feathers." said Timmy. "They live in burrows underground."

"And they love chocolate." said Blue.

"Tall, beautiful feathers, loves chocolate." said True. "Got it. So, what do I have to do to and when I find the snipe?"

"To find it, you have to clap your hands three times and call it." said Stocking Head.

"And when you find it, you'll put this over its head." said Sunny, as she held up a potato sack.

"Okay, thanks." said True as she took the sack. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a snipe to hunt."

"Alrighty then." said Timmy. "Good luck!"

And with that, True left the clubhouse, clapping her hands and calling the snipe as she had been instructed She had also gone to the candy store and bought a chocolate bar, which she had unwrapped halfway.

"Here, snipe!" she said. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

She went all over town doing this, and soon found herself in the downtown area.

"Wow." said True. "How'd I end up here? Oh well, better continue hunting."

She resumed what she had been doing, but then she saw Steve, who was coming out of the grocery store with a bag of groceries.

"There's Steve." said True. "Maybe he's seen a snipe."

True then went up to Steve.

"Hi, Steve." said True. "Have you got a minute or two to spare?"

"But of course." said Steve. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen any snipes around here?" True asked. "I'm on a snipe hunt, and I was told that they live in burrows underground."

"Hmm..." said Steve. "Well, technically, it would be kinda unlikely for a snipe to be burrowing underground here in the downtown area. There's not a lotta grassy places. Why don't you try the park instead?"

"Okay, I will." said True. "Thanks, Steve."

"That's alright." said Steve with a smile.

With that, True made her way to the park and tried again calling for the snipe, but so far, she had no luck.

"Gee, that snipe sure is elusive." said True. "But I'm not gonna give up."

Back at the clubhouse, Blue, Stocking Head, Sunny, and Timmy where playing Trouble while waiting for True to come back, but it had been almost an hour since True left, and they were starting to get worried.

"Gee, True's been gone for a long time." said Sunny.

"You're right." said Blue. "Pretty soon, it'll be time for us to go home for supper."

"You know something, I'm beginning to think that maybe this whole "snipe hunt" business wasn't such a good idea after all." said Stocking Head.

"I agree with Stocking Head." said Timmy. "Maybe we should change the way we initiate new members into the club."

"Good call." said Blue. "In fact, maybe we should just go ahead make True a member, anyway."

Meanwhile, True was still looking for the snipe when she found herself on a farm.

"Maybe the snipe is somewhere around here." True said.

She walked around the farm and called for the snipe.

"Here, snipey, snipey, snipey." she said.

But she got the same result as she did when she tried looking for the snipe downtown and in the park.

"This is so strange." said True. "Where in the world is that snipe?"

Just then, she saw the farmer, a Japanese-American woman named Yumi, who wore a tan straw hat, a green shirt, blue overalls, red and white gloves, and black rubber boots picking apples.

"Maybe she knows where it is." said True.

True went over to Farmer Yumi just as the latter was climbing down from her stepladder.

"Excuse me." said True.

"Well, hi there." said Farmer Yumi when she came face to face with her visitor. "What's your name?"

"True." said True.

"Nice to meet you, True." said Farmer Yumi. "I'm Farmer Yumi. What brings you here?"

"Have you seen a snipe around here?" True asked.

"Yes, I have." said Farmer Yumi. "But not here. What kind of snipe are you looking for?"

"The kind that's tall, has colorful feathers, and lives in underground burrows." said True.

"Well, there is such a thing as a snipe, but not the kind you just described." said Farmer Yumi.

True was confused.

"What do you mean?" True asked.

"This is what I mean." said Farmer Yumi.

Farmer Yumi then got out her phone and pulled up an image of a real snipe, which she showed to True.

"This is a real snipe." she explained. "They live in marshes and wet meadows, not in burrows. And they are kinda small and don't have colorful feathers."

"Oh." said True in a disappointed tone. "Okay. Thanks, Farmer Yumi."

"No problem." said Farmer Yumi.

True then walked away, and as she did, she couldn't help but feel sad and disappointed that her search was in vain.

"So much for making that trip all over town." said True.

Then, another thought struck True's mind like a bowling ball knocking down all ten pins.

"What if Blue and Stocking Head and everyone else was just playing a mean joke on me?" True asked. "And what if they really don't want me in their club?"

Tears began forming in her eyes as this thought raced around her head.

"Maybe they don't, and I wasted all this time for nothing!" True said, on the verge of tears.

True then ran behind some milk crates, dropped to the ground, and started crying.

"It's just not fair!" True sobbed.

Just then, one of the milk crates True was crying behind moved, and she saw a man short brown hair, dark brown eyes, a beard with a mustache and soul patch, and wearing a red and white trucker cap with a picture of a cow on it, a light blue plaid shirt over a white undershirt, jean overalls, and black and dark orange boots.

"Well, howdy." the man said. "Who are ya?"

"My name's True." True sniffled. "And who are you?"

"I'm Farmer Al." said the man. "And I'm Farmer Yumi's husband. Now, tell me, what's the matter? Why are ya cryin'?"

True explained everything to Farmer Al, then threw her arms around him, crying into his chest.

"There, there." Farmer Al said as he hugged True. "I think those kids are just messin' with ya."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out already." said True as she calmed down.

"But don't worry, I have a plan." said Farmer Al.

"You do?" True asked. "Well, what is it?"

At the clubhouse, Blue, Sprinkles, Stocking Head, Sunny, and Timmy had done a vote among the club about True being admitted to the club regardless of wether she came back with the snipe or without, and everyone voted in favor, so it was unanimous. But then, something interesting happened, as True entered the clubhouse looking very triumphant.

"I found it!" she said. "I found the snipe!"

Everyone was surprised.

"What?!" Blue cried. "You did?!"

"Where is it?!" Stocking Head asked.

"Come and see!" said True.

True led all the kids outside and to the "snipe", which, unknown to them but known to True, was really Farmer Al in disguise. All were amazed.

"I don't believe it!" said Sprinkles. "A real snipe, here in our backyard!"

Sunny then got out her phone and took a picture.

"Wait until Mom and Dad see this when I get home." said Sunny.

"Say, how did you find it, anyway?" asked Timmy.

"It came right to me." said True. "I did the call and fed it some chocolate."

"That she did." said the snipe.

Everyone besides True was shocked.

"Did it just talk?!" asked Molly.

"It did!" said Gil.

The snipe laughed, and that's when Farmer Al removed his disguise.

"Ta-da!" he said.

"Farmer Al?!" the other kids asked.

"But why?!" asked Blue.

Farmer Al explained.

"Oh, yeah." said Blue, who then looked at True. "True, we owe you an apology."

"Yeah, we're so sorry we did this to you." said Stocking Head.

"Very sorry." said Sunny.

"Very, very, sorry." said Timmy.

"Very, very, very, sorry." said Sprinkles.

True smiled.

"Apology accepted." she said. "Though, does this mean I'm in the club?"

"Yup." said Blue. "In fact, while you were gone, we took a vote and decided to make you a member anyway."

"And we also changed up our initiation procedure." said Timmy.

"Yeah, from now on, we won't be sending new members on snipe hunts." said Sprinkles.

"What're you gonna do instead?" True asked.

"That is yet to be determined." said Blue.

Everyone laughed, and Farmer Al noticed the sun starting to set.

"Hey, it's gettin' late." he said. "I better head back to the farm. See y'all later!"

Farmer Al then left. Just as he was out of sight, Steve came outside.

"Blue, Sprinkles, dinner's ready!" he said.

"Coming, Steve!" Blue said. "Well, guys, this meeting is adjourned. See you all next week!"

With that, everyone went their seperate ways, and when True and Stocking Head came home, they were treated to a half-cheese/half-pepperoni Sicilian pizza and root beer from Pizza Planet. While they dined, True and Stocking Head told James and Moose everything that had transpired.

"I'm glad everything worked out in the end for the both of you." said James. "And I must admit, that was one heck of a comeback. Couldn't have done a better job myself."

"Neither could I." said Moose.

"And I'm also glad you had fun at the club." said James. "and I hope you'll have lots more fun from this Friday onwards."

"That I will, cuz." True said. "That I will."

The End