Winged Bastards From The Sky

A week later, Captain Dither showed up at the studio. Uncle Bob and Mama Witt hadn't let up with the pranks. They were getting old fast. They weren't even that funny.

One time, Captain Dither found shaving cream in his shoe. Another time, Captain Dither ordered lunch and his sandwich had newspaper in it. Captain Dither didn't know what to expect today. He knew that Nick wasn't happy about constantly having to clean up the mess.

Captain Dither entered the studio. He navigated his way along the habit-trail. He could see that the fog machine was working. He also thought he saw a feather or two wafting. Captain Dither groaned to himself. 'What had Robert and Whitney done now?' Captain Dither thought.

Captain Dither trotted ahead. He thought that whatever was going on, Nick or somebody might need help. Captain Dither rounded the corner. He ran into a huge box fan. The fan blew smoke from the fog machine directly into his face. Uncle Bob was standing right there and saw Captain Dither come around the corner. Robert threw an extra large handful of feathers into the fan, which blew the feathers into Captain Dither's mouth and nose. Captain Dither retreated to cough and sputter as he choked on the feathers. Captain Dither clawed at his face. He spit the feathers out onto the floor.

Nick heard the commotion. He came out of his office to receive his own blast of feathers in the face. Both Captain Dither and Nick were coughing up the feathers. When the feathers were clear and Nick and Captain Dither could breathe, again, Nick was furious and Captain Dither tried to pretend that he was invisible.

"WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH ALL THESE FANS, THE SMOKE MACHING, AND THE FEATHERS!!!" Nick screamed. "ROBERT AND WHITNEY I AM LOOKING AT YOU TWO IDIOTS!!!"

Uncle Bob and Mama Witt stopped the fans and fog machine. They didn't even bother hiding the grins on their faces. "We were setting up for the next scene and things got carried away."

Captain Dither saw through the obvious lie. They hadn't recorded anything in over a week. Captain Dither knew that and he was sure that Nick knew that as well.

Nick clearly didn't buy the nonsense that Robert and Whitney were selling. "If that's the case," he sneered at the pair. "Then you two won't mind cleaning up the mess. You know where the brooms are get started. Dither!" Nick pulled out his wallet. He took out some money and handed it to Captain Dither. "Go get some burgers for the crew for lunch. Take Luscious with you. She can help carry bags and drinks."

Captain Dither took the money. "Sure." He nodded. "Has anyone seen which way Luscious went?"

"I can find her." Nick pulled out his phone. "Luscious, I need you by the stage. I am sending you and Captain Dither on an errand."

It wasn't long before Luscious showed up. She smiled at Nick. "Hi, Nick, what's the job?"

Nick returned the warm smile. "I am sending you and Captain Dither on an errand to get burgers for the crew while Uncle Bob and Mama Witt clean up the mess they made. Dither's already got the money."

Captain Dither saluted Luscious. He led her to his truck. He opened the door and held his hand out to help her in.

Luscious was completely unimpressed by Captain Dither's chivalry. "So..." She began. "Where did you want to go for the burgers?"

Captain Dither shrugged when he got into his truck. "Not sure. I was thinking either Mcburger World or Burger Krazy. Either one of those should be fine."

"Burger Krazy, definitely!" Luscious added her two cents. "I have heard not so nice things about Mcburger World. Like they have roaches and stuff."

"But do they come at you and start screaming at you for no reason?" Captain Dither asked. "I have a chick come at me like that everytime I walk into Pizzabutton."

"That would be Forehead." Luscious answered Captain Dither's question. "I used to work at Pizzabutton. She comes at everyone like that. She can't keep employees. It's a wonder that she even has any customers."

"Burger Krazy it is." Captain Dither said as he put the truck in gear. He backed the vehicle up and drove out of the parking lot.

Burger Krazy wasn't too far away. There was one a few blocks away. Captain Dither had been there multiple times on deliveries. "Do you want to get the food through the drive through or from the counter inside?'' He asked Luscious.

She thought for a minute. "Let's go inside."

Luscious opened the door when they parked. She made a beeline for the door at a quick pace. When she got to the entrance of the restaurant she turned and stared at Captain Dither. She tapped her foot. "Come on, Dither! What's taking you so long!?"

"I'm coming!" Captain Dither called out to her. He locked his truck. He started his trot to her, then, ducked. His eyes had a wild look of terror when they came to rest upon the object that flew overhead. It was a seagull.

The bird wasn't interested in Captain Dither. It had its sights set on an overflowing trashcan. The seagull perched itself on the lid and began digging into the garbage for whatever tasty treats that it could find.

Captain Dither saw that the bird was distracted. He thought he had an opportunity. Captain Dither dashed past the bird and Luscious into the restaurant. Once safely inside, Captain Dither slammed the door in the face of a stunned Luscious. He held the door to keep the offensive bird as well as Luscious outside. The seagull ignored both humans.

Luscious pounded on the door. "Dither! What do you think you're doing!?" Luscious screamed in fury. "What's wrong with you!?"

Captain Dither was too terrified to speak. He wasn't going to open the door. He pointed to the object of his fear.

"A seagull?" Luscious clicked her tongue. She kicked the trashcan scaring the bird away. "There, it's gone. Now, will you let me in?"

Captain Dither breathed a sigh of relief. He opened the door and held it for Luscious. "Sorry. Seagulls are psycho and I don't want to be anywhere near them."

"Whatever." Luscious rolled her eyes. She went up to the counter and ordered for the crew. She had known them for years and knew what everybody wanted.

After a several moments, Captain Dither and Luscious were loaded with bags and drinks. They were about to leave the restaurant when Captain Dither stopped them. He leaned against the glass. He was worried that the seagull had returned. Captain Dither peeled his eyes. He scanned land, sea, and air. No sign of a seagull or any other kind of bird. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Captain Dither smiled as he opened the door for Luscious. She rolled her eyes at him and exited Burger Krazy.

Luscious was carrying two drink carriers loaded full of large cups. She was being careful to balance to avoid spilling. When she and Captain Dither got

to Dither's truck, she set the drinks on the hood. She opened the door, herself, and got in. Captain Dither handed the drinks to her. After making sure that all hands, feet, and other appendages were tucked securely inside the vehicle, Captain Dither closed the door. He went around to the driver's side and got in. He stashed the bags of food in a compartment he built special in a space between the seats. "Ready?" He smiled. Captain Dither drove back to the studio.

Luscious and Captain Dither were treated like heroes for bringing the food. Then, they were quickly forgotten while everyone got their grub on. Silence and chewing filled the room.

Luscious saw Uncle Bob and Mama Witt hanging out in a corner. She bailed on Captain Dither without bothering to say 'goodbye.' The trio had a lively discussion. Several looks were shot in Captain Dither's direction.

A very evil grin spread across Robert's face. He leaned closer to his wife and Luscious. Plans were whispered.