Babes In WENNLand, Part 5

Lisa felt nervous. She wanted to help, but she didn't entirely like her role in this. She and Alan were making their way down the hall, followed by Mr. Piper. Mr. Barnaby was watching the workers in a small office overlooking the main factory. The office was filled with buttons and levers and pulleys and tubes. It looked like something from out of the Flash Gordon serials.

She recognized the young man as C.J from the control room at WENN. This time, he wore a green and yellow striped tunic and tighter trousers than Scott. His green apron was splattered with colorful substances. “I'm C.J Grumio,” the young man explained. “I run the controls for all the machines in the factory.” Scott just nodded at him. “I have to go look at the, uh, doll-making machine. It's not putting the heads on the right way. We can't have the dolls looking at their feet.”

Scott turned to Pruitt as C.J darted out the door. “Sir, these lovely children and I” he put his arm around Lisa and Alan, “want to describe to you an idea we had that was so ingenious, so...amazing, it'll change the way we look at toys forever!”

Mr. Barnaby made a face as Scott pulled him away. “Mr. Piper, I'm trying to watch my factory workers. I can't do that and listen to you at the same time.”

“Then why don't you listen to us?” Alan grinned. “What we have to say is really, really important!”

Lisa gulped, then added “It's really...something, sir.” She thought of all those kids out there who might not get presents this year if they didn't help out. “Do it for us kids?”

Scott pulled Mr. Barnaby down the hall to another part of the factory. Mr. Eldridge opened the door for him. “What do you think? They're the best things we ever made, let me tell you! It only took us..” he counted on his fingers, then gave up and continued “well, it took us a long time.”

Lisa stopped so suddenly, Alan ran into her. “Oh, wow!” They'd been lead into what seemed to be a storage room. The room was filled to the brim with the tallest toy soldiers Lisa ever saw. There were old wind-up tin soldiers with pop guns. There were newer plastic soldiers. There were flying aces in small airplanes with propellers that really spun, and even soldiers in a tank the size of a small car. There were cowboy and Indian dolls who carried pop guns and wooden tomahawks. And every single soldier in the room was the size of an actual human. The planes were even pretty close to the size of real planes.

“Holy smokes!” gasped Alan. “There's enough here to play the biggest game of cowboys and Indians ever!”

“How's this for a big idea?” Scott asked with a smirk. “Kids could play with them on their front lawn. They could go for rides on them! The tin soldiers would make great Christmas decorations, too. And who doesn't want their own plane these days?”

“I know I'd like my own plane!” said Alan excitedly. He did, too. A big model plane like the ones Mother sold at Gimbels' was on his Christmas list to Santa this year.

“I'd feel safe if one of those big cowboys or Indians were guarding me,” Lisa added. “Even if they don't move, they'd sure scare off burglars!”

Mr. Barnaby made a face. “They're impractical, Mr. Piper. Surely you know that. Santa would never fit them on his sleigh.”

“Oh, but they have other purposes.” Scott nodded. Alan and Lisa ran to wind up two of them. “Like Lisa said, they make great burglar alarms.” Mr. Eldridge pushed buttons on various cowboys and Indians. “They even move! Want to see 'em?”

Mr. Barnaby made a face. “Not particularly.”

Scott jumped aside as the two soldiers came right at Barnaby. “Piper, call these overgrown tin cans off!”

“Oh, they're just doing their jobs, sir.” Scott grinned and moved to one of the large airplanes. “How'd you like to see one of these fly?”

“I would!” said Alan excitedly.

Mr. Barnaby made a face. “I certainly wouldn't. There isn't enough room in the factory for such horseplay.” He ducked as one of the soldiers raised his bayonets to salute him.

“Oh, but these are fun!” He unlatched the hook holding the airplane on the ground. Alan spun the propeller. Scott leaned over to push some buttons in the plane.

Suddenly, the plane zoomed over everyone's head! Alan let out a yelp of delight. Mr. Barnaby was less thrilled. The plane went right to him, whooshing around his head and bumping into his rear.

“What is it doing?” He tried to jump away from it, but it kept following him.

“Oh dear!” Scott tried to look concerned. “Here, let me get that.” He and the kids chased the airplane all over the stock room. They ran into toys and shelves and each other. They weren't really trying to catch the plane, just make it look like they were.

Mr. Barnaby let out a screech when the plane came right for him! Scott grinned and opened the door. “Let me help you get away from that, sir.”

Lisa remembered what they'd discussed earlier. “Come on, Alan!” Scott Piper and the two toy soldiers followed them as they rushed down the hall.

“Here, sir!” Alan said quickly, holding a door open and doing his best Edward G. Robinson voice. “This will let you escape the coppers quick, see?”

Lisa couldn't help giggling at the wide-eyed mix of horror and annoyance on Mr. Barnaby's face. “Just get me away from that insane flying contraption!”

“Sure!” Scott helped him in the dark room. “We'll hide you in here until we can catch the plane.”

“Thank you!” Mr. Barnaby rushed in, closing the door behind him as fast as he could. That was when they heard a yell, and then several thumps, and then the sound of something sliding down a metal ramp, then someone landing in something that squished and a disgusted groan.

“What was that, Mr. Piper?” Lisa asked.

“No 'Mr.,' please. Scott's fine.” Scott grinned. “That was the second-floor chute for the line to the garbage compactor. Pruitt Barnaby just landed right in yesterday's leftovers and old grease rags. Hopefully, that will chase him off for a while.” He chuckled. “He's lucky we only run the compactor every other day. It was one of C.J's designs. It squashes the garbage together and makes it easier to pick up and carry away.”

Scott lead them back to the control room. Grandpa and C.J were talking about installing a new machine for making toy boats. “Hello there, children!” Mr. Eldridge put his arms around them. “How did it go with the tin soldiers? Aren't they wonderful? I know they don't seem very practical, and tin soldiers aren't as popular as they used to be. I still think they're some of the greatest toys we ever made in this factory!”

“They're so neat, Grandpa!” Alan exclaimed. “And I loved the plane! You should have seen it go after that mean old Barnaby!”

Lisa laughed again. “The look on his face was so funny! I don't think he liked that plane following him around. When it attacked his rear, I thought I was going to bust a seam!”

Scott grinned. “That plane's probably my favorite thing we've made in this factory. And unlike the soldiers, who will probably be used here as security guards, we might actually be able to get those planes on the market. I think you kids aren't the only ones who would love to have a plane that really makes noise and flies on its own.”

“Well, yes,” added Grandpa, “but remember, it's the imagination that counts, not how fancy a toy is.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Scott nodded. “Why don't we go down to the floor and see how Betty's doing with the adding machines?” His cheeky grin spread across his face. “Those 'adding machines' are being made smaller and with prettier colors, to help kids have fun while they learn to count.”

“Mr. Barnaby probably just thinks they're being made for grown-ups,” giggled Alan.

“Boy, is he gonna get a surprise!” added Lisa.

“Scott!” C.J frowned and waved a hand at the window overlooking the workers. “If you're going to get down there, you'd better do it now. Barnaby has emerged, and I think he's trying to ask Betty out again.”

“Again?” Lisa made a face. “Why's he after her?”

Mr. Eldridge shrugged as Scott stormed out of the room. They followed him. “I suppose it's because she's pretty and smart, and he thinks she might be able to work for him cheap if she's his wife. Not only that, but he has the mortgage on the shoe where she lives with her mother, the Widow Gertie Blue. Scott and I rent rooms in the shoe, but it's still not enough to pay the bills.”

“Now this sounds like the soap operas Mother likes.” Lisa followed her grandfather and brother down the hall and to the elevator.

“Yeah, boring,” added Alan. “I don't care about the mushy stuff. I wanna see sword fights.”

Mr. Eldridge pushed the yellow “down” button that looked like a lemon drop. “Well, you may be seeing one if we don't get down there. Scott's very fond of Miss Blue. He doesn't like Pruitt's attentions to her.” The old man shook his head. “I don't like it, either. I wish he'd leave her alone. Not everything belongs to him.”

That was when Lisa got an idea. She saw the two toy soldiers that they'd left standing in the hallway. “Grandpa, what if we had help? I don't think Mr. Barnaby is going to leave on his own.”

“What did you have in mind?” Mr. Eldridge asked her, still pushing buttons.

Lisa tugged at one of the soldiers. “What if we wound the soldiers up again and got them to help us? Mr. Pi...Scott said they're security, right?”

“Yeah!” Alan went over to the other one. “I'll bet they'd get rid of Barnaby fast! He's scared to death of 'em!”

“Well, all right.” Mr. Eldridge helped Alan wind up his. “But they have to go right back into the closet after we're done with them. It's always a good idea to pick up your toys after you're finished playing with them. Even when they're bigger than you are.”

Lisa ducked away as the soldier marched down the hall. She grabbed his hand and lead him to the elevator. Alan came after her with his soldier. Grandpa picked up the plane and followed them.

The door opened...revealing a very surprised little mouse wearing a red and gold elevator operator's uniform. “Down please, sir,” Grandpa said.