Night of August 19th, 2018...Shortly after Clarence's return to 2018.
At the Claymont Coyote resident, Sheryl's birthday party was well underway. After everyone sang Happy Birthday, some of Sheryl's grand cubs helped her blow out the 67 candles on her cake...And it was a really big cake in anticipation of so many attending the party. The main center of party activities were in the dining and living room areas inside. The double entrance doors of the doublewide were propped open being there were some who preferred to sit out on the deck. Jed and two of his adult sons took a place at tables on the deck. A couple Jed's grand cubs also came out to the deck. "Here you guys are", Jed's wife said as she brought out cake, ice cream and sodas to them. "Oh, thank you, dear", Jed thanked his wife. Jed's wife then joined them out on the deck. Rex and his wife were also already out on the deck, and were reminiscing old times with Jed and his wife. Gerald and Cindy eventually came out to the deck with sodas and plates of ice cream, cake and chips. "How's it going everyone", Gerald greeted as he and Cindy took a seat at a table. "We've been talking about old times", Jed replied. After Dotty and Buddy had been on the deck a while, they decided to go back inside. Donna and her husband remained inside, as well as Beverly and her husband. Not long afterward, one of Dotty and Buddy's sons and his wife came out to join them. "Nice night, Dad", Buddy's son mentioned. "That's why your mom and I decided to come out here", Buddy replied. Not long afterward, one of Buddy and Dotty's grand daughters came out to the deck complaining, "Mom. Dad. Jason's teasing me". Buddy and Dotty's son told his cub daughter, "Go back in and tell Jason I said he better stop". His wife added, "Tell Jason he's getting a paddling if he doesn't behave". "Okay Mom", the grand daughter replied then went back inside to tell her older brother Jason what Mom and Dad said. "Reminds of when you all were cubs", Buddy said to his son. "Oh how well do I remember", Buddy and Dotty's son replied. At some point, Danny Otter and his wife Lidia showed up to the party. "Hey, Danny. Lidia. Long time no see", Buddy greeted them. "Oh, we've been around", Danny Otter replied as he and Lidia made their way up the steps to the outside deck. Danny and Lidia then went on inside. "Hi there. Glad to have you over", Charley greeted Danny and Lidia. "We heard Clarence is back", Danny replied. "He had arrived at 9 o'clock tonight", Charley informed Danny. "You must be Danny", Clarence said to Danny Otter. "That's me, 58 years older from when you saw me last", Danny replied. Lidia mentioned to Clarence, "The last time we saw you, you were in the time machine getting ready to leave 1960". Many of those on the deck would come inside, and there were others who inside who decided to come out on the deck for a while. Al and Marge even came out to the deck to socialize with Jed, Rex and their wives a bit. Before long, Charley and Alice come out to the deck to announce that Sheryl is about to open her presents, thus everyone headed on inside. There were lots of nice present Sheryl received, and the presents were many being there were so many who attended the party. "This is without a doubt the best birthday party I've ever had", Sheryl proclaimed. In the present her husband, Dean, got her, was a premium quality house coat she had always wanted. "Oh, thank you, Dear", Sheryl thanked Dean. It was a black coat with large bold pattern of green tropical leaves and large pink and yellow flowers. "Oh, that is nice", Sheryl's mom, Wanda, complimented. The next present was from Sheryl and Dean's offsprings and their spouses...Being that Sheryl and Dean were big fans of the music group Owl City, they got her several of their albums on CD she did not yet own. "Oh this is awesome", Sheryl thanked her offsprings and in-laws. "Thank you". The present Al and Marge gave was a small collection of high quality jewelry, which Sheryl really liked. Charley and Alice got a camera for Sheryl they knew she always wanted. Wanda got Sheryl a $300 Target gift card. "Oh, thank you, Mom", Sheryl proclaimed. Danny and Lidia Otter didn't have time to shop for a gift, so they slipped a $100 in a birthday card for Sheryl. Among the many other gifts everyone else gave, the grand cubs even had little trinket gifts for her. Realizing that cubs don't have the money to buy an elaborate gift, Sheryl thanked the cubs as though the gifts had been expensive. Of course, Clarence had to admit Sheryl, "Being I was coming back through time, I'm afraid I didn't get a chance to get a present to give you". Sheryl assured Clarence, "Your being here with me is the best present of all, Clarence". "Awe, that's so sweet", Alice mentioned. "Oh wow...Okay", Clarence replied, feeling much better. There were also the birthday cards to open. Dean asked Charley, "Do you have a CD player?" "In the entertainment center", Charley replied. "What do you say we put some of your Owl City CDs on?", Dean suggested to Sheryl, then said to Charley, "If that's okay with Alice and you". "I see no problem with that", Charley said as Alice agreed. "I'd like to start with the first song, Dreams Don't Turn to Dust", Sheryl said. "Oh, that's an awesome song", Donna mentioned. Sheryl then pawed the CD to Charley to put on the entertainment center...The first song being Dreams Don't Turn to Dust. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuq71r6edB0 Everyone enjoyed the music as Sheryl opened her birthday cards. "Wow! That song's really neato", one of Beverly's grand daughters proclaimed. After the song finished playing, several of the grand cubs began to argue which song to play next. When the parents told their cubs not to be arguing, Charley mentioned, "This is Sheryl's birthday. She should decide what song she want's next". "Thank you, Charley", Sheryl said, then decided, "I'd like to play Fireflies next" Thus Fireflies it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1TbKOdekw8 Later the next song Sheryl chose was Angels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bFV3ZPk_xw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d4Kj2u4VN8 And as Sheryl had mentioned earlier, this was the best birthday she has ever had. Another song played was Shooting Star. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ROX1ajxRQY After a while, the party festivities finally wound down. And at that point, everyone agreed to stay late and talk about old times. Several of those attending the party asked Sheryl if she could continue playing her CDs, which she agreed to. However, at this time the music volume was turned down real low in order for everyone to hold conversation. "I'm sure Clarence has a lot to tell these cubs about the year 1960", Poindexter suggested. "You bet. I sure do", Clarence replied. "Yea, I've always heard that was a cool day and time", Jack mentioned, then asked "What was it really like?" "Was it really as rad as the TV shows show it?", one of Beverly's grand sons asked. "Well, you cubs did see the pictures Clarence brought back with him", Charley mentioned. "The cars were like in the pictures", Clarence interjected. "And there was really modern looking furniture back then". "Al and I had some really contemporary styled furniture back then", Marge added. "Some TV commercials were funny too", Clarence said. "I remember they aired some real dillies", Jed affirmed. "I've always liked the one with Bucky Beaver", Donna said. "That was toothpaste commercial", Rex added. "I remember that one". "Oh...And you can get a brand new car for two thousand dollars back then", Clarence said. All the cubs were in awe when they heard that. "Wow! I wish a car could fit in that time machine", said Rhonda. "I'd go back to 1960, buy a new car, then bring it back here to 2018". "It looks like a motorcycle might fit it it", one of Sheryl's grand sons suggested. "Well, two thousand dollars would buy a bottom of the line new car with no options back then", Al set the record straight. "And two thousand back then was like twenty thousand is today", Donna's husband added. "I remember we paid almost six thousand for out 1960 Chrysler 300", Marge said. "Though that was high price car". "Our 2009 Chrysler 300 cost us $48,000 when we bought it brand new", Al added. One of Dotty and Buddy's grand sons suggested, "I bet it would be cool to go back to 1960 in the time machine, and bring back one of those Vespa scooters like the beatnik animals use to ride around on. That would be so cool, Dude". "I'd still go an bring back a cool motorcycle", Sheryl's grand cub proclaimed. "No you don't", Sheryl sternly admonished her grand son. "Let's not get anymore madcap ideas about traveling around in that time machine shall we", Poindexter Fox announced to the cubs. "That's right", Charley added. "And you cubs need to stay away from that machine too", Al further announced. Several of the parents then warned their cubs they'd get paddled if they so much as crossed the highway to where that time machine was. Poindexter then mentioned, "Authorities from the Roswell International Air Center will be here in a few hours with a truck and a crane to come get that machine out of here". "I wouldn't doubt they'll have some questions to ask Clarence", Al mentioned to Poindexter. "I believe they will", Poindexter surmised, then mentioned, "They had a lot of questions they asked other scientists and myself after Clarence had left Roswell in the machine on February 9th". "You cubs will have to be satisficed seeing the pictures and hearing the accounts of 1960", Charley reminded the cubs. "1960 was not your day and time to be in...It was even before my time in fact". "Not only that. There was no internet back then. And no cell phones", Clarence added. "Yikes! That's a bummer", one of the cubs exclaimed as other cubs agreed. "So you see?", Charley mentioned to the cubs. "You do have cool stuff in this day and time". Rhonda mentioned, "Speaking of which. Clarence's laptop still hasn't finished doing updates". "It hasn't had internet service to do updates for more than six months", Charley reminded Rhonda. "It's going to take a while", Alice added. "I remember us drawing pictures on that very same laptop when we were cubs", Donna mentioned. "I remember that too", Sheryl added. "I remember the drawing Ryan Lynx made of himself on his go-kart", Rex said. "He did a great job on that too", Jed complimented. "By the way. How has old Ryan Lynx been doing?", Sheryl asked. "I haven't heard from him in a while". "Cindy and I got a phone call from Ryan and his wife a week ago", Gerald said. "One of their grand sons plans to go to college after he graduates high school". "They still got that nice place in Long Beach, California?", Dotty asked. "Still do", Gerald answered his sister. "We should go up and see them some time", Dotty said to Buddy. "With the Air Force retirement Ryan Lynx gets, I'm sure he and his wife can well afford that place", Buddy added. "Randy Fox is still the assistant pastor at our church in Santa Rosa", Cindy mentioned. "The same church we were married in back in 1960", Gerald said to Cindy. "Warren Brown Bear was pastor then, rest his soul", Cindy added. Cindy then asked Clarence, "You remember Skip Raccoon? "I've heard of him when I was in 1960", Clarence acknowledged. "But I never actually had a chance to know him". "Skip became an airline pilot", Cindy said to Clarence. "And he put 30 years in before he retired". "Wow, cool! Flying those big airplanes!", Clarence proclaimed. "That must have been awesome!" "I hear Skip and Sophia live well now days from Skip's airline retirement pension", Gerald added. "Ryan Lynx's sister, Janice, did well too", Cindy said to Clarence. "She put 25 years in with the Torrance County School System as an elementary school teacher. And her husband put in 30 years as a Torrance County sheriff's deputy". "You know the county won't go broke", Gerald added. "So their retirement pensions are guaranteed". "Oh, by the way. What ever happed to Gail Skunk?", Clarence asked. "Oh my gosh. Her", Sheryl exclaimed. "Gail Skunk's married life has been a train wreck from day one". "Yup", said Dean Coyote. "Three divorces in her life time. And each one caused by her infidelity". "I hear she's starting to go through her 4th divorce now", Wanda said. "So she hasn't been loyal to this last husband either", Sheryl exclaimed. "You know, Sheryl. I don't think Gail would even know the meaning of loyalty if it bit her on the nose", Wanda said. "That's a shame", Dean added. "I remember when Al and I heard about Gail Skunk's first divorce in 1979", Marge explained. "She and her first husband had two cubs. Custody of both cubs was awarded to her ex-husband, and Gail being denied visitation rights". "Gail never saw those cubs again", Al said. "Judge Badger told her right there in the courtroom she was not fit to be a parent". "That was the year before Judge Badger retired", Jed mentioned. "And to this day, I still could hardly believe Gail actually hired a lawyer to challenge Judge Badger's custody decision after he retired". "Gail's custody challenge was shot down in a heart beat too", Rex mentioned. "Judge Douglass Johnson Fox wasn't playing around". "Judge Douglass Johnson Fox", said Gerald Coyote. "He's the same judge who the pitbulls Biff, Richie and Gaston stood before for pulling that fire alarm at school just before our senior class graduated". "I remember that", said Rex. "I was in the 3rd grade. Clarence was also in the same class with me".
Everyone socialized a while longer until it started getting late. Eventually everyone bid good night and headed on home. It certainly has been a very good birthday party for Sheryl. Then once everyone had left, the Claymont Coyote Family headed for bed. And this was the first time in over six months Clarence slept in his regular bed with his actual family, at his actual home, and during his home day and time in the year 2018.
It was about 3:00 am when Roswell International Air Center authorities showed up with the tractor trailer flatbed truck and crane to bring the time machine back to Roswell. Fortunately, Clarence's belongings he came back from 1960 with had been already taken out of the time machine a few hours ago. Of course there was the knock on the door, which Charley answered. The authorities said to Charley, "Mr. Claymont Coyote. We'd like to ask your son Clarence a few questions". Charley knew that visit was coming and went in to wake up Clarence. "Some authorities from Roswell want to talk to you about the time machine, Son", Charley said to Clarence. The questioning was conducted in the living room with Clarence's parents, Charley and Alice, present. After 10 minutes of questions, the authorities were satisfied that Clarence's trip to 1960 was by accident. One of them even admitted that on February 9th the scientists should have had the door closed on the time machine so Clarence, or any other cub, could not have access inside. One of the other Roswell International Air Center authorities remarked, "Those air force boys missed getting that time machine 58 years ago. But we have possession of it now". Once they were done, the family was able to get back to bed. Then the authorities got the time machine loaded onto the truck and flatbed trailer rig which was prepared for a 17 foot wide load...The time machine is 14 feet in diameter and each of it's four landing pods extended out another foot and a half. Then they headed back with it to Roswell during the predawn hours.
The End Anything to this story beyond this point will be postlude sequels.
