The Big Adventure - Chapter 5

Approaching Buxton Manor, Darcie stopped Pee-wee from going any further. "Sweetie... do you really think Francis' butler is going to let you in?"

Pee-wee stopped, and looked at Darcie. "He has to! I need to talk to Francis!"

"Let me handle it." She kissed his cheek gently. "You hide, and then follow me when it's time."

"Okay... I hope you know what you're doing..." he replied, hiding behind some bushes.

Darcie rolled her eyes, giggling. She knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

After a moment, Francis' butler, Toru, answered the door.

"Francis asked me to come by and see him..." Darcie said after a moment.

"Francis is busy, he's having his bath."

"Oh..." Darcie began. "That's so --"

It was then Pee-wee hopped out from behind the bushes. "Oh really? Where are they hosing him down?"

Toru slammed the door in their faces.

"Way to go, Pee-wee." Darcie sighed. "I was just about to get our foot in the door so we could go confront Francis."

Pee-wee shrugged, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Well, I thought I'd speed things up a bit, Darcie. You know how I like to make an entrance!"

Darcie shook her head, exasperated but unable to hide her amusement. It was then she got an idea.

"Pee-wee, sweetie, hand me the tube of fake blood from our bag from Mario's."

Pee-wee grabbed it and handed it to Darcie, a curious expression on his face.

"Watch, I'm going to make myself look injured. You're going to knock on the door, and when Toru answers, you're going to act like I'm hurt and we need to come in and get help, okay?"

Pee-wee's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's a great plan, Darcie! Let's do it!"

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Darcie smeared the fake blood across her forehead and cheek, making it look like a fresh, gruesome injury. She tousled her hair to add to the effect, giving herself a disheveled appearance. They waited a few minutes, giving their plan a believable length of time.

Pee-wee took a deep breath and approached the door again, this time with more determination. He knocked loudly and kept his anxious gaze fixed on the door.

Toru opened it cautiously, his eyes widening in shock as he took in Darcie's fake bloody face. "What happened?!" he exclaimed.

Pee-wee's voice trembled with urgency. "We were out for a walk when she tripped and fell! She's hurt really bad, we need to come in and get some help!"

Toru hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering between Darcie and Pee-wee. Finally, he stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter. "Very well, please come in. I will get Mr. Buxton to get first aid."

Darcie mustered up a weak smile through the fake blood as she stumbled inside, leaning on Pee-wee for support. As they were left in the main hallway, Darcie waited for Toru to disappear, and ran up the staircase, with Pee-wee following.

As they got into the upstairs hallway, they could hear Francis in the bathtub.

"Now... let me go first. You know how Francis can't resist me." Darcie giggled.

Pee-wee hated the idea, but reluctantly allowed her to go first. He snuck in behind her, staying out of Francis' sight.

As Darcie walked in, she couldn't help but stare at the size of the bathtub. It was like the size of a small swimming pool. Francis was in his swim trunks, playing with toy ships. Darcie raised an eyebrow, wanting to laugh, as Francis always made fun of Pee-wee for playing with toys.

"Hi, Francis." she said, standing at the edge of the tub.

He looked up from the ships, and smiled as he looked at Darcie. "Darcie... you finally took me up on my offer... what happened to your face?" he asked, looking at the fake blood.

Darcie winced, feigning pain and clutching her forehead. "Oh, Francis, it's terrible! I had a nasty fall while Pee-wee and I were out walking. I tripped over a loose stone and landed face-first on the pavement. It's much worse than it looks!"

Francis' eyes widened. Before he could do anything, Pee-wee hopped out from where he was hiding. Francis let out a surprised yelp and dove under the water.

Darcie looked at Pee-wee. "What are you gonna do?"

He didn't reply; he just began wading into the bathtub. After a moment, he went over to where Francis was, grabbing him by the hair and pulling him above the water.

Darcie watched wide-eyed; she had never seen Pee-wee get like this before.

"Still wanna buy my bike, Francis?" Pee-wee asked, his grip firmly on Francis' hair.

"Wh--what would I do with that old relic?" Francis stammered quickly, afraid. "I can have any bike in the world!"

"Aha! You don't want it anymore because you already have it!"

Francis' eyes widened. He knew Pee-wee was onto him.

"Tell me where it is before I lose patience with you, Francis!" Pee-wee continued.

Darcie stepped forward. "Pee-wee... sweetheart... I think you're going a little far."

Francis began screaming for help, and Pee-wee let him go for a moment, climbing out of the pool-like bathtub and heading towards the bathroom door. Francis' father, Mr. Buxton, heard Francis screaming, and stopped outside the door, concerned.

Pee-wee locked the door. "Go ahead and scream your head off! We're miles from where anyone can hear you!"

"What are you doing?" Darcie asked, confused. They were only there to confront Francis, not attack him! Pee-wee didn't answer, he just took a running jump into the bathtub with Francis, and the two began to wrestle each other, going under the water.

Darcie stood frozen in shock, unsure of what to do as Pee-wee and Francis thrashed around in the oversized bathtub. She had never seen this side of Pee-wee before, this wild and aggressive side that seemed to have taken hold of him in this moment. As the air filled with splashing water and muffled shouts, she couldn't help but feel a mixture of fear and concern.

"Stop! Please, stop!" Darcie pleaded, her voice trembling. She rushed forward, desperately trying to separate the two men. But her efforts proved futile against their strength and determination, and she ended up falling into the bathtub with them.

As Darcie splashed into the bathtub, her heart raced with a mix of panic and adrenaline. She flailed her arms, desperately trying to grab onto something to pull herself out of the chaotic water. But Pee-wee and Francis continued their wild wrestling match, paying no attention to her distress.

Gasping for air, Darcie managed to position herself above the water's surface, clinging to the side of the bathtub. Her wet clothes clung to her body, weighing her down as she struggled to keep her head above water. Panic surged through her veins as she realized she couldn't escape the chaos unfolding around her. "Pee-wee! Francis!" she yelled out, panic in her voice.

Outside the bathroom, Mr. Buxton called out. "Are you alright in there? Francis, what's going on in there?"

Darcie's heart pounded in her chest as she desperately searched for a way to escape the escalating madness. The water sloshed around her, threatening to swallow her whole. She glanced at Pee-wee and Francis, still locked in their fierce struggle, oblivious to her plea for help.

"Mr. Buxton!" Darcie cried out again, her voice quivering with fear. "We need help! Please, do something!"

Mr. Buxton was confused to hear Darcie's voice coming from Francis' private bathroom.

"You stole it!!" Pee-wee yelled at Francis, as their wrestling brought them back above water.

"It wasn't me, I swear!"

Darcie, desperate to not drown, latched on to Pee-wee.

"Francis, we're breaking the door down!" Mr. Buxton yelled. Toru, the butler, began ramming into the locked door with everything in his muscular frame.

Pee-wee jumped on Francis once more, causing Darcie to lose her grip on him. She couldn't swim, and the bathtub was just a bit too deep for her, and panic once more set in.

However, Pee-wee was still focused on Francis, and threw him out of the tub, where he slid across the floor. Darcie, gasping for breath, tried to paddle towards the edge of the bathtub, her wet clothes weighing her down even more. She could hear the muffled sounds of Toru and Mr. Buxton trying to break down the bathroom door, but it felt like an eternity until they would reach her.

Almost as if a switch had been flipped, Pee-wee stopped, noticing Darcie struggling. His wild eyes softened, and he quickly reached out to grab Darcie's arm. With a surge of strength, he pulled her towards the edge of the bathtub and helped her climb out onto the tiled floor. Darcie gasped for air, her heart pounding in her chest as she coughed up water.

"Are you okay?" Pee-wee asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Darcie nodded, her body trembling from the shock.

"Let's get out of here." Pee-wee said, grabbing her and heading towards the window in the corner of the bathroom, trying to open it so they could escape.

Francis had gotten to his feet and opened the door just as Toru was rushing it. Toru ran full speed and into the bathtub, much to Mr. Buxton's annoyance.

"Pee-wee!" Mr. Buxton called, heading over to him and Darcie as they struggled with the lock on the window. "Pee-wee! What in heaven's name is going on?" He grabbed both of them by the arm, dragging them away from the window. "Have you two lost your minds?"

"He's a thief! He stole my bike!" Pee-wee yelled, as Mr. Buxton brought him and Darcie over to Francis.

"You liar! I swear I didn't do it, Dad!"

"That's a serious accusation to make, Pee-wee." Mr. Buxton replied, as Toru was finally making his very soaking wet way out of the tub.

Darcie couldn't hold in her laughter at the sight of the man. Her laughter echoed off the tiled bathroom walls, a stark contrast to the tension that had filled the room just moments before. The absurdity of the situation was not lost on her, and she found herself unable to contain her amusement at the sight of Toru, drenched and disheveled, standing there with a bewildered expression.

"Miss Rosenfeld..." Mr. Buxton scolded. "We're dealing with a very serious matter."

Darcie quickly composed herself, wiping away the last traces of laughter from her eyes. She knew that this was a serious situation, but the irony and unexpectedness of it all had momentarily gotten the better of her.

"I apologize, Mr. Buxton," Darcie said, her voice still tinged with a hint of amusement.

"Now, Pee-wee..." Mr. Buxton turned his attention back to him. "Do you have any proof that Francis stole your bike?"

"Well... not exactly..."

"Pee-wee..." There was a hint of annoyance in Mr. Buxton's voice. "The Buxtons are not thieves." He looked over at Francis. "Just look at him."

Francis put on his best innocent puppy-dog expression, and Darcie had to cover her face with her hands to keep from laughing again.

"He couldn't have stolen your bike." Mr. Buxton continued, "We've been setting up his birthday train set all day."

"Gee... I guess I was wrong. We don't have to involve the authorities in this matter, do we, Mr. Buxton? I mean, it was a simple mistake, and I'm really sorry."

Pee-wee hung his head, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and relief. He hadn't meant to accuse Francis without any real evidence, but the desperate need to find his beloved bicycle had clouded his judgment. He mumbled an apology, unable to meet Mr. Buxton's stern gaze.

"I appreciate your apology, Pee-wee," Mr. Buxton replied, his voice softened with understanding. "But you must remember the consequences of your actions. Accusing someone falsely can have serious repercussions. I still think you owe Francis an apology, and then I want to see the two of you shake hands."

"I'm sorry, Francis." Pee-wee said, offering his hand for a shake. Francis shook it quickly. "Here, would you care for some gum?"

Looking at the stick of gum, Francis took it quickly without saying a word.

"Would you care for some, Mr. Buxton?" Pee-wee asked.

"Oh..."

"Spearmint or fruit?"

"Fruit, please."

Darcie looked at the gum that Pee-wee had given Francis and his father. Her eyes widened when she realized it was the trick gum from Mario's.

Pee-wee couldn't help but grin mischievously as he watched Mr. Buxton unsuspectingly take a bite of the trick gum. "Well, goodbye! Come on, Darcie, let's go."

"Bye!"

The duo headed towards the bathroom door, and out of Buxton Manor.

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