Laurel & Hardy
Tongue Tied
The Background was playing to the catchy music of Tightrope — Janelle Monáe and making Whisker the Cat & Nugget the Fish twirl while attending to their essential chores.
Ah! Something has piqued the interest of Hardy, compelling him to investigate. A curious mind goes from places, you know, that itch to explore where Laurel’s hell disappeared without showing up for the past three days. Hardy was looking up to his cat Whisker, who was busy working her feet, giving herself a pedicure &, at the same time, trying to make eye contact with Nugget, the fish in a clandestine sauna. Hardy thinned his throat to attract the attention of Whiskers & Nuggets;
Hardy erupted: you are hardly disturbed. We’re not used to a lot of silence.
Watching, touching, circling, talking about Laurel, Nugget & Whisker Rising on the balls of their feet to gain height and get a better look, took a cold breath went back to their chores.
Hardy: leaning into the cold reply of Whisker & Nugget made him boil more by spitting; you guys come along.
They were listening to Hardy Whisker & Nugget cross-eyed in heightened senses. He struck out his scooter with a carriage drawn on the board. He shoved Whisker On the carriage seat with rap & placing Nuggets bowl on the carriage foot-mat with a belt. Hardy rode himself on the special iron designed scooter seat specially designed for him by his benevolent friend Lauren. He departed in search of him. As he knew without him, he is a missing chunk of a puzzle left in his hallucination.
On his way, Hardy was trying to memorize the route as it was infrequent where he had to attempt. Just like Laurel used to walk through the door uninvited. He remembered that Laurel had a medium-sized Lyon red sandstone house with the most horrible picket fence I’d ever seen. Sturdy two-story residence designed without the slightest imagination with a set of sagging wooden steps descended three treads from the threshold, which will knock you to the pure silence of the sole company. It made Hardy worried for his well-being which caused him to accelerate. He sensed that he had heard Whisker & Nugget Scream, that he quickly calmed down by saying, we are close, hold on.
Making a turn in the alley, when he saw similar houses everywhere in the spread, his eyes shone to have made it finally. He set about looking towards the right & left for a board that said Hardy, I’m here. In his last attempt, Hardy succeeded in taking 10 minutes drive to be a 2-hour drive which stopped up in a long and lost journey to his house. Laurel possessed to make fun had said the board is not for you, but my friends Whisker & Nugget, who are unnecessary, have to deal with your torture.
Hardy stopped his scooter, demolishing and rotating the carriage in the other direction toward the muddy and neglected road. Finding out, his companions depart in the different commanded order. Hardy, instead of heading towards Laurel’s house, had another plan to finish.
Detecting a boy on his skateboard, he rammed him off. Took off along the bumpy sloppy road on the stolen skateboard. Which from far seemed an endless road with no speed brakes & Traffic Lights. The burning sun prevailed on the streets, not allowing any eye contact with it, but letting everyone’s clothing sweat to their undergarments. From a distance, Hardy resembled a tyrant who had broken the doors of Rodeos left in pursuit.
All of a sudden, Laurel jumped in between, stopping the passenger carriage. Hardy from far off trying to recognize the Saviour by the time he could make head or tail; he had bumped Laurel like a frisbee. But Laurel did not seem to let his sweaty hands leave the clutches of the carriage no matter whatever would be the fatal reason.
Hardy dusts off & leans on Laurel giving him more than 50% of his weight. Laurel shakes with the carriage in which Whisker & Nugget trembled with their heavy breath making a symphony.
Hardy: Laurel, what’s wrong with you? I was waiting for you for the last three days; you’ve put me in a shock wave.
Laurel had a chalkboard hung around his neck like a house carrying it “To let” board. He shuffled in his pockets with free coins going zap zing in its tune, from which he fished out an off white chalk started scribbling on the board. Then thrust it in front of Hardy, which read “Tongue Tied.”
Hardy: Can we not speak in riddles? What’s that supposed to mean?
Laurel took to scribbling, making a screeching squish noise on the board once more. The passing by bird looks annoyed by the irritating noise. Hardy furrows his forehead with his finger on the temple, losing interest and began to look at the direction in which Laurel had arisen. Hardy widens his eyes, traced a physician lab interrupting Laurel’s scribbling dragged him through his collar to the lab.
Walking towards the lab, they didn’t both realize that they had to bow down to intervene as a sign of respect at the entrance. Or the door was designed to punish you by beating you on the forehead for ignoring it. They both made two loud thuds crouching entered the tiny cubicle. In the tiny cubicle, a lady throned with a rectangular wooden old fashion table. The spread of scanty chairs randomly on dull brown flooring covered the dusty floor half-heartedly.
On picking up Laurel, she faked a half-smile & gazing at Hardy, her eyes magnified in length & breadth to understand his composure. Hardy vacuums his throat, bent towards the middle-aged lady. Whose head like the Zebra was white and black hair; the glasses went slanted over her long nose, giving an illusion of four eyes. In all, she appeared like an unread thriller. Scuba diving on the Tongue of the Ocean Hardy finally struggles against its fuzzy shyness.
Hardy: Madam, if you could help explain what is this disease called Tongue Tied.
The Unread Thriller: He came up to us with this blackboard and said, I struggled with my walls and my glue unsecured. Somehow accidentally, while holding the tearing plaster of walls, he picked the adhesive in his mouth in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, when he realized it was too late, his tongue got buried in his inner jaw, which left him dumb.
Hardy looks spellbound, listening to the story where Laurel stood tongue-tied, staring into his thoughts.
Hardy: Ma’am, can you draw me a large container with boiling water.
The Unread Thriller: seemed to nibble on her curses while revealing that as you please.
She was not ready to do any additional work beyond her salary. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, she returned to assert herself.
The Unread Thriller: The water is waiting outside the premises. Like you could see that this is not an experimental area, but a waiting room for patients.
Laurel and Hardy battled their way outside the lab with two resounding punches again, rubbing their foreheads. Finally, they arrived at the bucket that was waiting for them outside. Lauren swiftly started doodling on the set and cast it at Hardy.
Hardy: Read- What in God’s name are you trying to do? I held an appointment with the doctor to get back in working condition. Who seems annulled by your excess of intelligence and confidence?
Hardy: Hold on, man, I’m saving your money and your time; let me give it a shot.
Laurel stood in arch position beating his feet to the ground as if to say; I’m waiting for your next extraordinary move. Hardy headed towards the shattered body shell of the carriage placed under the shade not to let Whisker & Nugget die of dehydration. He picked up his voluminous toolkit on the decompress mixed in it with his eyes and hands. Eventually, his eyes sparkled as he pulled out a little trowel — Laurel, on seeing Hardy held his head with disgust. Hardy got Laurel’s pupils up.
Hardy: I don’t want you to exert your mental capacity & hand on the chalkboard. Yes, it’s my toolkit, but of my entire house, so that’s the reason I carry gardening tools as well. You don’t know how much that trowel helped me raise big rocks while driving on a scooter because driving straight is my motto for safety. Going left or right makes me lose my equilibrium every time.
Now let’s get back to your language problem. Hardy picked up a mug dipping it into the steaming, gurgling water, then told Laurel not to waste time thinking to abide. Open your mouth wide open; he filled it in his mouthpiece as if filling water in a vase. Then, before Laurel can scream due to the burn, Hardy dug the trowel under his tongue with his full strength. Then Laurel in absorbing everything, jostles the ripples of pain through his shoulder, back and neck.
Next, he jammed his knee into Hardy’s groin, sending shock waves of deep nauseating pain into his abdomen too. Ten seconds elapsed, then twenty-thirty seconds, and at last, the pain began to recede as the tide receded.
Laurel: Screamed; that’s enough torture for the daytime.
Hardy: Sparkling like a glass of champagne overflowing with joy, like an engorged leech. Hey, buddy, we did it.
Laurel realized by darting his tongue like a snake- inside & out. Then, they both hold hands started going in circles on the verse with an ear-splitting voice.
Ring-a-ring-a-roses
A pocket full of posies
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down
And comply with the rhyme by falling into a powerful explosive, and unexpected way, accompanied by uncontrollable laughter.
Extra Credit/Loans: Nugget the Fish, Whisker the Cat, Impaired Scooter with Carriage, The Unread Thriller, Villian the Glue.