Chapter Text
The roaring sound of water and loud chirping of birds was what woke up Shrimpo from his slumber. This was different, it didn’t feel like he was in his own creaky bed anymore, but on the uncomfortable floor, which was weirdly wet. When he opened his eyes, he was blinded by his surroundings. The salmon-colored sky peaked through the jungle branches to greet him, along with orange rays of sunlight from the east. It was blinding, and Shrimpo squinted and grumbled, stretching.
Eventually the shrimp sat up from where he was asleep, noticing that he was in a pile of sand and thick jungle leaves. He then realized why his outfit felt wet, the dewdrops were still forming and dripping from some of the greenery. Why did his room have huge leaves and branches in it? He groaned and continued his study of the place. Looking in every direction, he realized he wasn’t in his room anymore, but at a tropical beach. Shrimpo didn’t expect the ocean to be this loud, but it was quickly getting annoying, he thought to himself as he stood up and brushed himself off. He looked to where he heard the sound of water coming from, watching the waves hiss and crash against the sandy shoreline as the sun glared in his eyes. It was weird, he thought, considering he never heard what waves really sounded like other than on the television in the Toon living room. This felt all too real. How did he get out without a Toon Handler? Did they abandon him? Good riddance, he hated it there anyways. Everything about the damn rooms was chilling to him.
He eventually took some steps foward, towards the water. He heard that if he was a NORMAL shrimp, he would’ve lived here. While he sees the appeal that MAY be seen here by OTHER Toons, he really wishes he was back in bed. Glancing around once more, it looked to be dusk, the waves were morphing from a salmon pink to a navy blue in just the span of a few minutes. As the sun faded beyond the horizon, Shrimpo saw the stars starting to peak out from their respective hiding spots.
Weirdly enough, he was breathless, but he didn’t understand it. Why was he here? He tried to come up with reasonable explanations for how he could’ve showed up here, but came to a blank. Did the Toons just leave him to die, or something? Are they watching him, waiting for a reaction? He would never know, because out of nowhere he sees someone else walking across the shoreline. It’s not a human, but seemingly another Toon, one he’s never seen before in his life. He was glowing in the sunlight. It was almost blinding. Shrimpo called out to him.
“HEY, WHO ARE YOU? WHERE THE HECK AM I? I HATE BEING LOST!!!” He shouted, no longer wanting to be in this place. The Toon turned to him confused, before giving a wide toothy grin. Shrimpo noticed he was made of pure glass.
“Ah, sorry! I thought I was alone out here tonight.” The unknown Toon said, his voice having an odd tone to it. It made Shrimpo shiver, and he hated that. “Wanna sit with me?”
Having not answered any of Shrimpo’s questions, the shrimp was ready to run away, or punch him, whichever happened first. But weirdly enough, he didn’t do either. Somehow, almost unwillingly, he sat down beside the other Toon, faced towards the beach. It felt unreal, what was happening. He glanced at the slightly taller Toon next to him, watching as he smiled at the waves ahead of them.
“So, what’s your name?” He asked, looking at him. Shrimpo blinked, somehow distracted, before looking away.
“SHRIMPO.” He stated loudly, clenching his fists. Why did he feel the wind on his face? He didn’t believe any of this was real. Why was he even talking to this lunatic? Who the heck would want to walk on the beach late at night? Clearly this guy has lost a couple of screws in his head, right? Shrimpo grabbed a chunk of sand, watching as it slowly falls from his fingers. It felt off. Something was wrong. The waves seemed to get louder.
“Nice to meet ya, Shrimpo! I’m ____.” He responded, chuckling. Shrimpo didn’t understand what he was feeling. The sun was gone, and the stars were twinkling in the night sky. Is this what Astro calls space? He assumes so, nothing else looks like his room. He feels too overwhelmed, looking up, so he looks back at the ocean.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE?” Shrimpo asked the other Toon. He never seemed to look away from the ocean from then on. Shrimpo knew that this guy was a freak from the moment he laid his eyes on him at the shore.
“I like walking here, at dusk. It’s calming, don’t you think so?” They asked. Shrimpo shook his head quickly, almost getting dizzy.
“NOT AT ALL. THE BEACH SMELLS, AND THE SAND IS NOT THAT SOFT, AND IT’S COLD. I HATE THIS FEELING!” He shouted, angry at the universe for putting him here. The Toon never faced him.
“That’s too bad, Shrimpo. The ocean is one of the most relaxing things on earth.” He said, almost robotically. Shrimpo cringed.
“NOT TO ME. ONLY WEIRDOS WOULD LIKE THIS.” He said, clicking his tongue. The other chuckled.
“Then why are you here?” He asked. Now this, Shrimpo didn’t know. He still couldn’t tell if this was some weird dream or not. As if on cue, the world started spiraling out of control, and the waves grew louder and louder until-
*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!*
He woke up from his bed with a gasp, checking his surroundings. He was sweating, and his alarm clock was blaring next to him. Shrimpo growled and slammed his fist down onto the annoying device, and it shattered, the noise vanishing just as soon as it arrived. Shrimpo took a moment to breathe before wiping the sweat from his brow. The speakerphone began to blare ahead.
“Rise and shine, my favorite Gardenview Toons! It’s time for the most important meal of the day, breakfast! I, Dandy, have some very important announcements to give you all, so listen closely!”
Shrimpo wanted this day to be over.