It ended up being a good thing that Estelle was back- ing up so fast because, instead of Bones crashing into the back of the Escalade, he only got clipped by the front left side. My audio still wasn’t working, but I didn’t need it to hear his scream. Even way up in Command Central, I clearly heard “AHHHHH!!!” which was immediately followed by the slamming SCREEEEECH!!! of the Hog’s tires.

I watched the entire collision on my screen. When the Basket Barge hit the Hog, it was like Bones became a human slingshot. He shot over the hood and was heading straight for the big fountain.

And then a miracle happened. The audio came back on. As Bones went flying through the air, he came in loud and clear.

“Oh no! Oh no!” Then SPLASH!!! he went right into the fountain. It was awesome! If he had been wearing a cape, he would’ve looked like a superhero: SUPER STRING BEAN!!

I sprinted down the stairs, out the garage door, and down the driveway. By the time I got to the scene of the crash, Estelle was out of her car and inspecting the dent on the side of the Hog.

“Oh, for crying out loud—look at this! My poor baby.”

I wasn’t sure why, but Estelle had an emotional attachment to her Escalade, which is why we had never told her our pet name for it. Estelle threw her hands up in the air. “This is going to cost a fortune to fix!”

Meanwhile, Bones was lying in the fountain with his arms hanging out the side like he was taking a relaxing bath. “Did I break the record, Lump?!” Estelle couldn’t fire Bones like she had John Murphy, the landscaper, but I could tell she really wanted to.

“You two are playing these reckless games again, aren’t you?! Neither one of you is smart enough to make it to the eighth grade!”

Challenge Question and DRAW!!

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