The night was dark. It was cold. A lone figure walked along the path leading to the pumpkin patch. The figure was tall, wore a trench coat, and walked with authority while carrying a big trombone.
Suddenly, out of the darkness opposite the man in the trench coat, stepped a short shadowy figure. And then another, even shorter.
"You," said shadowy figure number 1, his high-pitched voice dripping with contempt.
"Whwwahwaha?"
"ENOUGH with that IDIOTIC HONKING! Put down the instrument, and listen to me."
"Young man, isn't it past your bed time?" the tall figure stepped into the glow of a streetlight and was illuminated. It was one of the elementary school teachers! "Run along home now, before things get out of hand here. I'd hate to have to strike a child." From beneath his trench coat, the man pulled a shiny silver baseball bat and began slowly bouncing it against the palm of his other hand.
"Oh, but it is I who will be doing the striking tonight. I know who you are. And your time is up."
"Interesting. But it doesn't matter. I know who YOU are as well!" the man said, and then whipped off his mask and the trench coat with a swoosh. There, bat in hand, stood Peppermint Patty, the townie vigilante, aka Thatguy! "Hello, Linus. I know what you've been up to. And now I'm gonna clobber you!"
"Not so fast! Sally!" Linus commanded, and without missing a beat, Sally skipped up and stood between them.
"Hi Peppermint Patty," she said, looking just adorable. "Ooh, that's a nice bat! Can I have it?" Peppermint Patty was confused... somehow, she just couldn't resist. She smiled, and handed over the bat.
"You're a cute kid," she said, and patted Sally on the back.
"Now!" shouted Linus, and a net fell from above and captured Peppermint Patty. Linus walked up to his struggling captive and smiled. "Well done, Sally. You've done a great job." Sally beamed. "As for you... well, I can't have you hanging around anymore, so I think maybe it's time you took that extended vacation in "Chuck's Guest Cottage.""
"Where that funny-looking kid with the big nose stays?" she asked, hesitantly.
"You mean Snoopy? The Beagle?!"
"Wait, he's... he's a... dog?! NOOOOOOOoooooooo!!!!" But no sooner had she begun screaming than Peppermint Patty, aka Thatguy, was carried off and sent tumbling down into the basement of Snoopy's dog house. The last thing she heard as the light from the doorway above her disappeared was the click-clack of a lock being secured from the outside.
Then there was only silence. And darkness.
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Still at the baseball field, Charlie Brown was speechless. Peppermint Patty was nowhere to be found, and everyone was getting restless with all the disappearances lately.
It was then that he noticed something very peculiar. Very peculiar indeed!
There, standing not 10 feet away, was... him. No, it wasn't him, as he was standing over here. It was... no, it couldn't be... Another Charlie Brown?
He gathered the crowd up, then walked over to this other Charlie Brown. "Excuse me," he said to his doppleganger, "what's your name?"
"I'm Charlie Brown! Good grief!" said Charlie Brown #2.
Something was wrong, though, and not just Charlie Brown #1 noticed. CB#2's voice was all muffled, and his facial expression never changed. Almost like plastic...
"He's wearing a MASK, Charlie Brown! He's wearing a MASK!" someone from the crowd shouted.
"Why, he is! Well, let's vote for this fellow, then, and see who he REALLY is," CB#1 said. Everyone agreed, and Maxi won the vote.
"Alright, then, let's see who you are!" Charlie Brown said, and pulled off the mask. It was then that something very strange happened. The figure went totally limp and shapeless. Suddenly, it was just a pile of clothes! The crowd murmured in confusion. Charlie Brown, unaffected, reached down into the pile of clothes, and pulled something out. It was blue, and very soft. He held it aloft in bewilderment.
"We are witnessing something very strange here today, ladies and gentlemen. If I'm not mistaken... that is... er... Maxi was actually Linus' Blanket! This must mean Linus is behind all this!"
The children gasped, but there could be no other explanation. Finally, they'd found one of the guilty party! They all gleefully made their way again to the kite-eating tree, and tossed the blanket up to Marcie, who was still hanging out up there. She caught it, and smiled. "Good one, sir."
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DAY 3 RESULTS:
Maxi, Linus' Blanket, the mafia investigator, has been voted out.
Thatguy, Peppermint Patty, the townie vigilante, has been hit by the Mafia.
Day 4 Voting Begins Now!
I'll check to see if anyone needs to vote today to avoid dying by inactivity...