OSCAR AND ANTONIO IN A CARTOON

Looking down at the huge carton full of my personal belongings, I start to wonder if every employee ever fired felt the same way as I do now.

“Hey compañero, what’s with all the packing?”.

Ah there he is, Antonio Poliblio, my best friend and my only friend.

"I got fired."

"I know, I did too, but what’s with the huge box? We work at the comic book store Amigo, it’s not a desk job”. He smirked.

"Don't kill the fun Antony, I've always wanted to do the epic job quitting scene from Jerry Maguire, but since we're being fired, that's out of question and hence the Sandra Bullock resigning from her jobs in movie "the proposal" scene. I know it’s a little lame but hey it’s our last day at this job, so who cares!". I tell him putting down my favorite comic book, Rick and Morty. If Rick and Morty were to be true in real life , I'd be Rick and Antonio will be Morty. It's not that I have any drinking problem or any scientific skills for that matter; it’s just that I'm always finding new stuff and dragging Antonio into all the mess. Like for example the previous day I told him that I found George, our boss dead near the trash cans and that it’s our responsibility to call the police and inform his family. We called the police first and then his mother who got a cardiac arrest after hearing the news. But it was just George lying unconscious after he had a few drinks at the local pub. And now we're fired.

"Oscar and Antonio get out of my store right now" George screamed from his front desk.

"c’mon, we have to go Oscar" Antonio said lifting my carton up. We sneaked out through the back door without letting George see us and headed back to my house.

Once we reached the front door I searched for my keys in my pocket , it was weird how the key didn't look like mine but it fit so perfectly . Once the key was inside the lock, it turned automatically and a the door now turned into a huge portal.

"Oscar please tell me I'm hallucinating."Antonio whispered into my ear.

"I don't think that the both of us can hallucinate the same thing at the exact same time."

"But that's the only possible explanation right ?"

I turned back and pinched him.

"ooouucchh" he said caressing where i touched.

"Definitely not imagining. We should go."

"Inside?"

"Oh yeah" I grabbed him by his collar and stepped forward into the portal.

Once inside we had no clue where we were it was like a desert, wind blowing from every direction. The wind is so strong that it is almost hard to move

"Oscaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr where are we?" Antonio screamed walking towards me . I could hardly see anything with all the dust but i managed to make out a two storey house and i could swear for i moment that i have seen this house somewhere else. the wind was now settling and i turned to look for Antonio.

"arrrrgghhhhh" the both of us screamed at the same time eyes popping out ,like we were in a cartoon , we both looked like cartoon figures, we were IN a cartoon.

"Oh my god. How will I ever see my mother now amigo? We’re in cartoon in the middle of nowhere." He said kneeling down.

That's when it hit me. The middle of nowhere!!!

"You are a genius Antony" I picked him up and raised him to my eye level.

"Huh?" he looked confused "what do you mean?"

"Brother, we are in the middle of nowhere." I said proudly

he let go of my grasp "That’s what I just said."

"no, no. you don’t get it ! "The middle of nowhere as in the cartoon with that one pink dog and creepy old people"

"You mean Courage the cowardly dog ?"

"Yes that’s the one "

"Oh great , of all the cartoons we could’ve been in, it had to be this one .The creepiest show for kids ."

"Good thing we're 17. Not kids exactly" I said joking .

"I'm going back home amigo, 17 or not I'm still scared"

He was right, this show used to give me Goosebumps. For the first time in history i wanted to run away from an adventure.

So we both turned back and started walking

"Wait. Where’s the portal?"

Antonio was now running around in circles going mad .

"Calm down Antony we'll just go inside the house okay ?"

"Oh yes sure, we'll go inside and shake hands with Eustace and Muriel Bagge and maybe even the dog. What are you crazy ?

That dog always seems to be finding some sort of trouble. I am not going in there."

"Fine. You stay here then."

Slowly I started walking towards the house . Antonio is my best friend and I know him too well that he would shit his pants if he were to stand there all alone . So I knew he'd come with me.

He ran to catch up with me "You know i might come with you to the mansion of horrors if you insist"

"Really? in that case I insist " I said smiling triumphantly.

We kept walking with nothing else in site other than the house. We were now closing up and had to plan what to do in case something goes wrong . But before we knocked on the door the dog opened the door as if they were expecting us. Eustace was sitting in his usual spot reading the newspaper and Muriel had cooking chicken dumplings for everyone.

"Ah my boys right on time for dinner!"

we both looked at each other in confusion.

"Come on in my darlings take a seat. Oh Eustace honey keep the paper down and settle in for dinner please."

He keeps the paper on his sofa and walks towards the dining table. Me and Antonio even though creeped out already walked inside and the door shut behind us .

While we were making our way to the table i caught a glimpse of the headline in the newspaper that Eustace was reading .

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.

OSCAR GREENE AND ANTONIO POLIBLIO

With a big picture of the two of us holding the key that bought us here.

"psst,Antony, look at the newspaper" I whispered.

"Holy mother of dios, we have to get out of this place .RUN OSCAE RUN".

"Not so fast "Eustace stopped Antonio with his gun .

"Courage, please be a darling and don't let our guests leave." Muriel said while serving us the dumplings.

"Amigo, I thought Muriel was supposed to be a nice lady"

"Shut up and let them talk. Did you see that picture clearly? we were holding that special key"

"So?"

"It means that its somewhere here . We just need to find it .Maybe they know more about it than we do "

"What are you two handsome kids whispering there?"

"Oh we were just wondering what happened to that special key “Antonio blurted out.

"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE THE KEY "both Eustace's and Muriel’s eyes popped out of its socket.

"What do you know about the key?" I asked .

"Oh boy it’s the one key we've been searching for. We bought it from a book store a few days . Something was off about it though . Courage kept barking at it all the time."

"Talking about courage ,where is he now?"

"He’ll be somewhere nearby darling. He never misses a dumpling night ."

"Amigo, are you thinking what I'm thinking ."

"Are you thinking of Courage ?"

Antonio nodded

The door opens and Courage walks in and sits in his chair.After finishing our dumplings i asked Muriel if she was okay in letting us go.

"of course dears , without the key you both are of no use to us "

we said thank you and left .

"Do you think the dog has the key Amigo "

"I do . But i don't understand why ?"

"Well lets find out "

We both hid outside the house waiting for the dog to come.After about half an hour Courage came out with a shovel and pic . We followed him .Hiding behind rocks and shrubs we tailed him until he stopped . Courage placed his tools down and pulled the key from inside his mouth.we watched in disgust. He then began digging and finally a door came into view .it looked like the door at my home.

"NOW" Antonio and I Jumped from behind the bush we were hiding and launched ourselves on Courage.

"Grab the key Amigo. I'll hold the dog down" Courage shrieked and kept wiggling while I found the key and opened the lock. The portal Opened up, Antonio punched Courage in his stomach making him unconscious.

"Let’s get out of here once and for all. Come one ".

We both jumped into the portal and it closed behind us.

"Oh no! I punched a pink dog Amigo" Antonio exclaimed.

"No more adventures for us”

We both laughed and called it a day.

                                                             xxx