30 MINUTES AFTER DINNER by MS IMAGINE RATED FRC

A Thunderbirds adventure for children.

This was written in response to the 2006 Tracy Island Writers Forum's Silly Fic Title challenge.

"It's thirty minutes after dinner," Grandma said unhappily.

"Scott is gone, his food is cold, wherever could he be?"

"Not at the table," Virgil said, licking crumbs of cake.

"Not in the pool," Gordon called, leaving splashes in his wake.

"Not over here," Alan sighed, washing dishes dutifully,

"And he's definitely," called John from space, "not up here with me."

Kyrano shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I haven't seen him."

Even Tin Tin didn't know where he might be hidden.

Grandma went towards the lounge asking Jeff if he'd seen Scott,

But when she heard him snoring she thought, hmm, maybe not.

She checked the desk, she checked the shelves, Scott was nowhere to be found.

She even checked the balcony but it only made her frown.

Behind the potted plants she searched, but she had no luck.

He wasn't behind the curtains; he was causing quite a muck!

She searched the hallway, she searched the rooms, she thought about the roof,

But there was no way she would climb the house to find the little goof!

"Maybe I should check his bed!" Grandma realised suddenly,

But his room was empty, his bed was made; there was no Scott to see.

"I'll check outside," Kyrano said and off he went to look,

"And on my way I'll search the garden, every little nook."

"I'll help, Father," Tin Tin said, "He's my friend too,"

"If I were lost he'd come for me, it's the least that I could do."

"It's Operation Rescue Scott!" cried Alan gleefully.

"Forget washing dishes!" he shouted. "Woohoo, hurrah, yippee!"

He tossed his gloves; he tossed his sponge and dove underneath the sink.

"Not in here," Alan said, "Unless he's learned to shrink!"

"I'll ask Brains!" Virgil grinned and jumped up to his feet.

"That very clever man will find Scott in a heartbeat!"

But in his lab, tapping his desk, Brains was most perturbed,

That fact that he could not find Scott left him awfully disturbed.

"He isn't answering his watch, he won't come when we call."

"I checked everything I could find, it's like he's not here at all!"

"Oh dear, oh dear," Grandma said, very worriedly,

Wherever Scott was hiding, he must have been hungry.

"There's one more thing we can do," Virgil announced to them all.

"We can look inside the Thunderbirds, we haven't checked there at all!"

"Excellent idea!" they said, and clapped him on the back.

"Start with Thunderbird Five - John, did you hear all of that?"

From far away in space where things were quiet and cold and dim,

John reminded them again that Scott couldn't be with him.

"I'm sure I would have noticed," John replied patiently,

"If a great big rocket had come up to visit me."

"Never mind," said Gordon, still dripping from his swim,

"I know where I would hide, if I were him."

He looked in Thunderbird Four and much to his dismay,

Once again there was no Scott, not in any way.

He was not hiding in the back; he was not in the front,

So Gordon closed his submarine and locked it with a clunk.

"I don't understand!" he cried, and he seemed a little miffed.

"Why wouldn't he be inside here? It's such a cosy ship!"

Alan thought very hard and said, "You know, I can see,"

"Lots of reasons why he might hide in Thunderbird Three!"

They raced towards the rocket and he told them all his clues -

"It's red, shiny, fast and loud - the perfect place to choose!"

They peered inside and looked around, testing Alan's tip,

But wherever Scott hid, it was not in the space ship.

Alan shook his head and said, "Maybe I'm just getting dense,"

"But Thunderbird Three is the best place to be - no where else makes sense."

"To you perhaps," Virgil replied, "But I know where Scott has gone."

"The best ship of all! The place to be, when you've got brains and brawn,"

"To Thunderbird Two!" he called with a grin, "Let's go take a look,"

"Scott is probably sitting inside, reading a very good book."

But alas, they searched the ship and the pods and still no Scott they found,

And poor Virgil, now very confused, kept looking around.

"Where else could he be?" Virgil asked, scratching his aching head.

"He's not in here, he's not in the house and he's definitely not in bed."

"There's once last place," Brains replied, with certainty of voice.

"One final place to check, and I bet it was his first choice."

"Let's go to Thunderbird One and take a look inside,"

"I'm absolutely certain we'll find that's where he decided to hide."

They crowded around and peered in the ship and they gave a very loud gasp -

For there was Scott, asleep, and they'd found him at last!

They shouted for joy, yelling together, all excited and loud,

Startling poor Scott so much that he landed on the ground.

"We've been looking for you everywhere!" Gordon told his brother,

"We looked up and down, high and low, and pretty much all over."

"We checked the lounge, we checked your room, we even checked the pool,"

"We looked inside, outside, in the garden, and under the sink, too!"

"Goodness!" Scott replied, "I didn't mean to cause trouble!"

"Seems to me I'd better apologise, right now on the double!"

"I'm sorry I made you worried." Scott kissed Grandma on her cheek.

"Thank you every one, for coming to rescue me!"

They took him to the kitchen and sat him at the table,

And though it was a long time after dinner, Scott ate his steak and mashed potatoes.

He even ate his vegetables, cleaned his plate of every bite,

And when Grandma gave him chocolate cake he smiled with all his might.

Taking a knife, carefully, he cut it into squares,

And gladly, he shared it with his family and his friends.

"The next time I go wandering," Scott said to all around,

"I'll be sure to fall asleep some place I'll easily be found!"