Everyone ready to rescue Peter?

(Mike whimpers.)

Peter: I need to get out of the sun.

Davy: Ready.

Micky: I'm tired.

(We open in a dry, arid plain. There seems to be nothing but waving grass and highway stretching for miles. We see Peter walking down the highway, holding his sweater and wiping his brow.)

Peter: (Stops) God, I'm thirsty. It feels like I've been walking for days. (He looks around) There's nothing here for miles. Just the grass. It's like I've stumbled into the Land That Time Forgot...but I don't even know where I am!

(There's a blue light next to Peter. The rest of the group appears. Valerie immediately runs to her husband.)

Valerie: Peter! Oh honey, are you ok?

Peter: Valerie, do you have any water? I'm so thirsty...

Valerie: No, we just came from a deserted island.

Peter: (Eyes widen) You were on a deserted island? But...how? (He looks at the others) And where did all of you come from? I haven't seen a soul since I arrived here. Not even an animal!

Emma: (Shrugs) We've been in different places. I was stuck in the jungle.

Daphne: I ended up in Africa.

Davy: I was in a volcano. *puts his arm around Micky, who seems to be having problems paying attention* And Mick was in the Arctic.

Peter: Micky, your aura is shaky. There's something seriously wrong. (Looks around) Where's Lauren? And Michael?

Emma: We haven't found Mike yet. (She puts a hand on her heart) But we have to soon. He's hurting.

Davy: We think the devils have done something with Lauren.

Micky: Lauren and Urse rescued me, but couldn't stick around.

Peter: Their spirits, right? Like the time we helped the girls in New England.

Micky: Yeah.

Peter: We have to find Michael and get back there. (Frowns) How did this happen in the first place? All I remember is seeing Al the caterer, and then...nothing.

Davy: That's been the common recollection for all of us.

Peter: Then Al was involved somehow. The Devils must have done something to him, given him some kind of power that made us disappear and reappear in different countries.

Emma: (Sighs) We'll figure it out when we find all of us and make it back. We have to rescue Mike. (Turns to Micky) Do you have any idea of where Lauren is?

Micky: Wherever the devils are.

Davy: Arizona, probably.

*Micky nods.*

Peter: Then we have to go back there, but after we find Michael and get organized.

Valerie: Then maybe we'd better get going...

Peter: (Looks up) What's that noise?

Valerie: (Looks up...and sees a huge, black cloud) Doesn't that look like a twister or one of those dust clouds, like in "The Wizard of Oz?"

Davy: And it's coming this way!

Peter: We have to get out of here.

Valerie: Run!

("Long Title" begins as everyone takes to their heels. Peter grabs Valerie and pulls her along as fast as he can.)

(Emma runs as fast as she can, but she's never been very good at sprinting and is soon slowing down, panting.)

*Daphne grabs onto Emma to help her. Davy helps Micky.*

(Peter looks over his shoulder to look for the others. He points to a farm house. A man is already helping several other men and women into the basement. Others run around, securing items and animals. He quickly talks to the farmer and points to himself and the others, then to the storm. The man nods, and Peter and Valerie duck into the basement.)

(Daphne helps the limping, gasping Emma downstairs and into a dark, cavernous room.)

*Davy and Micky enter, crashing into each other.*

(The last of the hired men get into the room as the storm finally blows over them. We see nothing but grayness and blowing dust outside. The farmer tries to force the door shut, but the wind's too fierce. It takes two hired men, Peter, and Davy to finally close it all the way.)

Farmer: (As the music ends) Thanks there, young man. (Nods at Davy) You two there, little fella.

Hired Hand #1: Where you guys come from?

Peter: (Shrugs) We're on our way home to California, but our vehicle broke down back in St. Louis and the bus only took us so far.

Farmer: One of those drifters?

Peter: (Sighs) Not really. We're hoping to get to a town and hop another bus to get home.

Hired Hand #1: (To Davy) What about you, sonny? I heard you talk. You sound like some of those culture shows that turn up on that PBS TV thing sometimes.

Davy: *Shrugs* Came over from England several years ago and made some good friends here. These blokes and the ladies. *puts an arm around Daphne* And my wife.

Hired Hand #1: (Grins) You're lucky. She's a looker. Got a nice face.

Peter: (Puts his arm around Valerie) And this is my wife.

Valerie: (Nods) We're hoping to meet some other friends in Arizona as soon as we can get to a bus.

*Micky groans.*

Emma: (Sighs) My husband is in the city, and his wife may be in some...trouble.

Farmer: What kind of trouble?

Emma: Nothing illegal. They ran into some old friends who weren't so friendly.

*Micky groans again.*

Emma: And his wife is pregnant with their fourth child.

Farmer: (Raises an eyebrow) I salute you, sonny. What did you end up with, boys or girls?

Micky: *Quietly* Some of each...

Peter: Two of them are twins. They're cute kids.

Farmer: (Grins) Twins! Bet they're a handful. I knew a man down in Farbersville who had twin boys. Used to raise hell every Halloween when they'd go from yard to yard and set up home-made smoke bombs. (Laughs) And one ended up becomin' Farbersville's sheriff and the other is now a fireman.

Emma: (Grins) So there's hope for the twins, Mick.

*Micky gives a slight grin before wincing.*

Farmer: Hey...you guys got any money for that bus? Arizona ain't that close.

Peter: Well, not a lot. We were, um...

Valerie: Going to wire my father for the money.

Farmer: Let me save you the trouble. You seem like nice folks, and we just had that wind storm. Even my boys won't be able to clean up that whole mess out there in a day, and there's other chores that need to be done. How about, you help clean up after that storm, we pay you enough to catch a bus to Arizona?

Peter: Oh, that won't be necessary... (But Valerie elbows him)

Davy: We accept.

Valerie: That's very kind of you, sir. We'll do whatever we can.

Peter: (Whispers to Davy) I don't know about this. I seem to remember what happened the last time we worked on a farm.

Davy: We're just helping to clean up. This should be easy.

Peter: I hope so. For one thing, Mick doesn't look so good - his color or his aura.

Davy: *Shakes his head* Mick looks downright sick.

*Micky groans again to emphasize it.*

Peter: I don't think Em looks all that wonderful, either, and I'm sure our run didn't help.

Emma: (She goes to Micky) Are you ok? You look so pale.

Micky: No...I feel sick...

Emma: (She turns to the farmer) May I take my friend inside? He's not feeling well.

Farmer: (Nods) He does look a mite peaked. My old woman could probably serve you up a remedy for that, sonny.

Emma: You don't know how much we thank you, sir.

Farmer: As long as you don't blow up the place or smoke some weird junk, I don't care. You seem like nice enough kids. (Strokes his chin) Come to think of it, I believe I've seen you somewhere before. You ever been on television?

Emma: I haven't. My friend's been on once or twice.

Farmer: What's your names, anyway?

Emma: Mine is Emma. This is Micky.

Farmer: Had a bull named Mick once. Real amorous. Must have knocked up at least six of our heifers. Never saw a bull so plumb into doing nature's work.

Davy: Aptly named.

Farmer: (He opens the door that leads outside) Damn. Ain't a pretty sight, is it?

Peter: (Winces at the broken fences, frightened animals, splintered building walls, and dust covering everything) No, it isn't.

Farmer: Well, you and the ladies who are up to doin' tough work can start by repairin' the fence. Jimmy here (indicates a tall, strong young man in a Stetson and denim jacket) will show you where to get the supplies. (Nods at Emma) My wife will find a place for Micky to lay a spell. He looks like he just saw a ghost.

Emma: (Rubs Micky's shoulder) He's just tired. I am too, come to think of it.

Peter: By the way, sir (shakes the farmer's hand) my name is Peter Thorkleson. (Nods at Valerie) That's my wife, Val.

Davy: And I'm Davy and this is Daphne. *nods at her*

Farmer: Nice to meet all of ya. I'm Donald Jackson, but call me Don. Or "Hey, farmer!", which is what the boys mostly call me.

Jimmy: (Grins) I'm the youngest, the only one left, and the only one who likes working with Dad. (Looks up) And I think I'd better get you going on that fence, before we get another round of storms.

("Daydream Believer" begins as the four follow Jimmy to a small, dusty supply shed near the main house. Jimmy walks out with a box of tools to fix a tractor. The other four walk out with nails, hammers, saws, paint cans, and brushes. Valerie and Daphne have covered their hair with bandanas.)

*Davy and Daphne work on painting the fence. Davy tries to paint Daphne and starts chasing her around.*

(Peter and Valerie are fixing the broken sections of fence. Peter accidentally hammers his thumb. He squawks; Valerie runs to his side. She kisses his hurt thumb to make it feel better.)

(Valerie and Peter go back and forth on the saw as they cut more wood for the fence. Valerie points to the wood and says it doesn't look level. Peter sighs, and they return to sawing.)

(Valerie and Peter finally finish sawing their board...or so Peter things. Now Valerie says it's too thin! Peter sighs and goes to find a thicker board.)

*Davy uses a hose to clean dirt from the building walls and accidentally sprays Daphne. She grabs a second hose and turns it on him.*

(Peter laughs as he passes with more wood. He doesn't mind being sprayed. That feels good after all the heat and dust! )

(Valerie frowns when Peter brings her wood. It's wet; it might get warped! She'll go get the wood!)

*Daphne grins and sprays Valerie.*

(Valerie squawks at first. She then spies a pail of water near the hose, grabs Daphne, and throws it over her.)

(Peter points to a pig pen that's broken. Some pigs are still there, but others are missing. Oh no! They have to find the piggies before the farmer realizes they're gone!)

*Davy grins. Too bad Mick isn't there to do his hog call.*

(Valerie sees a little pink rear in the garden. She manages to dislodge a squealing baby pig from a carrot. She waggles a finger at it. That carrot wasn't ripe yet. It might give your piggy tummy indigestion!)

(Peter peers into the barn. He sees a pig trying to eat out of the same trough as a horse. He walks into the barn slowly, so as to not frighten either animal.)

(Valerie shoos her pig into the yard and turns to Daphne. Any luck with pig-hunting?)

*Daphne motions to her bucket, which she's carrying a small piggy in.*

*Davy rides a grown-up pig towards the pen.*

(Cut back to the front of the barn. We hear a disgruntled whinny over the music and Peter's "I'm sorry, but I need to..." before a pig comes flying out of the barn! Peter follows hastily.)

Peter: (Makes a face as the music ends) What a rude horse! He didn't want to share with this nice pig! (He shoos the pig into the pen)

Valerie: (Counts...and frowns) I think we're missing one piglet.

Peter: Where could that poor little fellow be?

(The others split up again. Daphne finally looks down the old well near the main house...and gasps.)

Daphne: I found him! He's trapped in the well!

Valerie: (As the others run to the well) Oh, poor darling!

Peter: (They all peer in at once) Maybe we could use the bucket to try to get him out.

Valerie: (Frowns) There is no bucket. I doubt they use this old well anymore. They probably have a modern one somewhere else on the property.

Peter: Daph, didn't you find a baby pig in a bucket?

Daphne: Yes, I did. I'll go grab it! *runs off; returns with the bucket* Here!

Peter: I think there's enough rope left to tie the bucket on and send it down. (He ties the rope onto the bucket)

Valerie: (She and Davy try to turn the rope...but it's not moving) It's stuck! It must be rusty!

Peter: Let me help. (It takes all three of them to get lever moving and lower the bucket into the water)

Daphne: *Peers into the well again* Come on little piggy, hop into the bucket!

(Cut to in the well. The piglet splashes around a bit before finally climbing into the bucket. It's slippery, and he almost loses his balance, but he does finally make it in.)

Peter: Is he in, Daph? I feel something tugging on the lever...

Daphne: He's in! Pull him up!

(It takes a few minutes with the rusty lever and the added weight, but the trio finally pull the bucket back up to the well. The piglet almost literally falls into Daphne's arms.)

Peter: Aw, poor thing must be scared half to death!

Valerie: I think he likes you, Daph.

Daphne: You're a cute little piggy, aren't you? Yes, you are!

(The piglet grunts his approval.)

Valerie: Let's get him back to the pen, before the farmer comes back and counts his herd.

Peter: (Pats the piglet) Besides, I'll bet he wants his mama.

(The piglet grunts under Peter's hand.)

Daphne: Come on little piggy, we're taking you back to Mama and all your friends.

(They walk back to the pen. Daphne lets the piglet into the gate. He runs to the largest sow, who grunts with delight when she sees her son back home. Peter shuts the gate after the piglet is in.)

Peter: I think that's the last of them. (Looks at Davy) Why don't we check up on the horses and make sure they're ok after the storm? That's something we can do.

Davy: *Nods* Yes, it is.

(They walk into the stables. Four horses stand behind dusty gates, including the one who literally kicked the pig out of his food earlier.)

Peter: (Strokes the horse that was offended by the pig) Easy, boy. They seem ok, and they have food, but it looks like they might have gotten hit with some dust.

Davy: How about we give them a cleaning, then?

Peter: (Nods) I think we can do that.

Valerie: Afterwards, we'll check on Micky and Emma and head out. We still have to find Mike and Lauren and figure out everything that's going on.

Davy: We will.

(Each member of the group takes one of the four horses. Peter tries to wash the horse who was sharing his meal with the pig earlier, but he keeps moving or ducking away from Peter's scrub brush. He'd rather eat.)

(Valerie has a far easier time with a pretty golden mare. She chats softly into her hear while washing her back.)

*Davy also has a much easier time with his horse. The horse even appears to give him a kiss.*

*Daphne's horse tries to nibble at her hair. She laughs and gives him a salt lick.*

Peter: Darn it! (He's on the ground...and his horse almost seems to laugh) I think this old boy is as clean as he'll ever get.

Valerie: Are you ok?

Peter: (Nods) That horse was just being stubborn.

Valerie: Maybe we'd better go back to the house now.

Davy: We should check on Emma and Mick.

(Cut back to the house. Micky lays on a couch in a charming, old-fashioned living room that looks a bit like the one in the farmhouse owned by the Warrioresess way back in "Dream World." A plump, gentle-looking older woman with a messy gray bun brings Micky a cup of tea and what looks like something in a bowl. Emma follows with her own tea and two spice cookies.)

Woman: Here you go, sonny. You poor boy, traveling all that way on foot! No wonder you feel so sick.

Micky: *Still weary and kinda pale* Thanks.

Woman: Drink as much as you like. My Don would rather have the coffee, but I try not to let him have too much. Does terrible things to his nerves. Makes him shake like an old cat caught in a twister.

*Micky downs the whole cup quickly.*

Woman: You are thirsty, aren't you? Would you like some more?

Micky: Please.

Woman: Certainly. (She goes back in the kitchen. Emma sits next to Micky)

Emma: How do you feel now?

Micky: *Frowns* Still feel kinda sick. *shakes his head* I can't figure out what's wrong with Lauren. I almost think she's sick.

Emma: The pregnancy? Or...something else?

Micky: I don't know.

Emma: (Rubs her head) We have to get out of here. Mike's feeling terrible. God only knows what's happening to Lauren or our children. Not to mention (nods at the door to the kitchen) these nice folks may start asking questions soon.

Micky: *Nods* The sooner, the better.

(The others enter at this point, followed by Farmer Jackson. Mr. Jackson laughs.)

Farmer: Shoulda warned you 'bout old Sagebrush. That horse sure can be ornery. He won't even let Jim or me bathe him without a big fuss!

Peter: (Makes a face) No kiddin'.

Valerie: (Makes a show of looking at her watch) Honey, I think we have a bus that we need to catch.

Farmer: (Nods) There should be a bus comin' through Farbersville in about an hour. Me an' the missus can take you down there, if you'd like.

Peter: (Shakes his head) No, we'll be ok. Thank you for all your kindness, sir.

Farmer: Thank you for savin' that piglet an' helpin' around here. We don't have nearly the help that we used 'ta. Ever since the second World War, people just don't take to the farmin' life.

Woman: Are you sure you won't at least stay for dinner?

Emma: (Shakes her head) We have family and children we need to get home to.

Woman: Well, at least accept these. (Hands her two bags) It's a nice meal for the road. Roast beef on home-made sourdough, popcorn, carrots, and slices of apple pie. Should be more than enough to get you to Arizona.

Peter: Well... (But Micky immediately grabs the bags)

Micky: We'll need these later.

Farmer: Thanks again, folks. Drop by anytime you're in the neighborhood.

Peter: We will. Thank you for everything!

(The group waves and heads for the road. The moment they're out of sight of the farmhouse, they turn to each other.)

Peter: That actually ended up being fun.

Davy: I'll take these. *takes the bags from Micky*

Micky: I don't want 'em right now anyway.

Emma: (Nods) We had a nice chat with that older woman. We're apparently in central Nebraska. They're just simple farm folk. They've lived in the same place and the same way all their lives...but they opened up and helped us. Not everyone does that.

Peter: And now (looks at Emma) let's see if we can find Michael, so we can all get home and find some answers.

Emma: (Nods) Micky, do you think you're up for traveling?

Micky: *Shrugs* I don't really have much choice, do I?

Emma: (Looks around; the road is empty again) Ok, everyone concentrate and think "Mike."

(There's a blue light around the entire group. When it subsides, everyone is gone, and we end on the same dusty, windy road we began on.)