The Carrot That Fell

The Carrot That Fell

A good story with a bad ending

By Jake Swartwout

Warning! This story is Reeeaaalllly Weird

When Carrots break, they fall and lose their flying powers. Everyone knows that. Some carrots get stuck and abandoned on the ground because of this loss. Without flight, they are merely telepathic vegetables. Not all Carrots go through the cruel experience of falling when they are old. Some reckless baby carrots play too rough and snap themselves. It is a horrible fate. Some, they say, go around and try to purposefully break the Carrots! They target the younger ones, hoping to ruin their life forever.

An especially devious and cunning one, named Dr. Torrac, is now stalking the town. Looking for innocent Carrots. He spots one and immediate hovers over to them. He manages to convince them that there is baby catrot stuck in the alley. The kid, who is truly an example of all good, dances into the avenue. The doctor hovered behind him, urging him on, trying to hide his baseball bat. They reach the middle of the alleyway. No catrot. The baby carrot turns around to ask him where it was. But he gets a surprise. A baseball bat is waiting above him. Crack. The flying powers flow out of him. The baby carrot collapsed. The doctor ran away cackling.

Crying, the baby uses the last of his flight to crawl out onto the road. He calls out to the other carrots rushing above him. He feels his eyes filling with tears. One skinny carrot spots him and exclaims. She swoops down to the baby and picks him up. Cradling him, she flies to the hospital. He is put in the emergency room while doctors fly around him. His side is stitched and bandaged then he is put in a bed.

The police show up at the hospital and begin to question him. They figured out that it was Dr. Torrac, going on a mass murder spree. Baby carrot is introduced to the other victims of the Doctor. Then his carrot parents come. They break down into cries and hug their precious son. He apologizes for going out alone and they apologize for not noticing him more. They talk until he falls asleep.

He dreams. The wind flying by his face. He lost his powers but still he can fly. Wings sprouted on his back. His flying powers were replaced with light stuff. Light enough to lift him up and fly. He wakes. Realizing his dream was a glimpse of the future, the little carrot rolled out of bed and into a wheelchair. He rolled to his house. Grabbing a bunch of stuff he got to work, welding and screwing. Hours later, he finishes his project. It resembles the fabled airplane of the humans, but with flappable wings. He went outside and took a few practice flaps. He felt light as a father, but not light enough to fly.

He was still missing the Cloud Juice. How do carrots get it? Is it with you at birth? And if it is, where does it come from? He finally decided that baby carrots grew it at an alarming rate when they are first sprouted. He hop-flew back to the hospital and nursery. Inside, there were tons of tiny carrot babies. He took off his wings and stepped inside. He felt lighter. Yes, this was definitely the source. He took out a little vacuum and started sucking up the floaty stuff. There was tons accumulated from the many years of baby floaty juice leakage. Seeing that he had enough, he left. He pulled up his bandage and started pumping the stuff into him. It was diluted, but he had the wings.

He went outside and put the wings on. He flapped and flapped and rose into the sky. He could fly again! It was a miracle! He flew home to tell the world.

THE END