STILL WAITING
It was cold and damp when Charles arrived, but the moon was full. Charles could see the silhouette of his old friend as he sat in the appointed place.
Why does he still drag me out here? Charles asked himself as he called Patty on his cell phone. Because you're still his best friend, dummy, he replied. "Hello, Patty? Yeah, I just got here. Yeah, he's here, same as he is every year. Did the kids have fun passing out Halloween candy? Good; I'll see you when I get home, OK? Bye."
Charles sighed. Making his way through he old pumpkin patch, he sat down next to Linus Van Pelt. "I guess he hasn't shown up yet," Charles commented.
Linus shook his head. "He'll be here."
Charles didn't respond. Looking at Linus holding his ratty old security blanket, it was easy to imagine that they were both kids again. But they weren't-Linus was a doctor, a psychologist of all things, married to Sally for over thirty years now. By all appearances he was successful and a pillar of their community. Charles himself had grown as well-he owned his own hair salon business and was no longer the "Loser" he had once been. They weren't kids anymore-and yet, here they were.
"So how are the kids?" Charles asked.
"Same as always." Linus kept watching the pumpkin patch for any signs of movement. "Linus Junior wants to be a musician like Schroeder. There's a girl in school who keeps coming over and bugging him."
"What does Lucy have to say about that?"
"The last time I heard from her she and Schroeder were still in London. He's performing for the Prince's Trust there. I think she wants to encourage the kid."
Some things never change, Charles thought.
They heard a rustle among the pumpkin vines. Linus's eyes lit up and suddenly it was as if he was eight years old again. "It's him!" he cried. "The Great Pumpkin!"
Charles blinked and stared. Something was definitely moving out there. A shape rose up against the moonlight. Linus was so excited that he actually fainted dead away.
Charles looked at the figure… "Oh, good grief. Snoopy, what are you doing here?"
Snoopy's great-great-great-grandson shrugged. The original's intelligence-and odd sense of humor-had been passed down through his descendents and Snoopy IV was no exception. The dog shrugged as he went over to check on Linus. He took Linus's blood pressure, temperature, and had a bottle of water in his paw-which he promptly drank. He then snapped his fingers and gave Charles the a-ok sign.
Charles sighed as he helped his unconscious friend back to his car. Like he'd said-some things never changed.
THE END