Back at Hangman's Tree, Lumpy, Roo, and the Lost Animal Boys, still wearing their spacesuits and helmets, had returned to the hideout still singing the futuristic song.
Lumpy, Roo, and the Lost Animal Boys: Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
What makes the space cadet futuristic?
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
They kept singing, "Hana Mana Ganda" as they entered the tree and danced around the room. Susan (wearing an ocean blue undershirt with a periwinkle star on it and matching pants) sat on the bed, waiting for them to return. The singing stopped as Gil entered the hideout.
"Big chief Flying Eagle greets his braves." Gil announced before greeting in George's voice, "How!"
"How, chief!" The Lost Animal Boys greeted back as they bowed.
"How!" Lumpy called.
"How!" Roo repeated.
Then Gil walked to Susan in an Indian style. "Big chief greets little mother." he said. He called again in George's voice, "How!"
"Ug!" Susan grunted.
"Oh, Susan, is that all you gotta say?" Gil asked in a normal voice, "Everyone else thinks I'm wonderful."
"Yes, especially Judy." Susan said sarcastically, as she walked away.
"Judy?" asked Susan, confused on what she meant.
"Lumpy?" Susan called, as Lumpy and Roo danced around again, whooping, "Roo! Take off those spacesuits and get ready for bed."
"Bed?" Lumpy repeated, as he stopped.
"Brave no sleep!" Roo protested, "Go for day without sleep!"
"But, boys," Susan said, as she straightened out the blanket and sheets on the bed. "we're going home in the morning, and--"
"Home?" asked Lumpy.
"Mm-hmm." Susan said.
"Oh, Susan, we don't wanna go home." Roo said.
It was then that Gil jumped in front of Lumpy and Roo. "No go home!" he said, "Stay many moons! Have big heap time!"
"Now, Gil, let's stop pretending and be practical." Susan said, but Gil ignored her.
"Chief Flying Eagle has spoken!" Gil called, as he walked into his room. The animal boys cheered.
"Oh for goodness' sake!" Susan said.
Susan tried to talk to Lumpy and Roo again. "Please, boys. Do you want to stay here and grow up like-like savages?"
"Course!" Roo agreed.
"But you can't. You need a mother." Roo said, as she removed the sieve and pot from Roo and helped him into a pair of blue footy pajamas, "We all do."
Pixie and Dixie were tied upside down by Boo Boo as they continued pretending to be astronauts.
"Aren't you our mother, Susan?" asked Roo.
"Oh, Roo, of course not. Surely you haven't forgotten our real mother?" Susan said.
"Did she have orange fur and wear a blue collar with a gold license?" asked Roo.
"Oh no, Roo," Susan smiled. "That was Oliver."
"Oliver? That name sounds familiar." Lumpy wondered, as he took off the spacesuit and helmet.
The Lost Animal Boys seemed to be listening.
"I think I had a mother once." Boo Boo said.
"What was she like?" Pixie and Dixie asked in unison.
"I forget." Boo Boo said, as he let go of the rope and grabbed it in time before Pixie and Dixie hit their heads on the floor.
"I had a white rat." Augie Doggie said.
"That's no mother!" Boo Boo snapped, as he shoved him aside.
Boo Boo tackled Augie Doggie, Baba Looey, and Ding-A-Ling, and Pixie and Dixie hit their heads on the floor. Soon, the Lost Animal Boys were in a rumble again.
"No, no, no, boys. Please. I'll tell you what a mother is." Susan said.
The animal boys stopped fighting, removed their futuristic clothes, put on their pajamas, and went over to her.
Augie Doggie was wearing dark blue footy pajamas with yellow stars on them. Boo Boo was wearing a purple nightshirt. Pixie was wearing blue footy pajamas. Dixie was wearing red footy pajamas. Baba Looey was wearing yellow footy pajamas. Ding-A-Ling was wearing green pajamas.
"Tell us." Baba Looey said.
"Yes, tell us." added Ding-A-Ling.
"Please, Susan?" Boo Boo said.
"Well, a mother, a real mother," Susan explained. "is the most wonderful person in the world. She's the angel voice... that bids you good night, kisses your cheek, whispers, "sleep tight"."
Then she began to sing as brushed a few tears from Roo's eyes.
Susan: Baby mine
Don't you cry
Baby mine
Dry your eyes
Rest your head
Close to my heart
Never to part
Baby of mine
Meanwhile, McLeach and his guards, thanks to Kiara's help, found Gil's hideout. They opened the doors but didn't go in. They just listened.
Susan: Little one
When you play
Don't you mind
What they say
Let those eyes
Sparkle and shine
Never a tear
Baby of mine
As the animal boys listened to the powerful sound of Susan's voice, Augie Doggie, Boo Boo, Pixie, Dixie, Baba Looey, and Ding-A-Ling felt tears dripping down their faces and remembered how much they missed their parents. In the other room, Gil was not upset. Rather, he was angry and snapped an arrow into two. But then he listened to Susan's lovely voice and took a peek through the curtains.
Susan: If they knew
Sweet little you
They'd end up
Loving you too
All the same people who scold you
What they give
Just for the right to hold you
Outside, Snoops and the guards also had tears dripping from their eyes. But McLeach was just waiting. Snoops took out a picture of his mother, looked at it, and cried on McLeach's coat, but McLeach shushed him.
Susan: From your head
To your toes
(Baby mine)
You're so sweet
Goodness knows
(Baby mine)
Susan saw that Roo was asleep and tucked in him.
Susan: You are so precious to me
Cute as can be
Baby of mine
Baby mine
Baby mine
As the song ended, the animal boys started to cry. "That's beautiful, Susan!" Boo Boo sobbed, "Wish I could sing like that!"
"I'm sure you will one of these days." Susan smiled.
"Even your singing voice could elicit tears?" Ding-A-Ling asked, "Oh, that's really sad," he sniffled, before a tear ran down his face. "I liked it!"
"Don't cry, Ding-A-Ling." Susan reassured him, "Sometimes my beautiful voice makes you guys cry, and sometimes it doesn't."
Roo woke up, crying. "I wanna see my mother!" he sniffled.
"Yes, Roo." Susan said.
"I propose we leave for home at once!" Lumpy said.
"Can I go too, Susan?" Boo Boo asked.
"Me too, Susan!" Dixie called.
"Quiero ir a casa! Baba Looey called.
"All right, boys, all right!" Susan said, "I'm sure mom would be glad to have you. Err… that is, if Gil doesn't mind."
At that moment, Gil walked up in an angry state. "Go on! Go back and grow up! But I'm warning you," he snarled. "Once you're growin' up, you may never come back! NEVER!" And with that, he stomped back in his room.
"Oh, Dios mio!" said Baba Looey.
"Oh dear!" Susan said, realizing how upset Gil was.
"Well, then, shall we be off?" Lumpy asked.
Roo and the animal boys got out of their pajamas and put their clothes back on.
"Yeah, come on! Let's go!" The boys cheered as they made their way out, unaware there was a trap ahead.
Gil then laid in his hammock and said, "They'll be back." Then he played his panpipes as he fell asleep.
Susan took off her pajamas and put her shirt, knee socks, skirt and pumps, Mary Jane shoes, and lab coat back on. Then she went in front of Gil's room. "Gil?" She asked but she knew there would be no changing Gil's mind. "Goodbye, Gil."
She went up the stairs and out of the hideout to go home, or at least she thought she was going home.
When she got out, she saw that Lumpy, Roo, Augie Doggie, Boo Boo, Pixie, Dixie, Baba Looey, and Ding-A-Ling were tied and gagged by McLeach's guards.
"Lumpy! Roo!" she gasped.
She was about to scream, but one of the guards grabbed her mouth.
"All right, men, take them away!" McLeach ordered.
And so, poor Susan and the boys were taken away to the pirate ship. McLeach and Snoops stayed behind. They got a white present with a red ribbon around it. "And now, Snoops, to take care of Gil Nexdor!" McLeach said, as he tied the present to a rope.
"But Captain, wouldn't it be more human-like to slit his throat?" Snoops asked.
"Aye, that it would, Snoops." said McLeach, "But I've given my word to Kiara, not to lay a finger or a hook on Gil Nexdor." He then used his hook to lower the present down the hole "And Captain Percival C. McLeach never breaks a promise!"
Once the present was delivered, McLeach and Snoops went away.