Disclaimer: I do not own Aqua Teen Hunger Force or any of its characters. I do own the narrator, her family and friend, however.


The wind howled outside. I sighed as I glanced sideways, noticing that I couldn't see the night sky through the stained glass windows. Against my will, my mom had dragged me to Church, and I was starting to feel restless. I hated sitting still for a long period of time, but I knew if I got up and stretched my achy legs, everyone in the room would turn to look at me, so I forced myself to remain seated.

Even though she may have gotten her way by getting me here, that didn't mean I had to pay attention to what the preacher was saying. Instead, I stared down at the toy Pokemon Umbreon in my lap. Her name was Midnight and I took her everywhere I go.

As an Eevee, Midnight was very eager to become a trainer's Pokemon, and when it finally happened, she was determined to show off what she was capable of. But that was never good enough for her trainer. He always wanted more, pushing her to a point where she couldn't even stand at the end of training.

However, she never complained and always tried her hardest to get stronger to please her trainer. Then one day, he just gave up on her and abandoned her. He tied her to a tree, and she waited and waited some more for him to return but he never did.

A passing trainer spotted her and removed the rope around her neck, asking if she wanted to come along with them on their journey, but Midnight shook her head and continued to wait. Eventually, she realized that he was never coming back, and since then she never trusted another human, avoiding people and even going as far as attacking them if they got too close for comfort.

My attention was snatched away from Midnight's backstory when something pointy jabbed me in my side. I turned to my cousin, letting out a confused grunt as I rubbed my sore ribs where he had elbowed me. Him and his little brother had tagged along with us to Church which at first sounded like an exciting idea because I thought I'd have someone to talk to, but when the preacher started, my mom hushed us.

My cousin pointed to the toy Pokemon I was hugging. "Why do you take that with you everywhere?" he whispered.

I hesitated. I've told him about Midnight's backstory, but I never told him I felt close to her because I believed it. How do you admit that kind of thing to someone? I'm weird that way because most people don't think twice about where their stuffed animals came from or what they went through before they got them. Finally, I said," Just because."

James shrugged but didn't try to push the subject. Instead he asked," So did you ever check out South Park?"

I remembered the other day when my mom had stepped outside for awhile and I had been able to turn on the show my cousin has been trying to get me to watch. My mom's a huge Jesus Freak and disapproved of anything that didn't have to do with God, so when she's around, I'm careful about what I watch and avoid putting the TV on shows I know she would lecture me about. That included Pokemon, but it's such a great show that I refuse to let my mom ruin it for me.

I honestly wasn't sure what to make of South Park. It had been kind of hard to keep track of, especially since I knew next to nothing about it. The only thing I was able to pick up on was that one of the main characters- a boy who always wore an orange hoodie covering his mouth that muffled his voice- dies in every episode in some really gruesome way but still somehow appears in following episodes.

My cousin had said it seemed like something I would like, but I didn't think so. "It's too extreme for me," I finally admitted.

"Says the girl who watches a show about talking food."

"Hey!" I exclaimed louder than I expected. My whole body burned with embarrassment when the preacher paused in his teaching and all eyes turned on me.

My mom, who was sitting in the pew in front of us, jerked her head around at us and hissed," Shh!"

A mix of humiliation and annoyance washed over me when James started laughing under his breath. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest, sliding down in my seat and wishing I could just disappear.

For awhile, I kept my eyes fixed on Midnight, holding my tongue until I got over what just happened. Then I turned back to my cousin, keeping a close eye on my mom. "The Aqua Teens are funny," I murmured out of the corner of my mouth.

"They are," he agreed with a nod, glancing at me before switching his gaze back to the preacher but still talking to me. "But they have their extreme moments too. The whole show can get out of control; sometimes it's just as bad as South Park."

I opened my mouth to defend my favorite show, next to Pokemon. But before I could get a word out, my mom glanced over her shoulder at us again. We both fell silent, turning our attention back on the preacher who was pacing in front of the small Church as he talked about something in the Bible that happened a long, long time ago.

At first, I tried to listen to what he was saying, but soon my thoughts wandered back to the show on Adult Swim. Since my mom didn't like me watching a harmless show like Pokemon, I knew she would never approve of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, so I got into the habit of watching it after she went to bed, thankful that it came on late at night.

I smiled to myself, going off into a daydream about the show, playing scenes in my head and giggling under my breath at the funny parts. I was distracted by a flash of light outside. I was blinded for a moment; when I could see again, I looked around. Did nobody else notice that?

What was that? I thought, confused.

I was still trying to figure out what just happened when suddenly I felt a strong, new presence. Glancing around me, I noticed that everybody, even my cousin, was still focused on the preacher. Usually when someone arrived late to Church at least they were noticed, but it seemed like I was the only one who sensed them without needing to look for them.

I was about to turn to James and ask him if he felt the strange presence when I heard a voice behind me.

"What are we doing here again?"

My heart started racing. I recognized that voice. But it couldn't be… could it?

I waited to see if the meatball would say anymore, but the next voice that spoke was deeper, definitely not Meatwad's childlike, innocent tone.

"Just hush and follow me." The box of fries whispered that but I could still hear him as clear as day.

"I don't see why we had to come all the way here," Master Shake complained, sounding annoyed like he always did when he was pulled into doing something he didn't want to do.

"I told you that you could have stayed behind," Frylock snapped at him.

Am I losing it? I wondered as I glanced around, realizing that they must be sitting directly behind me if they were really there. I noticed that nobody else seemed able to hear or see the Aqua Teens; everyone around me still had their undivided attention on the preacher.

Despite myself, I was curious. I focused on listening to them again just as Shake replied to his friend.

"You know exactly why I couldn't have stayed there." He added," By myself…"

It was silent for a long moment, and, knowing as much as I did about the show, I imagined Frylock giving Shake a suspicious look. Then finally the fries spoke again. "Then stop complaining and sit down."

Even though none of them talked after that, I could still feel them there.

Something jabbed me in the side, jerking me back to where I was sitting on the pew beside my cousin. My mind started picking up what was happening around me: The preacher's voice roared in my ears; cheers met his words as everyone praised the Lord. I had completely forgotten where I was while I was listening to the Aqua Teens. I blinked a few times, letting my surroundings sink into my brain. Then I turned to my cousin, who had stabbed me painfully in the ribs for a second time that night.

"What?" I grumbled.

"Were you daydreaming?" James whispered.

I rubbed my pounding head. Suddenly I had a headache, probably from the rush of everything coming back to me. "Um… yeah," I stammered.

"About what?"

"The Aqua Teens." Should I tell him? I wanted to, but I doubt he would believe me. Besides, I'm not sure if what I heard was real or only my imagination. Perhaps it was just my mind playing a cruel joke on me.

I pushed all these thoughts out of my head as the preacher begun to dismiss everyone.

But even though I tried to listen to his closing words, like I always did when Church was over, I heard Frylock behind me whisper to the others. "Come on, let's go. We can meet for her at her house."

I guess they were leaving, but who was this "her"? They couldn't possibly be talking about me… could they? But I'm the only one able to hear them, it seems. If I find them at my house when we get home, then I'll know for sure if they are real or if I'm just crazy.

Suddenly I wanted to get a move on and see for myself if they were really at my house. But I knew my mom would take forever and a day saying goodbye to everyone, then there's a ten minute drive back to the house. I sighed as my mind filled with wonder.

Are cartoons real? I looked around me, full of curiosity. Are they also living in this world or do they have their own?


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