Merl's Birthday Curse Endangered Species

Let's go on an adventure!

That isn't very wise.

I love you guys.

# This is getting crazier

# Feels like we're endangered...

# Species. #

And pull!

EXPLOSION

Oh, do it again, Pickle. Again! Again!

GULL GULPS

And pull!

EXPLOSION

Look at these decramations. Merl's birthday party is going to be sweet.

You know it, Gull. Merl's gonna go squirrelly.

Get it? Because Merl is a...

CRASH!

DOORKNOB RATTLES

GULL LAUGHS

Shh.

This is it. Merl alert. Positions!

Oh.

MERL YAWNS

The stump, she is festive.

Por que?

Happy birthday, Merl!

No!

Do you think he liked the decramations?

PICKLE GROWLS

Come on, Merl. We want to celebrate your special day.

Gull hasn't given you a birthday hug yet.

Merl says no.

# Happy birth... #

No! I hate the singing of el happy birthday-mente.

I hate el birthday-mente parties.

I hate el birthday-mente. Period-amente.

B-b-but... Merl. Why?

The tale, she is a sad one.

You see, mes amigos, my birthday-mente, she is cursed!

Argh! Cursed!

Oh, lighten up, Merl. No way, no how is your birthday cursed.

You may not believe me but you cannot argue with the flashback.

Oh, presents.

FISH BURPS

Those flashbacks could mean anything.

-It's time to party!

-No, I will not.

She is cursed.

Does this mean that we're not going to celebrate Merl's birthday?

We're just going to throw Merl such a good party it will

prove there's no curse. I mean, come on, who hates parties?

-MERL: I hate parties.

-Yep, nobody hates parties.

-MERL: Except for me!

-No-one at all.

No way, Jose. Or Pickle. I'm not going.

-I am not going.

-Relax, Merl.

We're going to party! We're going to party!

-Hey, why can I not do the seeing?

-It's a party game, Merl.

Everyone knows party games are curse-proof.

Now, it looks like there was a problem with one of the party games.

That's OK. I do not want to play the party games anyway...

Let's get ready to pin the tail on the cow.

-Well, I guess I could show you two how it is done.

-You go, Merl!

Go, Merl, go, Merl, go, Merl. It's your birthday.

So not the birthday curse, Merl.

Sure, that all looks like the curse but that's impossible. Right?

MERL GROANS

That's not the giant moon rock I ordered.

Oh, there it is.

-Hope you like it, Merl.

-Oh, OK. I'm convinced.

Gull, change of plans. We've got a curse to cure.

Cleansing of the birthday curse begins now.

Gull, get me a banana, some ice, and lip cream. Stat.

Mm. Curse-alicious!

This cure does not look so bad after all.

It doesn't go that way.

Oh, the waiting is the hardest part.

BELL RINGS / GULL LAUGHS

According to the inter-web-ternet,

that curse should only take a couple of weeks to freeze out.

Ooh, did you hear that, Merl? You are cured!

Don't lick the frozen squirrel.

I won't.

No curse, no curse! I got it! Wow, not even close.

So, this proves the curse, she is unbreakable, no? Unlike myself.

Gull, this isn't the curse removal site. This is,

"how-to-turn-woodland- creatures-into-delcious-

"frozen-deserts.com."

-Oh, yeah. I bookmarked that one last week. Great recipes.

-Sorry, Merl.

-It looks like the curse is real.

-Cold.

Unless there is some other mysterious thing

that's ruining your birthday.

-Cold.

-Yeah, not now, Merl.

I want another look at those birthday flashbacks.

But let's just flash a little farther back this time.

And now for my gift.

Oh, presents.

Some chum for my chum.

CAR HORN BLARES

-So, what are we staring at?

-You. It was you all along!

-You ruined everything single birthday-mente.

-What?

Your birthday isn't ruined, silly.

You haven't even found the surprise cake I hid for you.

Que? The surprise cake?

What on earth are you speaking of?

Oh, I can't even hide cake on the ceiling properly.

As long as you are here I will never have a happy birthday-mente.

So get out!

-What are you saying?

-I am saying, "get out".

-Can't argue with that.

I guess I'll just be going.

Yes! Happy birthday-mente to me.

# It's your birthday

# Take it all down

# Now it's time for birthday fun. #

It's...it's beautiful.

None of the danger of the streamer or the flickering of the candle.

This party, she is so safe, so... so perfecto.

It's the most Merl-ish party in history.

Pickle, this does not feel right.

It certainly does not feel like the birthday-mente of me.

Way ahead of you, buddy.

That is more like it, yes. But it is not what I am meaning.

The curse of the birthday-mente, she hurts, yes. But only on the outside.

But the missing of the Gull, she hurts on the inside.

-Yeah, I miss him too.

-I wonder where the Gull is now.

-How far are you going?

-Just to the end of this fence.

-OK!

-And that's the whole story.

-Good luck with that, Gull.

-Anyway, gotta strut.

-Bye! Thanks for the company.

-Hey, Gull.

-Hello?

-Come back, Gull!

-You want me to come back?

-Yes.

It's not a birthday without you, Gull.

-It's not a birthday without me?

-Stop repeating everything I say.

-Stop repeating everything you say?

-Hang up.

-Oh, boy, I gotta head home.

THEY SCREAM

MERL GROANS

Now this feels like my birthday-mente.