"If I hiccup a few bars, it will come to me"   

By: Mickys411 and Larrysgirl  Rated PG

One late afternoon, the Monkees had an audition at "The Coconut Club", one of the hottest night spots in town.

They really wanted to get this gig, because first of all, it was a 10 week gig (100 dollars a week), and they haven't had a job in quite some time, so this was important to get it.

On that day, the guys played one or two of their older stuff, and some new ones, including one called "Words".

The manager listened and looked up at The Monkees, between writing something down on a piece of paper.

When they stopped, the manager got up from his seat, and went to the bandstand to talk to the guys.

"Well boys,” said the manager to The Monkees, “I've auditioned 4 other groups, including you today, and you're the best one of all."

"Does this mean we got the gig?" asked Peter.

"That's exactly what it means, you start this Saturday night."

"Thank you sir," said Mike shaking the manager's hand.

"Saturday, hey that's four days away." said Davy.

"Don't worry sir, we'll be ready by then," said Micky to the manager.

When the guys left the club, they stopped at a local diner to grab a bite to eat.

As soon as his order came to the table, Peter ate his entire Pickle in one gulp.

"Peter, you really shouldn't eat your food so fast," said Mike biting down into his cheeseburger.

"Relax, I'm fine," said Peter.

Just then, he hiccuped, and again, and again, and again.

"You were saying," laughed Micky sipping on his soda.

Peter then tried to take a sip of his drink, but he hiccuped into his straw, and the soda bubbled up.

Davy, who was wiping some ketchup off his face, hid his laughter with a napkin.

Peter then continued to hiccup throughout the rest of the meal, and in the car ride home.

The guys wanted to get in a little practice when they got home, however, practice never really got off the ground, because Peter hiccuped while trying to sing his part in "Words."

Mike then decided that maybe now is not a good time to practice, and would get back at it tomorrow.

A few minutes later, Davy and Mike were playing a game of cards, Micky was reading a book called "How to build inventions with stuff lying around the house", and Peter was trying to watch TV.

But, because of his hiccups, it was blocking out the sound, so he had to turn up the volume.

"Hey Peter, can you keep the TV down?"

"We're in the middle of a game," said Davy.

"Not to mention those hiccups," Micky said looking up from his book.

Mike then looked down at his watch.

It was getting late, and they all thought they should call it a night.

However, getting a good night's sleep was disturbed by Peter's hiccups.

In fact, he was the only one who slept through the night, snoring and hiccuping away.

"What time is it?" wondered Davy who was half asleep.

"It's 1:30am," answered Mike with a yawn looking at the clock by his bed.

They all turned to Peter, who was still hiccuping, but sleeping like a baby.

"We're never gonna get any rest tonight," said Micky placing his head under his pillow.

Just then, Mike thought of something.

He left the room, and came back a few seconds later, with a bag of cotton balls.

He took some out of the bag and handed a few to Micky and Davy, then took some more out for himself.

"Just put them in your ears and you won't hear a thing," he said putting the cotton in his ears.

Davy and Micky did the same thing as well.

"Do you guys hear anything?"

"What did you just call me?" Micky asked.

"What was that you were saying?" Asked Davy.

"Uh, I can't hear you." said Mike.

"What?" said Davy.

"Never mind, just go to bed," said Mike lying down.

"What did he say?" Davy asked Micky.

"What did you say?" Micky asked back.

"Just skip it, I'm going to bed."

"Uh, what, forget it, I'll just go to bed."

The guys then slept throughout the rest of the night.

The next morning, Peter woke up and got out of bed. As soon as he sat up, he started to hiccup again. He wondered why his sides were sore, and realized he must've been from all that hiccuping.

"I'll be more careful how I eat." He thought to himself.

Peter washed and dressed then went down to the kitchen, still hiccuping. He was usually the first one up anyway so he didn't think it odd that Micky, Mike and Davy were still sleeping. Peter prepared pancakes then called up to the bedroom.

"MIICKYY! MIIKE! DAVVY!! Breakfast!" He shouted.

No answer.

"C'Mon guys, <hiccup> its getting cold!"

Still nothing, not even a moan.

Peter became concerned and charged back up into the bedroom. There he saw his three friends lying in their beds, totally out for the count. Peter didn't know his hiccuping made them put cotton in their ears, he just thought his friends were playing a joke on him. Peter hiccuped again and smiled. He'd play a little joke too. Peter silently walked over to the bathroom sink and filled up three glasses of water. He then placed the glasses just at the edges of the headboards of each bed, right over Micky, Mike and Davy's heads. Since all the beds were right next to each other, Peter had no problem doing the next part. He reached down and started tickling his friends' stomachs. It took just a few seconds for Micky, Mike and Davy to wake up!

"HAHHAHHAH!" They laughed and tried to pull away from Peter, but Peter kept tickling his friends until they rocked their beds enough that the water glasses tipped over and spilled the water on their heads!

That brought everything to a complete halt. Three wet Monkees glared at Peter as he laughed at his joke. Mike tried to wipe the water off his pajama top.

"What's gotten into you Peter!" Mike demanded. He could take a joke, but not at this hour of the morning.

"Well, you guys didn't come when I called <hiccup> for breakfast, so I decided to wake you up in my own way!" Peter laughed and hiccuped.

But Mike didn't hear Peter because of the cotton in his ears. He grabbed Peter's shirt.

"I said what's gotten into you Peter?" He said, angrily this time.

Peter looked confused. He just told Mike why he did what he did, so why did Mike ask again?

"I was just playing a joke, Mike. <hiccup>" Peter whined, getting scared. "Don't hit me!"

"Aren't you gonna say somethin' to Mr. Tickler, Mike?" Davy asked. He hadn't heard a word either of them had said.

Now Peter was really getting scared. Were his friends deaf? Finally, Micky remembered the cotton they had put in their ears the night before so they could sleep. He had felt the cotton in his ears when he tried to wring the water out of his hair. He pulled the cotton out of his ears, and heard Peter starting to cry.

"I'm sorry guys, it was just a joke!"

"Did he say something?" Davy asked Mike.

"What?" Mike asked Davy. Micky reached over and pulled one of the cotton balls out of Mike's ear.

"He said it was a joke, Mike." Micky said. Being a practical joker himself at times, he wasn't too upset with Peter. "You still have cotton in your ears."

Mike looked sheepish as he pulled the other cotton ball out of his other ear. He then reached over and pulled the cotton out of Davy's ears.

"I'm sorry I got angry, shotgun." Mike said to a still hiccuping Peter, "But why the tickling and the water?"

"I <hiccup> thought you guys were playing a joke on me by not getting out of bed for breakfast, so I <hiccup> decided to play a joke too."

"Its breakfast?" Micky asked. "Oh boy!" he yelled and went off to the bathroom to wash.

"But why were you guys <hiccup>wearing cotton in your ears?" Peter asked.

"So we could get some sleep!" Davy replied "Your hiccuping was keeping us awake!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. No wonder my sides hurt." Peter replied.

"And you're still hiccuping." Mike remarked. "Have you ever hiccuped like this before?"

"I can't remember." Peter replied. "But I'm <hiccup> tired of it."

"Maybe eating will stop them." Davy replied.

"Let's hope so." Mike replied, standing up, only to be knocked back down onto the bed by Micky who was rushing past to change clothes.

"Don't bother rushing, Micky <hiccup>." Peter said ruefully, "The pancakes are probably cold by now."

"Micky doesn't care, Peter." Davy said with a laugh. "Its still food."

Everyone, except Micky, laughed at that.

After breakfast, the Monkees tried again to rehearse. They wanted to keep this job that they received last night, and that meant making sure they knew the numbers inside and out. Everything went fine, except when Peter tried to sing.

"She knows her mind, all right <hiccup> your Auntie Grizelda. She said <hiccup> she knows my type, she might, <hiccup> maybe so."

Mike had had enough. He waved his arms and everyone stopped playing. Peter looked down. He knew he was to blame. They were going to lose a good-paying gig because of his stupid hiccups!

"I'm sorry guys <hiccup>. I just can't seem to make them <hiccup> stop."

"We know you can't help it Peter," Mike said quietly, "It's just that...."

"I know, I <hiccup> know! We have an important gig in a few <hiccup> days, and my hiccups are going to <hiccup> blow it for us!"

Peter took his guitar off his neck and placed it on its stand. He jumped off the bandstand and started walking towards the back door, towards the beach.

"Where are going, Peter?" Davy asked.

"Out for a <hiccup> walk!" Peter snapped. "Maybe you guys should look for a new bass player <hiccup>!"

With that he walked out onto the back porch and down the steps and onto the beach.

"PETER!" Micky, Mike and Davy called after him, but Peter kept on walking.

The three men ran out to the back porch and watched Peter walk down the beach. They looked at each other in concern. Peter was not only the best bass player around, but a great friend too. It tore them up inside to see Peter suffer with his hiccups. Mike turned to Micky and Davy.

"We are NOT getting a new bass player." He said sternly.

"Thought never crossed my mind." Micky replied.

"Mine neither." Davy echoed.

"But we WILL find a cure for Peter's hiccups." Mike said.

Micky and Davy nodded in agreement as they watched Peter's figure grow smaller in the distance.

The guys ran up and down the beach looking for Peter.

They searched for quite some time, but there was no luck in finding him.

"You know, I'm starting to getting real worried," said Davy.

"Yea, same here," said Micky.

"I just don't know where the heck Peter can be," sighed Mike.

Just then, they heard a noise.

They looked around to see where it was coming from.

"What's that?" wondered Davy.

Mike placed his hand over his ear to hear better and began to look around.

"Sounds like it's coming from that boulder," he said pointing to the huge rock.

The sound grew louder. It was a hiccup.

"Peter!" shouted Davy, Micky and Mike at the same time.

They went up to the boulder, where they found Peter, with his hand rested on his chin, and still hiccuping.

"What are you guys doing here?" Peter asked.

"We were looking for you." said Davy.

"Why? I thought you guys were mad at me."

"We're not mad at you, Peter, it's the hiccups." said Mike.

"Maybe we can help you get rid of them," said Micky.

"What about the gig?" Peter wondered.

"Don't worry about it, we still got three more days to go," said Mike.

Peter looked up to his bandmates, who all had smiles on their faces, that made him smile as well.

When they got back to the pad, Micky began to search the bookcase for something.

"No that's not it, no not that one either," he said looking at different books.

"What are you looking for?" Davy asked.

"I thought I had a book about curing hiccups, but I guess I don't."

"Looks like we have to go to the library then," said Mike.

So off they went to the library.

At the library, Micky still continued to search for the book he was looking for by looking through book after book.

"How to build cars", How to cut you friend's hair", he said reading off the titles.

"Hiccup Hiccup Hiccup," went Peter.

"Shhhh!" hushed the librarian.

"Sorry."

"Hey Peter, can you hold these for me?" asked Micky as he handed large pile of books to Peter, while he as well as Davy and Mike searched as well.

"Can you hold these as well, Peter?" Davy said handing another large pile of books to Peter.

"I know, hold these too," said Peter as Mike was about to give him some more books to add on the pile.

"Here it is! I found it!" said Micky holding a book entitled "How to cure hiccups in 6 easy steps."

Just then, Peter hiccuped several times, and it caused him to drop all the books he was holding.

A few seconds later, all four Monkees were tossed out of the library.

"And stay out, you trouble makers!" Shouted the librarian.

"I though (hiccup) you can't (hiccup) yell in a library (hiccup)," said Peter in between hiccups.

"What happened to the book?" wondered Micky.

Just then, the library door opened again, and a book came flying out, landed right on Micky's nose.

"Thank you," he said with the book opened on his face.

The guys then headed back to the pad.

Once the Monkees made it back to the pad, they quickly settled on the couch, a still-hiccuping Peter between Micky and Mike. Micky opened up his book and started to flip through the pages.

"Ah, here we go, chapter one." Micky smiled. "The first step to cure hiccups is to..."

Just then, the lights went out, sending the Monkees outside on the back porch, where there was more light to see. Micky tried to continue.

"The first step to cure hiccups is to...."

A gale suddenly blew up and started to blow sand into everybody's faces. The Monkees retreated back into the darkened pad. Mike found a working flashlight and shown it on the book Micky was trying to read.

"The first step to cure hiccups is to..." Micky read quickly before something else happened, but he wasn't fast enough. There was a knock on the door. Davy walked over and answered it. Standing there was their landlord Mr. Babbit.

"Hi Jones," Babbit said, "I just wanted to let you fellows know the power's out."

"Thanks Mr. Babbit," Davy said sweetly, "We never would've guessed." He started to close the door, but Babbit caught the sarcasm in Davy's voice and held the door open with his hand.

"And don't forget the rent's due in a few days!" Babbit shouted and finally let the door close.

"We should've left him as a baby." Davy muttered to himself as he walked back to the others. He was referring to the time Babbit drank one of Micky's 'experiments' and became a baby, among other things, for a day or so. Davy plopped back down on the couch next to Mike again. Micky started again.

"The first step to cure hiccups is to...."

"You've read that part three times already," Mike complained. "What is the first step?"

".... be totally relaxed." Micky finished, ignoring Mike.

"If Peter was any more relaxed, he'd be dead." Davy quipped.

"That's not <hiccup> funny, Davy." Peter said.

"Wasn't supposed to be." Davy countered. "You're one of the most laid-back guys I know. How can you relax anymore?"

"Does the book say how to relax, Mick?" Mike asked.

"It just says to close your eyes, or meditate, or soak in the tub followed by a massage." Micky replied.

"I can soak in the <hiccup> tub for awhile." Peter answered. "But I've never had a massage before."

Micky grabbed the phone book and used his flashlight to shine on the page for massage parlors. The lights finally came back on as he was reading. He turned off the flashlight and read down the page.

"Here's a place we can go!" Micky said, " Madame Cheechnchong's house of massage. They give free massages to first-time customers!"

"Free's a good price." Mike replied. "Let's go!"

"Wait! <hiccup>" Peter said, "Let me go soak first!" He got up and went into the bathroom.

The other three decided to stay downstairs and wait for him. So they waited...and waited....and waited. Finally Davy said, "What's Peter doing up there? He's been in the tub a long time!"

The three Monkees went up to the bathroom door. Before they could knock, though, they heard the unmistakable sound of snoring and hiccuping. Peter was so relaxed he fell asleep in the tub! Mike knocked on the door.

"PETER!" Mike yelled. "You fell asleep!"

"Huh? <hiccup>" Peter said sleepily. "Sorry guys!"

Peter quickly dried himself off and changed clothes. He opened the bathroom door, still hiccuping.

"C'mon Pete." Micky said. "Let's go to that massage parlor."

The four Monkees got into their car and went over to Madame Cheechnchong's place. When Micky, Mike and Davy saw the beautiful girls working at the place, they decided Peter shouldn't have all the fun. They too decided to get massages! After their sessions, the Monkees walked out of the massage parlor, more relaxed than they had ever been in their lives. Davy had enough phone numbers to fill another little black book! As they got back into their car, Micky, Mike and Davy noticed that Peter wasn't hiccuping! Maybe they wouldn't need the other five steps!

"How do you feel now, Peter?" Mike asked.

<hiccup> "Never better, Mike." Peter replied "I feel so <hiccup> relaxed!"

Peter's reply was met with three groans as the Monkees went back to their pad to try step two.

The four disappointed Monkees went back to their pad. The bath and massage hadn't worked for Peter's hiccups, so they had to go back and see what else they had to do. They walked inside and sat back down on the couch. Micky picked up the book and began reading where he had left off.

"The next step, after you are totally relaxed, is to drink the juice of the Naked Persimmon tree."

The four Monkees looked at each other for several long seconds, the silence being broken by Peter's hiccuping.

"What kind of tree?" Davy asked.

"A Naked Persimmon tree." Micky replied.

"You're not making that name up, are you Mick?" Mike asked.

"No, I'm not." Micky replied, smiling. "See, here's a picture of it."

The other three gathered around Micky to see the picture of this weirdly-named tree. It looked pretty much like a palm tree, but it only grew to about half that size, full grown. The bark was smooth (hence its name) and once a year it sprouted purple flowers and small, round brown nuts.

"Where are we going to get the juice of that?!" Davy exclaimed.

Micky continued to read. "It only grows on certain islands in the Pacific Ocean. The juice can only be extracted when the flowers are in bloom."

"And drinking this juice will stop Peter's hiccups?" Mike asked.

Micky scanned down the page. "Drinking the juice will calm the diaphragm and slow down the number of hiccups a person has. The other four steps will..."

Just then, Peter started hiccuping several times in a row.

<hiccup>"Never mind the other steps<Hiccup>, Micky," Peter said, "Lets get some of that juice!"

"The book says we should find the juice in health-food stores." Micky replied. He looked in the phone book again and found several health-food places. He ripped out the page.

"Lets check these places out!" Micky exclaimed. "One of these places should have some juice."

With that the four Monkees ran out of their pad and jumped into the Monkeemobile. They decided to go to the nearest place to their pad and work outwards. Peter was happy. He was getting tired of hiccuping all the time. Maybe this juice would at least slow down the number of times he hiccuped. But Peter's smile turned upside down when the four men had zero luck finding the precious juice. The owners’ reactions to their queries went something like this:

"Never heard of the stuff."

"HAHAHAHA! NAKED Persimmon! What a crazy name!"

"You boys smokin' somethin'?"

"I just sold the last bottle to Santa Clause."

"No, but I have some clothed Apple juice."

Even showing the book and picture to several people brought little more than shrugs. Peter was crying and hiccuping as the four dejected Monkees walked down the street to yet another health-food store.

"Don't cry, Pete." Mike said. "Maybe this store will have some."

The four walked into a large store, called BEST FOODS, with shelves lined with organic rice and tofu. An elderly Chinese lady walked over to them. She bowed slightly.

"Hello young men." she said with a slight accent. "How may I be of service?"

As he did many times already, Micky showed the lady the picture of the Persimmon tree.

"We need the juice from this tree." Micky said, "Our friend has had the hiccups for over a day now and can't get rid of them. The juice is supposed to help him."

The lady took the book and brought it closer to her face so she could see it. After several seconds, she smiled at the boys.

"I have not seen picture of tree in many years." She said. "The juice will help your sad friend, but I have none for you. I only keep things here that will sell. No-one drinks Persimmon juice. Very sour, very expensive."

At least this lady had heard of the Naked Persimmon Tree, the Monkees thought to themselves. They were wondering if the book had been nothing but a fake, or a practical joke placed in the shelves by the librarian.

"Can you order some for us?" Davy asked.

"Nobody gathers the juice anymore." The lady replied sadly, "No one buys so why gather?" She shrugged her small shoulders. Peter hiccuped loudly in the silence. The lady took pity on him.

"I will tell you where you may gather it yourselves."

"The book says it only grows in certain places in the Pacific Ocean." Micky replied, "There's no way for us to go out there, besides we have a gig-we're in a band-to play in a few days."

The lady smiled at Micky. "Not all knowledge is in books, young man." She beckoned them to follow her to the back of the store. Once in a back storeroom, the lady pulled out a yellowed map of the California coastline. She opened it up and instantly put a wrinkled finger on an island a few miles off shore from where they were.

"This island here is where you may find your tree."

The four men gathered around her. It looked to be a small island only a few miles in diameter. The name next to it was strange too-Frodis. It seemed odd to them that they never heard of this island before. Mike mentioned that to the lady. She just shook her head.

"Frodis Island small, not worth much, so not mentioned."

Mike just smiled, humoring the old lady. "Well, we must be going Mrs...uh, what's your name?"

"Just call me Mrs. Wang Chung."

"Thanks for your help, Mrs. Wang Chung." Mike said as he and the others made their way out of the back storeroom and out of the store, Peter still hiccuping.

When they were out of earshot, Mike stopped and the others gathered around him.

"Well, what do we do now? I think that was the last store on our list."

"Lets <hiccup> go to that island, Mike, please?" Peter asked.

"Whoa, wait a minute, shotgun." Mike said, putting up his hand. "We don't even know if that island is still around. You saw how old that map was."

"Islands just don't disappear, Mike." Davy replied. "We have to try for Peter's sake."

"We don't know where its at!" Mike said.

"Yes we do. I wrote down the island's longitude and latitude." Micky said smiling.

"We don't know how to navigate a boat..." Mike insisted.

"I do." Davy replied, "When I was little, my grandfather took me sailing a lot. I know how to use a compass and a sextant and figure out longitude and latitude."

"Where are we going to get a boat?" Mike said desperately, realizing he was losing the argument.

"I have a friend <hiccup> who has a small sailboat." Peter answered, "I taught him how to play <hiccup> guitar and he said I could use his boat anytime."

"But I'll get seasick!" Mike said as a last resort.

"We'll buy you some seasickness pills before we go." Micky answered. "Lets go back to the pad and get ready!"

Micky, Peter and Davy grabbed Mike's arms and they ran back to their car. Mike was still trying to think up excuses not to go as they pulled up to their pad. Finally, he gave up and resigned himself to a rotten trip. Since it was already getting dark, the Monkees decided to leave at dawn tomorrow. Davy looked at another map of the coastline and noticed that Frodis Island wasn't marked. But by using Micky's markings, he was able to pinpoint it on the map and planned their route. Peter called his friend and his friend said the Monkees were welcome to use his boat. Provisions were gathered up and soon all was ready. The four men made their way up into their bedroom. Once again, Micky, Mike and Davy put cotton in their ears so that Peter's snoring and hiccuping wouldn't keep them awake. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow. If the weather held, their trip should only be a few hours, Davy announced. Mike thought of that TV show 'Gilligan's Island' where the trip was only going to be three hours long and they got stranded on an island. But he decided not to mention that to his friends as he settled in for the night.

The next day, Peter was the first one up as usual. This time he took the cotton out of his friends' ears and gently woke them up. He had to practically drag Micky out of bed, but soon all of them were washed, fed and on their way to the pier. Luckily it looked to be a nice day. They had no trouble finding Peter's friend's boat. It was a nice blue and white fifteen-foot sailboat, easily big enough for the four of them and their gear. After putting a their gear inside the boat, they cast off their lines and pulled up the sail. The wind took them quickly out of the dock and into the harbor. With Captain David Jones at the wheel, they had little trouble making the boat do what they wanted.

After about a half-hour, Peter walked over to Davy.

"Are we <hiccup> there yet, Cap't?"

"Pretty soon, ye landlubber." Davy snarled, "How's Mike?"

"Not too bad. <hiccup> "He's turned a lighter shade of green that he was before."

Micky was up in the front stern with the binoculars. Suddenly he turned around.

"LAND AHOY!!" He shouted.

The others came to the front. Right off the port bow was (they hoped) Frodis Island. It did seem kind of small, but it also seemed spooky with all the fog (or smog) around it. Davy turned the rudder and they headed for the island.

Under Davy's direction, the other three pulled the sail in a little and the boat slowly sailed over to Frodis Island. They circled the island a few times trying to find a place where they could get close enough to land. Finally they spotted a small outcropping of rock that stuck out into the ocean like a finger. Slowly, they approached and Mike, who had recovered enough to move around, jumped onto the rocky outcrop with a rope. He tied the rope around a rock, while Micky dropped the anchor. Mike then knelt down and kissed the ground.

"Ah, land, wonderful land!" He exclaimed.

The other three chuckled at that and soon joined him on terra firma. Micky had a knapsack slung over his shoulder containing their gear, and the library book. Peter carried another sack containing their food and water. Just to be on the safe side, they had taken enough food for two days. They looked behind them, out over the ocean, and could see the hazy outline of the California coast. At least they would know how to get back home.

"Well, lets get a move on." Mike stated. The other three nodded their heads and followed him up the rocky outcropping and onto the island itself. They stood on the sandy beach and looked up and down the beach and into the interior of the island. It was very quiet. Not even a bird calling to break the silence, just the sound of the waves lapping up on the shore (and Peter's hiccuping). The interior of the island seemed to be covered by dense scrub and trees and surrounded by fog.

"Lovely place." Davy said sourly. "A real tropical paradise."

"I think its the smog coming from LA and drifting out over the ocean and settling here due to the ocean breezes." Micky said. "But lets head in."

The four Monkees crossed the beach and went into the tree cover. They didn't have too much trouble moving around, and wherever they couldn't penetrate, Micky cut away with a machete. Finally, they broke into a clear spot and sat down, already tired and sweating. Peter opened up his sack and got out a bottle of water, opened it up, took a drink and passed it around to the others. He hoped the water would finally stop his hiccups, but after drinking the water he hiccuped again, loudly. Micky opened up his sack and pulled out his library book.

"Does the book say how to get the sap from the tree, Micky?" Davy asked.

"It says the tree sap is harvested like maple syrup. You just tap a spigot into the bark and wait for the sap to flow into your bucket." Micky replied. "I have the tools in my sack."

"Good, at least that part will be easy," Mike said. "Now all we have to do is find the tree and hope its in bloom."

"The island<hiccup>isn't too large" Peter replied, "So I hope we find a tree soon."

After everyone had had a drink of water, the four men got to their feet and started searching again for the Naked Persimmon tree, with Mike in the lead. They had only gone a short distance when Mike stopped short, causing Micky, Peter and Davy to crash into him in a chain collision. Any protest was cut short when they followed Mike's outstretched finger. Right in front of them was a flowering Naked Persimmon tree! The four Monkees let out a yell, joined hands and danced around the tree in a circle. All their work had paid off!

But suddenly Mike stopped short and brought the dance to a halt. He had just noticed something the others had missed. Stuck into the tree was a spigot and a bucket hanging from it to catch the sap. The other three joined Mike and looked at the spigot.

"I thought Mrs. Wang Chung said nobody gathered the juice anymore." Davy said.

"Maybe its someone like us who needs the juice for hiccups." Mike replied.

Suddenly the four heard a rustling noise from the brush. They quickly grabbed their sacks and dived into the nearest bush. As soon as they got undercover, two men chopped their way through the brush and over to the tree. They didn't look like ordinary juice gatherers. Both men wore khaki clothes and bandannas around their necks. Both men were tall and muscular and had angry looks on their faces. One man was slightly darker than the other, with dark hair, perhaps Spanish, while the other had a more pale complexion and brown hair. What made the Monkees take notice, however, was that both men had guns holstered around their waists. The brown haired man looked at the amount of sap in the bucket and turned to the other man.

"Blimey! It takes forever for these buckets to fill!" he said with a English accent.

The other man poked his finger into the bucket and tasted the sap. He made a face.

"Madre de Dio, that's sour!" He replied with a Spanish accent. "How can anybody drink this?"

The Englishman laughed. "Its usually mixed with a drink, Juan. In your case, Tequila. But for our boss's purposes, it has to be processed first. Its boiled down into a powder then it can be sold as an hallucinogen to the kids in Asia and Japan."

"Sort of like the LSD pills the gringos in America take, eh, Trevor?"

"Right, but more powerful." Trevor replied. "If there were more trees on this island, I'm sure our boss would try to sell NPT to the Americans."

"And we have this operation right under the Americans' noses!" Juan laughed.

The Monkees were near Trevor and Juan and heard everything they said. They looked at each other in shock. The Naked Persimmon juice was being sold and used as an illegal drug oversees! Once they got off the island, they would have to tell the authorities! Just then, Peter hiccuped. Mike covered his mouth.

"What was that?" Trevor demanded. He pulled out his gun and looked around. Juan did the same.

"It sounded like a hiccup." Juan said. He slowly circled the tree, walking very close to where the Monkees were hidden. Thankfully, Juan had walked away when Peter gave a muffled hiccup into Mike's hand.

"Must've imagined it." Trevor said, putting his gun away. Juan did the same. Trevor took the bucket of sap and replaced it with an empty bucket. "Lets take this back anyway in case someone's snooping around."

Juan and Trevor strode back into the tall thicket once again. The Monkees collectively gave a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that was too close." Davy said quietly.

"Lets get that sap and get the heck out of here." Mike whispered, "Micky, how much do we need?"

Micky took out his book and opened it up. "About four ounces, which we can mix with another four ounces of whatever Peter likes to control those hiccups."

"OK, but we'll have to find another tree." Davy said, "Trevor old boy took the bucket of sap with him."

Mike slowly poked his head out from the bush to see if the coast was clear. It was, so the four of them quietly crawled out from the bush and headed in another direction from what Trevor and Juan took. Peter kept his hand over his mouth to quiet his hiccups as much as possible. Once again the Monkees hadn't gone too far when they found another tree. It too had a spigot and bucket attached to its side. Without any prompting, Micky opened up his sack and pulled out an empty bottle. While the others kept watch, Micky slowly poured the sap from the bucket into the bottle. When Micky was satisfied he had more than enough to treat Peter, he put the now empty bucket back under the spigot and closed the bottle. Finally he put the bottle back into his knapsack, then, to everyone's surprise, he pulled out a camera.

"What're you doing, Micky?" Mike whispered.

"Its a good thing I brought this." Micky replied, "We're gonna need proof these guys are harvesting the sap for illegal purposes." He took a picture of the spigot and bucket.

"That's not going to prove anything!" Davy said quietly, pointing to the spigot and bucket.

"You're right, Davy. I'd need pics of their camp."

"Forget it!" Mike said, roughly pulling Micky along by the collar, "We have to get out of here!"

The four were in the thicket again when they heard a noise behind them. Once again they dove into the shelter of a bush. Peering through the leaves, they saw Trevor and Juan coming over to the tree they had just left. Trevor peered into the bucket and frowned.

"Wait a minute! We checked this bucket two hours ago, and it had a little sap in it. Now it’s completely empty!"

"Maybe one of the other harvesters emptied it for us!" Juan said.

"No, the boss made it clear we were to stay in our own territories to avoid confusion. Now I'm sure someone's here!" He pulled out his gun again. Juan did the same. They circled the area, but didn't come too close to where the Monkees were hiding. Juan held up his hand.

"Let's go tell the boss. There is no telling where the trespassers could be by now."

Trevor nodded his head and the two men headed back the way they came. Thankfully, Peter's hiccups waited until the men had left.

<hiccup> "I'm scared guys. Let's go!" Peter said.

Davy pulled the compass out of his pocket and read the dial.

"The boat should be that way." Davy said, pointing.

The four men quickly and quietly as they could made their way to their boat, Davy in the lead. They didn't have much time. The alarm would be sounded soon, and their boat would be spotted. If that happened, they were as good as dead. Davy stopped suddenly and motioned for them to get down. They looked from behind a bush to see a camp set up, with several tents in a row with a few campfires burning. Another larger tent was off to one side. It probably was where the tree sap was processed. Micky pulled out his camera and quickly snapped off several pictures. In the middle of the camp, they could see Trevor and Juan talking to a large, burly man, most likely their boss. There was no doubt as to what was being said. Micky made sure he got pictures of them, too. Suddenly, the boss started yelling and several men came out of the tents and circled him. Mike realized the men were being given orders to look for them!

"Lets go around!" Mike hissed.

The four men stayed low and circled the camp. They were almost around the other side, when Peter gave the biggest hiccup yet.

The boss stopped talking. "It came from over there!" He yelled. Several men drew their guns and ran over to where they heard the hiccup. But they found nothing. The Monkees had bolted when Peter hiccuped and were already at another part of the camp. Davy looked at his compass.

"This way!" He hissed. The Monkees tore off into the undergrowth when suddenly Micky, who was bringing up the rear, got his foot caught in a noose staked to the ground and fell down. It was a rabbit trap, but this time it snared a Monkee. Peter looked behind him to see Micky on the ground. He hiccuped loudly again, alerting all the bad guys around.

"Over here!" One of them yelled.

Peter was going to help Micky when Mike and Davy pulled him away into the thicket.

"We can't leave Micky!" Peter whimpered. His hiccups just put his friend in mortal danger.

Davy and Mike looked past Peter and saw Micky trying to get the noose off his ankle. Suddenly Micky was surrounded by several men. They pulled Micky to his feet, yanked the noose off his ankle and dragged him away. Another man picked up his knapsack-the knapsack with the tree sap and Micky's camera, slung it over his shoulder, and followed his comrades back to the camp. This whole scene was watched in horror by Mike, Davy and Peter. Peter started to cry. Mike and Davy looked at each other. What were they going to do now?

Micky was dragged to the center of the camp and thrown to the ground in front of the boss. A man came up behind Micky and tightly bound his hands behind his back. The boss looked at Micky like a snake would look at a mouse. Micky's knapsack was thrown to the ground next to him.

The boss looked at his men.

"Were there any others?" He asked sternly.

"We didn't see anyone else, boss." Trevor replied.

The boss looked down at a trembling Micky.

"You, stupid boy, are in a lot of trouble."

The Boss picked up Micky's knapsack and emptied its contents on the ground.

"Hey, that's my stuff!" Micky said indignantly as he pushed himself into a kneeling position.

"Quiet, kid." Someone growled behind Micky and pulled his head back by his hair. Micky winced.

"Well, well what do we have here?" The Boss said, looking at the stuff lying on the ground between himself and Micky. "A bottle of tree sap, a book about hiccuping, plus a spigot and hammer." He reached down and picked up Micky's camera. "This seems interesting." The Boss handed it to a guy standing next to him. "Get the film in here developed-yesterday." The guy took the camera and ran off in a hurry. Micky could see this that this boss guy had absolute control over his men. Then again, this boss guy was about six foot five with muscles like a wrestler, so it wouldn't be too hard to maintain control. Micky spoke up.

"Hey man, let me go! I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"You trespassed on our private operation. You were poaching some of our tree sap!" The Boss said angrily.

"We, I mean I didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs anywhere!" Micky retorted, realizing his slip.

Unfortunately, The Boss heard Micky's slip-up. He raised his gray eyebrows.

"We?" The Boss asked, feigning surprise, "You have friends with you?"

Micky gulped. "No, I came alone." He lied. He had to protect Mike, Davy and Peter.

"I think you're lying. I don't like being lied to, as you'll soon find out." The Boss looked at the men standing behind Micky. "Take him to my tent." He said casually, "And make him comfortable."

Two men reached down and roughly pulled Micky to his feet. They then dragged him away, as Micky fought and struggled between them.

"Let me go! Let me go! I didn't do anything! Stop!" Micky yelled, but the men ignored his cries and took him away.

Meanwhile, Mike, Davy and Peter ran as fast as they could to their boat. Fortunately, it hadn't been spotted yet, so they didn't encounter any trouble. They made their way over the rocky outcropping and into the boat. Mike immediately headed down the few steps to the small pantry. He dumped everything out of the sack he was carrying on to the table, but put the water back inside the sack. Quickly looking through the drawers and cupboards, he picked up a few knives, matches, a blanket and a small propane tank. He put them inside the sack too. Davy joined him downstairs.

"I've looked all around Mike. I don't see a radio anywhere."

Mike slammed his hand on the table in frustration.

"OK, then, you and Peter will have to head back to the mainland and alert the authorities."

"What about you?" Davy asked in surprise.

"I'm heading back for Micky. Give me the compass." Mike said.

As Davy handed him the compass, they heard a hiccup behind them and turned around to see a very upset Peter.

"I'm going with you Mike. <hiccup>" Peter said in a low serious voice.

"You can't Peter." Mike replied. "Your hiccuping would give us away."

"It’s my fault Micky's in trouble <hiccup>!" Peter yelled back, "I owe it to him!"

"NO Pete." Mike said sternly. "Davy needs you to help him get the boat back to the mainland." More softly he added, "Please Peter. You are helping Micky by getting help for him."

Peter hung his head. He knew Mike was right on both counts. Mike patted Peter on the shoulder.

"I'll save Micky." Mike said. "I have a plan." He found a flare gun and put it in his sack too. "Now get this boat out of here before those goons come looking around."

Mike went topside followed by Peter and Davy. He jumped off the boat, undid the tow line and threw it back onto the deck. Peter drew up the anchor while Davy pulled up the sail. The wind quickly caught the sail and pulled the boat away from the island. Mike didn't bother to watch. He needed to put his plan into action quickly before it was too late for Micky. He ran back into the jungle.

Micky was anything but comfortable as he waited for The Boss to come into his tent. He was sitting on the ground in a corner of the tent with his back against a wooden post. Micky's hands were bound behind him on the other side of and to this post. A rope was tied around his waist and to the post as well. His legs had been stretched straight out next to each other and his ankles bound on either side of a stake driven into the ground. Finally, Micky's shoes and socks had been removed and a gag put in his mouth. Micky didn't want to know what they would do to make him uncomfortable. He could hardly move! Still, he worked at the ropes around his wrists and figured out what he would say to The Boss once he showed up. Micky hoped the others were long gone by now and getting some help.

The boss calmly walked into the tent. Ignoring Micky, he went over to a small table and carefully washed his hands, then put lotion on them. Next, he took off his light brown work shirt and put on a polo shirt. Finally satisfied with his appearance, The Boss picked up a riding crop up off another table, pulled a chair over in front of Micky, and sat down. Micky couldn't take his eyes off the riding crop. After several seconds, The Boss spoke.

"Are you comfortable?" He said affably, like he was speaking to an old friend.

Micky could only glare back at The Boss. The Boss continued.

"My men have been checking the area, and they've found evidence of more than one person snooping around here. So you are lying to me." The Boss reached over and pulled the gag out of Micky's mouth. "As I said before, I don't like being lied to."

"I told you, man, I was just exploring the island by myself!" Micky insisted. "OWWW!" He yelled suddenly as the riding crop smacked against the soles of his bare feet. Micky blinked back tears.

"Lets start over with some easier questions." The Boss said smoothly. "What's your name?"

"Micky Braddock." Micky lied, very glad he had left his wallet at home so he couldn't be proven wrong.

"Why did you come here?"

"I have a friend with a bad case of hiccups. The library book I had in my sack said the Juice of a Naked Persimmon could help him." Micky hoped The Boss would believe that, since it was the truth.

The Boss considered that answer for a moment. He had heard the Persimmon tree could help hiccups. Still Micky and his friends had seen what was going on here and The Boss had to find out how much they knew. Maybe those pictures would answer that.

"If you came alone, why can't we find your boat?" The Boss continued.

"It...it must've floated away." Micky stuttered.

The Boss brought the riding crop down to Micky's feet again, but instead of hitting them, he gently stroked the arch of Micky's left foot with the tip. Micky instinctively curled his toes and tried to pull his foot away. The Boss noticed this and gently moved the tip to Micky's other foot and began to stroke the arch. Once again Micky tried to pull his foot away, but his feet were tied too tight. Micky was puzzled. Was this creep trying to tickle him? Micky hoped not, since he was unusually ticklish for a guy.

"I think you're lying to me again." The boss said.

Just then a man walked into the tent handed The Boss an envelope, then left. The Boss laid the riding crop on his lap and pulled out several pictures: pictures Micky had just taken a short while ago. The Boss examined them slowly, then looked up at Micky.

"It seems you have an interest in our operation, Micky." He said, showing the pictures of the camp to him. "You even got a few close-ups of me! In fact I now think you're with the U.S. Government, and you and your friends were sent here to spy on our operation!"

"NO, that's not true!" Micky exclaimed. "I just wanted some juice from the Persimmon tree!"

"Since your friends or your boat are nowhere to be found, it seems we haven't much time before company comes. Still, I'll need more information on how much your organization knows about us." The Boss said. He got up off the chair and opened a chest. He pulled out a metal box that looked like car battery, but only a little higher and longer. One side had two round holes in it. He put it on the floor by Micky, opened up the side with the holes and slid it over Micky's feet up to his ankles.

Micky jumped in fright. He was expecting something sharp inside the box, or perhaps rats, to tear his feet apart, but what he felt seemed like soft rubber fingers of different shapes and sizes surrounding his feet on all sides. The Boss closed the box side up around Micky's feet, then sat down again.

"I really do hate violence and blood, so I believe this will be the best and quickest way to get my answers." The boss pushed a button and turned a knob on the side of the box. Micky began to panic.

"I'm telling the truth! I'm not with any government agency! I just wanted some juice for my..."

Micky stopped as the fingers in the box slowly began to move back and forth, up and down, around his bare feet. He put his lips tightly together to stop himself from giggling.

"How do you like my tickling machine?" The Boss asked. "I've found it lots more dependable than other forms of torture." He turned the dial up a notch. The fingers in the box moved in all directions around Micky's feet. Micky began to smile, despite himself. He wiggled his feet in the box, but couldn't escape the swirling fingers.

"Now, who do you work for?" The boss began again.

"No one." Micky giggled.

The Boss turned the knob another notch. Micky began to laugh.

"Its the truth!" Micky yelled, "HEEHEEHEE!! Please shut...HEHAHAHAHA...it off!!"

The knob was turned up yet another notch. The fingers in the box tickled Micky's feet even faster. Micky began laughing hysterically.

"HAHAHAHA!! PLLEASE STTOPP!! AHHAHAHA!!" He begged, tears rolling down his face.

"While you think about your answers, let me just say that this knob goes up to eleven. You're only on number four right now. I'll just tell my men to start packing up camp." With that the Boss got up and left the tent, leaving Micky helplessly squirming in his bonds, laughing his head off.

Mike silently went back over to the drug smugglers’ camp. He now had a plan firmly in mind to free Micky-if he was still alive-and shut down the illegal drug operation. It seemed the camp was getting ready to pack up and leave, so he had to work fast. Making his way over to the largest tent, he placed the propane tank, now wrapped in a blanket, near the back of the tent. Taking a match, he lit the blanket and backed away into the tree cover. He stopped for a second when he thought he heard Micky's laughter coming from one of the other tents. Mike got down just in time, when the propane tank exploded, catching the large tent on fire. Instantly the camp was alive with men rushing over to the tent, trying to put out the fire. Mike smiled. The first part of his plan was going fine. Now he had to find Micky before all the excitement wore down.

Davy and Peter sailed back across the ocean toward the mainland. Fortunately the wind was with them and they made good time. Peter was still hiccuping and stayed as far away from Davy as possible. Davy knew Peter felt bad about Micky, and he felt a little angry at Peter right now himself, even though he knew it wasn't really Peter's fault. Checking the chart, Davy had noticed a coast guard station not far from the dock where they had originally come from, so it was there Davy steered the boat. Glancing to the starboard side, Davy noticed a squall quickly gathering. Just great.

"Peter, get ready." Davy yelled, "We're in for a squall!"

"OK, Davy. <hiccup>" Peter replied.

A few minutes later the squall hit. It wasn't too bad, but it pushed their sailboat around and knocked them off course. Peter had put the sail down, so it wouldn't rip. Davy kept the boat headed into the wind, while the waves crashed into them. After what seemed like forever, the wind and rain died down, and Davy was finally able to get the boat back on course to the Coast Guard station. He checked their position and realized they were several miles further back than where they had started. Without a word, Davy helped Peter put the sail back down and settled back by the rudder. Peter knew Davy was more upset than before and kept his distance, covering his mouth with his hand to muffled his accursed hiccups.

The Boss had just stepped out of his tent when the propane tank Mike had set on fire blew up. He ran over with his men and watched as they put the fire out. Juan timidly stepped over to him.

"How much damage to our merchandise?" The Boss growled.

"About half of it was destroyed, Boss." Juan said fearfully, "The other half had already been boxed up and moved out of the tent."

The Boss ground his teeth. Several thousand dollars worth of drugs destroyed! He felt like punching Juan but realized violence wasn't going to do any good right now. He didn't become The Boss on his strength alone. After several seconds, he glared at his henchman.

"You are in charge of making sure this fire is completely out and that the other tents are torn down and everything is packed up for the ship. Tell Trevor to pick a dozen men and search for whoever did this...and tell him I want that person alive."

"Si, Boss, right away." Juan said, relieved he hadn't faced The Boss's wrath. He ran off to tell Trevor.

"Gerald!" The Boss yelled.

"Yes Boss?" Gerald said as he ran over.

"You've contacted our ship?"

"Yes, Boss. They'll be here in four hours."

"They'll be here in less than three if they know what's good for them." The Boss snarled.

Gerald's face grew white. "I'll tell them, Boss."

"Good." The Boss replied smiling. He stopped a few of his men running past. "Come with me."

Micky thought he was losing his mind! The non-stop tickling of his feet was getting too much to take! He rocked his feet as much as he could inside the tickling machine, trying to push it away from him, but it was too heavy to move. The rubber fingers kept up their maddening pace on his feet. Micky laughed like he had never laughed in his life. His sides hurt from laughing so much and his face was red and tear-streaked. Micky was laughing so much, it was getting harder for him to catch his breath, and after awhile his laughter grew more quiet. His lungs weren't getting enough air and he felt himself grow faint. Micky wondered dimly if The Boss planned on literally tickling him to death.....

Suddenly the awful tickle torture stopped, the fingers had ceased their tormenting. Micky was finally able to breath a little and he opened his eyes, expecting The Boss to be standing there ready with more questions.

Micky was shocked when he saw Mike kneeling by the tickling device, concern clearly showing on his face.

"Mike?" Micky asked weakly, not sure if this was real or a tickle-induced hallucination.

"Yeah, its me, Micky." Mike said quietly. "I'll get you out of here real quick." Mike reached over and gently brushed Micky's sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes. Micky gave Mike a relieved smile as he tried to bring his breathing back to normal.

Mike had heard Micky's hysterical laughter and used his knife to cut a hole in the back of the tent to get inside. He couldn't believe what these sickos were doing to his friend. Sure, he and the other three had had tickle fights at times, but they were always done in fun and always stopped when one of them-usually Micky- cried 'uncle'. But what these goons did to Micky was torture just the same, as if they had used a rack or whip. Mike was so busy with these thoughts and trying to get the tickling device off Micky's feet that he didn't realize he and Micky were no longer alone in the tent.

"I thought so." The Boss laughed, "That fire was a diversion so that you could rescue your friend."

Mike spun around, grabbing his sack. The Boss and two other men were standing a few feet inside the tent. The two men with The Boss had their guns drawn.

"You're evil!" Mike spat. Micky moaned in despair.

"Why thank you!" The Boss beamed, "But let me show you how evil I really can be!"

Davy and Peter continued to walk around looking for their friends, but they didn't have much luck at all.

"You know, I don't mean to alarm you Peter, but I think we're lost," said Davy.

"Maybe(hiccup)we should forget about(Hiccup)finding this(hiccup)Naked Permission tree(hiccup)and try to find(hiccup)Mike and Micky(hiccup)instead," said Peter who was hiccuping just as much as he was before.

"That's exactly what I was think."

The two walked on for many miles, when all of a sudden, they came up to a sign.

"Caution! Mud slide ahead," said Davy reading the sign.

"What's a mud slide?" asked Peter.

"A mud slide is..."

Davy couldn't finish his sentence, for at that minute, he and Peter slipped on a large puddle of mud, and slid down a hill.

"Oh,(hiccup) I get(hiccup) mud slide(hiccup)," said Peter with a chuckle.

"If I wasn't so scared, I'd say something," Davy thought to himself.

Meanwhile, back at the boss' tent, Mike was tied to a pole, while Juan held Micky up with a knife close to throat.

"Tell me about this tree, or your friend gets it!"  Shouted the boss, moving towards Micky “And this time, it ain't gonna tickle."

"The only thing that scares me more then this right now is your breath," said Micky pinching his nose.

Juan and Gerald laughed. However the boss didn't think it was funny at all.

Just then, out of nowhere, two figures came crashing into the tent.

The two figures turned out to be Davy and Peter.

"What is this, a boy scout camp?" wondered Gerald.

"Enough of this!" shouted the boss grabbing Micky by the collar of his shirt, and taking the knife from Juan’s hand.

He turned to his hoods.

"Come on, we're getting out of here, and we're taking an extra passenger along for the ride.

"Who's the boss talking about?" Gerald asked.

"He means the kid stupid," said Juan.

"Oh, yeah."

Just then, Peter spoke up.

"Wait!” He shouted, It's my(hiccup), I'm the (hiccup)one(hiccup) the hiccups(hiccup), take me(hiccup)instead."

"The boss thought for a minute, then spoke up.

"Ok," He said pushing Micky to the ground, and grabbing Peter, with Juan and Gerald following behind.

The four dashed out of the tent.

"We gotta stop them and save Peter!" said Davy.

The three Monkees scrambled out of the tent to see that Peter was getting shoved into a large, black car by the boss.

Juan was driving, while Gerald climbing into the front passenger seat.

"Stop them!" Mike shouted.

It was no use, for by the time they got there, the car had taken off.

"How do we catch up to them?" wondered Micky.

Just then, a yellow taxi stopped in front of them.

"That was easy."

The guys hopped into the cab.

"Follow that car!" Mike said to the driver.

"You got it pal," said the driver.

Not only was the car going real fast, but the road was bumpy as well.

"Between all the laughter and the car ride, neither one of them is helping my stomach," said Micky clutching his stomach.

"At least you have a stomach, I think I left mine back there," said Davy pointing back the other direction.

"Driver, I appreciate the way you're helping us, but we like to get to that car alive," Mike said.

"Sorry sir, I'm just trying to make it feel like in the movies," said the cab driver.

Just then, the black car stopped at a fork in the road and turn right.

The cab did as well, but when it did, the car disappeared.

"No good, they were too quick," said the cab diver.

The guys thanked the driver, paid him, and stepped out of the cab.

"Looks like we have to find them on foot," said Mike leading the way.

"Let's try to stick together this time, so no one gets lost again," said Davy.

"Good thinking," said Micky.

And the three went about the search.

What they didn't see that hiding behind some bushes was the car.

Inside, Peter was tied up and gagged.

"MMMMM(hiccup)MMMM(hiccup)," he went under his gag.

"Shut up!” The boss said, blowing some cigar smoke in his face.

"Because of you, I'm gonna be rich. Rich, Rich, Rich."

"And us too," said Gerald with a laugh.

Juan then hit him over the head with his fist.

"Shut up," he said driving out of the bushes heading for the other direction.

The guys walked for quite sometime, but there was still no sign of the car.

"You know, I have a feeling we've been tricked," said Davy.

"You think?" said Micky.

"Come on fellas.” Said Mike, Let's not get into any fights, not at a time like this."

"You're right, finding Peter is more important than some stupid argument over nothing," said Davy.

"The thing I want to know is, why is this tree such a big deal," wondered Mike.

Micky took the book out of sack, and began to read it.

"It says that, The Naked Persimmon tree has a notable cure for everything, ranging from the hiccups to the common cold,” he read, “However, many had tried to find this tree, but all failed."

"Mind if I take a look?" asked Mike.

Micky handed the book to him.

"It also says here that this tree is the last of it's kind, but has been protected for many years with the help of wildlife experts," read Mike.

"Wow! Can you imagine how valuable that juice is gonna be if that tree gets cut down," said Davy.

"I think cash is the last thing on our mind, right now the only thing we should be thinking about is where those thugs could have taken Peter," said Mike.

"Right," said Micky.

And the three continued their long search to find their friend.

Meanwhile, the boss was looking through Peter's knapsack in the car, when he came about something.

He pulled out a sandwich, and took a bite out of it.

"I don't (hiccup) think you should(hiccup) do that(hiccup)," said Peter.

"Why, your friends will be mad?" Asked the boss, chewing on the sandwich.

"No,(hiccup) because I put(hiccup) hot mustard(hiccup) on those(hiccup) sandwiches."

That very second, the boss cheeks began to turn red. He searched into the bag once again and took out a canteen, opened it, and drank every last drop of water that was in there.

The boss then turned to Peter with a sour look on his face.

"You're gonna pay for this." Said the boss.

Peter gulped and hoped his friends would find him soon.

The boss looked at his watch. The boat picking them up should be here soon. He turned to his henchmen.

"I think we've lost his friends. Head back to camp so I can make sure everything's been cleaned up."

"Yes, boss." Gerald replied.

Gerald started the car and pulled it out of its hiding place and drove back to camp. The Boss glared at Peter. He and his friends had cost him a lot of money, not to mention the inconvenience of now having to find a new place to set up his operations. This would not go unpunished.

"Tell me, young man, are you ticklish?" The Boss asked casually.

Peter looked back at The Boss in horror as he hiccuped again.

Micky, Mike and Davy continued to look for the car. Mike continued to read as he walked along.

"The Naked Persimmon tree hybrid juice can be used as a drug. The real tree is very hard to find." Mike closed the book and looked at Davy.

"I thought you and Peter were going to the Coast Guard."

"We were, but a squall knocked us so far off course, we decided to come back and try and help you."

"You guys sure came just in time." Micky replied, "That boss fellow is a nasty piece of work." Micky went on to explain how he was brutally tickle-tortured by The Boss' machine, then saved by Mike.

Davy just shook his head at Micky's description. How some people could be so cruel....Davy stopped walking as a terrible thought hit him.

"Oh no." Davy breathed.

"What's wrong?" Micky asked.

"I think Peter's ticklish too."

The three Monkees looked at each other for a long moment. Micky hung his head as he thought about Peter going through what he just did. Mike broke the silence.

"I think we better start back to their camp. Its possible the boss simply turned around after giving us the slip and headed back there."

"You're right, Mike!" Micky exclaimed, "The boss did say he was going to tell his men to start packing up the camp. He thought we were Government agents! So he'd go back there to get ready to leave!"

"He probably has a ship coming for him...." Davy said, then gave his friends a horrified look. "And he just might take Peter with him!"

The thought of Peter, still suffering from hiccups, being taken away from them caused them to start running as fast as they could back to the boss' camp.

Peter was tied down to a chair, with Juan and Gerald guarding him with guns, so he wouldn't escape.

The boss, who stood in front of him, gave him and evil grin, and began to talk.

"Nice young boy, what do you know about this Naked Persimmion Tree?" he asked.

"Nothing (hiccup) I don't even go(hiccup) to the movies(hiccup)," answered Peter.

"Hey boss, maybe you should try some of that juice," suggested Gerald.

"Better yet, give it to the boy, then we'll know what it does," said Juan.

"Not a bad idea," said the boss with a very evil laugh.

"I hope (hiccup)the guys(hiccup) get here(hiccup) soon," Peter thought to himself.

Micky, Mike and Davy ran as fast as they could back to camp. They mostly stayed off to the side of the road in case any of The Boss' goons were on the lookout for them. Davy, unfortunately, was running a little too far off to the side and tripped on a rock. He tumbled down an embankment.

"DAVY!" Micky and Mike shouted. They ran over to the roadside and looked down. Davy was sitting at the bottom of the embankment, staring into space. Micky and Mike slid down the embankment to their friend.

"Davy, are you all right?" Micky asked.

Davy simply nodded his head, and continued to look over to his right.

"What are you staring at?" Mike asked, puzzled by Davy's behavior.

Davy pointed over to his right. "I think we've found it." he said slowly.

Micky and Mike looked to where Davy was pointing. About twenty feet away, nestled under a hill, was THE Naked Persimmon Tree.

"Oh, man!" Micky exclaimed, "It was practically under our noses!"

Mike and Micky helped Davy to his feet.

"Let's get that juice!" Mike exclaimed.

"No!" Davy said firmly, "We have to get Peter!"

"We will!" Mike answered, "Maybe we can trade this juice for Peter!"

Micky and Davy nodded their heads and followed Mike to the tree. They stood around it for a few seconds, admiring the purple flowers. It seemed a shame to tap into this beautiful tree, but Peter's life may depend on it. Mike turned to Micky.

"Do you still have the hammer and spigot?"

"No I don't." Micky answered, shaking his head, "The Boss took most of my stuff, including my camera, but I saved a few pictures of his camp."

"How are we gonna get the juice then?" Davy asked.

Mike looked in the sack. There was nothing in there sharp enough to cut the bark. When Mike had been captured, his knife had been taken away from him. All that was left was the flare gun. Micky and Davy looked on the ground for something sharp. Davy finally found a sharp rock about six inches long and handed it to Mike.

"Try this, Mike." Davy said.

Mike took the rock and was about to cut into the bark when a voice came from behind them.

"FREEZE! Hands up! Slowly! Now drop the rock!" The voice commanded. Micky, Mike and Davy did what they were told and Mike dropped the rock on the ground.

"Now turn around-slowly." The voice said quieter, but still in a commanding tone of voice.

The three Monkees turned around slowly and saw that the voice belonged to a female park ranger. She had a rifle pointed at them, and an angry expression on her face.

"Mind telling me what you three were going to do to that tree? That very rare tree?" She asked sharply.

"We have a friend with hiccups and we were going to tap some of its juice to try and cure him." Mike said slowly, his eyes on the rifle.

"What makes you think that juice would help him?" She asked.

"It said so in my book." Micky replied, "Let me show you."

"OK, but take it out slowly." She replied.

Micky slowly opened up his knapsack and pulled out the library book. He opened it up to the page about the Naked Persimmon Tree, and showed it to her. The ranger took the book out of his hand, keeping the other hand on the trigger of the rifle. She glanced down at the page, read a few lines, then looked back up.

"Yeah, I've heard about the 'magical' properties of this tree," she smirked, "But this book's about twenty years old and out of date. Its not the juice, its the fruit of the tree that helps hiccups."

"Do you believe us then?" Davy asked.

"Yes I do," the ranger replied, pointing the rifle to the ground, "But I can't let you guys take any fruit either. This tree is probably the last of its kind in the world, and it finally seems to have bore fruit. All the fruit seeds will be needed for planting to bring this tree back from near-extinction." She pointed at a few of the round fruits in the tree, all brown and ready to pick.

"I thought the tree bore fruit every year." Micky replied. The ranger shook her head.

"No, that book is wrong again. It’s only every fifty years." She handed the book back to Micky.

"Can't we have one little fruit?" Davy asked smiling, putting on the charm, "Our friend really needs it!"

"Sorry fellows, but I have to keep this tree safe until tomorrow when the botanists come. Maybe they'll let you have some."

"But its a matter of life and death!" Mike exclaimed. "Our friend could be dead by tomorrow!"

"You're friend is dying from hiccups?" She asked skeptically.

"No, from something much worse." Micky said, as he handed her the photos of The Boss's drug camp. "Our friend is a prisoner of drug fiends who've been using the hybrid version of this tree to make illegal drugs."

"Then selling them in Asia!" Davy added.

The park ranger looked over the photos in shock. She had no idea this camp was nearby!

"I...had no idea this was going on." She said quietly, "The Park Service has us come out here only a few times a year to check up on the tree. We usually stay close by the tree and don't explore."

"Do you have a radio to call for help?" Micky asked anxiously. "Those thugs are going to be leaving here soon, and possibly take our friend too!"

"Yes, I do. Come on!" The ranger replied. She turned on her heel and ran back to her tent, with the three Monkees following her closely.

Peter watched as The Boss poured some of the raw juice into a cup, then mixed in a little water. Perhaps this would stop his hiccups! But would he live long enough to enjoy it? He didn't know that what he was about to drink was from a hybrid Persimmon tree, not the real one, and its juice, in a raw state, could give you a high-permanently. The Boss walked over to Peter.

"Try this young man," The Boss said smoothly, "It will help stop your hiccups." He brought the cup to Peter's lips.

Peter took a small mouthful, just when Juan said, "It will help stop your breath, too!" He chuckled.

Peter's eyes went wide and he spit the juice in The Boss' face. The Boss jumped back in shock. No one did that to him! He slapped Peter hard across the face. Peter began to cry. The Boss wiped the juice off his face and then back-handed Juan.

"Fool!" The Boss yelled, "I'll take care of you later!" He turned back to Peter.

"C'mon, young man. Open up and drink. Juan was only joking. Right Juan?"

"Si, Si, Boss!" Juan replied shaking, "I just make bad joke!"

But Peter wasn't buying it. He kept his mouth shut tight.

"I know the perfect way to open your mouth, young man!" The Boss said menacingly. He reached over, unbuttoned Peter's shirt, and began tickling his ribs. Peter squirmed in his seat, but was tied too tight to move much. The Boss moved his fingers up and down Peter's sides and stomach.

"Tickle, tickle!" The Boss cooed. "Open your mouth and laugh for me!"

Peter was beginning to laugh, but still kept his mouth shut.

The boss looked at his men. "When he opens his mouth, pour the rest of the juice down his throat." He looked back at Peter, who was laughing with his mouth closed and hiccuping at the same time. The Boss tickled Peter harder. It was only a matter of time before the young man laughed out loud.

Micky, Mike and Davy stood around the Park ranger as she finished her communication with the Coast Guard.

"Roger, over and out." She finished and took off the headphones.

"Well, I've told them what you guys told me, and they'll be here soon."

"Thanks, uh..thanks miss.." Mike stumbled.

"Lisa. My name is Lisa. I'm glad to meet you. Sorry about the rough time out there before, but I've a duty to protect that tree."

"That's OK, Lisa. I'm Mike, that's Micky, and Davy. Glad to meet you too."

"Please let us have a piece of fruit so we can try and trade it for Peter?" Davy pleaded once again.

Lisa thought a moment. She didn't know what these guys could do against these drug thugs, but had to admire their courage. "OK, follow me." She said.

Lisa walked outside and back to the tree. She plucked a small fruit from the tree and handed it to Davy.

"Now go save your friend." She said.

Davy took the fruit. "Thanks, luv." He said, kissing her on the cheek.

The three Monkees hurried back up the embankment and ran back to camp, hoping Peter was still alive.

Peter shook his head back and forth trying his best not to open his mouth. If he did, Juan and Gerald, standing behind him, would pour the juice down his throat and that might kill him! But with The Boss tickling him furiously, it was a losing battle. Peter put his head back and was about to bust out laughing, when Trevor came charging into the tent.

"Boss, Boss!" He yelled.

"Can't you see I'm busy!" The Boss yelled.

"Our ship is here!" Trevor said excitedly.

"Good, Good!" The Boss said, forgetting Peter for the moment.

"But so's a Coast Guard ship!" Trevor finished.

"Not so good." The Boss mumbled. He looked at Juan and Gerald. "Untie our friend here and take him to the ship. We'll have more time to continue our conversation there."

Juan and Gerald obeyed, while The Boss and Trevor left the tent.

Mike, Micky and Davy finally reached the edge of the camp, or rather, what was left of it. The tents, including The Boss' tent was now torn down, and everybody was gone.

"Oh, no!" Davy exclaimed. "Are we too late?"

"No, look!" Micky exclaimed, pointing. "There's Peter!"

They looked to see a bound Peter being dragged to the dock, to a waiting motorboat. Just a little off shore was a larger boat, but further behind that boat, was a Coast Guard Cutter.

"They're going to take Peter with them!" Mike yelled. He broke into a run, followed by Micky and Davy.

They caught up to The Boss, just as he was about to push Peter into the motorboat.

"Wait, wait!" Mike yelled. The Boss spun around.

"You guys again?!" The Boss snarled and turned to his own men. "Shoot them!"

"Please wait!" Micky yelled, "We have the fruit of the Naked Persimmon Tree!"

"Its very valuable!" Davy cried, "It can help with hiccups, baldness, ingrown toenails and bad breath!"

"Let our friend go, and we'll give it to you!" Mike said, holding up half of the fruit.

"Let me have it or I'll have your friend shot!" The Boss replied.

"OK," Mike replied....then threw the fruit into the water. Everyone gasped.

"Oops!" Mike smiled.

"I'll just push your friend into the water." The Boss replied, "Lets see how well he swims with his hands tied behind his back." The Boss made to push Peter into the water.

Just then, everyone heard a loud noise from a loudspeaker.

"THIS IS THE U.S. COAST GUARD! EVERYBODY PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

"I'd do as they suggest." Lisa said, stepping from behind Mike and pointing her rifle at The Boss and his men. She had decided to follow Micky, Mike and Davy to see if she could help. Mike had also pulled out the flare gun. If Mike pulled the trigger on that, The Boss and his goons would go up in flames.

"Do as they say." The Boss growled. Peter ran over to his friends as several small boats with the Coast Guard name on them came up to the dock. Several uniformed and armed men disarmed The Boss and took him and his men away. Other Coast Guard men climbed aboard the Boss' bigger boat and arrested the crew.

Mike quickly untied Peter.

<hiccup> "Thanks, guys, that boss guy was mean! He kept tickling me!"

"You're welcome, Pete," Mike said and pulled the other half of the Persimmon fruit out of his pocket.

"Here, this should help you."

Peter took the fruit and ate all of it.

"Well, how do you feel?" Davy asked.

<hiccup> Peter replied.

"Oh no..." everyone said.

Lisa called for back up, and soon they came, and the boss and his hoods were placed into handcuffs, and placed on another boat that was gonna send them to the police station, then have them deported.

"You boys did some quick thinking, the police were proud of what you've done," said Lisa.

"Thanks,” Said Davy, who was starting to get a starry eye look, “Say if you're not doing anything tonight."

"Thanks, but I'm engaged. Come on, I'll have coast guard give you a ride back to mainland.”

She left, and Davy let out a quiet sigh.

"Come on man, find love on your own time.” Said Mike, “Right now, we have to take care of Peter.”

The two turned to their friend who was still hiccuping like crazy.

"He's worse than before," said Micky.

"(Hiccup), sorry guys (hiccup) I let you (hiccup) down," Peter said lowering his head in embarrassment.

Micky tapped his shoulder and said," It's not your fault, buddy."

"It was just some old silly myth that we thought was real."

Peter lifted his head a bit and gave a small smile.

The guys then boarded the Coast Guard boat, and headed back for home, towing the Monkees' boat.

The next day, Peter was still hiccuping.

"What are we gonna do? The gig is tomorrow night." said Davy.

"You're right about that, I'm stumped myself," said Mike.

They turned to see Micky was still reading the book.

"Micky, will you please put the book away, that stuff was a bunch of balderdash."

"Can we just give one more method a try?" Micky asked.

"It's worth a try, said Davy turning to Mike, What do you think?"

Mike looked at his bandmates, then at Peter.

He shook his head and said," What's the cure this time?"

Micky began to read what the book had to say.

"If all else fails, the one sure fire cure is a good shock to the nerves," he read.

"Micky, I want to cure Peter's hiccups as much as you do, but we can't put him out in a lightening storm, you know," said Davy. "Cuz we know it dangerous."

"Yea, plus, there's not a cloud in the sky today."

"No no no, I think what the book means is we try to scare the hiccups out of Peter," said Mike.

Davy took the book from Micky and began to read it himself.

"Where does it say that, all I see is the shock to the nerves part," said Davy.

Mike just shook his head.

Micky then went up to Peter, who was sitting down in the kitchen, attempting to drink a glass of water without hiccuping.

"Listen Peter, we're gonna try to scare you, so don't get scared," Micky said.

"OK (hiccup)," said Peter.

Davy and Mike met Micky behind Peter's chair, and let out a big sound.

"BOO!" shouted Mike, Micky and Davy.

"No (hiccup) that didn't do it (hiccup).

You gotta do it (hiccup) when I don't know (hiccup)," said Peter.

"Well, if you say so Peter," said Davy.

"Yea, come on fellas," said Mike as he Micky and Davy turned to leave.

However, they turned back, and let out another big noise.

"BOO!" The three shouted once more.

The noise was so loud, it made Peter fall off the chair.

"Are you guys trying to give me a heart attack!" he said getting back up.

"Hey, Peter you did it!" said Davy.

"Did what?"

"You just said a whole sentence without hiccuping," said Micky.

"Well what do you know I did," said Peter with a smile feeling proud of himself.

"Let's hope this cure is not temporary," said Mike being cautious.

Peter went through the rest of the day and even the next without one hiccup.

And sure enough, they were ready to play at the big gig that night.

At the end of the show, the guys thanked the crowd, took a bow, and headed back stage.

"Man! Do you hear that crowd!" said Micky.

"Yea, they liked us," said Mike.

"Like us? They loved us!" said Davy.

"They sure did," said Peter.

Just then, a hiccup came out of Peter's mouth.

"Hiccup," he went.

"Not again!" said Mike, Davy and Micky.

"Gotcha!" laughed Peter.

That made the other guys laugh as well.

In case you're wondering what happened to the boss and his hoods, they were sentenced to 15-20 years without probation.

Lisa married her coast guard husband.

The guys did perform for ten weeks at "The Coconut Club", and they were a week overdue on the book, but that's another story.

The End