•THE POLYWOG•

WINNIE AND DUSTIN RUSH INTO THE HENDERSON THRESHOLD and quietly closed the door trying not to be heard by Dustin's Mom.

As they made it toward Dustin's bedroom, they were stopped by Dustin's Mom Claudia. Winnie loved Dustin's Mom she was always so nice and caring, same way with Claudia she loved Winnie and she thought that Dustin and her were a cute couple.

"Dusty! Winnie! How was it?"

"H-how was what mom?" Dustin stammers.

"How was what? The greatest night of the year, of course."

"Oh. Oh yeah, it was.... it was..." Dustin began to stutter until Winnie spoke out.

"Tubular."

Claudia looked at the two in confusion,

"What's wrong with you two?"

"Nothing." They both said.

"Did something happen?" She asked them.

"No. What no." Dustin says to her.

"Are you constipated again?"

Dustin's cheeks turn red as Winnie try's not to laugh,

"What! Mom no!"

"Okay you're acting weird."

"I am not acting weird!" Then the trap that Dustin had with him began to shake. Scaring Claudia and making Mews hiss at the box.

"Ha awesome right!" Dustin says and looking at Winnie to help him out.

"Yeah um he rigged the trap with Uh, a motor to make it look like I caught a ghost."

"Just like the movie!" Dustin finishes for Winnie.

Claudia began to laugh nervously,

"Oh dusty!"

Dustin and Claudia began to laugh together until Dustin began to walk away laughing pulling Winnie with him. He closed the door to his room and locked it and looked at the trap.

"I told you to keep quiet! All you had to do was stay still for one minute. One minute."

Dustin then goes over to glass case with his tortoise and picks the turtle up.

"Sorry Yertle, temporary eviction buddy."

He places Yertle on the ground and then Dustin grabs the trap and empties it out revealing a tiny slug like creature. He was so cute to Winnie, she smiled at it along with Dustin.

"What are you, little guy?"

"What was he doing in your trash?" Winnie asked.

It started to chirp and went under the log away from the light.

"You hungry?"

Dustin went over to his stash of candy and grabbed a 3 musketeers and placed little chunks in there. Winnie grabbed a piece and began to eat and Dustin grabbed one of his other 3 musketeers and ate it too. It wanted to eat but when being near the lamp's light he went back under the log.

"Too hot?" Winnie said and she went over to the lamp and turned it off.

"Sorry about that, little guy." Dustin says to it.

Then the creature when over to the chocolate and began to eat it.

"You like nougat, too, huh?"

It chirped to them, and Winnie picked it up gently cradling it in her hands. It seemed to like Winnie and chirped to her, Winnie fed it more Nougat, laughing with Dustin with their new discovery.

"You're pretty cute, you know that?" Winnie says to it.

"We're glad we found you."

Dustin looks at the musketeers and back at the creature,

"D'Artagnan, That's What we'll call you." Dustin says out loud.

"But how about.... dart! Short for d'Artagnan."

Dart began to chirp liking it and soon the two were having fun with their new companion. But as hours went by the two had enjoyed watching movies together and eating candy, but at 12:00 am they had passed out on his bed snuggling with each other.

••••••••••

It was the next day and Winnie and Dustin went to the Library before going to school.

Winnie was riding on the back of Dustin's bike, when they finally made it to the front of the library. Dustin let Winnie get off the bike first and then placed it on the wall.

Dustin was going around collecting books, Winnie was holding it for him.
Dustin went up to the desk and took the books from her hands and placed them on the desk with a thud, the librarian looked up at the two.

"Mr.Henderson, you know the rules, five at a time."

"Yep. One, two, three, four, five." He says counting the books.

The librarian grabs a piece of paper and shows it to Dustin,

"Ten, You already have five books checked out."

"My mistake. However, I am on a curiosity voyage and I need my paddles to travel. These books.... these books are my paddles." Dustin explains.

"Five at a time." She repeats.

"May I check them out?" Winnie asks.

"No Miss Byers, you cannot check out books under your name, for him to use as he already has five unreturned."

"Are you shitting me?" Dustin asked.

"Excuse me?" The librarian asked.

"Dustin!" Winnie says hitting his arm.

Dustin then looks over the librarian's shoulder and says,

"What the hell is...." the librarian looks around and then Dustin grabs the books and Winnie leading them out.

"Mr.Henderson!" She yells out

"I need my paddles!"

•••••••••

Winnie and Dustin were running to class as they were both late, as they both run into the classroom they interrupted Mr.Clarke's lecture.

"We are so sorry we're late Mr.Clarke." Dustin says breathless

"Please continue." Winnie says.

As she makes her way towards her desk in front of Max's, she sits down and grabs her notebook out.

She saw Dustin inform the guys about meeting at Lunch, then he turns his back to talk to Max but Mr.Clarke notices.

"Dustin?"

"Yes?"

"Would you care to join the class now?"

"Please, Yes." Dustin takes his textbook out and began to listen to the lecture.

"The case of Phineas Cage." He tells Winnie and Dustin.

"Phineas Cage." Dustin repeats.

"Page 104."

••••••••••

It was lunch time when they all met, they were in the AV club room. Winnie grabs Dart out of the trap, and he begins to chirp for her.

"His name is d'Artagnan." Dustin explains.

"Cute, right?"

"D'Artagnan?" Mike asks the two.

"Dart for short." Winnie says.

"And he was in your trash?" Max asks Dustin.

"Foraging for food. You wanna hold him?"

"No, no." Max immediately says.

Dustin takes Dart away from Winnie and places it in Max's hand.

"Oh god, he's slimy!"

Soon everyone began tossing it around to one another until it landed in Mike's hand. He kept it in his hands and took a closer look at it.

"What is he?"

"My question exactly." Dustin says.

Dustin goes into his back and grabs the books he stole from the library. Mike places dart down on the table and looks at the books.

"At first I thought he was some type of pollywog."

"Pollywog?" Max asks.

"It's another word for tadpole, right Dustin?" Winnie says.

"Right, a tadpole is a larval stage of a toad."

"I know what a tadpole is." Max says.

"All right then you know, that most tadpoles are aquatic right? Well Dart isn't, he doesn't need water."

"Yeah but aren't there non aquatic pollywogs?" Lucas asked.

"Terrestrial pollywogs? Yep. Two to be exact. Indirana semipalmata and the Adenomera andreae, one's from India the other from South America. So how did one of them end up in my trash?"

"Maybe some scientist brought it here, and it escaped?" Max suggest.

"Did you guys see that?" Mike asked grabbing their attention.

"Looks like something is moving inside of it."

"Mike tries to move the light towards it but it screeches at him scaring everyone except Winnie and Dustin.

Dart crawls over to Winnie and goes into her hand.

"It's okay, I got you." He chirps at her and she smiles, while Lucas looks at her weirdly.

"And there's another thing. Reptiles, they're cold-blooded ectothermic, right? They love heat, then sun. Dart hates it. It hurts him."

"So if he's not a pollywog or a reptile...." Lucas explains.

"Then Winnie and I discovered a new species."

Soon the bell rings and they all knew lunch was over, they all grabbed their things and walked out of the room.

"We gotta show Mr.Clarke." Lucas says.

"No! What if he steals out discovery?" Dustin asks.

"He won't steal your discovery." Mike says.

"You know I'm thinking of calling it Dustonious Pollywinnius. What do you think" Dustin says.

"I think you're an idiot." Max says.

"Max..." Winnie says punching her lightly on the shoulder.

"When I become rich and famous for this one day, don't come crawling back, saying "Oh my god, Dustin. I'm so sorry for being mean to you back in 8th grade""

"Yeah Uh Huh." Winnie says kissing his cheeks and going to math class.

••••••••••

It was after school and Dustin was explaining to Mr.Clarke why he was late. Max, Winnie, and Lucas were there with him.

"This is the reason, I was late for class."

Dustin places the trap on the table,

"Pretty neat. These doors function?" Mr.Clarke asks.

"Well, Yeah obviously. But it's not about the trap, it's what's inside. Now this very well may change your perception of the world."

"Consider my interest piqued."

"All right, first let's just clarify that... this is my girlfriend's and mine's discovery not yours."

"Dustin, Jesus! Just show him."

"Alright I'm just clarifying!"

"Dustin" Winnie says.

Before Dustin could open the trap Mike and Will come barging in.

"Stop!" Mike says.

"I'm sorry, Mr.Clarke it was just a stupid prank."

Mike grabs the trap away from Dustin.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dustin asks him.

"I told him to stop, we need to go, right now." Mike explains

"Mike!" Winnie exclaims

"Right now!" He shouts running.

They all run after him and follow him to the AV room.

•••••••••

"I don't understand." Lucas says.

"What do you not understand?" Mike asks him.

"Will saw something that looked like Dart last year?"

"Kind of, but there was no tail."

"Then he heard it yesterday, the exact same sound." Mike explains.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Dustin asks him.

"I wasn't sure." Will says.

"So it's a coincidence."

"Or not." Mike begins.

"What if when Will was stuck in the Upside Down, he some how acquired True Sight?

"True sight?"  Lucas asks.

"It gives you the power to see into the ethereal plane."

"Elaborate." Lucas tells Dustin.

"Maybe these episodes Will keeps having aren't really flashbacks at all. Maybe they're real, maybe Will can somehow see into the Upside Down."

"And may-maybe Winnie too." Will says.

"What?" The three ask looking at her."

"I Uh." Winnie begins to stutter.

"You've been having episodes?" Mike asks her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dustin says looking hurt.

"I don't have them per say I only see them if I touch Will, the only time I ever had it was when we were at the arcade and on Halloween when I found Will. I don't know what it is and I can't explain it if I don't know what it is."

"But if they are having episodes that would mean..."

"Dart is from the Upside Down." Mike finishes for Lucas.

"We have to take him to Hopper." Lucas says.

"I agree." Mike says.

"No, no way. If we take him to Hopper, Darts good as dead."

"Maybe He should be." Mike says.

"How could you say that?" Winnie asks.

"How can you not? He's from the Upside Down."

"Maybe but even if he is, it doesn't automatically mean that he's bad."

"That's like saying just because someone's from the Death Star doesn't make them bad."

"What about Darth Vader He's good!"

"That wasn't until the end of the trilogy Winnie!"

"Winnie and I have a bond with him."

"A bond!" Mike scoffs. "Just because he likes nougat?"

"No because he trusts us!"

"He trust you?"

"Yes we promised we would take care of him-" soon Dustin was cut off by a screech coming from the trap.
They all looked at the box and started to back away, Max begins to shout from the outside of the door pounding on it.

The trap leans on its side and mike grabs the microphone to the radio and lifts it up ready to hurt Dart.

"Don't hurt him." Winnie says.

"Only if he attacks."

"Just open it already!" Lucas says.

Dustin opens the trap with the button and out comes dart but different. He's bigger a lot bigger as big as a rat.

"Holy shit!" Lucas says.

Everyone in the room looks in shock, Dart looked as if he was in pain. He began to screech until suddenly two legs popped out of his sides.

"Holy shit!" Lucas exclaims.

Mike tries to smash him but Winnie was quick to it, she made a vine grow out of the ground and stopped him from doing anything.

Dart falls off the table and runs for it, all the guys try to run after it . Mike breaks free from the vine, suddenly the door opens and Dart runs out into the hallway. Max looks shocked and the guys trip over Max trying to go after him.

"What was that?" Max asked.

"Dart!" Mike yells at her.

"What?" She ask.

"You let him escape, and what the hell Winnie?"

"Why did you attack him?" Dustin asks him defending his girlfriend.

"Come on!"

"Don't you hurt him! Don't you dare hurt him!" Dustin Shouts at Mike.

•••••••••

Winnie began to roam around the halls trying to find Dart she couldn't find anything she had her walkie talkie in hand from her bag.

She looked around the classrooms, lockers, gym, and no sign of him.

She walked around the gym until she saw someone going into the forest. They had curly hair and a big jacket on, she couldn't get a good look but she went outside and she shouted out.

"Hey!"

They didn't turn around and ran, Winnie went back inside the halls but then Winnie felt something a feeling, something that told her that something was wrong. She look on the floor and found a walkie talkie. It was Will's when she picked it up she heard an echo scream.

"GO AWAY!" Winnie dropped the walkie talkie because she knew.......

Will was in trouble.