Tales from Townsville (The Powerpuff Girls) - Softcover

Candace Bryan is a writer living in New York City.

Blossom’s New Job
 
“Yes! Yes!” Blossom cheered as the Powerpuff Girls passed by a shop window on their way home from school.
 
“What are we excited about?” asked Bubbles. “Did you see a cute puppy?”
 
“Or did someone fall in some mud?” added Buttercup.
 
Blossom pointed to the window. “That!” she said. Hanging in the window was a display of new shiny red backpacks.
 
“Is there a bad guy hiding in that backpack?” asked Bubbles.
 
“A bad guy!” Buttercup yelled. “Let me at him.” “Wait,” said Blossom, blocking her sister. “Look.
 
At. That. Backpack. It’s the new Ultimate Superstar Backpack. I just read about it in Weekly Backpack Magazine. I have to have it.”
 
“What’s wrong with the backpack you have now?” Buttercup asked Blossom, pointing to her very large and practical bag. “It’s just a place to keep all your crud while you’re at school.”
 
“Yeah,” chimed in Bubbles. “We all have the same backpack, just different colors. I love mine. I even put a kitten sticker on it. I can put one on yours, if you want.” “You don’t understand,” Blossom said with a huff. “I need a new Ultimate Superstar Backpack so I can carry home all my textbooks every day and study even harder. Plus, I really want to be able to keep all my pens organized. Without that backpack, how can I possibly stay on top of all my classes?”
 
Blossom zipped into the store and straight to the shiny red backpack. She pulled it from its display case and tried it on. As soon as the straps hit her shoulders, a huge grin spread across her face and she flew around the store in ecstasy. Just imagine how great it would be to own this, she thought to herself.
 
“Look how much stuff you can fit in it!” she shouted gleefully to her sisters. “You can fit over a Hundred pens in this one pocket alone!”
 
Her sisters were not impressed.
 
A teenaged salesperson shook his head as he watched Blossom running and flying around. “Um, if you’re, like, not going to buy this backpack, you need to put it back, okay?” he said.
 
Blossom’s heart sank and she reluctantly peeled the bag off her back.
 
“I don’t have any money,” she said, and walked out of the store with a heavy head and droopy bow.
 
“Why don’t you ask the Professor to buy it for you?” asked Bubbles.
 
“It was just our birthday,” Blossom replied. “He said no new presents for a while.”
 
Just then, something totally amazing happened.
 
On a store across the street hung the most beautiful, shining sign that Blossom had ever seen.
 
It said: WANT TO MAKE MONEY? COME WORK FOR US! WE ARE HIRING!
 
Blossom’s eyes doubled in size, and her red bow perked up. The gears in her brain started to turn.
 
“If I get a job, I can earn my own money and save up to buy the Ultimate Superstar Backpack myself!” she shrieked in excitement.
 
“Dude, how can you get a job when you have to go to school every day?” Buttercup asked.
 
“Are people our age even allowed to get jobs?” Bubbles wondered out loud.
 
“Guys, come on!” Blossom replied. “I can work after school. Or before school. Or on the weekends. Plus,
 
it will only be for a little while so I can save up for the Backpack. Of. My. Dreams!”
 
Before Buttercup or Bubbles could respond, Blossom dashed into the store.
 
Inside, Blossom saw piles of clothes lying around all over the place. Everything in the store was black and sleek.
 
“Welcome to B&B Fashion!” a voice boomed. Blossom looked around, but didn’t see anyone. “Welcome!” the voice repeated. The voice seemed to be coming out of a small black speaker near the back.
 
“Hi, my name is Blossom,” the Powerpuff Girl yelled. She wasn’t sure who she was talking to, or if anyone could hear her. “I am very smart, I’m a very hard worker, and I want this job more than anything else in the whole wide world. Oh please oh please oh please let me work for you!”
 
“You’re hired!” the voice shouted without hesitation. “Your first day of work will be tomorrow. Don’t be late!”
 
Blossom walked out of the store grinning and shared her news with Bubbles and Buttercup. “Told you I could get a job,” she said.
 
The two sisters still thought it was a bad idea, though, and Blossom didn’t tell them that her new workplace was more than a little creepy.