Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 25, 2012

Learning more about Toni than you ever cared to, eh, Brad?

Have fun hunting for the brat in the rain, you two…

Isn’t that kind of a silly question? A kid leaving in the rain isn’t exactly like a cat sneaking out an open door. Shannon’s, what, five? I imagine she can open doors herself.

Fun? Maybe. Coming home and drying off? Definitely. Bonding with your lady by being a stand-up guy and doing the right thing to help find the little one? THAT’S going to land Toni permanently.

Orion

Shannon never did get her Weenie World kiddie meal…

Uh-oh. Now Toni must be regretting her lapse of judgment when she momentarily forgot Shannon while in lovefest with Brad – an attempt, anyway. Looks like some readers’ predictions were on the target – she went back to WW. In the rain. Yikes.

Geeeze, Toni ! Let’s blame Brad …

Uh-oh.

I see some possible drama coming ahead.: night time, a torrential rain, possibly a creek or stream nearby. A stream that is usually very peaceful, only a few inches deep and a few feet wide. During heavy rains it can become a raging river, capable of sweeping people, children AND adults downstream.

That is a very cold and cruel comment to make.

Hero time, Brad !

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is as scary as not knowing where your child is. Even if you truly know he or she is in the house, behind a clothes rack at a store, or is just around the corner of an aisle, that first moment is nothing but sheer panic and terror. Maybe not so much at home as in a store. But an open door… sheer panic and terror. I lost my child for a total of 12 seconds at a store when he wandered off to look at something shiny. Yes, my voice probably reached the other side of the state too as I called his name.

A five year old should know enough to stay in the house whether the door is open or not. She’s not a cat. I agree with other folks who think she went on a foray to Weenie World. Would be kind of interesting to see another side of Eiffel if she helped Shannon – she probably would realize Shannon’s sort of a mini-Eiffel and maybe relate to her a little. Too much to hope for probably.

Or there is that OTHER possibility – Shannon is actually sound asleep in her bed and the wind blew the door open. After Brad and Toni search for her, they come home and discover that they were worried about all of the wrong things.

Toni is trying to establish who left the door open…AND beginning to panic, not trying to establish blame. Yet. The house will be searched first, then the search widens. These two are ERT’s, and training kicks in, even over panic. We hope.

Oops, Brad did a room- to-room already… 911 time!

Remember Brad’s comment that his favorite place for Shannon to be is/was “without us.” or something like that. Shannon must have heard. This is his doing, though Toni’s comment that he would be a moron to bring her back certainly did not help if Shannon was still there to hear it when Toni said this.

I’m a little surprised that no one has yet thought of that other possibility— abduction.

…..the 9-fingered Ann Eiffel?…..maybe even Dirk?

Brad looked in every room. Did he not notice the open door. I can’t believe the kid took off in the rain. Very strange…

Make sure to look under beds and in closets. My wife found door open when her son had disappeared. She ran to the pons several hundred yards away, panicking. She returned to house to call police and found he had crawled under bed covers and was snoozing.

Argh another arc to this story? Weeks of Leslie, and just a blurb of Anne? Dont we even get to know what happpened to Rosa and Gunther.

I’m guessing she’s with TJ.

Ann’s capable of it, and Shannon IS a kid.

Brad is getting a forced introduction to the world of adult family responsibility (and also auditioning as husband material for Toni, whose wifey-side her cry of SHANNON suggested). If as most commentators seem to think Shannon is trekking to WeenieWorld through the rain, Brad and Toni will have to call on their professional skills to find and rescue her before she becomes lost or ill or both. Or to rescue Ann Eiffel from Shannon.

Not blaming Brad, just eliminating a possibility. Also lost a 2-year-old in a mall for 10 minutes or so….Nothing is more terrifying. The mind shuts down and the gut takes over.

Why shouldn’t he leave the backdoor open? It’s his house!

“What do you want to do tonight, Shannon?”“The same thing we do every night, Toni. TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!”Hence the very loud shout of panic.

That kid has a serious SPS condition. (Silver Platter Syndrome)

Wait, Wait.

Toni and Brad, Panic and call the Police.

….and Officer Dirk SHOWS Up…..,

Brad – Toni, I don’t like your tone of voice. Of course I leave the door open when it is raining. That is so all the stray dogs and cats can come in out of the rain.

That is where this whole relationship is going.Any “commitment” short of marriage can be over just with one genuine mistake. It is past time to take this relationship to the next level.Commit Toni Commit!

Ya I agree with the fact she went back to weenie world to torture Eyesore some more. I would pay Shannon for that too.

Also, what kind of five year old would intentionally venture outside in the pouring rain?

Little louder China didnt hear you.

@violinrules:A 5 year old thats enrolled in school maybe?

Each kid is different. Many 5 year olds are fine in the house, but usually the adult sets them up with an activity before leaving them alone. Also, Shannon seems less socialized and aware of boundaries than some kids.

@whayle – that’s no their child, so no worries.

Maybe she went out just as T.J. came in and they went for ice cream to give Brad and Toni some “alone time”.

yup ,she’s at weenie world.

No! They need to go out and look for Shannon right away.

Maybe she’s just playing hide-n-seek, in her own “special” way

“No, I didn’t leave the back door open. By the way, do you want to get married?”

Story line believability becoming weak. Why would Shannon leave the house, at night, in the rain? She has a little more common sense, even at her age.

I smell a Dirk story…

Knew it was coming to this. While I was reading yesterdays strip, I heard the “Jaws” cello music starting up.

I was in charge of a 4 and a 5 year old sisters and in this day and age they seem to be more self absorbed with their own interests. Shannon is headed back to get what she thinks she desrves and was spirited away from, namely to see the humilliation of that mean woman and the weenie she was about to get.

Shannon left with a determined look on her face, after being made a hero for biting Ann. She is on her way to Weenie World, but will get lost in bad weather, and we will be off on high drama for a few days.

Insanity is inherited from your children….trust me on this.

“Classic” – Kid disappears; adults find kid; end never comes. See Pearls Before Swine.

Shannon has been kidnapped!

Classic 5 year old move. Get an Idea in mind and go. There are so many possible avenues to explore here.. I am just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride.

either Greg decided to have Shannon back at WW, and actually Ann tells TJ “take her home, the stupid broad Toni must be worried” or Shannon ends up being with Luann, as Shannon went a few blocks away to the Degroots home

if TJ is not at work when Shannon gets at WW, and since “no one is there to see her”, Ann actually is nice to her and even gives her food, at least until Toni arrives, and she switches back to her usual self, and tells Toni and Brad, “you two leaving her alone and she ends up here, take this stupid kid away”

Because Toni and Brad were absorbed in each other, maybe Shannon went to find TJ at WW. Shannon finds being around TJ is fun. Maybe it wasn’t raining when she left the house. However, I’m wondering how far away is WW. She may get lost and that would be unfortunate for Toni. Especially if Ann is aware of the situation and puts in her five cents worth in order to get back at Toni (and Brad). But we just have to wait to see what will happen.

They’ll find her at Weenie World— bonding with Ann.

how do you know Dave has a big farm with lot of deers in it?

OR just leave her be…..she can fin for herself.

Just like the start of Snoopy’s book, “It was a dark and stormy night………..”. The kid is missing, terror strikes Toni & Brad. Toni faces child neglect charges, unless Rosa’s Uncle Zorro sweeps in to the rescue, driving his Ford Fusion (assembled in Mexico).

pretty sure she wasn’t blaming brad for having an open door but trying to find some reason OTHER than shannon out in the rain.

I don’t think Toni is accusing Brad – she wants to know if he left the door open (oops) or if Shannon forgot to close it on her way out the door (oh, crud!).

And yes, she’ll be at WW with TJ and AI, where all the fun and frolic goes on.

I took her question about Brad leaving the door open as informational, not accusatory. Like she’s hoping Brad left it open, even though she knows it’s more likely that Shannon went out the door.

… and here’s parenthood.

Brad —For future reference —note how your lady screams when the wheels begin to come off. The old saying, “Think w/ your brain, not your vein.”, might be appropriate here.

Everybody forgot the joke in the last panel. I think it was hilarious.

Just get some sleep. The kidnappers will bring her back pretty quick. (Unless they recruit her as their evil leader.)

Exactly…I especially agree about the precious paper crown and that Brad is new to dealing with kids – 5 year olds can be a patience tester like no other :)

Just wondering how you think a 5 yr old could find her way to Weenie World?

She will go to Weenie World, Eiffle will have humanity and we will find that Eiffle is actually Shannon’s birth mother.

Called it a few days ago. Shannon is off to WeenieWorld. She’ll come in, muddy and soaking wet, getting footprints all over Ann’s restaurant. Won’t Ann be steamed!

ditto

Uh-oh… This can’t be good.

Nah, like the flight to LA, this is gonna be a one-note Shannon-bit-Ann arc that fizzles away to nowhere, rather than escalates. Seriously, where could you see it going? Shannon’s gonna be found curled up in the dishwasher, asleep, or something of the sort and it’ll be all over by Saturday. Did Brad check the inside of the fridge?

Only way to watch this kid = Velcro harness for wall attachment and a big supply of Thorazine !

While Shannon’s impulsive and stubborn, going out in the rain and the dark doesn’t sound like something she’d find too much fun, so I vote for her being inside the house, As anticlimax it’s woefully tame (no typo) but fairly predictable – I think Monday will bring a non-WW arc.

I LIKE the way you guys…and gals…think. Thank you very.

Well thank goodness this emergency arose so our young adults don’t succumb to the perils of premarital cuddling.

Of course it’s already Bwad’s fault. I see trouble brewing on this Dark and stormy night.

Cant wait to see where this is going.

Like I said yesterday:I think Shannon went back to Weenie World for a bite.

Why am I having For Better or For Worse flashbacks?

Eiffel kidnapped her!!!!!!!

Good storyline, Greg…

She’s not blaming Brad. She wants to know if it was he or Shannon who opened the door and left it open.

It wasn’t raining when Shannon left & she just stepped outside to watch a squirrel. She decided to catch and pet it, but it scampered away. Sometime later she realized she was lost and it was starting to rain. TJ came along in his car and picked her up, took her to WW and bought her the kids meal. Tomorrow, B&T will show up hopping mad that TJ didn’t call them.

As for Dirk— he is probably making better wages as a garbage collector than a law enforcement officer.

Shannon is dripping her way over to to Wenieburger. Friends with Effiel next??

Also, it should be considered that Shannon went out the back door before the rain started…

@Sideshow Starlet:Actually a movie that I saw and enjoyed very much about a year and a half ago called “ORPHAN” had that same exact storyline. I wonder if Gregg saw that movie.

They’re going to search all night, cold, wet, and miserable. Then when they finally return home to call for help, they will find Shannon sitting on the couch, watching TV, warm and dry.Hey, how else is she going to get to watch her choice of programs? Kid’s pretty sharp.

Wow,the comments on this strip are way heavy for a comic strip.

she’s gonna be INSIDE, under a bed or in a closet.