♪ Who's gonna help when the danger overwhelms ♪
♪ And the mysteries are piled high? ♪
♪ Who's gonna be around, never gonna let you down ♪
♪ When you're on a wild ride?
♪ Your friends are always by your side ♪
♪ It's Craig of the Creek, he's gonna save the day ♪
♪ It's Craig of the Creek
♪♪
[ Sighs ] All my trees always look like broccoli.
I hate broccoli.
Eh, I'm good at drawing everything else.
Kelsey, you and Mortimer ready?
What a touching tale of a Skullcrusher.
[ Sobs ] Yeah, we're ready!
JP, you ready?
JP: [ As spaceman] Finally, after traveling the galaxy
for a billion light-years,
we have found a new planet to call home.
[ As dinosaur] Argh! No, you haven't!
This is Earth 65 million years ago!
You time-traveled, ya dum-dum! Rawr!
[ As spaceman] No!
I'm falling into a black h-o-o-ole!
[ Normal voice ] Okay. I'm ready!
Ugh!
Let's explore!
Uh, JP?
Oh. Yeah. Hunh!
So many of your machines are me-powered, Craig. Ugh!
♪♪
[ Whooshing ]
♪♪
Hmm. Hmm? Hyah!
Hmm.
Still clear.
[ Sighs ] Are we there yet?
Just a little farther. My map senses are tingling.
Or -- Or maybe I have to go to the bathroom really bad.
But, Craig, I'm tired! My feet haven't hurt this bad
since I went trick-or-treating barefoot.
And why did you do that?
Well, I was dressed as a bear.
Bears have "bear" feet...
-Ugh! No! -'Cause it's bear feet.
-No, I get it. -But it's also...
When you explain it, it makes it worser!
...bare feet.
All right, chuckleheads.
We can take a snack break up ahead.
-I call rock! -Ooh!
-Ahh. Nice and toasty. -All right.
If we went 30 backyards to the right of Horsegirl Meadow,
we should be just north of Mt. Sycamore.
[ Rumble ]
Did you guys notice that?
[ All screaming ]
[ Thud ]
Ugh! I landed really weird on that rock.
Ugh! That wasn't a rock!
Oh, sorry, Kelsey.
Mnh. That wasn't a Kelsey.
[ All gasp ]
JP: What isthis place?
Craig: Founder's Keep?
It looks like some sort of fort.
Yeah, but why is it all covered in leaves and junk?
It must be really old, like some sort of ancient kid ruins.
How ancient are we talking here?
Well, judgin' by this dust, I'd say at least a week.
[ Mortimer chirps ]
Guys! Mortimer found something!
[ Blows ] Ah-choo!
"Hyne's Soda."
I've never even heard of this. Have you guys?
Hmm.
According to Fizzipedia, this soda's from the '70s,
and this version of the logo
was only used in 1976 during the Bicentennial.
Wait. 1976.
I think I've seen that date before.
Ugh. Why does everybody got to bring out their phones?
Why can't we just enjoy the moment, you guys?
Ah! 1976. By the old Herkleton Farms sign!
That's when our neighborhood was built!
Oh, my gosh!
If that soda is as old as Herkleton,
then this fort must have belonged
to the very first kids in the Creek!
The first Creek kids. I wonder what they were like.
I bet we could find out if we explored this place some more.
Come on.
♪♪
[ Blows ]
♪♪
Hmm.
♪♪
Is anybody out there?
CAN YOU HEAR ME?!
HELLO-O-O-O?!
Well, judging by these three chairs,
it seems like there were three kids that hung out here,
and at least one of them was a really good drawer.
This tree actually looks like a tree.
Yeah, they had pretty good taste.
You think that this is what they wore?!
Nah. I think they were a highly advanced civilization
looking to communicate with intelligent life
to unlock the mysteries of the universe.
Or talk to a bunch of lonely truckers.
Breaker, breaker, one-nine! Anyone got their ears on?
I got a smokey on my bumpy, and I'm looking for my glasses!
Hmm. I wonder what happened to them.
Why would they leave all this stuff behind?
Well, they probably just grew up
and lost their sense of wonder and imagination.
Yeah, but you'd think they'd at least take their stuff with them.
This comic is probably worth, like, a billion dollars by now.
Unh. It's like -- It's like they had to leave in a hurry.
I mean, look. That Flippin' Flopz game
is only two flips away from a flop!
Something happened to these three kids.
Huh? What's this?
I recognize the letters, but the words make no sense.
Is this the language of the ancients?
[ Horn blows in distance ]
Hmm. Guess it's dinner. Let's meet back here tomorrow.
♪♪
[ Sighs ] What are you trying to say to me?
Maybe this language is just way before my time.
I should show this to someone superold.
Dad. Are you busy?
Just finishing up some stuff for work. I'll be with you in a --
So, me and my friends were digging through this old fort
we found in the Creek from, like, the '70s.
Oh, yeah? Yeah, yeah!
And we found this ancient letter
written in ancient English,
and I figured you could help me decipher it maybe,
you know, since you're ancient.
Craig, how old do you think I am?
I don't know. Like, 20, 30...
centuries old?
That cuts deep, my guy.
Here. Let me help you with that before I turn to dust. Hmm.
So is that how people wrote in the ancient times?
No. English looked the same back then. Or so I hear.
If I had to guess, I'd say this was a coded message.
-Really?! -Mm-hmm.
It looks like each of these letters
stands for a different one.
-So what does it say? -I don't know.
You'd need a key to decipher it,
but if you knew just one of these words,
you could work backwards and reveal the whole message.
Dad! You're a genius![ Laughs ]
Cracking codes is just part of my job.
I thought your job was being a computer programmer.
Shh. That's my cover. I'm actually a super spy
for a top-secret government organization.
[ Laughs ] Yeah, right.
Ah, you got me. I was messin' with you.
Guess you're too smart for me.
Well, off to bed with you.
Okay. Good night.
Kckck! The peanut has taken the bait.
Do you copy? Hmm?
[ Whistling ]
[ Grumbles ]
Hmm. Okay.
If all the G's are U's,
then it says, "Urflp ukipth fth lipth to crampf."
Ugh! Why didn't these kids make a code that was easier to break?
What happened to you? Why did you run?
What message were you trying to send?
How valuable are those "Reptiliana" comics?
[ Groans ]
Huh?
"Founder's Keep."
It's the same amount of letters as...
[ Gasps ] Oh, my gosh!
If the R's are E's and the C is a P,
then every letter is just 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
[ Gasps ] 13 letters apart!
Ha-ha! Eat my maps, ancient ones!
Uh, uh, I-I mean, I hope they're okay.
-Hunh. Ahh. -Watch my butt, Kels.
[ Scoffs ] You're the one who better watch your butt.
-Guys! I figured it out! -Really?
-Ugh! -Really?!
Both: What's it say?! What's it say?!
It says, "These are the last days of the Founder's Keep.
A twisted game of Capture the Flag
has now escalated into total war and consumed the entire Creek.
We have no choice but to abandon this place
and start out new lives as indoor kids.
We fear that we won't be able to return,
so we leave our treasures to you.
Future Creek kids, if you can read this message,
you must be fans of mystery, adventures,
and the wonders of the Creek, like us.
We hope you enjoy our spoils of playtime.
Take care, have a great summer,
and remember -- the key is to get behind peace, ya dig?"
Signed Bradley, Cathy, and Pradeep.
Wow. I barely know these kids at all,
but I feel really bad for them.
Forced to become indoor kids. That must have been
one messed-up game of Capture the Flag.
The Creek must have been a really different place back then, huh?
Okay, so, I'm gonna keep this comic book.
Don't tell my dad.
"Get behind peace."
Get behind peace.
♪♪
[ Ding! ]
[ Grunting ]
[ All gasp ]
All: Whoa!
Craig: That's got to be, like, four Halloweens' worth of candy!
What are you staring at? Come on!
Let's load up! Anything you can put in your pockets!
Ha! He-he!
These candy bars are huge!
I guess they hadn't invented fun size yet.
Whoa.
Oh, my gosh!
It's a map of the Creek.
This must be what it looked like back then.
It's so different. Huh?
Uh-oh. I think I pulled out
a load-bearing jack-o'-lantern, you guys!
Uh, run! Aah!
[ Screams ]
[ All scream ]
[ All coughing ]
Wow. That was close, you guys.
We're lucky we got away with some candy. And our lives.
Rest in peace, candy we couldn't rescue.
I hope the worms appreciate you the way we would've.
I didrescue one thing.
[ Gasps ] It's them. The founders.
Oh, I bet all the alien stuff was hers!
And the comics probably belonged to that kid.
And he must have drawn the map.
They look like they would've been pretty fun
to hang out with.
Wow. Look at the collar on that shirt.
You think you can still get clothes like that?
Eh, probably in a museum or something.
Looks like there's a lot more to explore.
♪ When it's time to go to bed
♪ 'Cause I'll see you tomorrow
♪ At the creek
Just like I drew it.