Halloween Prep

Greetings All!

A very happy Monday to you! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.Mine went by in a flash.

 It's that time of year again. The leaves are changing color, there is pumpkin flavored food and drinks everywhere, the weather is cooling down, and folks are getting ready for Halloween.
This year for Halloween I'm trying to decide between being a Ghostbuster or the Pink Power Ranger...either outfit will once again have me in a onesie (which seems to be a going theme for my Halloween costumes). I guess this year it will depend on which one I can squeeze into the best.
My parents are all set for the trick or treaters this year. One Saturday my mother, while talking to me on the phone, spent over 20 minutes arranging and rearranging the bags of candy they will be passing out this year (see pic below).  And the Greece, NY Barnes and Noble Creative Writing Group published their 5th annual Halloween anthology, Horrid Halloween. I didn't submit an entry this year for the collect but would still suggest downloading a copy of the book for yourself. It's $.99 cents year round, except for every Friday in the month of October and also on Halloween,  on these wonderful days you can download the ebook for FREE! I have my copy, already.
Book 5 (Horrid Halloween) -https://www.amazon.com/HORRID-HALLOWEEN-Suspense-compilation-Halloween-ebook/dp/B01LY2NKP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476746520&sr=8-1&keywords=Horrid+Halloween



Although I didn't contribute to this years anthology, I wanted to share with all of you my last year's entry, The Isle of Toothsome. I hope you enjoy it! I will be adding it to my short story collect, Fantasy Tales on Smashwords (which is FREE year round to be downloaded) in the coming months.

Happy Reading! 

Isle of Toothsome

By Elle A. Rose

A lightning bolt flashed followed by an earth shaking thunderclap. Dalilah jumped and dropped the game card from her grasp. Franklin chuckled, in an effort to hide the fact that he was just as scared as his five year old sister of the ground trembling storm wrecking havoc throughout their town. Earlier that day the town officials declared a state of emergency, and banned all Halloween activities. The children were all heartbroken, no Trick or Treating this year.

 “Guys are you sure you’ll be okay? Iris, their mother asked. “You can come with me.”

 “Mom, we’ll be fine. Go.” Franklin tried to sound more confident than he felt. It wasn’t often he was left home alone with his sister. But the last three months had been hard since his dad passed away. At fifteen, Frankie, as his friends and family called him, was now the man of the house. He couldn’t let a silly storm or the fact that he was alone with his sister, leave him shaking in his boots. His mother gave them one more glance before putting on her raincoat. Frankie had answered the phone a short while ago when the hospital called to ask his mother to come in for an extra shift today. There had been a horrible accident and the hospital needed all hands on deck.

“If you’re sure. Remember, Mrs. Hill is right next door if you need anything. You can always call me too,” their mother stated.

“I know the drill, you’re going to be late.”

Frankie stood, marched to the door and opened it for his mother.

 “Okay, bye you two,” Iris said before she dashed out into the pouring rain and disappeared into the gray background. It was hard to make out the car’s headlights as his mother pulled out the driveway.

As he slammed the door shut and spun to face his sister another flash of lightning lit up the sky. The lights flickered and Frankie felt the house tremble. The board game fell to the ground scattering cards and their plastic tokens all over the living room jolting Dalilah out of her seat, skin as pale as a ghost.

“Maybe we should go with mom,” his sister whimpered.

“Too late, she’s gone. Maybe we should make some hot apple cider and then clean up the game?” he suggested.  

Frankie tried not to slip on the cards on the floor as he made his way to the kitchen. Dalilah was right on his heels. “Sorry this is such a crappy Halloween,” he told his sister. She was still wearing her Leonardo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume from school. Dalilah had been excited to be a turtle this year; she and Frankie watched the show together every day after school. Frankie didn’t wear a costume to school, but he had a Raphael mask he was going to wear while they went out to collect candy.

            In the kitchen, his sister pulled out the stepstool and removed three packages of instant apple cider from the cabinet. They would both have a full package and split the third one between them. Before they could place their mugs in the microwave another clash of lightning struck and a loud boom rattled the house. Everything went dark. Dalilah yelped, dropped the packets and latched onto Frankie’s leg.

“I want mom,” she cried.

Frankie set the mugs down, happy he hadn’t dropped them when he jumped out of his skin.

 “It’s fine, Dee. We just need to get the flashlight and then find some candles to light.” He hoisted his sister into his arms. She was getting too big for him to carry, but there would have been no way for him to walk with the grip she had on his leg.

They edged their way to the hallway closet where the flashlight was kept, bumping into the Boogie Man’s minions along the way. After a few brushes against questionable phantom hands, Frankie found the flashlight. “Hold this,” he said to Dalilah, “I think the candles are back here too. Shine the light right here.” Frankie guided his sister’s hand to where he needed to search. The heavens continued to flash as the lightning and thunder played cat and mouse. Dalilah shivered every time the sky rumbled. “You have to hold the light still, I can’t see a thing,” Frankie grumbled. His little sister felt like a furnace and he could feel the sweat starting to run down his back.

“Ah, yes, here they are.” As he pulled the candles from the back of the closet a huge gust of wind whipped by, causing the windows to rattle and the front door to pop open. Dalilah once again jumped, this time dropping the flashlight. What little light they had went out as the top of the flashlight snapped off and rolled away. “Crap!” Franklin snapped. He tried not to be annoyed but he was sure he shut the door all the way and really, how hard was it for Dalilah to hold the only light source they had for the moment. With what little patience he had left, he detached his sister from his side and set her on her feet. “Look Dee, I need you to be brave. You’re supposed to be Leonardo today. That makes you the strong one, the leader of the group. Do you think the Turtles are afraid of a little thunder?” The door creaked in the wind and something in the living room tumbled to the floor. “Can you be brave for me and go shut the door?” Frankie asked in the calmest voice he could muster. For a moment, Dalilah stood still, perhaps debating on if she was brave enough to venture into the living room alone. Frankie could hear her labored breathing. He knew her little heart was beating like crazy, his was doing the same thing, but the door needed to be closed and they needed light too. They had to divide and conquer.

 He was about to ask her again when she turned and retreated into the living room.

“Eww, the floor is all wet,” she bellowed. A sloshing sound echoed as she made it to the front door.

 “Make sure to lock the door, please,” Frankie called. He could imagine his sister’s socks were wet, just one more thing he would have to clean up later. With the candles in hand, he made his way back to the kitchen to find the matches. He still hadn’t heard the front door shut. “Dee, what are you doing? Shut the door before more rain gets in.” Dalilah didn’t answer him. “Dee!” he called again.

 “Frankie,” her voice was so small, a cold chill trickled down Franklin’s spine.

 “Dalilah, what is it?” he asked. His search for the matches was abandoned as he sprinted out of the kitchen. “Dee,” he called.

“There’s a light, it’s coming from dad’s office,” said his sister.

 Dad’s office, Frankie thought. That room had been closed off since his father passed away. His mother had refused to let anyone clean it out. Frankie thought that in the past few months he felt a draft seeping from the room every time he passed by the door. He rounded the corner just in time to see his sister push the door open and take a step inside. She was right, there was a light pulsing from the doorway.

“Dee, don’t-” before he could finish his warning, Dalilah let out a heart stopping shrill. Franklin raced toward the door. He slipped and fell when he hit a puddle caused by the rain pelting from the forgotten open front door. Water splattered his face as his body squirmed, slipped, and slid across the floor. Frankie’s elbow and knee took the brunt of the battle to regain purchase on the slick floor. He ignored the sharp pain telling his body to slow down and bounded for the office.

            In the archway, Frankie stumbled to a stop. In front of him was not their father’s office, like he expected to find. Instead, the outdoors stretched as far as the eye could see. Frankie used his hand to shield his eyes from the bright orangey sun. The scent of cotton candy filled the air. Water flowed off to his right behind a huge patch of foliage and the birds chirped a peaceful song. He spun, searching for the door he just came through, but it had vanished. Panic jolted through his body. Where am I, he wondered. Where’s Dalilah? He whipped back around looking for his sister.

There was a rustle in the bushes and the sound of his sister’s laughter.

“I got you,” she giggled.

“Dalilah” Frankie called. He wondered for a moment if he had ever needed to call her name so many times in a day. The shrubs rustled again and his sister popped out of the greenery. Twigs and leaves were tangled in her hair and she held a white monkey with a bright pink nose. “Let that thing go before it bites you,” he bellowed. Trying to explain how his kid sister was bitten by a monkey in a strange land wasn’t going to go over well with his mother. He lunged forward, startling Dalilah and her new pet. They both jumped and the monkey freed itself and scrambled up and over his sister’s back.

“Stop, don’t hurt him, he’s my friend,” Dalilah cried. She backed away from Frankie. “He won’t bite me, he’s friendly.”

 “You don’t know that, stand still.”

“She’s right,” called a voice behind them.

 Both Frankie and Dalilah turned to find a teenage boy standing in front of them.

“Who are you?” Frankie asked, putting a protective arm around his sister, not ignoring the monkey that clung to her turtle shell.

“I’m Sweetoo and Shadow is my monkey.” The teen made a clicking noise with his tongue and the monkey climbed off of Dalilah and scampered over to his waiting arms. “She has been with my family for centuries,” Sweetoo remarked and stroked the creature’s head.

 Frankie eyed the boy and his pet. Sweetoo looked to be around Frankie’s age. He wore what appeared to be a brown dress or a very long shirt, with a pouch strung around his waist and little red and white striped sticks stuck out of his wild hair all at different angles. The boy seemed to be sizing up the siblings too.

A light wind blew and Dalilah moaned, “Oh, that smells so good, is that cotton candy? Frankie, I’m hungry.” Frankie smelled it too. It was the same scent he noticed when he slipped through the doorway.

“I doubt it, but as soon as we get home we will eat,” he promised, searching again for the doorway.

“We eat from the land. Take your pick,” stated Sweetoo as he spread his arms wide.

Frankie stared at the stranger for a moment and then said, “How are you able to understand us? Where are we?”

“This is my home, the land my family has lived on for centuries.”

“Yeah, I got that,” snapped Frankie. “But how, how can we all understand each other?”

“I’m not sure I understand. We are able to communicate with all creatures here.”

“We are not creatures. We’re people.” Frankie stated. He was growing annoyed with the situation.

“Shadow thinks you’re mean.” The monkey bobbed her head up and down and began to pace back and forth on the boy’s shoulders.

“You can really talk to the monkey?” This had Dalilah’s attention. She stepped closer, but Frankie reached out and grabbed her turtle shell. He wasn’t going to let her touch that animal again.

“Yes, Shadow likes you.” As Sweetoo spoke, the monkey jumped to the ground ran past the kids and then disappeared into the bushes again. She was only gone for a moment or two before she popped back out with what looked like a flower in her hand. Shadow stopped in front of Dalilah and presented her with a flower shaped sucker. 

“Ohhh,” exclaimed Dalilah as she took the sucker and shoved it into her mouth. Frankie couldn’t have stopped her even if he could have tried.

“Where did that come from?” he asked as he searched the grounds past the bushes. Would that sucker make his sister sick? Just one more thing to have to try and explain later to his mother.

“The plants are over there,” Sweetoo pointed somewhere behind the group, shrugged and then said, “She said she was hungry. Shadow was just trying to help.”

Frankie’s mind raced. The monkey could really understand them.

Sweetoo clicked his tongue again and the monkey was by his side in a flash. Without saying another word to the siblings, the boy and pet turned to leave.

“Wait,” Frankie called, “Where are we? We need to get home.”

“This is the Isle of Toothsome. Maybe my parents can help you get home, but I need to pick up something on the other side of the island first.”

Frankie considered the boy’s words for a moment. He knew they didn’t have much of a choice. He glanced at his sister, she seemed content with her sucker. Her cheeks were sticky and she even had strands of hair covered in the sucker goop. “We’ll go with you,” he called. Sweetoo nodded and waved them forward.

For a while, they walked in silence with Dalilah skipping just ahead of them.

When Shadow jumped from Sweetoo’s shoulder to join Frankie’s sister, Sweetoo turned and asked, “Is there something wrong with the little one? She’s green and has a shell on her back. Is she sick?” His eyes then shifted to Frankie, perhaps checking to make sure he, too, didn’t have a shell attached to him.

“No,” Frankie said and laughed. “She is in a costume.” A perplexed expression settled on Sweetoo’s face.

 “A cos-tume?” He shook his head glancing back at Frankie.

“Yeah, you know, she’s dressed up, it’s all make believe.” Frankie started to explain how his sister loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but then realized his new companion probably had no clue who the Turtles were. Instead, he said, “Where we are from, today is a day we dress up in fun outfits and get free candy.”

The boy shook his head again, still not understanding, but then asked, “What do you look like without your cos-tume?”

 Frankie chuckled and said, “I’m not wearing one. Only Dalilah is dressed up.”

 “Oh.”

Frankie laughed again and stuck his hand out. “By the way, I’m Frankie.” Sweetoo stopped and looked at the outreached hand. He smiled flashing all of his teeth, before spitting into his own hand and slapping it into Frankie’s. Their hands made a squishy clap and the excess spit leaked from the bottom of their grasp. Frankie tried not to be grossed out and waited until they started walking again before he wiped his hand on his jeans. “Where are we headed?” Frankie asked.

“My mother wanted me to pick up a few eggs and the only place to get them are from the other side of the island.” That seems simple enough, Frankie thought. His attention shifted to his sister, she’s stopped walking and was examining  the ground.

 As the boys approached, she turned and said, “The ground looks like my game.” She was right. The path they walked on alternated between red, orange, purple, yellow, green, and blue patches. Dalilah and Frankie’s socks were covered in a rainbow of colored dust. While everyone stood examining their feet, the bushes to the left of them rustled. Shadow began to shriek, pointing her white furry arm at the bushes. The shrubs moved again and the monkey darted for a tree, leaving the children behind. A low growl slipped through the greenery seconds before a tiger emerged. Frankie’s heart flip-flopped as the large beast made eye contact with him. The tiger let another growl loose and prowled closer. Each of its steps were slow, yet precise.

 “We need to head for the trees,” whispered Sweetoo. He was backing away, moving at the same pace as the tiger. Franklin’s hand reached out and snaked around Delilah’s arm. Another growl made the hairs on the back of Frankie’s neck stand to attention. As the tiger began to crouch, edging closer, its large tail swooshed and its belly inched close to touching the ground. Sweetoo yelled, “Run!” Spinning, Frankie yanked his sister into his arms and followed Sweetoo into the brush on the other side of the path. He heard a loud thud and dared not turn around to see how close the tiger came to pouncing on him. Frankie ran track in school, but he wasn’t used to running with the extra weight of his sister. He tried his best to keep up with Sweetoo. Their new acquaintance, only feet ahead of them threw his hands in the air and leapt to grab a low hanging branch. He swung himself up onto the limb and then flipped over to dangle by his knees. “Here, hoist her up.” His out stretched arms grabbed Dalilah and pulled her into the tree.

 “Come on Frankie,” his sister cried.

 Sweetoo was trying to urge her further into the tree, as Frankie took a running jump and grabbed the branch. The tree shook and he hoped the limb wouldn’t snap with all of the extra weight. Just as he pulled his leg up, the tiger lunged forward. Its sharp claw snagged Frankie’s sock, ripping it from his foot. Dee screamed and Frankie almost swallowed his tongue. He’d felt the blades of the tiger’s nails skim the back of his heel. Up they climbed, hoping the large cat wouldn’t decide to follow them. After climbing a few feet, they stopped to catch their breath. Below, the striped giant paced, circling the ground around the trunk, trying to get a good glimpse of the tree’s new inhabitants.

“I want to go home,” whimpered Dalilah.

“I know, we will,” Frankie promised.

All around him, he could smell spearmint. He was about to ask Sweetoo where the smell was coming from when the other boy reached over and plucked a leaf popping it into his mouth.

 “If you’re still hungry, these leaves are some of my favorite to chew on,” Sweetoo commented while chewing. Dalilah didn’t have to be told twice, she grabbed a hand full of leaves and crammed them into her mouth.

“Ohh, they taste like gum,” she proclaimed and reached for more.

 The three of them sat in the tree for over five minutes munching on the leaves. Everyone froze when the branches around them rustled. Frankie’s sight went to the last place he saw the tiger, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the wild cat still pacing below. Again the branches moved, but this time Shadow sprang forward. She was animated as she jumped up and down on the limb. Reaching out she pulled on Sweetoo’s arm, making different sounds within her throat.

Sweetoo nodded and looked at Frankie, “Shadow says the branches on the next few trees are sturdy enough to hold us. We need to get away from the tiger.”

Dee scooted closer to Frankie, her feet dangling on either side of the branch.

Frankie’s grip tightened as the branch shook from her movement. He eyed the distance between them and the next tree and he wondered how they were going to get out of the mess they were in. All of the limbs thinned out and from where he sat, he couldn’t see a single place where either of the trees connected.

“Follow me,” Sweetoo said in a hushed voice and began to climb higher up the trunk. He went another few feet and then he stated, “I think the little green one should climb on my back.” He glanced at Dalilah and waited for her to slide closer to him. Frankie thought about objecting, but the moment Dalilah reached Sweetoo, he situated her on his back and took off like a rocket. Franklin bit back a yelp as he watched the stranger and his sister sail through the air, before grasping the neighboring tree branch. The new weight caused the limb to bend almost ten feet down but sprang back up as they moved towards the trunk. Frankie could hear his sister giggling with glee, not that it helped his heart from going a mile a minute, but he was glad they were safe. After watching Shadow make it across, Franklin did the same thing. He, too, couldn’t hide the joy that escaped his lips as he soared through the air. The distance wasn’t as far as he thought, and even though it was about a two foot space from tree to tree, the jump was exhilarating. Tree after tree, branch after branch the children wove their way through the jungle’s canopy.

“I think we have traveled far enough,” Sweetoo yelled as he landed in the next tree. He clicked his tongue and Shadow descended their refuge first to make sure the coast was clear. On the ground, the monkey gave her companions the all clear signal. At least that’s what Frankie assumed the noise she was making meant.

“Which way?” Frankie asked as his half-sock feet hit the soft grass. He worried they had gone in the wrong direction while in the trees. In response, Sweetoo pointed forward, in the same direction they were already moving up above. Dalilah and Shadow took to the lead again, running zig zag in front of the boys and Frankie removed his one sock, shoving it into his pocket, and jogging to catch up with Sweetoo.

“Do you have any siblings?” Frankie pointed to his sister and hoped Sweetoo understood.

 “Yes,” he answered and then chuckle. “I have six siblings. I’m the oldest.”

“Cool, me too, but it’s just me and Dee.”

Sweetoo grunted and said, “All six are girls, too. My father thinks it is his payback from the gods for pulling little girls’ hair in the village when he was a boy.” Both guys enjoyed a wholehearted laugh, before Sweetoo let out an abrupt strangled noise. Frankie glanced to see what was wrong with his new friend when he heard Dee scream. His head whipped around just as she slipped into a huge mud pit. Shadow let out a howl and threw her white furry arms into the mud trying to reach Frankie’s sister. “Tell her not to struggle,” Sweetoo yell from behind Frankie. He’d taken off, racing toward his sister.

 “Frankie I’m stuck,” Dalilah wailed. He could see that the more she thrashed, the quicker she was submerging.

“Dee, stay still, I’m coming!” That was a silly thing to say, of course she was going to struggle. By the time Frankie reached the massive pit, only one of Dee’s arms and her head were still above the mud, but she was losing the battle inch by inch. Shadow jumped out the way as Frankie came crashing to the ground, reaching for his sister. “Dee, give me your hand.” Both of their arms flailed around, catching a whisper of contact each time. Frankie edged forward, slipping his arms into the warm wet ground. “Dalilah, stay still, you’ll only sink faster.” His sister was in a full blown panic attack, her face had gone beet-red and she screamed at the top of her lungs. All hopes of grabbing her one free arm sank like the Titanic. She was now submerged from the neck down. To the best of his ability, Frankie slithered further into the muck, waving his arms around trying to find any part of his sister to grab hold of. There was a tug, or so it felt like, around his midsection, but he ignored it. Dalilah was now blowing bubbles, her screams nothing more than a mumbled gurgle. “Crap,” he hollered and dove deeper into the earth. At last he found something to latch on to. A half hysteric cry, half celebratory howl escaped from his lips as he tried to wiggle backwards.

“Do you have her?” called Sweetoo.

“Yes, I just need help pulling her out.”

“Just don’t let go. We’ll have her out in no time.”

With that, Frankie felt a sharp tug around his stomach. Whatever the other boy had done to his midsection seemed to be working. Between him wiggling backwards and the sharp tug to his gut, Dalilah’s body slipped from the mud in no time. Once out of the pit his sister gasped for air, while Frankie cradled her in his lap, much like his mother used to do when Dee was a baby.

“Is she okay?” Sweetoo came and sat next to the siblings. Sweat trickled down his face as he reached over to untie the thick vine he had somehow wrapped around Frankie.

“I think so, thank you.” Frankie looked from Sweetoo to Dee and then Shadow. She too had come to sit next to the group. The monkey cocked her head and examined Dalilah. There was concern in her stare and Frankie wondered just how much the creature understood what had happened. But then, he thought about the monkey’s reaction and how she, too, had reached out for Dee, before he came to his sister’s aid. “She’s okay,” he whispered to the pet. “And thank you.” He wondered if Shadow understood. For a moment, her stare shifted to him, as if to say she understood and then her gaze rested back on Dee. To his surprise, the monkey’s paw jutted out and swiped a handful of drying mud from Dalilah’s leg and shoved it into her mouth. He grimaced, but then noticed that his sister was sucking on her muddy fingers. “Eww, Dee what are you doing?” He shifted his sister and made her stand so he could give her a once-over.

“It’s chocolate,” she mumbled as she moved from her fingers to her wrist.

Now the scent hit him, it was chocolate-dark, rich, melted, gooey chocolate. If it was any other occasion, he would have been in search of the biggest spoon he could find. And yet, today, he wasn’t inclined to follow suit and self clean the chocolate from his body. He was happy to see that her near death experience hadn’t jaded her feelings towards the sweet treat. With a sigh he asked, “Are you all right? I think we need to keep moving.” Dee nodded, too busy indulging in the cleaning session she and Shadow were sharing. As he stood, he noticed a large shadow lurking on the side of the group. He gulped and tried to turn just his head. Off to the right stood the biggest bear he had ever seen. His hand twitched at his side, failing to get Sweetoo’s attention. “Guys,” his voice was strained, and it cracked stretching the word out. Sweetoo glanced up first. “We need to run.” Frankie whispered in a rush. As if he didn’t understand, Sweetoo gave him a raised eyebrow, but said nothing. “Th-th-ere’s a b-b-bear over there.” Frankie’s head tilted in the direction the huge animal stood.

 “Who, Hux?” Sweetoo asked. At the mention of Hux, the bear, stood on its two feet and roared, slashing its sharp claws through the air. Dee yelped and clung to Frankie’s leg. And Frankie hoped that was just the chocolate from his sister seeping through his pants and not the fact that he peed himself. Sweetoo, who wasn’t worried at all about the giant creature leaped to his feet and chuckled. “That,” pointing to the bear, “is Hux and he said hello.” Frankie glanced at the beast. It was at least two feet taller than his five foot ten inch frame. Hux took a step forward and Frankie, with his arm wrapped around his sister, took twice as big of a step backwards. “Don’t be alarmed, my friend. If it wasn’t for Hux here, we would still be pulling the little one from that pit.” There was an air of confidence in Sweetoo’s voice as he moved close to the bear. Frankie followed the vine that lay by his feet to the other end that was tied to the bear. They all watched as Sweetoo untied the green rope from the bear and the big creature lowered himself back to all fours. “This is Hux’s territory. He and his family have always roamed this land. We are lucky he was wandering by and heard all the noise. I’m not sure I could have pulled the both of you to freedom.” As he spoke, Shadow scampered over and with one arm pulled herself onto the bears back. She then began to search for bugs on Hux’s furry back.

Dalilah separated herself from Frankie and stared at the bear and monkey in awe. Frankie knew what was coming before his sister even opened her mouth.

 “Can I get on the bear too?”

How he knew she was going to ask that, he would never know. But he also knew if he told her no, he would never hear the end of it. His eyes met the bear’s, and remembering what Sweetoo said about being able to communicate with all creatures, Frankie sighed and asked, “Is it okay if my sister rides on your back?” He felt dumb for asking and half expected the creature to stare at him as if he was speaking a foreign language-which he was. Yet, in response to his question, Hux leaned forward providing an easy access to his back. Dee squealed and raced for the bear.  Frankie added chocolate, bear and monkey fur, missing socks (Although Dee made it out of the chocolate pit with her shell on, her socks had not) and a five year old hyped-up on sugar to the list of things to try and explain to his mother. “We really need to try and get home,” he said to the group. Sweetoo nodded and began walking. Hux followed and with a delighted little girl and her monkey playmate hanging on for the ride, leaving Frankie to bring up the rear of the misfit group.

After what seemed like miles of walking Sweetoo held up his hand giving the silent command to halt. Frankie came to stand next to the native. “Is there something wrong,” he questioned, glancing around in an effort the find why Sweetoo had stopped the group.

“We need to make sure it’s free and clear for us to climb and collect the eggs.” His hand pointed above their heads to the massive cliff that loomed over them. On top sat a tree that leaned over a gushing waterfall.

“We need to take the eggs from a nest?” Frankie asked in a panic. Had he known his day was going to go like this he would have volunteered to hang out in the hospital with his mother.

“Yes, this location is the only place the females lay their eggs.”

 “What kind of female? How big is the bird?”

 “Bird? No, there is no nest. We are here to retrieve dragonfly eggs. Frankie and Dee frowned at each other. The sound of eating anything a dragonfly could produce churned Frankie’s stomach. He was sure Dee’s flip-flopped too.

 “A dragonfly,” he asked Sweetoo, spreading his arms out like wings. “How big are the dragonflies here?”

Sweetoo smiled and said, “Much larger than that,” pointing to Frankie’s outstretched arms. Frankie swallowed and glanced at the climb they had ahead of them. “Do not worry my friend, once the eggs are laid the female does not hover over them much. We should be able to get in and out with ease.” Sweetoo slapped Frankie on his shoulder and walked over to Hux. “Little one, would you mind catching a ride on my back for a while?” Franklin watched as Dee smiled at the native and leaped from Hux to Sweetoo. They both laughed as the native stumbled backwards from Dee’s weight. Frankie rolled his eyes. She was going to be so spoiled after this and would never want to walk again. Sweetoo then rubbed Hux behind his ear and said, “Thank you for your help, old friend. This climb will be too steep for you.” The bear grunted raking his huge paw across the ground. Dust rose from the action and Frankie was sure he could taste dry cake mix. He too joined in and petted the bear. Giving up her search for bugs, Shadow jumped down and the smaller group started on their new adventure.

As they scaled up the side of the cliff, Frankie thought it smelled of toffee. From the corner of his eye, he watched his sister reach over Sweetoo’s shoulder, break a piece of the golden goodness away from the cliff, and pop it into her mouth. His suspicions were confirmed. He started to tell her to keep both of her arms wrapped around Sweetoo’s neck, but he was out of breath. He would never complain again about the rigorous exercises his track coach gave the team. Halfway up, he grabbed a loose chunk of toffee. A basketball size boulder broke from the cliff and plummeted to the ground, leaving Frankie dangling by one arm. He yelped and struggled to find a new spot to place his hand. His fingers on his right hand burned and ached as they took the brunt of his weight. Shadow, who was climbing to the left of Frankie’s stretched offering her paw. The muscles in his right arm twitched as he swung to get closer to the monkey’s paw. Once they connected, Shadow grunted as she found a niche in the cliff for Frankie to grasp. His feet soon found their placing again and he sighed pressing himself as close as possible to the side of the cliff.

“Frankie,” Dee called, “Are you all right?”

He dared not turn to look at his sister, so he responded over his shoulder, “Yeah, I’m good.” His heart slammed into the toffee, and he wondered if he would ever feel the same about eating a Heath Bar.

It took a few minutes for Frankie to regain his composure. Shifting, he peeled his cheek from the wall of toffee and turned to look at his sister and Sweetoo. They were whispering something between them.

When Dee caught his stare, she smiled and said, “Sweetoo believes the cotton candy smell is the water. I was trying to tell him what cotton candy taste like and he thinks it is the same as the water.” Frankie looked past his sister and watched the rapid running water flow down the falls. “I wish our water tasted that sweet,” Dee exclaimed.

 “I do too,” replied Frankie as he noticed how dry his throat was. What he wished for was a cup to dip in the water.

“Shall we keep going? Clouds are rolling in and it won’t be good for us to be outside when it rains,” Sweetoo warned. In response, Frankie searched for the next groove to hoist himself to the top of the cliff.   

 Even Sweetoo was out of breath by the time they lifted themselves to the grassy plains on top of the cliff. The siblings buried their faces into the bubble gum scented grass and inhaled. This time Frankie was the first to yank a few strands of grass and popped them into his mouth. His mouth watered and his need for something to drink dissipated ever so slightly. After everyone caught their breath, Sweetoo rolled to his feet and clapped his hands together.

 “Okay! I will climb up the tree and collect the eggs and throw them down to you.” Frankie guessed that Sweetoo was giving him a break from climbing yet again. From the pouch sitting on his hip, Sweetoo revealed two sacks. He handed one bag to each of the siblings and turned to inch his way up the tree.

After a few minutes he called, “Ready?” Frankie situated himself in what he thought was the correct spot and said, “Let’em rip!”

“Let them what?” Sweetoo asked.

 Frankie chuckled and then said, “Just throw them down.” There was no response, but a grapefruit sized pink ball of goo came hurling toward him. The ball landed and stuck to his hand, letting his fingers slip within the first few layers. Franklin stared at the egg. It was light pink with darker pink circles going around the surface. He shook the egg and felt something slosh on the inside. No sooner had Frankie placed the egg in the sack another one came whizzing toward him. When the bag was filled to the brim, Sweetoo began tossing eggs to Dee. Of course, she missed the first one and it bounced collecting bits of grass as it rolled away. That didn’t stop Sweetoo from letting go of the next one. While Dee opened her arms to attempt to catch it, Frankie jogged off to grab the errant egg. It came to rest near the waterfall. Water splashed him and the egg as he scooped it from the ground. A snarl rumbled behind him, causing him to drop the egg. “I really hope that’s Hux,” Frankie mumbled, yet, somehow he knew it wasn’t. Spinning he came face to face with a lion. Are there more, he wondered. He knew there was nowhere for him to run. He was backed up to the edge of the waterfall. Frankie searched for his sister. He hoped that if Sweetoo hadn’t already, that he would get his baby sister to safety. He also hoped his baby sister wouldn’t witness the lion mauling him to death. And he hoped that one day Dalilah would make it home to their mother. The lion growled, taking another step forward. Its huge paw tore holes in the grass churning up chunks of dirt in its wake. Frankie took a shaky breath as he watched the glint of the lion’s eyes shift. This was it! The lion was going to make a meal out of him. There was no tree for him to climb and if he jumped into the water, he doubted he would survive the fall. The water rushed by as fast as the class three white water rapids his parents never let him conquer.

As the big cat crept closer, a high pitch shriek sounded from around the tree. At first, Frankie thought it was another large animal coming to help finish him off, but Dalilah came barreling into sight. A crazed, borderline manic glare danced in her eyes. She moved so quick that she took the lion and Frankie by surprise. Everything happened in an instant and as the puzzle pieces fell into place, all Frankie could do was watch in horror as his five year old sister slammed her entire body into the lion, knocking the king of the jungle and herself over the cliff. Delilah’s turtle shell was the last thing to disappear, the last thing Frankie tried to grasp. Without a thought, Franklin howled and jumped into the waterfall after his sister.

Water from the falls splashed him before he was consumed by the fast pace rapids. He fought hard to get his head above the water. He’d had little time to take a deep breath before he was pulled under. What little oxygen he did have was slipping from his lungs and his chest burned. Beams of light from the orange sun shot through the water as he worked his way to the surface. If he was struggling what did that mean for his sister? When his head broke free to the surface he gulped in the air. He drank the air as it was the water he so craved only a few minutes prior. Bobbing in the water, he tried to fight the current as he searched for Dalilah. He wanted to call her name, but every time he opened his mouth, cotton candy flavored water entered. Frankie zipped through the water, helpless, as he hoped that Dee was somewhere in front of him.

The water carried him for some distance before the current became more manageable. There was a lot of debris in this section of the river. It was then, drifting through the logs, branches and other plant life that he heard his name being called. Off to the right, his kid sister waved her hands trying to get his attention. She was alive! “Dee, Dee, I’m coming.” Frankie shifted and began pushing through the mess to get to his sister. On closer inspection, he found that it was her shell that was keeping her in place. The elastic strap on her shoulder managed to catch a limb attached to the log keeping her afloat.

He released her from the dead trunk and wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her near. “What the hell were you thinking charging that lion?” he barked. His mother wouldn’t be happy with his language but he didn’t care.

“I didn’t want it to hurt you,” she replied against his chest.

He pulled Dalilah back and stared at her. Was this the same little girl who was afraid of the thunder and lightning a few hours ago? He laughed and drew her in for another hug.

“We need to get out of this water. Climb on,” he said pointing to his back. “And I’ll get us to land.”

A few strokes later Dalilah pulled herself onto the shore and then reached out to help Frankie get out of the water too. Had she not just knocked a lion off of a cliff for him, he would have told her to get out of the way so he could pull himself up. Instead, he took her hand, but still tried hard not to yank her back into the water in the process. They both breathed a sigh of relief and laid on the ground letting what little bit of sun that was left dry them.

The earth shook as something big ran toward them, causing both kids to sit up. Hux came rushing forth, with Sweetoo and Shadow clinging to him.

“Thank the gods,” cried Sweetoo. He bounded from the bear before the creature could slow down. The sacks Sweetoo carried fell and he dropped into a roll that flipped into a sprint from the momentum of his leap. He came to a stop just in front of the siblings and threw his arms around them pulling them into a bear hug. They all laughed and jumped in their tight little circle.

“How did you find us?” Dee asked. The group let go and Sweetoo pointed to Hux. “You’ll have to thank him. He was waiting at the bottom of the cliff and as soon as I was able to climb down he raced along the water until we found you.”

“What happen to the lion?” Sweetoo turned and looked at Frankie.

“He missed the water and hit the ground.”

Frankie was glad Sweetoo didn’t go into details. He nodded and walked over to the bear to scratch him behind the ear. Hux seemed to understand Frankie’s silent thanks and butted his brown head into Frankie’s side.

The kids stood there for a while, petting both animals, but as the last of the sun disappeared behind black storm clouds, Sweetoo said, “We need to head to my family’s hut. I don’t like those clouds.” As if the kids needed anymore of a reason to get moving, the wind began to whirl around them. Dalilah and Frankie both hugged Hux while Sweetoo collected his sacks from the ground. He waved to Hux, promising to see him later and then led the group in the direction of his home. While they walked, Shadow decided to catch a ride on Frankie’s shoulder. He wondered if the monkey still thought he was mean. In response to his thoughts, the monkey began picking through his hair looking for any bugs. Frankie chuckled, wondering if Shadow had really understood the thoughts he hadn’t spoken.

“My village and hut are right over this hill,” Sweetoo stated as the group ascended the incline. At first, a few rain drops fell, and then it picked up to a light sprinkle. The friends were about halfway up the hill when the skies opened up and rain came down in sheets. It was hard to see through the gray curtain that covered their view. It reminded Frankie of the storm back home. A lightning bolt struck meters away from them, causing the kids to run. Left and right, right and left lightning slammed into the ground like a person standing barefoot in a room full of exploding firecrackers. They entered the village and a lightning bolt illuminated the scattered huts across the land. No one was outside as the kids raced between the huts. “There, my home is straight ahead,” yelled Sweetoo over the rumble of the thunder. Through the grayness, Frankie could see a warm glow emitting from under the doorway of the house in their path. Sweetoo reached the hut first and flung open the door. A bright light burst from the entrance, blinding Frankie causing him to trip. His arms flew outward knocking the others over.  

 The kids rolled across the ground, all groaning, and moaning from the rough landing. The bright light faded and Frankie thought, what was that? His eyesight adjusted to the room and he glanced around. They were back in his father’s office, back home.

“Franklin, Dalilah?” called their mother. “Guys, where are you?” Frankie could hear the worry in her voice. He found his sister lying next to him. Even after her ride through the falls and the pouring rain, she still had chocolate on her. She sat up and rubbed her head and Sweetoo rolled over revealing a wet monkey clinging to his chest. Frankie didn’t remember the monkey leaving his shoulder but guessed it had to have happened before they ran into the house. He watched as his new friends eyed their surroundings. Sweetoo’s chest rose and fell fast with each intake of air as he realized they were not in his family’s hut.

“Franklin, answer me,” his mother called. Outside of the room, she moved across the hallway. “Why is the front door open?”

Frankie jumped to his feet, followed by Dalilah and Sweetoo. His heart pounded as he made his way to the closed office door.

“And there’s a mess all over the floor,” his mother shrieked.

Frankie snorted, more out of nervousness than anything else. Wait until she sees Shadow and Sweetoo, he thought. Taking a deep breath, he yanked the office door open and prepared to tell her about the adventure he and Dalilah had while she was gone.