It Was Meant To Be Boring
The girl had thought it was just going to be a boring weekend of fishing and camping. She only went along with her friends because she didn't want to be left home alone with no one around to hang with. What she thought was just going to be another boring weekend turned out to be one of the greatest adventures of her life. She'll never turn down another fishing trip after this.
The one that had the brilliant idea of going on this trip was Finn. He was the typical blond haired, blue eyed kid that loved to go on trips and play the hero. Most of the time, his outfits would be blue shorts, paired with a lighter blue shirt, black shoes, and a white bear eared hat. The boy was sweet, always trying to do the right thing, and tough for a kid his age. Finn was going to be 12 this year so we decided to take him on this trip as an early birthday present.
"So we're ready to go right?" The kid asked Simon and Peppermint. Those two were going to be our chaperones for the weekend since we weren't grown and couldn't go on our own. Simon is an intelligent guy. He's traveled the world researching and finding ancient artifacts, and has become famous because of all the work he does. He has brown hair that is starting to grey, wears glasses, and tries to dress formally as much as he can.
Peppermint also likes to dress formally. Though, he takes it a bit far by always dressing like a butler. He is younger than Simon by a few years but he has grey hair in certain places too. He's called him peppermint because his hair alternates between red and white almost like stripes. He is short and plump, but not to the point where you would call him overweight, seems to have a permanent blush on his cheeks, and generally a cheerful guy.
The two worked together in their younger years and kept in touch after Simon decided to quit his job and become an antiquarian. Peppermint didn't agree with his decision at first, but he didn't try to stop his friend. He felt that everyone need to do what they wanted to for them to be happy and if that was going to make Simon happy, then let him do it.
The kids they were going to supervise were Finn, Bonnibel, Marceline, Fionna, Marshall, and Bubba. Bonnibel and Bubba were Peppermints adopted children. They came into his care after the death of their parents; they were killed when a drunk driver rammed his pickup truck into the side of their car. The kids survived only by luck and since Peppermint had known their parents, he adopted them.
The siblings were both gifted in their own way. Bonnibel was a fan of science and knowledge. There weren't a lot of things that she didn't question, and she always had to find an answer to any problem. She also liked to invent things on her free time while she did her own research. She was a red head with brown eyes and soft features. Her body was curvy and she had developed a nice figure over the years.
Bubba, like his twin sister, had his own talent but it just wasn't in science. He loved to bake. The 17 year old spent all of his free time in the kitchen cooking different foods and seeing what kind of dessert he could make from scratch. He also had red hair and brown eyes, but his face had a slightly more angled look than his sister's.
Marshall and Marceline were cousins. They were going with Simon to keep an eye on him. Simon was a family friend and over the last few years he had begun to act strange and say weird things, but it wasn't to the point where it interfered with his daily life. The cousins just wanted to make sure he was okay. They may have been only cousins, but their sense of style and appearance could make anyone think otherwise.
Marceline was just slightly younger than Marshall by a few days. Both had raven black hair, brown eyes so dark that they looked black, pale skin, and were naturally talented when it came to music. They could both play the bass and piano, but Marshall preferred to rap while Marceline was more of a singer. They were 17 like Bonnibel and Bubba.
"Of course, Finn," his sister responded, "we've only said it like 100 times since you started asking." Fionna looked like an older female version of Finn. Same blond hair, blue eyes, love for blue clothes and animal eared hats; she was just more mature because of her age. Her birthday was months ago and she was 15 now. She wanted to be a good role model for her little brother.
"Cool! Can we take Jake and Cake, too?"
"If we take them, will you calm down?"
"I promise I will!"
Jake was Finn's dog. He had golden fur and was pudgy. The dog was well trained and easy to handle, so taking him along would be a problem for the group. Cake was Fionna's pet cat. Her fur was white with splotches of orange here and there and she loved to be given attention.
The two find their pets and put them in the back of the car. The lake was just a few hours away so they would be fine back there. Once everyone had put in their things, the chaperones gave them the okay to get in and start the trip. For the first two hours Finn was full of energy, but he eventually fell asleep after that giving the older kids some peace and quiet.
"So how long are we going to be there?" asked Bubba. He wasn't a fan of the outdoors but went along anyway since Peppermint thought it would be good for him to leave the kitchen once in a while.
"Just for the weekend," Marshall turned to him.
Somehow, the 17 year olds had managed to sit beside their opposites. The seating arrangement ended up with Simon driving, Peppermint giving directions in the passenger seat, Marshall was behind the Simon, Bubba behind Peppermint, Marceline behind Bubba, Bonnibel behind Marshall, Finn behind Bonnibel, and Fionna behind Marceline. The twins and cousins were not liking who they were paired with, but for the sake of peace, they weren't going to make a big deal about it.
"I wasn't asking you, but thanks for answering me anyway," Bubba mumbled as he pointedly look away from the older boy.
"You're welcome, Hubba Bubba."
"Don't call me that."
"Marshall give the poor guy a break, would you? It's not their fault that their names are so weird," Marceline told him.
"Like Abadeer sounds any better…" Bonnibel commented to the younger girl.
"It does compared to yours. Bubba Gumball and Bonnibel Bubblegum…you guys are nothing but walking candy."
"Joke all you want but at least people like us. You and your cousin only cause trouble for everyone like you're trying to do now."
"Aw, did I upset you, princess?"
"Shut it. I told you never to call me that."
"I'll call you what I want, when I want, and where I want."
Bonnibel decided to ignore the girl after that statement. The four of them had never really gotten along in the past. Their personalities were just too different to let that happen. They made it a point to avoid each other during school and never bothered to invite each other to hang out during breaks. This was going to be a long weekend.
"We have a little over an hour left until we get to the lake. Does anyone want to stop for a bite to eat?" Peppermint looked back as he asked. He could feel the tension rise and thought a quick distraction was in order.
"Yes, please! I'm starving!" Fionna answered. She had sat quietly while the others were bickering and was hoping for a way to get out of the car.
They pulled into the parking lot for The Baking Birds and headed inside to find seats. The group tried all kinds of cakes while they were there. They sampled Guinness, Walnut, Coffee, and the Caramel slice. The staff was friendly and very helpful when they ordered. Soon they were full and back on the road.
"Alright, everyone, we're here. Grab your stuff and let's get set up," Simon told them happily as they pulled up.
"Why are we fishing in Loch Ness?" Marshall questioned.
"Because this is where Finn wanted to come," Fionna said.
Loch Ness is large by British standards, being 23 miles long and a mile wide, and averaging 600ft in depth. The trench-like feature which contains the Loch Ness is ruler straight and runs southwest – Northeast for over 60 miles across the highlands. The water was calm today and the weather wasn't too cloudy. "Hey, Finn, why'd you pick this place?"
"Because I want to catch Nessie!"
"Nessie doesn't exist," Bonnibel and Bubba said together.
"Yes she does and I'm going to catch her! You'll see!"
"Let the kid believe what he wants. It won't hurt to just play along just this once," Marceline stated. If he wanted to hunt something that wasn't there, then by all means let him. It would keep him busy for the next few days, she thought.
Setting up their camp was uneventful for the most part. Aside from Marceline and Marshall playing small pranks on the twins, there wasn't much fun to be had. Peppermint passed out the fishing rods and bait and told them all to pick a spot and get comfortable.
"How do I cast this?" Bubba grunted as he tried and failed to cast his line. He and Bonnibel were struggling to do that because they didn't really participate in sport like events much. Their talents were for science and bakery so they never saw the need to.
Marceline walked over to the two and moved their hands off the reels. "Hold the handle like this," she said as she repositioned their hands, "and sling it." They did as she said and watched their hooks splash into the water. "Thanks," Bubba nodded towards her.
The group spent hours sitting there waiting on the fish to bite. You think that with all the fish in this lake, one of them would have bitten a hook by now, Simon mused to himself. The loch had salmon, trout and sea trout, eel, charr, and sturgeon, but not one fish was willing to be caught. It was weird.
"That's it. I'm done with this. Hey, Marce, want to go do something that's actually fun?" Marshall asked his cousin.
"What do you have in mind?"
"We can have a jam session. Our basses are in the car and it doesn't look like we're going to catch anything today anyway."
"That sounds good to-" she didn't get to finish her sentence because something was tugging on her line. Whatever it was, it was really strong. Marceline was holding on to the rod with all her might. It was beginning to bend further and further until the reel snapped off from the pressure. It smacked her chin before being dragged underneath the water.
"Marceline!" Marshall yelled running to her. The reel had knocked her out. The others ran to her as well in shock. What was on her line? The reel snapped off way too quickly for a fish to be the culprit.
"We need to get her to your tent and put an ice pack on her chin. She's going to have a nasty bruise and one hell of a headache when she comes to," Simon said. Marshall grabbed her under the arms and Bubba lifted her legs. They get her in the tent and crowd around her. "That had to hurt."
"Her ego will be more bruised than anything else. She got knocked out by a fish," Marshall chuckled. Sure he was worried for his cousin, but this would make a great story when they are older.
"Ugh, shut it. God my head is killing me. What happened?" Marceline questions as she came to. She was tough so it was going to take more than a reel to the chin to keep her down for long.
"You're reel snapped off and hit you. What's the last thing you remember?" Simon answer.
"I was talking with Marshall about ditching the fish and playing some songs instead. Ow," she said as she touched the forming bruise on her jaw, "This sucks. You're telling me that I got knocked out by a fish? How lame is that…"
"As lame as it can be when we get back and I tell the band," Marshall grinned.
"You tell anyone about this and you're dead."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Anyway, I'm counting seven people in here. Didn't we come with eight? Who are we missing?"
"Well, let's see… there's you, me, Bubba, Peppermint, Marshall, Fionna, and Simon….Finn!" Bonnibel answered after doing a roll call.
"You didn't have to yell, Bonni."
"Just get up and look for him!"
Finn was further down the loch with Cake and Jake. He was following what he could see of the reel. He saw that it was trailing behind a dark mass, but he didn't know what it was.
"Finn!"
"Finn! Where are you!"
"Finn!"
He heard shouts from behind him. The others were searching for him. The boy didn't want to stop following this thing, but he also didn't want to make the others worry about him. He turned back and headed back to camp. "I'm fine. I went after the thing that knocked her out but I couldn't see what it was."
"Just let us know where you're going next time. You had me worried about you," his sister told him. Then she playfully punched his shoulder for making her worry.
"Don't worry about it, little guy. It was probably just a fish anyway. I'll be sure to catch it next time," Marceline ruffled his hair.
Early the next morning everyone was back to their spots. Marceline was the only exception since her rod was broken, so she settled for sitting by the loch while strumming her base. She started to play a tune that she and Marshall had been practicing before. He shot her a look as he began the song.
I laughed gently with a voice
That sounded as if I had cried.
The colorful palette painted my
Mind on a canvas.
Please, distinguish me.
Someone, please stop
These colors from overflowing
Or they'll fade away.
The blue that melted away the words
"I love you", are gentle tears.
I'll sing a tender song to the red
That formed the words "Thank you".
(I will be "Eraser's mind".)
I'll add the ultramarine I mixed
To the memories that spin in my mind,
And so our entwined future
Starts to
Change color.
The black that drew the words
"I love you", is a sweet memory.
I'll give a gentle kiss to the white
That spilled the words "Thank you".
"That was beautiful," Fionna said when they finished. She had heard them sing before, but never harmonized like that. A person could feel the emotions pouring out of the two whenever they performed.
"Thanks, Fi. We've been working on that for a few weeks and just worked out all of the kinks the other day," Marshall said to the girl.
"I think that it's good enough. Now we just got to get the rest of the band in on it and we can use it next time we have a gig," Marceline mused. Since they finally got this song down, they could start working on the next one they were having trouble with. But they'll get to that one later. "Since I'm the only one with nothing to do, does anyone have any requests?"
"Could you sing Soleil?" Fionna requested.
"Then after that do Super Hero!" Finn shouted.
"Sure I can do them both," She said as she found the chords for the first song.
God of death with a gaze of woe,
Spoke to me and he told me so:
"Fast, before I will lose control,
Please, have mercy and save my soul
All the pain you feel
I am sure you didn't wish for that
And the looks you bear are so grim
Those you wear
Shining bright, she is like the sun
Waiting there for her fate to come
Holding out her hand with the flow
Smiling as she then told you so:
"It is quite alright
I shall take the darkness that you hold
And I will change your shape
As a bird you can escape
You can fly to place far away
In the sky you are free everyday
If you don't have a goal or a prey
Then it's fine 'cause with me you can stay
White as told, wings unfold
Here it stays, following always
Many more are wanting now
Her to save them all somehow
And the girl was reaching out
Saving them without no doubt
Slowly as all the birds were to fly
She was in there among in the sky
'Cause the birds were all covered in white
She had turned just as dark as the night
She's consumed by the darkness they bore
She will never wake up anymore
'Cause she used all the strength she would hold
Now her body is finally cold
Grieving bird, gave his word
Took the pain, darkness and all vain
Through the clouds up he would fly
Birds in black where all over the sky
Now you sine like the gold on the sea
All because you are Soleil
All because you are Soleil
"How about we eat before you guys continue your concert?" interrupted Bubba. Secretly he was enjoying their singing but would never let them know it. "We're making burgers."
"Sounds good," Marceline responded to him as she put down her bass, "We'll pick back up on your song later, Finn."
He nodded at her then ran back towards the tents. He was starving and hamburgers sounded like the perfect meal at the moment. He also need to feed Jake and Cake while he was there. Jake had been acting weird all morning. The dog was constantly on alert and would growl at the water. Every time that Finn looked to see what made him so tense, there was nothing there. The kid just shrugged it off.
"How's your jaw feeling?" Simon asked Marceline. She was wincing with every bite she took, but wasn't going to comment on any pain she was feeling unless she was asked.
"It's tender for the most part. It hurts the most when I touch the bruise but other than that, it isn't something that I can't handle."
"It does look like it hurts a lot though," Bonnibel commented as she stared at the other girl closely. "We should get another ice pack on it after we eat. Meet me in my tent when you're done."
Bonnibel gets up and walks to her tent. Deep down, she really was concerned for the other girl. The bruise on her chin was a dark blue color with small yellow areas. It definitely didn't look like something that was bearable.
"I'm here so where's the ice pack?"
"Give me a minute."
"This is unlike you Bonni."
"What are you talking about?" She asked the raven haired girl while she was making the ice pack.
"Well you avoid me all the time, then when we are around each other, all we mostly do is argue. Now you want to help me? It's just weird, is all."
"It's not weird for a person to want to help someone else out when they're hurt. Here"
"Thanks, but when it's you that wants to help me, then that makes it weird," she told her while putting the ice on the bruise. It did hurt a lot more than she let Simon believe, but she was sure she didn't make that obvious.
"Just be grateful that this doesn't happen often. Anyway, what was the name of the first song you were singing with Marshall?"
"It's called Palette. We came up with it weeks ago and had to work on harmonizing our voices. I think we have that part down now though."
"It was a nice song. You should sing it in school sometime."
"Are you saying that you'll start listening to us perform if we sing that song?"
"I've been to your performances before."
"Being there and actually listening are two different things. You're there but you never pay attention. Your face is always buried in a book."
"Yes, fine, I'll listen to you guys sing and stuff. Jeez, it's not like I can't hear you guys when I'm reading anyway."
"You hear the beats, but not the lyrics. Anyone can make a beat. Not everyone can write meaningful lyrics to go with them. You're missing out on some pretty awesome lyrics. And you know I'm right, because you complimented my song from earlier," She smirked as she made her way out of Bonnibel's tent.
They had been fishing all day and caught a few trout, but their catches weren't anything to brag about. All the fish were small, so they would just release them back into the water. "Fishing blows, man. For my birthday, we're going to a music festival," Marshall said in all seriousness looking at Marceline.
"It's not that bad. You just need to find a way to make it fun for yourself," Fionna said.
"Way easier said than done, babe."
"Well I'm enjoying myself. It takes patience and skill to fish, just like baking," Bubba commented.
"I can't believe the guy that never comes outside is saying that he likes to go fishing. You didn't even know how to cast a line until yesterday."
"Coming from the guy who already knew how, but still only catches small fries."
"Touché."
"Guys, let's just call it a night. We'll try again tomorrow," Bonnibel suggested.
They were all tired. The pets were already asleep and Finn following their lead. Fionna had to halfway carry him back to their tent. "Marshall, why don't you bunk with Bubba tonight?" Peppermint asked the boy.
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Well, Simon and I have noticed how you guys don't seem to get along all too well. We were thinking that a few days to get to know each other better would help fix that."
"So you want Marsh to be with Bubba and Bonni's with me?" Marceline guessed.
"Exactly. We think it would be a great bonding experience for the four of you. We only have two days left. Try to spend tomorrow and Sunday together without all the bickering."
"Can we say no to this?"
"Nope. You have no choice."
"Fine….Come on Bonni. Let's go to bed."
"Yea. Let's go Bubba. I feel that this is going to be a long two days."
Once they were all settled in their respective tents, they wasted no time in falling asleep. Hours later, Jake jumped up. "What's wrong, Jake?" Finn asked him sleepily. His dog was beginning to nudge him. He only did that when he wanted the boy to follow him. Finn got up slowly and let Jake lead him back to the loch. "There's nothing here, boy. Come on, we're going back to the tent."
Before he could completely turn around, he heard a splash coming from the water. It wasn't a small splash that a fish would make. No, this thing had to be huge with how loud that was. The others were woken up by it was came rushing to Finn. Each of them had the same expression of shock and bewilderment painted on their faces.
"I'm seeing this," Bonnibel started.
"But I'm not believing it," Bubba finished for her.
"I told you she was real!" Finn snapped out of his shock and pointed at the creature.
Jutting out of the water was what appeared to be the head and part of the neck of a large beast. There was no telling how big the thing really was because the rest of its body was hidden underneath the water.
"That's the thing that broke my reel off…." Marceline said.
"How do you know that?"
"Because it's trailing it right there," she pointed to the small reel being dragged across the water behind the creature.
"Well, looks like your image has been saved. You didn't get knocked out by a fish, but by the Loch Ness Monster. Good job, Marce," Marshall smirked.
"I take back what I said earlier. You can tell the band about that after all."
The monster, or Nessie, as Finn had earlier called it had either not noticed them or wasn't going to pay them any attention. It dipped its head back beneath the water and disappeared just as suddenly as it had come. There was no reasonable explanation for what they just saw. Fionna, Simon, and Peppermint were the only ones who remained totally speechless throughout the whole experience. They were still trying to wrap their minds around it.
"Let's get these three back to bed before they pass out right here," Marceline chuckled. It wasn't everyday that Simon could be shocked into silence. There wasn't much he didn't know or that could shock him because of his job.
"Yea, Peppermint is barely standing right now," Bubba concluded as he waved his hand in front of Peppermint's face. The poor guy didn't even give any sign that he saw what the boy was doing. Fionna wasn't fairing any better than the other two either.
Back in their tents, the pairs were discussing what just happened. "We did see that, didn't we?" Simon looked to Peppermint.
"I would say we did. But it just doesn't make any sense…"
"I agree with you there."
"I told you guys that she was real. Now you have no choice but to believe me!" Finn balled his hands into fists. He was happy that he saw Nessie with the others. His sister would have to suffer through his hyperness for the rest of the night.
"You were right. But it shouldn't be possible, Finn. There's just no way that should be possible."
"I think you and you're sister owe Finn a little apology, my man," Marshall grinned at Bubba. He knew that the twins hated being wrong about things.
"I just can't believe it. We saw the Loch Ness Monster. It's real. But how is that possible?" He asked the other boy. He was more concerned with how impossible that sighting should have been then whether he was wrong about the creature's existence.
"Dude, just accept it for what it is. There's no need for questions. Here's what you know: you saw the Loch Ness Monster with other people. You weren't alone so there's no need to be all freaked out about it."
"Marshall, I don't think you understand. We saw something that isn't real."
"It's real. I saw it, you saw it, and everyone else saw it. Calm down and get some sleep. You'll be better able to accept that after you rest a little."
"It's not scientifically possible," Bonnibel said again.
"Science or not, it's still there," Marceline told her. She was getting tired of her saying that.
"Logically, it shouldn't be."
"Did you see it?"
"Yes."
"Did you see it while in being with a group of people?"
"Yes."
"Did you hear it when it splashed?"
"Yes."
"Then believe it or not, you saw Nessie," she flung her arms out to her sides.
"But I-"
"But I – nothing. You heard it and you saw it. I know that you base everything off of science and being rational and junk, but this is just one of those things that you can't do that with. You just won't be able to explain this one."
"I think it's time for me to go back to sleep."
"We need to get that reel back."
That was the first sentence they hear the following morning. Marceline suggested it because she had a brilliant idea. They would get the reel and take it to a DNA lab. They would be the first people to ever get the DNA from the Loch Ness Monster, and be famous for it. To her the idea was flawless, but everyone else wasn't quite so sure about it.
"Just how do you propose we do that?" Bonnibel questioned her.
"Well, we just need to lure it out somehow, yank the line out of it, and that's it."
"That's not much of a plan."
"It's the best one I have."
It was worth a shot so the rest of them baited and casted their lines. "I'm going to get my camera. Need to have pictures for proof, too."
"I'm not sure this is going to work. I mean, she snapped your rod with no effort. She might not even know the reel is still attached to her," Fionna looked at the other rods they had set up. In total, they had seven rods left to work with. That wouldn't be nearly enough to accomplish what they were trying to do. "And what are the chances that she's even going to show up again, anyway?"
"The thing has been here twice since we've come here so I think there is a pretty good chance. We're not trying to catch her, we're just trying to get her DNA," Marceline answered her.
"No we're going to catch her. I just know we are," Finn hoped.
"Finn, you're talking about taking down a giant beast on its home turf using only seven fishing rods, two really non-athletic people, two old men, two kids-"
"I'm not a kid!" Fionna interrupted.
"a girl that's obviously crazy for having this idea, and me. I know how awesome I am, really I do, but even I think this isn't going to work. The best we can do is scratching the thing, if we even get that close," Marshall finished.
The odds were against them; that was true. Eight people and seven rods weren't going to be able to catch that thing no matter how they planned it out. The best they could do was try to get the reel back like Marceline said.
"Just how are we going to get the reel off of it? Anyone thought about that?" Peppermint came in being the voice of reason at the moment. Sure they had set their things up, but no one had mentioned the details of how they were going to get it.
"We'll just pull it off," came Marceline's simple answer.
"How?"
"Haven't gotten there yet, but I'll think of something. I'm not going to let it get away with knocking me out without at least getting something out of this."
"What if we sent Jake into the water to grab it?" Finn suggested.
"That won't work. You're dog won't even get near the water anymore. Look at him," Marceline directed everyone's attention to the animal, "he hasn't left your tent since last night. He won't be able to do it. And don't even bother mentioning Cake. She's a cat; that's an obvious no."
"Well, someone's going to have to grab it," Bubba sighed out.
"Let's worry about that when the time comes. We're all getting a little too worked up on something that might not even happen. Let's head back to the tents. Marceline, do you think you can finish up that mini concert you were having?" Simon turned to the girl.
She nodded yes to him and they made their way back to the campsite. The group settled down in a circle and Marceline looked to Marshall. Since he helped earlier, he was going to have to sing along now as well.
When I was a child I admired
A necessary hero
In a modern society with no morals
Wearing an invincible red cape
One, working hard to clean up garbage
Two, rescuing a lost kitten
Three, distributing kicks to bullies
Four, punishing thieves
Now, I am handing out justice
Just like him!
Leave it to me
I'm a super hero!
Even the smallest acts of evil will not be forgiven
After more than a thousand mortal combats
The conclusion I arrived at was
Real evil = the center of authority…!
In the greatest strategy of all time
The innocent citizen became sacrifices
But did you know?
This is also needed to defeat the true enemy
I will continue
I'm a super hero!
It is time for this world to change
"He's mentally disturbed"; "He's a murderer".
They guys who yell this, they are evil!
I'm a terrorist? Don't be stupid
Hey, where are you taking me?!
Everyone, the city
The world and you
I'm the great hero who protected all of you!
The TV didn't show this kind of conclusion
Even though I just wanted to be like you…
I'm not crazy
There's no way that justice can lose
The hero who will succeed me
Will overthrow that embodiment of evil
Finn jumped up and clapped as the song came to a conclusion. It was his favorite song since he always imagined himself being among the next generation of heroes. His future goal in life was to work in law enforcement so that he could stop criminals and save people. "That was awesome! Could you play it again?" He asked the pair.
"Maybe little, little man. Right now, I think we should check the rods to make sure they're still there," Marshall answered.
The rods were as they had left them. Untouched and unmoved, so they decided to check on them periodically instead of all together after that. Since Finn volunteered first, he would be the first one to check. After him, Bubba would go followed by Simon, Marceline, Peppermint, Fionna, Bonnibel, and Marshall last. They would go every thirty minutes to the loch and check on every rod before heading back and updating the others on what they found.
For the first four checks nothing had changed. Then it was Peppermint's turn. He checked the rods one by one to make sure they were undisturbed. For some reason unknown to him, he felt the need to just look at the water's surface. So he did. There wasn't anything there. Nothing at all. So why did he feel the need to look? Peppermint just brushed it off as himself being paranoid and went back to the others. The ones that went after him had no news to report when they returned either.
"Alright. It's the final check of the night. If nothing happens this time, then we just have to call it quits. It's not meant to be," Bonnibel huffed. She was annoyed that they hadn't found anything new.
"Then let's hope that we find something," Simon led the way to the loch and the rods.
Just like the other times, the rods were still in place. The water was calm and the surrounding nature was quiet. "Isn't it just a little too quiet right now, guys?" Fionna questioned the others.
"Now that you mention it," Bubba said, "Shouldn't there at least be insects around making noise like they always do around this time?"
"Maybe there hibernating?" Marshall tried to be funny. All he got for his remark was a punch to his arm from his cousin though.
"This is serious. Something's not right and we need to find out what. Simon, you're smart and go to a bunch of different places, do you know what's going on?" Marceline turned to Simon. If anyone knew, it would have to be him.
"I've never dealt with something like this before."
"Well, if you don't know, then there's no telling what this is about."
"It's the water," Peppermint broke his silence.
"The water?" the others asked in unison.
"More like what's in the water. I felt it earlier but didn't see anything so I didn't think it would matter if I said anything. I think she's back."
"Nessie's back?" Finn looked to the red and white haired man with a face full of anticipation.
"That's what I'm thinking. Everyone grab your rods and cast them anywhere. Maybe if we irritate it then it might show itself."
They rushed to do as they were told and started casting their lines over and over again. They never aimed for the same place twice. None of them knew where the thing was hiding so it didn't matter where they aimed at this point.
"I think I hit something!" Finn shouted.
"Keep aiming over there then. Everyone else join him," Simon called out his orders rapidly.
"Is that it?" Squinting her eyes, Bonnibel began to see a dark shape in the water. It was getting larger the more she focused on it.
"It has to be!" Finn was excited. This was it. He was going to catch the Loch Ness Monster.
The creatures head broke the surface of the water followed by it long neck. The next thing that they saw was the hump in its back. Saying the thing was huge would have been an understatement. Most of it was concealed underwater, but from what they could see, the things back stuck out at least 4ft above the water and was 10-12ft in length. There was no way to know just how much of it they couldn't see.
"Does anyone see the reel?" Bubba asked as he looked at it.
"I do!" taking off at a run, Marceline dived into the loch and started swimming towards the reel.
"Marceline!" everyone was surprised by that. She saw the thing just like the rest of them, but she was crazy enough to jump in the water anyway. Did she have a death wish?
"Don't worry! I got it! You guys just keep distracting it while I snatch it off!"
"You better not drown!" Bonnibel shouted back to the other girl.
They needed to make sure that Nessie didn't see Marceline approach her. They'd never heard of someone being attacked by the Loch Ness Monster before but they didn't want to take any chances. The group still on shore was doing all they could to keep its attention. The men of the group were still hitting it with their lines while the two girls were yelling at it and throwing rocks. It was working well until Marceline finally grabbed the reel.
"Guys! I got it!" She wailed before Nessie reared her head up higher. The hook of the line had attached itself to the back of its neck. The higher it raised its head, the higher Marceline was pulled up.
"Marceline just let go of the reel! It's not worth it!" Marshall frantically shouted at his cousin.
"Not when I almost have it! Just distract it!"
"We need to do something! If she's pulled up any higher, I don't know if she'll be able to survive the fall!"
"That's if the thing doesn't attack her first!" Simon said as he looked around for something, anything to help the girl with. Nothing would do anything to make the situation better.
Nessie was beginning to swing her head back and forward. It looked like she was trying to shake Marceline off. "Marceline just let go of the line!" The others tried desperately to make the girl let go.
"No! I almost have it!"
Then they were gone. It went under the water and took Marceline with it. Everyone was speechless. They lost her and there was nothing they could do to get her back. "She's gone…" Marshall stated before anyone else could, "She's gone and I couldn't stop it."
"None of us could. It's not your fault," Simon consoled the boy.
"No it is my fault. I knew this was a stupid idea but I let her do it anyway!"
"You had no idea that she was going to jump in there after that reel! None of us did! Don't just blame yourself for something that you didn't know would happen," Bonnibel struggled to get out. She and Marceline may not have been the best of friends, but that didn't mean that she wished for this to happen.
"W-we need to call someone. The police, a rescue team, anyone…we need to find her," Finn told the rest of them.
"There's no need for that," another voice spoke. It sounded as if the person had just ran a marathon and was on the verge of passing out.
"How can you say that?!" Marshall spun around. He was going to kill this person for saying that. What did they know; they had no right to say that.
"Because you'd never find me in the water, stupid. Oh, and I got the reel," She showed them as she sank to her knees. Bubba and Marshall ran to catch her before she could fully hit the ground. Marceline had done the impossible and gotten the reel off of Nessie. She was completely soaked and her hair was hanging limply down her shoulders, but she had a tired smile on her face.
"Sorry I couldn't catch her, Finn, but I think that this will work for you," she said as she handed him the line. On the hook was a piece of flesh. The hook was buried deeply into the flesh and it was only a small amount, but he was thankful for it anyway.
"You didn't have to give this to me."
"Let's just call it a birthday present to you from me. I'm tired," Marceline flashed one last final smile before passing out.
The group was packing up their things, preparing to head back home. "You never told us how you got it off," Bonnibel told the girl as she loaded in her tent.
"It wasn't easy. I thought I was going to drown while getting it off too. All I did was wrap the line around my arm like this," she demonstrated using a rod, "and kept tugging at it with all that I had."
"You are crazy. Most people wouldn't just jump in the water when they see something like that," Bubba said. He had come over to them while she was explaining. "Not even Marshall would do that."
"Marshall would have if he had thought of it first. Luckily I beat him to it. Looks like I get all the glory for this one, huh, Marshall?"
"Whatever. Just don't make it a habit. I don't want to witness your death just because you feel the need to take on everything," he said as he playfully punched her arm.
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, how about we take another fishing trip in two weeks. We could try to catch it for real this time? You know, buy some real hunting gear, and get a few nets, some tranquilizers – anyone up for that?" She asked. She didn't mean it, but she just wanted to see how they would react.
"NO WAY! I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LIFE LEFT IN ME FOR THAT!"
"NEVER AGAIN! I'm taking you two home and never bring you back. I've had enough excitement and that's saying something when you consider the job I have.
"Some things are better left alone, Marceline. I'm going to stick with my baking after this."
"Marcy, you're crazy."
"Even though it would be an advance in science, it's just too dangerous."
"I'm up for it! Let's catch it!"
"Finn forget about catching it. Let's just stay away from here for a while. A long while ok, bro?"
"Well, it was worth a try," Marceline smirked as they filed into the car and started on their way home.
It was meant to be a boring trip. In the beginning, that's all it was turning out to be, but even boring things can turn out to be an adventure in the making. Marceline definitely would not forget this any time soon.
I got this idea from a writing prompt. I spent two days working on this and I think this is the best that I'm going to be able to do with it. Did you like it? Hate it? Just didn't care? Review and tell me what you think ^_^
I have some great news. I watched the Sky Witch episode again and came up with a way to update Marceline's Struggle! So to anyone that has read it and become a fan of that, be looking for it this weekend.