Chapter 3: Adventure in the night

" Simon, Simon, you´re awake?" Whispers Alvin and shakes his brother who opens his eyes and grabs his glasses. " Now I am, and you mustn't say a word, searching for the monster and catch it, right?"

Alvin smirks. " So, you had the same idea?" Simon shook his head. " No, but I´m not surprised that you wanna do that! Alvin, this could be dangerous!" His brother grumbles. " But, that thing ruins our whole vacation! My walk in the moonshine with Brittany..." " The night excursion with Jeanette, too sad!" Simon sighs. "

" Our mambo contest, we were in the final round!" Another voice could be heard. Alvin and Simon looked over. Theodore stood in front of them, wearing a black sweater, grey cargo pants, a black knit hat, and hold a flashlight in his hands. " I´m on it too!"

Simon noded. " Okay, democratically overruled and somehow I think the same! I have some gadgets and the stuff from the excursion here could be useful!" He packed his backpack, then he and Alvin get dressed in the same way as Theodore. However, they got those clothes with them every vacation.

Alvin opened carefully the door and peeks into the living room. " But without any noise." He whispers. " We won't wake up Dave!" All three sneaked through the living room. And hesitated.

Dave sat directly in front of them on the couch!

All three hold their breath, then they realize that their father fell asleep in a sitting position, with a flashlight in his hand. Alvin giggles quietly. " He has our door in sight! How suspicious!" " Want you blame him for that? He knows us, especially you!" Simon answers and points at the door to the veranda. " In the hotel, the security makes their rounds, better we climb down from there!" Alvin opens the door and the three boys stepped out on the veranda. Theodore looked over to the suite of the Chipettes. " We should get the girls to help us!" Alvin sighs. " And how the heck should we do that? Every noise should wake up Dave mom and Miss Miller!" Simon frowns. " Wait, is the door of their suite a bit open?"

Suddenly a hand closed the mouth and an arm wrapped around the chest of all three boys at the same time. All three get the same idea: The security guards caught them! And then: Must be very tiny guards, with tiny soft hands and thin arms. And somehow familiar, the boys thought, as every one of them heard a whisper at his ear. " Shhh!"

Confused all three turned around...and saw the faces of the Chipettes in the moonlight! The girls wearing Sweaters, cargo pants, and knit hats too, Jeanette and Eleanor in black, Brittany in pink, what else. All three grin, Eleanor winks. " Perfect timing, we left some minutes ago! You got the same idea as us ?" She grumbles. " Theodore and I would have won the contest!" Even Brittany and Jeanette noded with an angry look on their faces, the pink Chipettes rolled her eyes. " The complete moment at the beach was ruined!" Jeanette waves with her flashlight. " This should be a beautiful vacation for us all! I´m a little bit afraid, but I'm with you guys!"

All six making a circle, a hand on anther's shoulder, Alvin looks around. " Okay, let's go! and girls, why you got those stuff with you?" Brittany looks over to Eleanor, the blonde girl winks again. " I packed it, for any cases! I mean, it´s not the first cloak and dagger operation we´re into! Seems you were prepared for this too!"

Simon opens his backpack and pulled a rope out but Jeanette shook her head. " There´s a fire escape on the side, is easier!" All six climbed down the fire escape, on the ground, Alvin looks around a corner then he sneaks back. " There´s a security guard on the front." He whispers. " He makes his round, now he looks down the beach, we must wait when he walks back to the other side!" All six took a position at the corner of the building and looked around, their heads in one line, Theodore, Eleanor, Brittany, Alvin, Jeanette, and Simon on the top of the line.

A guard in a grey uniform wanders in front of the hotel, a bored look on his face and a baton in his behind his backcrossed hands. He whistles a song and looked around. All six munks hold their breath.

Then the guard turns around and walked to the other side. Eleanor gave the others a sign and they sneaked on their tiptoes down to the beach, walking faster with every step. Soon they reached the place they saw the monster the first time.

Carefully they looked around, then Alvin moded. " Okay, guys!" He whispers. " We must search for footprints or something! Simon, Jeanette, do you have lenses from your excursion or something?" Both bespectacled chipmunks nodded and pulled out some big lenses, Jeanette linked her arm with Simon´s. " To search for butterflies and insects you need those!" Brittany smiles. " Did you use them this afternoon or did you only smooch in the jungle?"

She, Alvin, Eleanor, and Theodore giggled, Simon rolled his eyes, Jeanette shook her head amused. " As if you guys didn´t use those alone time for this!" Alvin waves the words away. " No one said otherwise! But it´s exciting that you two started to use this moment for kissing, and that´s okay, it must be! It was beautiful, wasn't it?" Simon glares at him annoyed until Jeanette kisses him on the cheek and giggles. " Sooo beautiful!" She sighs, her sisters giggled again. Simon smiles now, then he nodded with a serious look. " Okay, we can talk later, now let's search for the monster!" All nodded, then they started the search. Simon and Jeanette looked through the thicket, Alvin and Brittany searched for footprints in the sand, Theodore and Eleanor looked for the monster and the guards.

Brittany looks over to Alvin. " You have to watch over me, everyone knows that monsters kidnap the pretty girl!" Alvin giggles. " And what if it is a female monster, hunting for irresistible handsome, charming guys?" Now Brittany smiled amused. " Well, then you have nothing to fear!" Alvin sighs annoyed. " Oh brother, why did I ask?" The pink-dressed Chipettes bowed in laughter, then they get on searching, as she found something. " Guys, look at this!" The others rushed over to her, their jaws dropped.

It were footprints.

They were double size to human feet, very edgy, and ended in three sharp tops in the front part. Simon examines it with his lense, Alvin crossed his arms. " I didn´t look for the feet, but it could match, the ting has similarities to a frog, so it must have frog feet! But why are only here some footprints?" Brittany pats on his shoulder and points to the water. " Because it´s actually flooded, you genius! You can see, the water is a bit higher than before!" Alvin waves the words away. " Got no eyes for something like that, only for the most beautiful girl in the world!" Brittany shook amused her head, her sisters rolled their eyes with a knowing look on their faces.

Simon looked up. " This print is interesting, something makes no sense! In the middle, it´s deeper and too flat in the front of the toes or whatever this is! As it lifts them all the time!" Theodore makes a thinking face. " Maybe it hates sand between the toes?" Alvin smiles mischievously. " Maybe it is a female monster, had her nails done or something!" He laughs, Brittany gives him a soft headbutt. " Oh brother, how can you be so silly now?" He winks at her with a grin, then he gave the others a sign to follow him. "Let's see, where the footprints leading us!"

The six made their way to the thicket. " My clothes getting dirty and tattered!" Brittany grumbles, Jeanette otherwise stopped several times when she saw something. " Look this orchid, that dragonfly there..." Eleanor interrupts them both and glares stern at her sisters. " We are not on a joyride now, this is serious! So be quiet and more focused on our goal!" Theodore looks around, seemingly scared. " A-and w-when t-the m-monster w-waits f-for u-us?" Eleanor grabs softly his hand. " We are all together, we can handle it!" Alvin looks over to them with a smile, then he and Simon pull some ferns beside them.

The six entered a glade when the footprints just ended. Simon looks confused around. " What the...? Why does the track end here?" Alvin shrugs. " Who knows, maybe that thing could fly!" Theodore looks scared into the night sky, Brittany widens her eyes. " Don´t be stupid, that´s not possible! Or is it?" She looks over to Simon and Jeanette, both shrugging, the boy seems to be confused. " I mean, a monster like that can't exist, but..."

He was interrupted by a loud growling.

All six looked around, Alvin turns to Theodore. " Uhm, Theodore, please tell me that was your stomach!" His youngest brother looked scared at him. " No, t-that s-sounds n-not like t-that, be-believe m-me!" Now they all felt queasy, Eleanor frowns. " Did anyone make a plan for the case, we find the monster?"

At this moment a loud growl came from the thicket and something huge rise up behind some ferns. It was the monster that wiggles with its claws.

All six chipmunks screamed horrified and ran away. The creature starts to move and followed them.

Music starts while the six tried to escape.

Chipmunks: The night is dark, I hear a sound,

what is that there, what comes around?

Chipettes: I hear its breath, it´s loud and near,

I freeze and stare, I´m full of fear!

The six ran out of the thicket onto the beach, the monster close behind.

Chipmunks: It came for me, I am the prey,

I have to run, no time to wait and stay!

Chipettes: I run away, far from this place,

but it´s closer and closer, I lose the race!

All: The beast is coming, to catch me now,

I hope I get out, somewhere, somehow!

Theodore felt behind, heavy puffing. Eleanor grabbed his arm to pull him with her. Even Simon and Jeanette panted more and more, Alvin and Brittany hold their speed, but this can´t go on much more.

Then they approached the rocks where Alvin and Brittany sat down while they walk. Alvi gets an idea, he looks over to Brittany " Fall back and distracts it, I got an idea!" She looks over while they ran, a shocked look on her face. " Are you crazy?" Alvin shook his head and looked back. " No, but Simon, the rope, quick! Brittany, you´re one of the fastest of us, and as you said, pretty girls are the perfect decoy! Trust me!" She sighs, then she pulled through the side and jumped on a rock. She starts to jump up and down and waves her arms. " HEY, MONSTER! CATCH ME!" She thumbs her nose at the creature.

Theodore and Eleanor looked confused over to her when they ran past her. Alvin waved them and points to a rock, where Simon and Jeanette were waiting, the bespectacled chipmunk pulled the rope out of his backpack and handed it over to Alvin. " What is your plan?" Alvin points to the next rock that lies some steps away through the water. " You two and Theodore, get over there! Eleanor, we stay here! Here, let's go!" He hands Simon one end of the rope. His taller brother nodes, he, Theodore, and Jeanette ran over behind the other rock.

Alvin looks over to Brittany, who jumps around the monster, not too close to its claws. " Come on, get me! I´m too fast, what?" The creature seems a bit confused, Alvin smiles, then he yells: " BRITTANY, OVER HERE! NOW!" She sprints on immediately, through the gap between the two rocks, the monster following her.

When Brittany passes the two rocks, jumping over the rope, Alvin gave the others a sign. " NOW!" All five pulled the rope at the same time, tightening it. The monster ran toward the gap...and stumbled over the rope. It yells and felt into the sand, Alvin jumps up. " LETS GO, we must bind it!" All six ran over to the creature and used the rope to lace it like a package. Simon made a sailor´s knot, then they all stepped back and looked at the monster. They had bound the arms and legs of the creature close to its body, it can´t move, only turning its head. All six made a high-five. " Hooray!"

Then they heard voices coming from the hotel. When they turned around, a crowd of people rushed toward them. Some security guards, guests, the hotel manager, Jaques...and first of all Dave, Miss Miller, and Vinny. Simon sighs. " Now we get trouble, I knew it!" Alvin laughs. " No way, we six catches the monster! Heroes weren´t grounded!" The crowd approached the bound monster, Dave had a stern look on his face. " Didn´t I say you should stay in the room? I nearly died of fear when I noticed you guys left!" Miss Miller hugs her daughters, Vinny and Dave the boys. Alvin looks embarrassed up to his father. " But...we caught the monster, we did it, not the adults!" All six looked at their parents. " TRUE!" Dave sighs, Miss Miller stood up and looked over to him and Vinny. " We should have known better, what?"

The hotel manager Lefevre gets closer to the creature that still tries to get free. " Mon Dieu, what an abomination, incredible!" Jaques and the guards surrounded the monster when Theodore points at the back of the monster with a confused look. " An odd monster, it can´t close its mouth and got a zipper on its back!" Simon frowns and came over to his younger brother to see for himself. " Indeed, it´s...a costume!" All six chipmunks looked at each other confused, Eleanor stepped beside the monster and grabbed the ridge on its head. " Well, let's see who´s under the mask!"

She pulls the ridge until the head gets off the body. All widen their eyes in surprise. " MISTER SHIELDS!" They all gasped. The animal rights activist smiles embarrassed. " Uhm, i...I had no choice! The turtles hatching tonight!" Brittan looks at him with a mad look on her face. " You nearly scared us to death!" They looked ashamed down. " I won´t harm anyone, only get you away from the beach! I was desperate!" Lefevre and Jaques untied him, the manager shook his head. " " You made this crazy plan" Jeanette interrupted him. " LOOK!" She points exited down the beach.

At several points, it rustles in the sand.

Then little heads came out of the sand in the moonlight, followed by little bodies that made their way with their fins. Fascinated they all viewed it, Lefevre bows over to Shields and lowers his voice. " You...you were right! I´m sorry for what I said, this is...fantastic!" The activist nodes. " This was what I want! It´s the same night, every year!" The manager smiles. " Well, then we close the beach this night and let the people watch the hatching of Ruby-turtles! You see how fascinated they are!" Both men grinned and still looked at the turtles. The six chipmunks looked at each other with a grin, the girls and the two mothers cheered. " This is so cute!" Jeanette was excited. Even Dave and the boys felt it was a special moment. No one of the crowd said a word, all were looking.

After an hour all turtles hatched and crawled toward the ocean, only the holes in the sand were evidence that something happened. The other people left the beach, only the six munks and their parents stood there now. Dave looks over to the boys with a smile. " Well, the thing gets to a good end, so I think I can turn both eyes blind that you sneak out! Miss Miller, Vinny?" Both women are noded with a smile.

Theodore smiles at Eleanor. " You heard that the manager said they repeat the dance contest tomorrow?" She laughed and grabbed his hand. " Well, let's practice for it! Here, in the moonlight!" He nodes, then both made their rounds over the sand. Jeanette turns to Simon. " The surf looks so beautiful, do we wanna sit here and look at it?" He nodes, both sat down by the rocks, an arm around the other. Brittany turns to Alvin. " Alvie, our walk in the moonlight..." He laughs. " We go on with it where we stopped!" She smiles. " Well, is it okay we stay awhile Miss Miller?" Her mother smiles mildly. " Well, okay, but not too long, it´s late now! I take a seat at the veranda and enjoy the silence! Dave, Vinny, what do you think?" The mother of the boy's nodes. " I join you, Beatrice!" Dave yawns. " I stay awake the whole night, I´m tired! Fellas, you have an hour, then its's bedtime, alright?" The chipmunks noded.

The adults walked back to the hotel. Eleanor and Theodore felt with laughter into the sand while they made a spin. Then both, followed by Alvin and Brittany, a seat beside Simon and Jeanette. All six watched the sea and enjoyed the moment.

Then Alvin frowns. " We should get a reward, we saved the day!" The others looked at him, Simon shrugs. " Maybe tomorrow we get mentioned in the local newspapers!" Alvin shook his head. " But, that's not enough! Newspaper, tv, radio! International for sure!" And they can give us something for this all, one more week in the hotel, all-inclusive, a lot of money..."

The other five munks yelled at him. " ALVIN!" He smiles embarrassed. " Okayyy!"

The end

Hope you enjoyed it, te song was made by myself and titled " It came for me". More stories are in work. C ya guys!