"I think the Sploosh is getting to me," Zippy said, kneeling over and
clutching her stomach.
"Zippy?" Chase said, running up to Zippy's side. "Are you okay? Come on we're almost there."
But Zippy didn't stand back up and she sat there gasping for breath, her arms wrapped around her stomach.
After a minute or two though Zippy was back on her feet, though now she walked slower, her back bent.
"I'm okay," she reassured Chase, who walked beside her. But Zippy seemed a little dazed when she talked, and Chase couldn't help worrying about her.
"We're running out of water," Fidget said, holding up her canteen.
"We only have one more jar of Sploosh," Chase said. "But at least we still have a lot of beans."
The other girls frowned in disgust.
They walk on in silence for the next hour and a half, not drinking any of their precious water, or any of their Sploosh.
Lei thought she was going to fall down as her legs felt like lead. She wanted to give up when she looked up and saw rocks all around her.
"COME ON!" Fidget screamed, she had reached the base of Big Thumb and was jumping up and down, yelling at the other girls to hurry up.
Zippy began running, even though she was feeling terrible. Magnetic started laughing hysterically, and Static started skipping towards the mountain. With the way the girls were acting it was as if Christmas had come early.
"What are you all so excited about?" Chase asked. "We still have to climb it."
The girls stopped cheering.
"We're gonna climb it?" Fidget asked.
"Well yeah," Chase replied. "That way we can see all over the desert. Maybe we'll see a road or something from up there?"
The other girls looked upset.
"What else would we do?" Chase asked. "We don't have to start climbing today, we can start tomorrow. Don't worry everything will be fine."
None of the girls acted relieved at Chase's last words, but they set up camp all the same.
"Let's celebrate comeing this far already," Zippy suggested. "With the last of the sploosh."
The other girls all agreed.
"We can have some fun," Lei said, but her voice was raspy and she didn't sound like she'd be able to have much fun.
The girls broke the last jar of Sploosh and shared the sweet nectar inside.
Giggling Lei said, "We gotta get beautiful for our climb tomorrow!"
The other girls giggled too.
Lei pulled a brush and her fake hybisscuses out of her bag.
"Who's first?" she asked.
"Ooh me!" Zippy said. Then, holding Stitch close, she sat in front of Lei, while Lei made her hair up with one of the hybisscuses.
While one of the girls was getting their hair done the other girls would either be eating Sploosh and talking, or getting a new makeover.
Fidget had unpacked the set of gel pens she had brought, and she was now drawing flowers and stuff on the girl's faces.
"Do you just LOVE Hawaii?" Static asked, as she sat before Lei.
Lei hadn't been born in Hawaii, but as her mother was a native Hawaiian Lei had spent most of her life there. "It's so beautiful," Lei said. "The water is clear and perfect, the people are amazing, and the scenery is GORGEOUS! It's Paradise in my book."
"I wish I could go there one day," Static said. "But my mom's always too busy, and I don't think we have enough money to afford the air fare." Static was raised by her mom as her dad had left when he found out his girl friend was pragnant. Static had a little brother back at home that she had always got along really well with. She really missed him and her mom, and she wondered what they would do if she died out here in the middle of the desert.
"All done," Fidget said, as she finished drawing on Chase's face.
"It looks awesome," Zippy said, she already had her hair and her face done. Zippy and Chase went off to lye on their sheets while the other girls laughed and talked.
"It's a beautiful night, huh?" Chase asked, laying on her back and staring up at the stars.
"Yeah," Zippy agreed.
"You know Zip," Chase said. "I'm really glad you decided to come with me-I mean you didn't have to but you came anyway."
"Yeah," Zippy said. "What the hell are friends for?" she laughed.
"What do you think is gonna be at the top of the mountain?" Chase asked.
"A big Chinese restaraunt-or an ice cream shop-or an air conditioned movie theater with a free consession stand!" Zippy grinned. "What do you think is gonna be up there?"
Chase thought for a moment. "Opportunities, our future, a refuge-I dunno?"
"Opportunities eh?" Zippy said smiling. "Like what; your opportunity to fall in love with Squid?"
Chase rolled her eyes. "Back to Squid again? When will you ever stop Zip?"
"Never!" Zippy said, smiling. "But really Chase, you should have given him a chance! You probably would have really liked him, he was nice you know."
"Oh, I don't care," Chase said. "It's too late, he's all gone now-I'll never see him again so..........."
"So?" Zippy asked. "So? So? SO? What, if you saw him again would you give him a chance? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"No way!" Chase said.
Zippy shook her head, then changed the subject. "It's a weird mountain huh?" she asked, staring up at the giant mountain looming over them. "It's funny how it's shaped like a thumb. And how the thumb is pointing up into the sky, it's like-it's like-"
"God's Thumb," Chase finished.
"Yeah," Zippy said, smiling. "God's Thumb."
"Zippy?" Chase said, running up to Zippy's side. "Are you okay? Come on we're almost there."
But Zippy didn't stand back up and she sat there gasping for breath, her arms wrapped around her stomach.
After a minute or two though Zippy was back on her feet, though now she walked slower, her back bent.
"I'm okay," she reassured Chase, who walked beside her. But Zippy seemed a little dazed when she talked, and Chase couldn't help worrying about her.
"We're running out of water," Fidget said, holding up her canteen.
"We only have one more jar of Sploosh," Chase said. "But at least we still have a lot of beans."
The other girls frowned in disgust.
They walk on in silence for the next hour and a half, not drinking any of their precious water, or any of their Sploosh.
Lei thought she was going to fall down as her legs felt like lead. She wanted to give up when she looked up and saw rocks all around her.
"COME ON!" Fidget screamed, she had reached the base of Big Thumb and was jumping up and down, yelling at the other girls to hurry up.
Zippy began running, even though she was feeling terrible. Magnetic started laughing hysterically, and Static started skipping towards the mountain. With the way the girls were acting it was as if Christmas had come early.
"What are you all so excited about?" Chase asked. "We still have to climb it."
The girls stopped cheering.
"We're gonna climb it?" Fidget asked.
"Well yeah," Chase replied. "That way we can see all over the desert. Maybe we'll see a road or something from up there?"
The other girls looked upset.
"What else would we do?" Chase asked. "We don't have to start climbing today, we can start tomorrow. Don't worry everything will be fine."
None of the girls acted relieved at Chase's last words, but they set up camp all the same.
"Let's celebrate comeing this far already," Zippy suggested. "With the last of the sploosh."
The other girls all agreed.
"We can have some fun," Lei said, but her voice was raspy and she didn't sound like she'd be able to have much fun.
The girls broke the last jar of Sploosh and shared the sweet nectar inside.
Giggling Lei said, "We gotta get beautiful for our climb tomorrow!"
The other girls giggled too.
Lei pulled a brush and her fake hybisscuses out of her bag.
"Who's first?" she asked.
"Ooh me!" Zippy said. Then, holding Stitch close, she sat in front of Lei, while Lei made her hair up with one of the hybisscuses.
While one of the girls was getting their hair done the other girls would either be eating Sploosh and talking, or getting a new makeover.
Fidget had unpacked the set of gel pens she had brought, and she was now drawing flowers and stuff on the girl's faces.
"Do you just LOVE Hawaii?" Static asked, as she sat before Lei.
Lei hadn't been born in Hawaii, but as her mother was a native Hawaiian Lei had spent most of her life there. "It's so beautiful," Lei said. "The water is clear and perfect, the people are amazing, and the scenery is GORGEOUS! It's Paradise in my book."
"I wish I could go there one day," Static said. "But my mom's always too busy, and I don't think we have enough money to afford the air fare." Static was raised by her mom as her dad had left when he found out his girl friend was pragnant. Static had a little brother back at home that she had always got along really well with. She really missed him and her mom, and she wondered what they would do if she died out here in the middle of the desert.
"All done," Fidget said, as she finished drawing on Chase's face.
"It looks awesome," Zippy said, she already had her hair and her face done. Zippy and Chase went off to lye on their sheets while the other girls laughed and talked.
"It's a beautiful night, huh?" Chase asked, laying on her back and staring up at the stars.
"Yeah," Zippy agreed.
"You know Zip," Chase said. "I'm really glad you decided to come with me-I mean you didn't have to but you came anyway."
"Yeah," Zippy said. "What the hell are friends for?" she laughed.
"What do you think is gonna be at the top of the mountain?" Chase asked.
"A big Chinese restaraunt-or an ice cream shop-or an air conditioned movie theater with a free consession stand!" Zippy grinned. "What do you think is gonna be up there?"
Chase thought for a moment. "Opportunities, our future, a refuge-I dunno?"
"Opportunities eh?" Zippy said smiling. "Like what; your opportunity to fall in love with Squid?"
Chase rolled her eyes. "Back to Squid again? When will you ever stop Zip?"
"Never!" Zippy said, smiling. "But really Chase, you should have given him a chance! You probably would have really liked him, he was nice you know."
"Oh, I don't care," Chase said. "It's too late, he's all gone now-I'll never see him again so..........."
"So?" Zippy asked. "So? So? SO? What, if you saw him again would you give him a chance? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"No way!" Chase said.
Zippy shook her head, then changed the subject. "It's a weird mountain huh?" she asked, staring up at the giant mountain looming over them. "It's funny how it's shaped like a thumb. And how the thumb is pointing up into the sky, it's like-it's like-"
"God's Thumb," Chase finished.
"Yeah," Zippy said, smiling. "God's Thumb."