Chapter 3
Another day of celebration was at hand with Penny's 14th birthday. It was a glorious day, and she had decided on a swim party. John had done some exploring of the area with the jet pack and found a small lake that was partly surrounded by a rocky cliff. There was a tall cascading waterfall flowing over its edge into the pool of water. As soon as John described the setting, she decided that it would be the perfect place for her celebration.
It was quite a hike to the spot, but the family needed the exercise, and Don enjoyed taking the hover bike he had 'borrowed' from Marvenius out for the trip. The only complaints, of course, came from Dr. Smith who lamented that his skeletal structure was simply not suited for such exertion. He tried his best to get Don to give him a lift on the bike, but Don enjoyed turning the tables on Dr. Smith as the exercise master.
"You can do it, Zach! Think of the blood pumping through your veins, in and out of your heart, making it stronger! You're building your stamina and increasing your lung capacity."
"I am disappointed in you, Major. After my tireless efforts to supervise your rehabilitation, you will not even grant me the small favor of lessening the strain on my delicate back. Oh, the pain!"
"Now, Zach, I'm just looking out for your health, and repaying you for all those long, hard hours of tireless work. Someday, you'll thank me."
With that comment, he took off and ran the bike through a series of maneuvers that made Dr. Smith reconsider his request. He turned to Will and stated, "Oh, dear. Perhaps it is better that I remain on my own feet, rather than put my well-being into the hands of such a reckless man."
Don pulled up next to the group with a huge grin on his face and told them that it wasn't much farther to the site. They rounded a bend and lined up side by side at the edge of the crystal clear lake. The bubbling blue waters churned and foamed at the base of the waterfall, and a wall of marbleized caramel colored rocks and boulders partly surrounded the area. Judy realized that the rock formations were identical in color to the strange animals that had been spying on them around the camp. Since their coloring would camouflage them well in these surroundings, she wondered if they had stumbled upon what could be their nesting area.
"Oh, Dad, it's beautiful here!" Penny hugged her father and skipped to the edge of the lake. She dipped her hand in the water and proclaimed that it was "Perfect for swimming!"
As she and Will ventured into the pool, Maureen and John set-up their mini camp site, with various edible plants culled from the local vegetation as well as a substantial supply of a candy-like delicacy that Penny had raved about on Marvenius. Dr. Smith sat under the shade of a hanging rock formation, and complained about the effect of the sun on his delicate skin, but he enjoyed the antics of the children as they waded and swam in the waters in front of him. Judy soon joined them and felt as if she were a teenager again as she and her siblings splashed each other and competed to determine who could sustain an underwater handstand the longest.
Don, still on the bike, envied their physical freedom and knew that, had this been seven months earlier, he would have been right in there, tossing each of them into a backward somersault in the middle of the lake. He puttered around the edge on the hover bike to get a lay of the land and find places where he could possibly dismount from the bike with minimal help from the others. He found a spot where he could back off the bike onto a flat rock, and then possibly ease his way into the lake. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to swim without his legs, but he was anxious to feel the cool water ripple over his body and thought that, if nothing else, he could at least float.
He eased his way off the bike, lifting and pushing himself with his arms a few inches at a time until he was sitting on the rock. Alternately lifting each thigh with his hands, he finally made it around until his legs dangled into the water. Judy had been watching his every movement, silently cursing the stubbornness that kept him from asking for help. At the same time, she was enamored with his fierce independence and determination, and this often stopped her from interfering in order to make things easier for him. She swam over to his rock to test the waters.
"Well?" Judy asked.
"Well, what?" he retorted.
"Coming in?"
"Maybe."
She tread water as she floated closer to him and murmured with a mischievous gleam in her eye, "What will it take to get you in?"
She had his motor running. "What are you offering?"
She grabbed his left leg to steady herself and stroked his 'good' thigh. "Now or later?"
"If this is a preview, I'll take," he leaned his head closer to her, "whatever… whenever…" He leaned so far down that Judy easily pulled him into the lake with a solid splash.
The water was quite deep, and John jumped up, ready to perform lifeguard duty, but Don surfaced, spouting a stream of water from his mouth like a concrete fish on a fountain. Judy quickly swam away from him to hide behind her brother and sister, knowing that she would be in trouble the moment he caught up with her. Surprising both John and Maureen, he swam with strong strokes over to the children and the frolicking intensified.
Exhausted from their water games, the party was moved to the blanket for the mid-day meal. As they were enjoying the candy that Maureen has procured from the Marvenius banquet, one of the small, caramel colored creatures approached them. Dr. Smith leaned away from the animal, waving his hand and shouting, "Shoo! Shoo!" Instead of running away it froze in fear as it stared ahead and tried its best to blend into the background.
Penny held out a piece of candy and gently called, "Come here. It's okay. We're not going to hurt you." As she moved ever so slowly towards the creature, it cocked its head as she continued to speak softly to it. She laid the candy on the ground in front of the animal, and it reached out and grabbed the morsel, then sat on its hind legs and ate daintily. She laid another piece near and watched in amusement as it enjoyed the treat. Penny became more daring and held the next piece in her hand.
Maureen uttered a warning, "Now, Penny, don't get too close. It might not be as friendly as you think it is."
Dismissing her mother's fears, Penny continued to hold out the food. The creature took a step or two closer and snatched the candy from her hand. She waited until it finished eating and then lightly stroked its back. Penny had an inherent sensitivity to animals, which was reciprocated in kind by the various creatures they had encountered, and this one was no different. It purred in pleasure as it bonded with her. The Robinsons now had a new pet.
Judy reached out to touch the animal and gave it a gentle pat on his head. "What are you going to call it?"
Penny held the small creature up in front of her and decided that it must be a female. "I think I'll call her Carmella, since her coloring reminds me of caramel cream candy. Do you like that Carmella?"
The creature jumped from her hands onto her lap and burrowed its face against her.
"Looks like you have a friend," Judy commented. "I was thinking of trying to catch one for your birthday, but this little gal beat me to it."
"It's adorable. Mom, could I keep it?"
Maureen turned to her husband and raised her eyebrows. "It's okay with me. John?"
Knowing how lonely his youngest daughter sometimes became, he saw little harm in keeping the creature. "We can keep it as long as it wants to stay with us."
"Thanks, Dad."
"Happy birthday, Penny."
