Simon looked out the window. The full moon was shining brightly, reminding him of how very similar tonight was to that night twenty years ago.
Wait! What was that on the island out the window? It almost appeared to be a celebration, or...
"Alvin! Theodore!" He waved them toward the window.
"It looks like a party, or some sort of dance or something," Theodore commented. Then his eyes widened and he gasped. "It's the kids!"
Simon looked around hurriedly. Why hadn't they at least brought some rope?
"Don't worry," Alvin announced, "I have a plan!"
"I hate it when he says that," Simon muttered quietly. Tonight was definitely too similar to twenty years ago.
Seymore sighed hopelessly. They were on the top of a hollow mountain. The natives were gathered on the outside, while the Chipmunks/ettes were tied to poles mounted in a clay base that was connected to the outside edge by six pieces of rope evenly tied all around the edge. Below, hungry crocodiles waited.
"Stop!" The astonished natives paused. Seymore almost jumped out of his skin. Was that-
Three figures came into view from the mountainside. Uncle Alvin, Dad, and Uncle Theodore!
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Simon quietly asked Alvin.
"Positive!" Alvin boasted.
Simon sighed, not at all reassured. Then the natives started to chatter excitedly.
"What're they saying?" Alvin whispered to Simon.
Then, the chief turned to them. Everyone else hushed. He addressed the older Chipmunks, gesturing toward Theodore.
"He says that he'll give us our children if we give them Theodore!" Simon informed Alvin as .
"Over my dead body!" Alvin growled.
"You mean, 'over our dead bodies,' " Simon corrected wearily. They were now tied with Seymore, Mollie, Thomas, and Brianna.
"Hey, Dad?" Seymore asked tentatively. "In your adventure, what happened after Uncle Alvin made the bargain with the shoes?"
"Who told you about that?" Simon sharply demanded. As if he didn't know.
"Uncle Alvin..." Seymore sounded very sheepish. Simon sighed.
"The natives took the items we offered, but instead of letting Theodore go, they made us his slaves. When we found out that he was going to be sacrificed, we tried to rescue him, but ended up in a situation similar to this. The Chipettes happened to be passing this way and rescued us." Simon sighed. The probability of their being rescued again was very slim.
"Oh." Seymore sighed as well. He had hoped that his father had had a great escape plan that would work again.
"Any last songs you'd like to hear?" Alvin asked. Simon rolled his eyes. He had asked exactly the same thing last time this had happened! What was it with Alvin and songs?
"If I recall correctly," Simon interjected, "these natives have a great fascination with the song-"
"Woory Burry!" The chief was very definite.
"-Wooly Bully," Simon finished.
"Uno! Dos!" Alvin called out. "One, two, tres, quatro!" All of the Chipmunks, fathers and children, joined in.
"Matty told Hatty
'Bout a thing she saw
Had two big horns
And a wooly jaw
Wooly bully!
Wooly bully!
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully
Matty told Hatty,
"Let's don't take no chance.
Let's not be L-seven
Come and learn to dance
Wooly bully!
Wooly bully!
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully
"Matty told Hatty
'That's the thing to do.
Get you someone really
To pull the wool with you
Wooly bully!
Wooly bully!
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully."
The natives had started to set torches to the ropes, in time with the song. Four were on fire. One had already snapped from the flame. The natives were still dancing, though to what music Simon couldn't tell you.
The poor chief seemed to have the same luck as the one twenty years before. He kept getting set on fire, and someone always had to be ready with a bucket of water, which did not make him happy when his torch was put out.
Three ropes snapped quickly in succession. They dropped several feet toward the alligator pit. The only thing holding them were two burning ropes!
Just then, a loud noise drowned out the natives' festivities. It was an airplane!
Eleanor frowned, looking out the window with her binoculars. She was having trouble focusing them. "It's some kind of celebration. There's a..." Suddenly, the binoculars focused onto Seymore, who was tied to a stake. "They've got the Chipmunks!" She looked around to see Theodore. "All of them!"
Brittany jumped up. "Do we have any rope?"
Eleanor looked around, spying a long cable. She handed it to Brittany, who tied it to a handle sticking out from the wall. She opened the door.
Simon was relieved immensely when the door opened and Brittany and Eleanor appeared with a long cable. Brittany managed to rope all seven poles just before one of the last two ropes broke, and she pulled them all to safety inside the airplane.
"How did you guys get here?" he asked while they worked on the knots.
"We were following you guys, just to see that you didn't get into too much trouble," Eleanor explained.
"And it's a good thing, too!" Brittany interrupted. "You'd have been toast!"
Simon looked around, frowning. "Where's Jeanette?"
Brittany and Eleanor traded looks. "She... had something to take care of at home," Eleanor finally answered.
Simon suspected a long story, but didn't press the issue. What mattered was getting out of here quickly. He rubbed his wrists, getting the circulation back into them, then walked to the controls and steered the plane homeward.