Chapter Nine: The lodge
The Fusel Lodge was all aglow for the party, bustling with people. Dusty, Crow, Maru, Dipper, Windlifter, Cloudy and I approached the lodge entrance and were greeted by a couple attendants.
"Whoa!" Dusty breathed. "Look at this place!"
"It's so beautiful!" Dipper sighed. "Dusty-poo, this is the perfect date! Let's check it out before we check in."
"Hey there, folks." A bellhop greeted. "Like to get your picture taken with the superintendent?"
We followed the bellhop's point to a line of campers getting their pictures with Cad. But "Cad" then fell over to reveal a cardboard cut-out.
"Uh….." Dusty blinked.
"Ha. Classy." Maru smirked.
"Well, the place looks nice." I shrugged.
"I need a coffee." Maru said. "You three want to come?"
"Ok. Bye Dusty! Bye Dipper! Enjoy your date!" I said as Crow, Cloudy, Maru, Windlifter and I moved away.
Dusty glared at me.
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"Don't even have normal coffee here. I had to get something called a 'Highway Expresso.'" Maru scoffed
"What do you think?" Windlifter asked, the Skycrane wearing a pair of tinted sunglasses.
"You look good." Maru complimented.
"Yeah." Crow and I agreed.
Windlifter paused in thought. "Eh."
Crow and I jumped when some fan yelled out our names. Maru snickered when we allowed the fan to have his picture taken with us.
"Hey guys!" Dusty called as he rolled over to us. "We just met a nice couple celebrating their anniversary. We're gonna go out of the fire pit and celebrate. Wanna come?"
"Yeah, let's go!" Maru agreed. "It's getting stuffy in here."
Us girls hopped up onto Dusty's wings and sat down "You just missed it." Dusty said with a smirk. "Some fan came up to me and asked me to do his voicemail."
Crow laughed. "Really? Did you screw up?"
"Nah." Dusty laughed. "He seemed a little disappointed to not see you, though."
"Oh really?" I smirked. "Well one got his picture taken with Crow and me."
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At the fire pit we had fun chatting with our new friends Harvey and Winnie.
"Oh, sure, sure." Harvey nodded. "I've been around the block a few times. I worked as a taco truck, sold carwash curtain rings for a while. Then, I got into RV tire sales. Winnie here was my showroom model."
"That's how we met." Winnie explained.
"Ah, nice." Dusty smiled, Maru nodding as though in approval.
"It's true. For our wedding day, bought her the best set of whitewalls." Harvey said.
"We wore off the treads on our honeymoon." Winnie added. Dusty and Maru blinked. "Driving." Winnie said. The boys seemed very relieved to hear that second part.
"You know, Dusty, Ashley and Crow, maybe this firefighting thing will be a second career for you." Harvey said.
"Oh, yeah!" Dipper nodded. "This is a second career for all of us. Windlifter was a lumberjack, Cabbie was in the military, and me, well, I hauled cargo up in Anchorage. Yeah, a lot of guys up in Anchorage. I was beating them off with a stick. 'Come here, boy. No!' Boom!"
"Hey, big whirlybird, you haven't said much." Harvey said to Windlifter. "How about a toast?"
"Uh, Windlifter's not really much for speeches." Dipper protested politely. She quieted when Windlifter began chanting in his native language, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"A toast to Coyote." Windlifter said. "It was he who drove all day and all night to the base of Bright Mountain. With much difficulty, he climbed the mountain to obtain fire and brought it down to the first people. But in so doing, he burned his tires. And when Coyote saw his blackened tires, he thought they were his favourite snack, and he ate them! For he knew they were still full of life. And it was in this way, he let go of the old, and renewed himself like fire renews the earth."
Stunned silence met the end of Windlifter's speech. "Uh, I'm just gonna say it." Dusty finally piped up. "You had me up until the part where he eats his own tires."
Maru chuckled. "Best toast ever, Wind. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everyone called.