STUART AND MARGALO IN THE WILD

CHAPTER ONE: PACKING FOR THE TRIP

"Underwear, extra underwear, socks, extra socks. Shirts. Extra shirts. Shorts. Extra shorts. Shoes. Book-"
"Book? What for?"
"To read on the road, of course, Margalo. It's a three hour drive there and three hours back."
"Stuart, I hope you're not going to be reading the whole time we're there. We're going to camp."
"I know. I know. And that's why I only packed one book."
"Which is?"
"Of Mice and Men."
"Good book. I've read it twice."
"You have? You'll have to tell me how it goes. I've only just started the second chapter."
"Nope. Not gonna spoil it for you."

Stuart Little and his best friend Margalo Serinus were packing for their trip to Lake Garland. Stuart had been listing off the items he needed as he put them into his suitcase. Margalo already had hers packed. Since she was a bird, and hence didn't wear clothing, her suitcase was much lighter, due to needing to pack less. It just had a couple of crackers, a brush (to smooth her feathers), a pair of small headphones, a small camera, and a compass. "Why don't you pack some lipstick? You have some room in there."
"Lipstick? Was that remark just because I'm a girl?" she asked in annoyance. Her look of annoyance quickly changed to a devilish smirk. "Or were you hoping I'd kiss you out in the woods when nobody's looking?"
"No comment," the mouse replied, refusing to admit which one it was. "What are the crackers for? You hoping to meet a parrot and ask him if he wants a cracker?"
"Oh Stuart, stop the teasing! I'm packing them for a snack. I may be a bird, but I get hungry just like you mammals."

The two saw George walking by, trying to lug his Playstation 3 and several games in its own suitcase. He too had packed his clothing already. "I thought Mom said to pack light, George," Stuart remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"This is light for me. I'm going to be bored out of my mind there. A lake, woods, and little electricity. That's why I'm bringing this," he said, showing off yet another bag with a small power generator.
"You know Mom's going to notice that and make you put it all back," Stuart said, rolling his eyes at his younger brother. George was 11 and still very immature. Stuart and Margalo were now each about 14. This was Stuart's last summer before high school. And he was glad that his mother, or human mother anyway, Elanor had finally relented and allowed him to go on a trip to the woods. He had gone on and on about how, with how much she babied him, he was going to die an old man, still stuck at home, never allowed to go anywhere, and that his tombstone would read "HERE LIES STUART. HE WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING. HE WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN BEEN ALLOWED TO DIE, BUT HIS MOTHER HAD NO CONTROL OVER THAT."

Elanor had told him not to backtalk. His father, Fredrick, however, had agreed with his son's assessment, and Elanor had relented, though she still was such a nag that she outclassed any horse. She was the reason he had packed all the extra underwear, shirts, shorts, and socks, though he hadn't the faintest earthly idea of why he would need all of that. He hoped that, if he ever married Margalo, a possibility as the two did have a mutual crush on each other, that she wouldn't be as much of a nag as a wife as Elanor was as a mother. Nagging mothers, one could tolerate. Nagging wives, not such much.
"I can put my stuff down first. Then you and Margalo put yours down on top of mine. Then we put Snowbell on top of your stuff. Mom will never be the wiser," George said, smirking to his older brother.
"That will never work on Mom! You're fooling yourself if you think it will," Stuart said.
"I must agree," Margalo said.
"Mom can't even figure out how to work the new TV properly. I had to help her figure it out. I'm sure I can outsmart her and get this stuff all the way to Lake Garland before she notices."
"Be careful. She might just chuck it all in the lake when she finds out you tricked her," Stuart warned him.
"Nah, she loves me too much to do that."

At that moment, Elanor and Fredrick entered the room. It was already 9 PM and the the family planned to leave at 7AM sharp for the trip. George hid his forbidden suitcases just in time. "Oh, hi Mom, we were just doing some last minute packing," George said, trying not to sound or look guilty.
"Let me check Stuart's stuff."
"Mom, I'm going into high school . I must protest!" Stuart snapped in annoyance.
"Just let me-"
"Dad, please tell her to let me grow up."
"Elanor, Stuart's right. he needs to be allowed to grow up. If he forgets something, it'll be on him."
"Thank you."
"Just sticking up for you, son."
"Very well, if you insist," Elanor sighed in resignation. "But don't come crying to me if you've forgotten something!"
"You three need to get to bed in an hour. We have to be up by six," Fredrick said.
"Yes Mr. Little," Margalo said.
"Yes Dad," Stuart and George said.
"Margalo, I think it's time you go to your room and settle down," Elanor said.
"Can I stay the night in here?"
"Margalo, we like you at this house, as a great friend of the family. But don't overstep your bounds. We have a rule that no girls are allowed to sleep in the same room as our boys, especially a boy over the age of 13," Fredrick said.
"Just this once, please?" Stuart begged. He wanted to continue talking with his friend.
"Absolutely not!" Elanor said adamantly.
"Well, goodnight, then. See you two tomorrow," the canary said as she left the room.

A few minutes later, after their parents had left, Stuart said "Well, I'll be going to bed early. That way I can get up earlier."
"So you can chat with Margalo."
"Yep."
"I don't get what the appeal of girls is."
"Maybe some day you'll get a girlfriend too."
"That'll be the day!"
"You never know."
"Well, you can go to bed now. I'm going to play videogames until I have to go to bed."
"That will keep me up!"
"Well, we can't always have what we want, can we?"
"Oh, we'll see tomorrow when Mom finds all the games you've packed!"
"Are you gonna tell her? If you do, I swear I'll stick you in the dresser drawer and you can sleep there all night!"
"No, I won't be a snitch. But I'm just seeing what you can't see."
"You're wrong. I'll be able to pull it off."
"You know, girls don't like boys being rude like you just were to me."
"Well, I don't really care, because I'm not interested in girls and I never will be!"

At 9:59, Mr. Little poked his head into the room. "Ok, bed now boys!" he barked.
"But Dad, 10:00 is still one minute away and I'm so close to-"
"Now George!"
"Yes, Dad!" he sighed, putting away the video game.
"Goodnight George. Goodnight Stuart," Mr. Little said before exiting the room.

When he was gone, George said "Goodnight Stuart."
"Goodnight George." George closed his eyes. The mouse quickly added "Oh, and by the way, your plan isn't going to work. I'm telling you."
"Goodnight Stuart!" George sighed in annoyance.
"Goodnight George."