The story starts with Luis is looking around and sneaking about in the living room and leaps onto the sofa.
Money. In a large family, there just isn't a lot of it to go around. Which is why, when someone happens to find some, even the smallest amount...they gotta keep it to themselves.
Luis delves into the abyss between the cushions, his fingers brushing against the dark remnants of forgotten treasures. With a mix of eerie delight and bittersweet nostalgia, he unearths a solitary quarter. "Jackpot," he murmurs, the word echoing like a flickering candle in a tomb, a fleeting triumph in a world draped in shadows.
Just then, his younger siblings happen to come across him and his quarter. He places the quarter in his pocket and glares.
"We heard money! A dime? No way, I'm talking a quarter!" Charlie exclaimed, shooting a fierce look at Luis, like he was about to start a whole debate over cash!
"How utterly absurd. Money, like the shadows of our existence, makes no sound." Luis remarked, his voice dripping with dark irony.
"Oh yeah! Coins make noise when you drop them!" Larry yelled.
"Oh really? Coins totally make noise when you drop them, genius!" Larry shouted.
Charlie smirked, cracking his knuckles with a grin, "Oh, And that quarter? Yeah, it's practically begging me to take it home, 'cause it's definitely MINE!"
"Money, money, money! Sammy yelled while grabby hands.
Luis drew the coin from the shadows of his pocket, flipping it idly as he spoke, "No! You all just don't understand. I discovered this treasure in the depths of the couch, fair and square! It's mine, and it holds more value in this dark existence than you could ever comprehend!"
"Pardon me for a moment! If there happens to be a solitary quarter down there, it stands to reason that there may be additional ones as well!" Frankie remarked with an air of contemplation.
After a brief pause, the boys all pounce on Luis and fight over the quarter and the possibility of more under the sofa.
Leo and Delilah strolled into the room, their eyes widening at the chaos unfolding.
"What do you think they're squabbling over this time? A nickel under the ottoman?" Leo quipped, raising an eyebrow.
"My bet's on a quarter lost down the sofa!" Delilah shot back, a smirk playing on her lips.
"We gotta step in before they take it to the next level… you know, like full-on biting mode." Leo warned, crossing his arms and shaking his head.
Larry chomps down on Charlie.
"Hey! Larry just took a chunk outta me! Did you see that? I can't believe he bit me! You will be hearing from my attorney!" Charlie shouted.
Leo smacked his forehead, "Argh, too late!" He let out a sharp whistle, and the little Velazquest siblings halted their tussle, eyes wide. Just then, a tire smacked Larry right on the head.
"ALL RIGHT, FOLKS! GET OUTSIDE AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING BACK UNTIL YOU'VE GOTTEN YOUR ACT TOGETHER!" Leo bellowed, scooping up his baby brothers and booting them out the door.
"That's what you get for fightin' over money!" Delilah chimed in, hands on her hips, givin' them that look that could cut glass.
The kids all groaned.
"Boo You Stink!" Sammy yelled.
-Outside in the clubhouse-
Charlie, rolling his eyes, huffs, "Great, just great! This is exactly what I needed! Now I'm stuck out here, I was supposed to be practicing my awesome card tricks, but instead, I'm stuck with you goofballs! Ugh!"
"Seriously, you're a goofball too! You were totally fighting with us, you know!" Larry exclaimed, giving his twin brother a glare.
"Could you two cease this futile squabbling? That quarter was rightfully mine, earned with the purest of intentions. I am the sole innocent soul in this dismal scenario." Luis declared, slumping deeper into the embrace of the dark-hued bean bag chair, his expression as brooding as the shadows around him.
"We all bear a share of the responsibility in this matter," Frankie stated with a thoughtful expression. "Our disputes over money resemble the desperate struggle of a famished individual grasping for a mere crust of bread. Instead of channeling our energies into conflict, perhaps we could redirect our efforts towards collaboration. If we unite our talents, we may discover innovative ways to generate wealth that we can collectively enjoy."
The brothers exchanged glances, their eyes cast downward in a mix of realization and remorse.
Sammy looks around and was sad for a moment before raising his little hand, "Let's do it to it!"
That gets the brothers moods up and they all raise their hands to the air making a clothes fist, "Let's do it do it!"
"Alright, so check it out! How are we gonna make some sweet cash? I mean, should we just invent something awesome that rakes in the dough? Like, what if we created the ultimate money-making machine or something? That would be totally epic!" Charlie shouted in excitement.
"That constitutes counterfeiting, which is, of course, illegal," Frankie remarked. "Nonetheless, I believe I possess an apparatus that may assist us in locating the currency."
With an air of intrigue, Frankie deftly engaged a few buttons on his wheelchair, prompting the emergence of a rather unconventional device.
"What in the world is that?" Larry asked, raising an eyebrow, like he just saw the craziest contraption ever.
"Ah, behold the epitome of innovative technology!" Frankie declared, a gleam of excitement illuminating his features. "I must insist that you witness this marvel! This remarkable add-on, integrated seamlessly with my wheelchair, functions as a metal detector. It offers us the intriguing opportunity to search for loose change and, perhaps, even unearth hidden treasures."
"Treasure? How quaint. But I must shatter your dreams, dear younger brother. It's highly improbable that any feckless Pirates would have hidden their precious plunder in the dreary expanse of Royal Woods," Luis intoned, his voice dripping with an air of dark sarcasm.
"Oh and you're a pirate expert suddenly. Charlie said and rolled his eyes, "Plus, it gives us something fun to do today! A treasure hunt sounds like an epic adventure. Let's go!"
Larry bounced around excitedly, yelling, "Oh man, I can't wait to go treasure hunting! Let's kick this thing off, baby!"
The boys then searched around their backyard looking for a signal. Eventually they found one, the sensors chime and flashed.
"Ah, how poetic," Luis murmured. "X marks the spot, where secrets lie buried beneath the dark."
"Ooh! How delightful I love solving for X!" Frankie exclaimed with palpable enthusiasm.
"Alright, everyone! Step back!" Larry exclaimed, channeling his inner adventurous spirit. He digs like Knuckles from Sonic, his eyes catching a glimpse of a briefcase. His brothers gasped in awe, their eyes wide with excitement. Larry inspected it closely but quickly noticed the pesky padlock on the front. "Ugh, it's locked! But no biggie, I got this!" With a grin, he whipped out two wrenches and, with a determined tug, he yanked at the lock until it finally broke free. "See? Easy peasy!"
The boys open it. Everyone gasps to discover that there was a letter and a folded paper.
Luis takes the crumpled parchment, the edges worn and darkened with age, and unfurls it with deliberate care. His dark fingers trace the faded lines, a smirk creeping onto his lips as he whispers, "It's... a map, how delightfully tragic."
Charlie snatches up the letter and reads it out loud with excitement, "Whoa! If you're reading this, that means you found my family's treasure! It's the map to my great-great-grandpa, Captain Kep DeMonet! Just follow the clues, and you'll unlock where all the hidden moolah is stashed away! Signed, Mrs. Sharon DeMonet—yeah, the original owner! Talk about an epic adventure!"
"Ha! There were, like, totally pirates! Take that, Luis!" Larry shouted, pointing dramatically at Luis with a grin.
Frankie produced a tablet and remarked, "Upon conducting a search, I stumbled upon an intriguing narrative by Captain Kep. It pertains to the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, a truly calamitous blizzard."
-Begin flashback-
The vessel helmed by Captain Kep navigates tumultuously through the heart of the storm.
"He was returning home after a rather prosperous radish trade when he found himself ensnared by the tempest."
With great pride, Captain Kep unveils a chest filled with golden doubloons.
"Regrettably, he was compelled to abandon ship." As he leaps from the vessel, he proclaims, "Legend suggests he took with him all the gold he had acquired, burying it in the vicinity." Captain Kep reaches the shore just as a stray bolt of lightning strikes his ship, which succumbs to flames, sinking in a dramatic conflagration.
-End Flashback-
The others gasps.
"Ah, it appears that to embark on this dark quest, we must venture forth to the haunted grounds of Camp Mastodon," Luis murmured, his voice laced with an air of brooding mystique.
"No need for concern, my brother! This presents the perfect occasion to trial my teleporter!" Frankie proclaimed enthusiastically, pressing a series of buttons on his chair that emitted a laser.
"Wait, you haven't actually tested it yet?" Larry asked, his voice a bit shaky.
"Not as of yet; I had been procrastinating. But let us embark on this thrilling adventure now!" Frankie proclaimed confidently. He activated the device, and without warning, the laser whisked them away to Camp Mastodon.
XXXXX
The younger brothers arrive at Camp Mastodon.
"And here we find ourselves at the shadowy embrace of Camp Mastodon," Luis intoned dramatically, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"Splendid! My teleporter has proven to be a resounding success!" Frankie exclaimed with delight.
The boys erupted in cheers, marveling at the functioning teleporter before them.
"That means we're one step closer to the treasure, dudes!" Larry shouted, his voice echoing with excitement.
They all dashed over to the picnic area, spreading out the map like it was a treasure map from a pirate movie. "Okay, team! Let's figure out where we're headed next!" Larry exclaimed, a big grin on his face.
"Captain Kep marked our origin with an X, the very spot where we now find ourselves standing, engulfed in shadows." Luis intoned, his voice dripping with a melancholic edge.
"Okay, so like, where do we even go from here? Charlie spots this funky pamphlet chillin' on the table and starts flipping through it, totally hyped. He goes, 'Whoa, guys! Check it out! There's a s'more station! Like, how awesome is that?'"
"Commence your odyssey with a cryptic hint; let this creature lead your way through the shadows. Does anyone observe any specters of the animal kingdom?" Luis inquired, his voice dripping with an eerie charm.
"Check it out, guys! Found some!" Larry shouted, grinning from ear to ear. He had snagged himself a hornet's nest! "This is gonna be easy!" His excitement was contagious as he waved the nest around like it was the coolest thing ever.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Larry are you serious?! Put... the hornet's nest... down!" Charlie shouted, eyes wide as saucers.
Larry realizes and puts the nest down, which breaks. The swarm of hornets escape and fly up in the air.
Larry looked at the swarm of hornets, his eyes wide. "Uh-oh..." he muttered, panic creeping into his voice.
The others dove under the table, peeking out nervously as the swarm of hornets buzzed furiously around him.
"Run, Larry, run!" Charlie shouted, but he didn't need to be told twice. The hornets were hot on his tail, chasing him like it was some sort of twisted game.
As the others hide underneath the table, the hornets chase a screaming Larry across the area. He dashed across the area, dashing past the picnic blankets and knocked-over snacks.
But then, WHAM! Larry smacked right into a tree, and not just any tree—a tree with a clue! "Whoa!" he gasped, rubbing his head.
Charlie dashed over to the tree, practically bouncing with excitement like only Charlie Velazquest could. "Hey, Luis! Check this out!" he called, waving his hands animatedly, "I don't think the clue's an animal at all!" He squinted at the picture and his eyes lit up. The clue is a picture of a alligator holding a compass, "It's a pun! It's a navi-gator!"
The others have found similar navigational alligators.
Larry spotted another one and yelled, "Hey, check it out, dudes! There's another navigational alligator chillin' on this rock over here!" He grinned, excitement buzzing in his voice.
Frankie, gazing up at the branches of the tree, exclaimed delightfully, "Oh, what a splendid discovery! I have found yet another one!"
"They're trail markers! I have a foreboding feeling that if we follow them, they might lead us to the treasure, Captain Kit. How delightfully ominous! Here we go, into the abyss..." Luis exclaimed, a dark glimmer in his eye.
The younger brothers are trudging along the trail, and they suddenly come to a massive log, all gunky and covered in dirt.
"Wow, this thing is huge! No way we're getting around this," Charlie exclaimed with a dramatic sigh. "What are we gonna do now?"
"I say we climb it! A little thigh chafing is just part of the adventure!" Larry shot back with a grin, looking ready for action.
Frankie thoughtfully stroked his chin, stating, "I could certainly transport us through the air, though it may take some time. Regrettably, my chairs airborne mode is not designed to accommodate all of our collective weight."
While the brothers engaged in their discussion, a rather inquisitive Sammy gently nudged Frankie, eager to capture his attention.
"Stand back, I've got a chainsaw! RIM-MIM MIM MIM! *Breaths in* RIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM MIM!" Sammy said and pretend to hold a chainsaw.
"Sammy, you truly are quite remarkable!" Frankie exclaimed with delight.
With a swift motion, Frankie pressed a button on his wheelchair, which activated a chainsaw that effortlessly began to saw through the log blocking their path.
Sammy chuckled softly, basking in the affection of his brothers as they playfully tousled his hair.
-Cut to them on the other side-
"Hey, big bro! What's the next clue? I can't wait to find this treasure together!" Larry exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hmm. How utterly bizarre. It proclaims, 'Butts will lead you to your mark, where you'll head into the dark.' Butts? Seriously?" Luis scratched his head, a frown knitting his brows as confusion enveloped him like a shroud. There's a macabre twist to this riddle that unsettles him.
"Butts? Man, this clue really stinks!" Larry quipped, playfully bumping Charlie with his rear and shaking it like a goofball. Sammy giggled at Charlie's plight, while Charlie just rolled his eyes but couldn't help but crack a smile.
Frankie clears his throat, adjusting his goggles. "If I might interject," he begins, glancing intently at the map. "It's not 'butts,' but rather 'buttes'—a term from geomorphology referring to isolated rock hills characterized by steep sides." He then points with enthusiasm, "See there? That's an example of a butte."
The butte pops into view, and it's way taller than the brothers expected.
"Augh! Seriously?! How are we supposed to climb that monster?!" Charlie exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.
Cut to Charlie zips up in a bubble like it's no big deal. "Why did you even invent this crazy thing, anyway?!"
Not to be outdone, the rest of the brothers rocketed up in bubbles after him, all looking a mix of amazed and totally annoyed.
With a sense of buoyant excitement, Frankie ascended with grace in his wheelchair's flight mode, leaving his brothers trailing behind. "I am currently developing an innovative method of travel; bubble travel is destined to be the mode of the future!"
Upon reaching the pinnacle, Frankie ensured his brothers' safe arrival, liberating them from their constraints with an air of triumph. "What shall we embark upon next, dear elder brother?" he inquired, his eyes gleaming with curiosity and anticipation.
All eyes are on Luis, expecting a new move.
Luis slowly unfurls the map, his dark attire blending with the shadows. "The clue whispers of our path: 'head into the dark,'" he murmurs, his voice low and mysterious. He scans the surrounding gloom, eyes shimmering with intrigue, before gesturing dramatically. "HEAD... into the dark," he intones, as if invoking some ancient secret buried within the night.
"Whoa..." the others breathed, their eyes widening.
Luis stood before the gaping maw of a skull-shaped cave entrance, a dark grin creeping upon his face. The others were entranced, caught in the eerie allure of the sight.
"Ha-ha. It's a skull, bleak and foreboding. How delightfully wicked," he mused, capturing the moment with a snap of his phone, as if to freeze the haunting beauty of the shadows entwined within.
The group enters the cave.
Frankie leads the rest of the Louds through the entrance to the deep dark cave using light from his chair so they could see.
"Alright, boys! Let's keep it together—no touching anything! And that definitely includes you, Larry!" Charlie declared, eyes narrowing at his twin.
Larry is about to touch a sleeping bat. The moment Larry hears the 'don't touch anything,' he stops and grumbles, then re-joins his family.
The group stumbled upon a skeleton dressed in some seriously fancy clothes.
Charlie gagged and shouted, "Ewww, gross! It's a dead guy!"
Larry's eyes widened in shock, "Whoa, that is so cool! A skeleton! I've got to take a selfie with this!"
Frankie gazes thoughtfully around the room and muses, "Perhaps there is a hidden passage we are meant to discover?"
Luis checks over the "throne" and sees a button he presses it and The "throne" the skeleton is sitting glows purple. Everyone screams while the cave starts buckling.
The throne is pushed into the wall, this reveals a deep chasm where the skeleton's foot falls into. The brothers peek into the chasm.
Frankie beamed with delight and exclaimed, "Well done, Luis!" With a flourish, he unveiled his bubble machine. "Shall we descend together?"
The brothers navigated the chasm, gently riding in the shimmering bubbles.
In the new cave, Luis unfurls the tattered map with a flicker of pale candlelight. "Lend me your ear, for within these shadowed depths, a haunting sea song resonates, a lament echoing through the abyss," he intones, his voice rich with melancholy.
Charlie zooms up to Luis, yanking on his cheeks playfully. "Hey, you know what? Maybe we're meant to do something totally awesome with that funky guitar over there!"
The guitar is revealed with a glow from above lighting it. The group is surprised.
Larry whistled, "Whoa..."
"C. Kep" is etched into the back of the guitar, ominous and haunting. The group leans in, curiosity swirling in the air like dark smoke.
"It's Captain Kep's," Luis intones, his voice dripping with a melancholic intrigue. "Does anyone have the ability to summon its dark melodies?"
Charlie shot his hand up in the air, "Uh, I can give it a shot, but, like... I'm not a pro or anything!" He strapped on the guitar and hopped up on stage. "I've only jammed a little bit with Tommy—he's been my guitar teacher, so let's see how this goes!"
Then he kicked things off, strumming "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" like he was born for it.
"Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life's totally a dream!"
He played with a goofy grin.
Nothing happens. The rest of the brothers look at each other in silence.
"Hmm, looks like it didn't like that! Lemme check the map." Luis hands him the map, and he grins. "Oh, I get it now! SEA song like the letter C! I was totally playing in the wrong key!"
He tunes up the captain's acoustic guitar, then starts to play.
Charlie:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
The other brothers totally vibing and bopping their heads to the beat.
The power of the C chord is able to open something up in the cave; two more strums, and Charlie is bathed in light, which lights up the next part of the cave.
"Whoa..." Brothers but Charlie.
"Huh?" Charlie said. Now he notices, "Whoa..."
The others, mouths agape, move closer to the lit area.
"Whoa... We've unearthed the hidden secrets of Captain Kit's treasure," Luis declared, his voice dripping with dark excitement. "How utterly thrilling and haunting."
The treasure the captain left behind is a large collection of shiny coins and gems.
Larry yelled, his eyes sparkling. "Can we celebrate now? I mean, this is epic!"
Charlie fiddled with the gold doubloon, eyes glinting with mischief, "Wow, check this out! Perfect weight... shiny like my trophy shelf!" He gave it a quick chomp, grinning, "No crumbles, it's solid! This is the real deal, folks. Best treasure ever! Gimme, gimme, gimme!"
"Let's get this party started, dudes!" Larry shouted with an enthusiastic grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
The others cheer and run towards the treasure!
The young boys now bask in victory by cuddling the gold (Charlie), taking selfies with it (Larry), staying in a gold-encrusted coffin (Luis) and looking through a gold-encrusted spyglass (Frankie)... it is a beautiful sight.
"Gold fight, everybody!" Larry yells, tossing sparkling gold pieces at Charlie with a big grin on his face. "Catch 'em if you can!"
"Ah, my eye!" Charlie yelps, rubbing his face as the whole crew dives into the chaos of a gold fight. It's a wild scene, with everyone scrambling and laughing, trying to dodge and throw shiny treasures at each other!
Sammy pops out a jar filled with gold with a doubloon.
Frankie gazed intently at his tablet and said, "Oh dear, it appears the hour is becoming rather advanced. We ought to return home posthaste before our family becomes concerned."
"Whoa, hold up! How are we supposed to haul all this home? There's no way we can carry it all!" Charlie exclaimed in the middle of all the chaos.
Frankie beamed with delight, "Fear not, my brothers! This clever storage cube is more than capable of holding our precious treasure." With a flourish, Frankie produced an ingenious contraption resembling a cube. "Now, everyone, do contribute your finds!"
The others load up with all the riches they could ever dream of.
After the boys load up their riches they make their way out of the cave as two fuzzy shadows emerged. "Whoa, check it out! I'm leading the crew this time!" Larry announced, stepping up like the fearless leader he was.
Suddenly, low growls pierced the air, and the boys froze, eyes wide. "Ah, what was that?" Charlie whispered.
Larry, not one to back down, flicked on his phone's flashlight. "Look at these tracks! Pretty epic, huh? Animal tracks everywhere!" He beamed, his excitement infectious.
Lana knelt down to take a closer look. "Maybe they actually live here! Imagine! A hidden animal paradise!"
Larry pointed upward, motioning for everyone to look. "But wait! The tracks kinda just stop up there!" Just as he said that, BAM! A hairy wolverine burst out of a little cave, roaring like it owned the place. The boys jumped back, gasping in unison!
But not Larry—he stood tall, phone up, flashlight shining bright. "Whoa, check it out—a wolverine!" Larry's eyes go wide with excitement.
Suddenly, the wolverine's adorable little cubs peek out from behind their parent.
Larry just shrugs, totally chill. "Hey, no worries, everybody! It's just being a protective mom! Cute little furballs, right?"
Hearing this shifts Sammy's courage into overdrive.
"Well, look who's here, the big cheese!" Sammy yelled and launches forward, landing in front of Larry. Sammy lets out a guttural growl, and so does the wolverine; they lock heads. However, Sammy lets out a Godzilla like growl, scaring the wolverines and making them run away.
"Sammy! Totally awesome, dude!" Larry exclaimed.
The boys rushed over, wrapping their arms around their little bro and showering him with compliments about his epic voices. It was like a mini celebration right there!
XXXXX
After the treasure hunt, the brothers plopped down on the couch, ready to chill out.
"Hey Frankie, did you figure out how much all that treasure was worth?" Charlie asked, kicking his feet up and grabbing a snack.
Frankie beamed with pride. "After meticulously calculating the worth of the gemstones and the other valuable items we uncovered, the grand total amounts to $107.087711243."
The children gasped in astonishment.
"So, if we divide it among ourselves, that means we each receive… um…" Luis trailed off, a glimmer of darkness in his eyes, as if pondering the implications of wealth shared among souls as troubled as theirs.
Frankie beamed with pride, stating, "A splendid sum of 8.23751624946 dollars accumulated for our entire group of thirteen."
The children erupted in joyous celebration, elated by their collective accomplishment.
Money. There just isn't a lot of it in large families. But when there is, it's good to know that from now on, the kids will share it.
The End.