The boys gathered in an area that had been cleared of debris and tossed horseshoes. Erin and Brian were on one team, and Ben and Josh took the other. So far, they were bored silly, but the few pastimes set up had mainly a swing and slides for the little kids.
Brian's sister was swinging and keeping out of the boys' hair which Brian appreciated. They had even gated this area so parents could come in without fear that their offspring would wander off in the swamp.
"Wanna go to town?" Ben called out, tossing his horseshoe with little enthusiasm.
"Where?" Erin asked.
"Let's go to the cafe at the candy shop," Erin said.
Brian became aware someone was watching them, which drew the other boys' attention. Upon seeing Annette, the boys went back to what they were doing except Brian. He was riveted for a moment by her laughing eyes and her long hair. She was seventeen, so too old for him, but that didn't stop him from hoping.
"I was actually going to the cafe myself," she called. "You guys wanna come keep me company?"
The boys glanced around then nodded, dropping the horseshoes and tromped to the gate. It was better than playing these crummy games when all they wanted was to go to the clubhouse. But the deputies had been briefly placed to steer people clear of the swamp, and the clubhouse was no exception.
Josh had already advised them to sneak out of the shelter by pretending they had to piss then going to the clubhouse at night.
Brian motioned for his sister to come with him. He had promised to keep an eye on her, and he was mildly spooked over the drownings enough that he wanted to keep her safe.
***
Brian was glad to get away from the shelter to someplace with at least things to look at. His favorite was a large music store that carried albums and record players. He liked to walk up and down the alley and look at the end artwork on the sleeves. His little sister stayed with him hanging on to his shirt while he showed her the various artists.
Their mom was working at a cafe up the road, and they had gotten permission to take the bus to the city and hang out for a bit. She had even given him money for a milkshake at the local candy store.
Brian glanced up from what he was looking at and saw Josh talking to Annette about the bog mummy they had found. "They got some museum lady to go up there and look around," Josh volunteered.
Brian nodded. "Yeah, thought they might. Wasn't that the grodiest thing you ever saw? I mean, jeez, she looked like a girl!"
"Human sacrifices were always young," Erin declared. "But now, at least she'll have her story told."
"Do you think there's more?" Annette asked.
Brian nodded. "Yeah, probably, but the odds of us finding another one? Pretty much nill. Let's go get milkshakes; it's getting hot out here."
He took his sister's hand, and they crossed the road toward the candy shop.
Sweety's candy shop was a relic of the good ol' days. It had barrels lined up full of old-fashioned candy of all kinds. They also had chocolate-covered cherries and strawberries in a case next to the cash register. There was a long bar with stools that were soft pink. The best thing about the candy shop was it made the best shakes and root beer floats. No one even came close as far as the kids were concerned.
They ordered their shakes and settled down, talking softly and occasionally laughing.
"How do you think the bog mummy ended up at the clubhouse?" Annette asked, slurping her strawberry shake. "I mean, nothing floats in the bog, so it couldn't have just drifted to your island, right?"
Erin frowned. "You're right...It couldn't have."
Brian picked one of his cherries off his float and popped it into his mouth before speaking, "Maybe the earthquake made it come up...and somebody dragged it to our island."
Erin scoffed. "Why would anyone do that?"
Brian shrugged. "I'm just saying maybe they were taking it somewhere else and got tired, or maybe they were trying to scare us. I mean, if it didn't float that leaves walking, and she wasn't in any condition to walk anywhere."
"You got that right," Ben exclaimed, chortling. "But she is a mummy...and you've heard of mummies, right?" He held his arms up and outstretched, moaning.
He turned to Josh and pretended to strangle him.
They all laughed before changing the subject to more serious things, the stress of their parents and neighbors as they worried about having a home. The military personnel who roamed the tents and tried to help but making it rather hard to pretend one was in a tent camping someplace. They arranged to go to the clubhouse that night and hang out, and Annette promised to bring ciggies and beer from her dad's stash. Excited, they finished their shakes and headed out. The night promised to be fun.
