The Adventure of the Magic Chia Plant

Chapter 6: Picnic by the Bonfire

It took them about half an hour to gather enough flammable material to make a respectable pile on the beach. The two boys made Bethie sit in place, holding the penlight up like a beacon, while they used their respective gadgets to collect as many pieces of driftwood and dead leaves as they could find in the surrounding area.

Ultimately, it became a contest, with the boys running to and fro, dropping their treasures onto two steadily growing heaps while their sister cheered them on. Bench eventually won by a small margin, and they laughingly crowned him with a branch with a few green leaves on it that they twisted back into itself like a circlet. By then, he was so sweaty that he didn't feel chilly anymore.

Following the descriptions they'd read in their adventure books, they dug a shallow hole in the sand. Brent made a sort of teepee with the sticks before piling the smaller debris underneath.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, touching it with the flame from the lighter.

Instantly, the leaves ignited, and in a few minutes, they had a nice fire crackling merrily on the beach, enveloping them in a comforting blanket of warmth. Within minutes, Bench's clothes were dry. Exhausted but satisfied with their exertions, the boys began preparing "merienda."

They poured out one cup of water from each canteen, leaving them about two-thirds full ("We have to conserve water in case we can't find the bottle right away," Brent told Bench seriously) and then laid out three packs of peanut butter crackers. They still had three packets of mixed nuts and three chocolate granola bars left. These would hold them for only about a day more, and Brent privately thought they would have to spend the next day foraging for food. They would probably have to make do with whatever edible fruits and nuts they could find, as they didn't know how to cook and had nothing to cook with anyway.

Just before they ate, Bench had the presence of mind to remind them to clean their grimy hands with the wipes and to use the sanitizer spray.

Brent started to laugh. "Mama would be proud!"

Bench grinned back. "And Papa would remind us to— "

"Pray!" Bethie chipped in, folding her hands. Obediently, the boys bent their heads and recited grace with her. It was a small measure of normality that made them all feel a little better, even so far from home.

They ate their crackers slowly, pretending that it was a real meal. Peanut butter had never tasted so good. Surprisingly, they all felt full afterward, although their parents usually gave them much more than that for their mid-afternoon snacks. Brent privately thought the food was enhanced by the same magic that had brought them here in the first place, which was a blessing. 

By the time the last crumb was gone, Bethie was yawning. "Tired," she announced unnecessarily. "Time for my nap. Where's Ate Nora?"

Brent clapped a hand on his forehead. He'd forgotten that their sister usually napped with her nanny. 

 Bench threw up his hands. "She went out to buy groceries. You'll have to sleep with us today."

To the boys' relief, the little girl frowned but protested no further. Even she could tell that it was an unusual day and that their usual schedule wasn't being followed.

"Okay, Bethie," Bench said, lumping the two backpacks together several feet away from the fire. "You can rest here." She looked at the makeshift pillow doubtfully, then lay her head on it experimentally. Within five minutes, she was fast asleep.

"Good work," Brent complimented him. "I didn't think it would be that easy."

Bench shrugged and stifled a yawn. "I'm sleepy, too."

"Go ahead," Brent urged. "You can burrow under the sand if you get cold again. Just do it horizontally, not vertically, like what Bethie did. I don't think I have the energy to dig you out."

"Good idea." Bench started excavating a narrow trench for himself. "What about you? Aren't you tired?"

"I am, but you know me. I can't sleep without reading first." After a moment's consideration, Brent took out his Kindle, along with the pocketknife, his binoculars, and the penlight. He then sat facing away from the fire so his night vision would return. It was another one of those things that he had read about in his books.

"It's better if we take turns sleeping anyway," Brent reasoned. "Someone should keep watch. You know, just in case."

Just in case something tries to eat us.

Bench sat back up, frowning. He hadn't thought about danger at all. So far, they hadn't seen anything overtly threatening except the weird blue, many-eyed octopus, but it looked like it couldn't leave the ocean. That didn't mean there weren't any other creatures lurking about, though, just waiting for them to lower their guard. He looked at his brother, armed with nothing but a tiny pocketknife that wasn't intended to cut anything stronger than tape. There wasn't much that he could contribute except—

"Here," he said grudgingly, handing over his precious flashlight. "Take this."

Brent hesitated before accepting it. "Are you sure?"

"I'm just lending it to you," Bench amended hastily. "It's much more powerful than that silly penlight. You can wake me up after a few hours so I can keep watch."

Brent tried to hide a smile. He doubted that he'd be able to wake up his brother at all, but at least he had offered. And for someone who was very possessive of his toys, his offer to share his flashlight was very generous.

"I'll take good care of it," he promised solemnly.

"You'd better," Bench said gruffly, suddenly embarrassed. "Anyway..." He glanced at Bethie, noticed she had inadvertently moved nearer the fire, and frowned. They'd forgotten how active she was, even when asleep. There were many times when she'd actually fallen off her bed. His eyes lit up, and he quickly made a two-foot-long elongated mound of sand beside her so she couldn't roll any farther. Satisfied, he lay back near her feet and was snoring within minutes.

It was funny. Despite Bench's claims that their youngest sibling was his mortal enemy, he still couldn't help acting like her older brother when it mattered—as long as no one called him out.

Shaking his head at the capriciousness of his brother, Brent opened his Kindle and tried to look for a useful title to read. Fortunately, he had charged it that morning—the battery indicator still read 97%. Scrolling idly down his list of ebooks, he came upon Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. There was something weird about the cover, but he couldn't put his finger on it. 

He snorted to himself. Harry Potter couldn't help them now. He might do better with The Swiss Family Robinson. That book dealt with how an ordinary family survived when they got stranded on an island. Did he ever download it? He checked his library. Yes, he had.  

He swiped to the first page and started reading. It was very interesting, even though the writing was old-fashioned and outdated. Brent barely felt the hours passing as he shared in the adventures of the intrepid family.  

He was more than halfway through the story when he suddenly realized what was so strange about his Kindle version of the book Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.   He flipped back to its cover and stared at the author. 

 Instead of J.K. Rowling, it now read: By Brent, Bench, and Bethie.