Synonyms For Better

Chapter 12 - Don't Forget the (Rabid) Raccoon

THE FEAST-slash-dance-party lasted for two more hours until we left. 

We all stumbled back to our site, feeling good after the huge feast and the impromptu dance party. We were sad that we had to leave at barely even ten o'clock in the night, but we had to wake up early tomorrow, so I was actually secretly happy Yumi had prepared for it even though none of us wanted to leave. 

We all did our nightly routines and everything outside, each having our own privacy behind trees. It was weird and hard and frustrating and slightly embarrassing, but it was a wild experience, and I took it for what it was...even when Bryon kept chattering through it all about a cool flower that resembled brightly coloured parrots in flight. 

I barely managed to stop myself from pelting Bryon with pine cones I found nearby. I had to channel my inner peace and realign my chakras but all in all no one was hurt. Still, I figured Bryon would go on about the health benefits of pine-cone-rain otherwise.

The next day, I woke up to find Jolene's position upside down with her feet on her pillow and her head where her feet would be. She must have turned at some point during the night; it was eventful to say the least. I'd slept like a log because I didn't want to somehow summon rabid chipmunks that had a penchant for kidnapping science students, or something equally scary. 

I carefully unwrapped myself out of my sleeping bag, chancing a daring look to assess the potentially traumatizing situation outside (hey, rabid chipmunks could be downright sinister!). 

...And, wow. 

No, there weren't any rabid wild animals, thankfully.

Instead, the early morning sky looked like something out of a magical fairy tale, what with the sun just peeking over the horizon and fluffy clouds starting to float lazily like giant cotton candy puffs. Species of birds that I didn't even know of started to chirp cheerfully, their songs harmonizing with the gentle rush of the river nearby. The air was crisp and cool, and it was just the kind of morning that made you feel like anything was possible, like the world was full of adventures just waiting to be discovered. 

Too bad my name wasn't Christopher Columbus or Vasco da Gama or Marco Polo...or even Finneas Ryder for that matter. I was just an amateur adventurer named Cora Turwal, alias Almond Baba. Sigh. 

As I started to step out of my tent, everyone else also started to wake up. I saw Finn and Renzo's tent open, and the flaps parted. Inside, I saw Finn shove at Renzo to wake up only for the latter to immediately just roll over and put a pillow over his head. Finn rolled his eyes and kicked at Renzo's leg before deciding to stick his head out the tent. He did so, squinting sleepily into the morning sunlight, hair tousled a great deal. I bit back a smile at the sight, and when he noticed me, he waved like we were long lost friends stranded on separate islands. The smile I'd been holding back now graced my lips and curled them upwards, and upon seeing it, Finn grinned back. 

And then I saw Priscilla stepping out of her tent, stretching, and that reminded me of the whole Miss Priss thing yesterday, so I hurried away.

After completing our, um, morning duties and routines, we all came back to sit around the bonfire to have breakfast, which was a bunch of colourful fruits that Yumi had picked but I didn't even know the names of. Still, they were delicious, and I could barely keep track of the names Yumi was explaining to us. 

This was supposed to be the end of this site, and we had to walk to our next destination, which was actually a small local hotel instead of an outdoor camp like this. I felt like I could definitely use some water from a tap and a mattress that was not a sleeping bag, and, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't have to worry about Bigfoot or rabid squirrels, so I was glad. Of course, I didn't mention this out loud, since this was a nature-loving trekking group after all; who knew, maybe they were secretly friends with the rabid raccoons. Unfortunately, however, I was not.