Cherry Meets the Wild Thornberrys

chapter 16

Atticus and Debbie were sleeping in a shelter that Boko's tribe had given them until they both decided to wake up as soon as they saw that the sun was out.

"Well, it's time to get up." Atticus said as soon as he saw the sun out.

Debbie groaned a little as she sat up and held her head. "Oh..." she saw there was a native cloth given to her. "I'd look so hot in this..." she then decided to wear it and join Atticus outside of the shelter.

The natives went about their normal business as their guests came out to see everybody.

"Morning, everyone." Atticus said in the natives' language.

The others greeted him back with friendly smiles. Boko came up to the two with leaves filled with a crunchy substance.

"Oh, thanks," Debbie sounded relieved and started to eat it. "This is crunchy... What kind of cereal is this?"

Boko pointed to an ant hill where children were collecting ants.

"I would translate to you of what you said, but I think you already get the idea of what kind of food it is, and where he got it from." Atticus said.

"Delicious..." Debbie gulped with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, and Debbie, guess what the villagers brought back from the mud pit?" Atticus asked her.

"What...?" Debbie wondered, then saw a group of the villagers bringing over the Congo-Com and it had been rid of the mud, much to her relief and joy. "Oh, thank you!" she then rushed to it and took out a cola can. "My soda!" she then popped it open and started to drink it down.

Boko walked over closer to her.

"Oh, sorry," Debbie smiled apologetically and offered him the can. "Do you want some?"

Boko took the can, wondering what it was and tried some himself since Debbie had some.

"It's called soda." Atticus told him in the native language.

Boko drank some of the soda, but it made his face wrinkle in slight disgust. He had never tasted anything like it before, but it made his nose bubble. "Delicious?" he said, trying to use Debbie's language to be polite.

Debbie smiled, but heard her watch alarm going off. "We're really late for the whole 'finding our family' thing." she told her new friend.

Boko admired Debbie's watch and complimented it.

"He says 'That's a very beautiful trinket'." Atticus translated for Debbie.

"It's pretty cool, huh?" Debbie smiled, showing him her watch, now sounding like a commercial. "And it's water-proof for up to three feet. Hey, why don't you keep it?" she asked before she gave her watch to him.

Boko took the watch as the alarm went off and he spoke fondly of it.

"'Thank you, Debbie, I'll treasure it'." Atticus translated.

"Oh, and thanks for the skirt," Debbie remembered as she looked to her new lower wear. "You did give me this, right? Boko give Debbie?"

Atticus was about to ask Boko if he did give it to her.

"Debbie give Boko?" Boko asked, pointing to his new present.

"Yes!" Debbie smiled at him. "Oh, I am so good at this communication stuff."

"Yeah, you really are, but I think that we really need to get going." Atticus said.

The natives came to make sure they would be all right and even some kids tried to climb aboard.

"We'll be fine, really," Debbie said to the natives as she put her helmet on. "I know exactly where we're going." She then started the engine and told the natives goodbye as she rode off with Atticus in the buggy seat.

"Debbie, watch out for the vines!" Atticus called.

Debbie looked to see the vines, they clung to her and made her fall out of the Congo-Com. The natives winced and shook their heads at her little accident.

"Um, Debbie, maybe I should drive." Atticus suggested.

Debbie gave in and let him, after stumbling slightly and stammering in front of Boko before she took her leave with Atticus as he got behind the wheel and she rode in the buggy. The tribe leader saw that Boko wanted to help Debbie, so he allowed him to.

"Boko, what're you doing here?" Atticus asked in the native language.

Boko explained that he wanted to help them with the dangers of the jungle due to growing up in it and he would know exactly what to do if they faced anything dangerous or life-threatening.

"Well, I guess the more the merrier, you can come with us." Atticus smiled while talking in Boko's language.

Debbie was about to decline until she saw Boko was able to wrestle, take down, and throw off a dangerous and poisonous snake. When she saw this, she took out an extra helmet to the native boy. "You think this'll fit?"