Three Chicks One Boat

Getting up the next day was much easier since we did not do shots all night and we all managed to get some rest instead of blacking out. Alaina was the first to get up and start cooking the last of our breakfast foods and brewing a pot of coffee. We ate, changed into our swimsuits and loaded the flat boat with some towels, sunscreen and water. We wanted to hit the water early before it got too hot and before Zeb came back for us. I didn’t think we would need to bring too much with us since I didn’t see us being out cruising the swamp too long. Starting the boat was easier than I expected. After a few pulls it jumped to life. I tried to remember what Zeb was telling us when he was talking about the boat but my mind was drawing a blank. I shrugged it off as Alaina and Kristy were getting into the boat slowly as if it was going to suddenly sink with their weight. They both relaxed slightly when they were completely seated and the boat wasn’t going down like the Titanic. Kristy untied the rope that was attached to the boat and I maneuvered the boat away from the cabin. I was surprised at how easy controlling the boat was. Within minutes we were zipping through the canals as fast as our boat would take us. Alaina was snapping photos with her camera and Kristy was videotaping our surroundings. The canals twisted and turned like a snake through the swamp. The other boats and swamp shacks we encountered along the way were sporadic. We would pause occasionally to take pictures whenever Alaina or Kristy would point to a particular area that they wanted me to move closer to. I didn’t think about how long we had been riding around until my stomach started to grumble and the engine started to sputter.

“How long have we been out here?” I asked, hoping one of them brought their cellphone or a watch. They both looked at each other and then me. Without answering me, I knew that nobody thought to grab their phone.

“I didn’t even think to bring mine because I figured we wouldn’t have reception,” Kristy replied.

“Well we should take that as a sign and head back to the cabin. We already drank that jug of water and I am hungry. Besides we don’t know when Zeb is coming.” Alaina mentioned as she applied more sunscreen and adjusted her oversized hat and sunglasses.

We all agreed and I checked to see how much gas we had. I opened the storage compartment and found a small can of gas stashed underneath. I put in what was there into the gas tank and prayed silently that this would be enough to get us back to the cabin. Alaina paid more attention than I thought when we were cruising the swamps earlier in the day. She pointed me in what felt like the right direction. It was more confusing than I remembered and things were starting to look different with the sun moving in the sky.

“Don’t you think we should have found the cabin by now?”, I heard Kristy ask Alaina. I knew she was right and I was actually thinking the same thing. “I recognize that tree with the blue X. You passed it when we were leaving.” She added. I circled around the tree and then saw an old swamp shack stashed in the trees that I didn’t recognize.

“It should be somewhere around here! If we don’t find it soon we will run out of gas!,” I started to sound nervous and didn’t want to scare them so I lit a cigarette and decided to let the boat idle for a second so we could get our bearings and figure out what to do.

“We need to get off this water by dark ladies.” I stated in a very calm and serious tone. I looked around at our surroundings. Every tree and water passage looked the same until I saw the neon ribbons in the tree above us. “And not to alarm anyone; I think this is where our cabin was.”

“What do you mean….Was?” Kristy and Alaina asked in unison. I pointed above us to the ribbons and to the floating soda can at the base of the tree. “Did our cabin float away?” Alaina asked.

“Well either that or someone moved it.” I responded. I started to get scared because we were low on fuel, had no food or water and did not want to spend the night being eaten alive by mosquitos or alligators.

“I bet you those guys from yesterday came by again and saw that nobody was there and took the cabin.” Alaina stated as though she solved the mystery. “Maybe they will bring it back.”

“Well I am not sitting around and waiting.” I responded. Kristy was silent or possibly in shock and not wanting to start panicking. I decided to try and find the shore that Zeb brought us from and hope that if we can make it back there then he can help us find the cabin. “How do you lose a damn cabin in the woods?” I thought to myself. The sun was lower in the sky and I guessed that it was late afternoon.

“Surely; if Zeb comes to get us and we are nowhere to be found he would come and look for us.” Kristy said in a reassuring tone to herself.

I lit one the last cigarette from my pack and maneuvered us in the direction we thought Zeb was pointing to when he informed us of where “Shore” was. Several minutes passed without anyone saying a word, taking pictures or video. I think everyone was praying that we would not have to spend the night on a flat boat with nothing but beach towels and bathing suits to keep us warm. I could see Kristy shivering as the wind off the water hit her while Alaina was already wrapped in two towels for warmth. I didn’t see any other traffic on the waterways and no clue as to if we are heading in the right direction. I didn’t want to start thinking that we might be going in the wrong direction just yet; especially with the gas starting to run low. I started to think that we had been moving for too long in this direction and that Zeb may not have brought us this way. The canals seemed to be getting bigger and I did not recognize anything.

“I see lights!,” Alaina yelled and pointed off to the left if us. “I think that is shore!.” It definitely looked like the boat dock off in the distance but it was hard to tell how far away we were. The boat started to sputter and make sounds that indicated that we could be running out of gas. Alaina and Kristy started holding hands and hugging each other for warmth and out of excitement of not dying in the swamp. I slowed the boat down as we approached the pier and the other boats lined up and docked.

“I think this is the place!” Kristy yelled as if she had just won the lottery. With the engine sputtering and sucking up the last bit of gas we got as close to the pier as we could to tie up our boat. “Hey, isn’t that our cabin?” she asked and pointed to our weekend home. We all stared blankly at each other and then back at the cabin. I could see Alaina’s shoes sitting on the side deck and Kristy’s bathrobe draped over the porch swing as I pulled up next to it.

“He came and got the cabin and left us out there?” Alaina said in a shocked tone. “Why would he do that?”

Just as she was asking Kristy and me that as if we knew the answer we heard a familiar voice.

“Well did you ladies enjoy yourselves out there?” Zeb asked with an innocent look on his face. He was standing at the end of the pier near the front of our cabin in his usual attire; overalls with no shirt. I am thinking that this may be the only piece of clothing he may own.

“Um yes, until you took our cabin and left us there!” Alaina snapped back at him. She jumped off the boat and turned around to help pull Kristy up. The two guys that we met yesterday walked up behind Zeb smiling. Apparently they are all related.

“Bien vous avez dit que vous avez voulu une aventure?” The smaller man said with his toothless smile. All three of the shirtless men laughed and continued to speak in French to each other about us.

“What did he say?” I demanded as I walked towards our cabin to see if any of our stuff was missing.

“That we wanted an adventure.” Kristy whispered with her cheeks blushing. Alaina was already throwing our things into the wheel barrel as if the cabin was going to disappear again.

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