LMC Ch. 02: The Camping Trip

A little later, Beauty was building a fire so they could cook their dinner. Joe knew he had to return the motorboat that afternoon, so he said his goodbyes, and accepted more hugs and kisses than he'd ever known in his life! But as he made his way back down to the beach, he realized his boat was gone! He hadn't noticed it was missing while they were playing in the water, but his attentions had been on the four lovely, naked girls.

He thought about it. He'd pulled the boat onto the beach that morning, but in all the excitement, he'd neglected to tie it to a tree. It must have drifted away. He explained the situation to the girls, and they eagerly invited him to spend the night at their campsite. He could sleep in the SUV, as long as he promised to keep his fingers in his ears! He didn't understand the significance of that statement, being more than a little naïve. But he gladly accepted the invitation.

Hottie was teaching Sweetie how to roast a hot dog on a stick. Beauty was making a salad out of whatever vegetables remained, while Little Joe and Cutie sat at the wooden picnic table, sipping beer from cans that weren't quite as cold as they were yesterday. Most of the ice in the cooler had melted, although the remaining cans were still bathed in icy water.

More ghost stories and songs around the campfire followed dinner, and then the girls settled into their sleeping bags, while Joe tried to get comfortable in the back seat of Kristy's SUV. He still didn't understand the comment about keeping his fingers in his ears, though.

But before long, he could hear some very strange sounds coming from somewhere nearby. It almost sounded like moans of pleasure! The sounds continued for the first couple of hours after he went to bed. Joe wondered whether he was missing the opportunity to photograph some rare and exotic bird, one that only offered up its mating call after dark.

***

Early the next morning, Joe and the girls were rolling sleeping bags, loading supplies back in the SUV, and patrolling the area for any trash that may have blown away. Kristy had promised her friend they would leave the campsite as clean as they found it, and the others agreed they should.

The girls went down to the lake to bathe in pairs. Cutie and Beauty had gone first. Now, while Hottie and Sweetie were washing up, Bobbie Kaye asked Joe how he happened to be there. He explained how he'd driven to the town at the south end of the lake, and rented the motorboat there. He'd been off to photograph wildlife, as usual. Cutie asked him whether he'd had any luck, and Joe produced his digital camera so he could show off his findings.

"Oh, that's so cute," she said, looking at a picture of the raccoon in the camera's display window. "Beauty, come and take a look! Joe took some pictures of a raccoon!"

Gretchen walked over and peered in the viewfinder, smiling at the newest additions to Joe's collection. There were some birds they didn't recognize, a couple of them quite colorful. And a black-tailed deer! Joe had amassed quite a collection during this little trip.

"What's that one?" asked Cutie, squinting to get a better look. A small animal was facing away from the camera, and was blurred just a bit. Like it may have been running away from the cameraman. The little creature appeared dark in color, perhaps black, with a white stripe down its fluffy tail.

Kristy and Emily emerged from the lake and, still wet, pulled on the outfits Joe had brought them. Hottie meandered over to the table, curious what they were all looking at. "Who took the picture of a skunk?" she asked.

The next image showed the small animal already a little farther away. It appeared Joe had been pursuing the creature, trying to get a better shot. In the last image, the animal was escaping behind a tree. Beauty stared at the image closely, trying to make out what that was in the distance. Between two distant trees, it looked like a person. A woman. A woman with black hair. She zoomed in a little closer. It was Hottie! What was Bobbie Kaye's sister Kristy doing in Joe's photograph?

Then it dawned on her. The skunk that had sprayed them all was being chased by Little Joe! She glanced at Hottie, who had just arrived at the same conclusion. They both turned to face Joe, daggers shooting metaphorically from their eyes.

"It was you!" shouted Beauty. "You frightened the poor little skunk, and we paid the price!"

"What are you talking about, Beauty?" asked Bobbie Kaye. Kristy pointed at the picture, and Cutie realized what they were saying.

Joe was slowly backing away from the girls. When Cutie made a move for him, he started to turn and run. He never had a chance.

***

"You know," reasoned Sweetie, "accidents do happen. We all make mistakes."

"And Little Joe makes more of them than anybody!" replied Cutie. "In the history of the planet!" she added.

"He'll be fine," said Hottie.

"But he looked awfully uncomfortable," said Sweetie.

"Not uncomfortable enough for my tastes," argued Cutie. "I still think we should've poured honey on him, and let the ants have him!"

"But tying him to that tree?" Emily lamented. "And with that other rope tied around his... his..."

"His danglies?" giggled Kristy. "That's not the first time he's been tied by those, and I doubt it will be the last."

"The honey would have made it better," Cutie pouted.

"Honey can attracted bears, Sis," reasoned Hottie.

"And your point is?"

"What will he do?" asked Sweetie, genuinely concerned. "How will he ever get loose? How will he get back to civilization?"

"I've already alerted the forest rangers on the satellite phone, Sweetie," Gretchen reassured her. "They're probably already searching for him."

"How long will it take them to find him?" Emily asked her.

"Forever, I hope!" snapped Cutie.

"Don't worry, Sweetie," said Beauty. "I gave the rangers the coordinates, from the GPS device."

"Oh Beauty," Cutie giggled. "Those coordinates I read you? I might have read them backwards. You know, the latitude and longitude? I might have accidentally reversed them."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Sweetie. "He might die out there!"

"Don't worry," Beauty reassured her again. "I knew what Cutie was up to. I gave the rangers the correct coordinates." Sweetie gave a sigh of relief. "I may have been off by a mile or two," she chuckled, "but I expect they'll find him before dark."

"What time does it get dark?" asked Sweetie.

"About eight thirty," answered Hottie.

Cutie looked at her watch and smiled. It was a quarter past ten in the morning.

The end