Chipwrecked

by Perdita Finn

  Alvin was fed up. “Okay, this is crazy. Building a shelter was your idea. Yours. Not mine. Yours!”

  The first drops of rain began to fall, and within a minute it had become a downpour. Alvin was running around gathering palm fronds to make a hut. “C’mon, everyone help me!”

  Jeanette grabbed a rock and tried to hammer a palm frond into the ground. It didn’t work.

  “May I?” offered Simon, holding out his hand and smiling at Jeanette.

  Jeanette gratefully handed Simon the rock. Surprisingly, he tossed it aside.

  “What are you doing?” asked Jeanette.

  Simon fixed Jeanette with a romantic gaze. “What I’ve wanted to do from the moment I laid eyes on you!” He took her by the hand and swooped her off to a nearby clearing to dance.

  Who was this chipmunk? It certainly wasn’t serious Simon! He twirled Jeanette in his arms and expertly waltzed her around the clearing. Jeanette was entranced—especially when he began singing to her, too!

  Alvin couldn’t take it anymore. “This is nuts,” he said to no one in particular. “They’re going to catch pneumonia dancing in the rain like that.” Wasn’t anyone else worried?

  “Is it raining? I hadn’t noticed,” gushed Jeanette as she glided by in Simon’s arms. He was still crooning to her.

  Alvin yelled at him, “You might want to save your voice in case we see a helicopter and have to scream for help!”

  Eleanor was watching them, and she was jealous. She wished she could dance. She swayed back and forth on her crutches. “I think it looks like fun.”

  Simon overheard this, waved Theodore over, and, without ever stopping dancing, whispered something to him.

  Biting his paws with nervousness, Theodore approached Eleanor. “Um, Eleanor? Would you care to dance?” he said, sheepishly.

  “I’d love to!” responded Eleanor at once.

  Theodore bit his lip, still unsure. “With me?”

  “Yes, Theodore. But I…” She pointed to her bandaged ankle.

  Theodore, suddenly inspired, literally swept Eleanor off her feet and danced her around in the rain.

  But Alvin wasn’t having any fun. “This is ridiculous! Do you know how slippery that dirt is? Last thing we need is someone else getting hurt.”

  Brittany was standing beside him, her arms crossed, furious. “I can’t believe Jeanette’s getting all the attention! I mean, I’m the pretty one! That’s the way it’s always been. I’m the pretty one, Jeanette’s the smart one. You don’t see me running around trying to be smart, do you? We should just stick to what we know.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Alvin. “I’m the fun one, you’re the pretty one.”

  “Yeah!” said Brittany. Just then a kick of Jeanette’s sent a clump of mud flying right into Brittany’s hair.

  Alvin shouted to be heard above the rain and the singing. “You know, you ought to be careful kicking mud around like that. Someone could lose an eye!”

  But no one was listening to him.

  Alvin lost it. “Simonnnn!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

  Brittany was startled. She cleared her throat, knowing already that Alvin wouldn’t like what she was going to say. But someone had to say it. And it might as well be her. “Alvin? You’re starting to sound like Dave.”

  Alvin froze. His eyes widened. His mouth opened in a scream of horror. And a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

  Across the island, Dave woke up. He’d heard something. It was probably just thunder, but he could have sworn he’d heard Alvin’s voice. He must have been dreaming. He lay back down and closed his eyes. Ian was watching him, and the moment he thought Dave was asleep again, he reached over and tried to take a bite of the macaroni necklace. But Dave swatted him away. It didn’t matter how hungry they got—he was never taking off his present from Theodore.

  Chapter 20

  Alvin walked along the beach, gathering pieces of driftwood that the storm had washed ashore during the night.

  “What are you doing?” asked Brittany, watching.

  “Building a shelter,” said Alvin, continuing to work. “Since I’m not the fun one anymore, I figure I may as well be the responsible one.” He shuddered. He didn’t want to be responsible, but someone had to do it. And with Simon turned into Simone and Dave gone, there was no one else.

  “Ew. Really?” questioned Brittany. She thought for a moment. “Well, since I’m not the pretty one anymore, maybe I should build a shelter, too.”

  “Yeah, good luck with that,” said Alvin wearily.

  “You don’t think I can do it?”

  “I didn’t say that. I thought it,” Alvin admitted. “But I didn’t say it.”

  While Alvin and Brittany worked in the hot sun, Zoe led the rest of the chipmunks through the jungle. Theodore and Eleanor sat on her shoulder, and Simon leaped over boulders and swung from tree branches. He was showing off for Jeanette. And Jeanette was impressed.

  Sometimes he’d pick a piece of fruit and hand it to her.

  At one point they came to a deep gorge, and the only way to the other side was to walk across a rotted-out log. Fearlessly, Zoe stepped onto it. On her shoulder Theodore trembled and grabbed Eleanor’s hand out of fear. But they made it across safely.

  Then it was Jeanette’s turn. She hesitated. It was a long way down. Hundreds of feet. And at the bottom of the gorge were rapids. She wasn’t sure she could do it—until Simon jumped ahead of her, turned around, and began walking backward across the log with his hands held out to her. Jeanette was frozen with fear. Simon gently lifted her chin so that she was looking right into his eyes and smiled at her reassuringly. Jeanette smiled back. She took a step. And then another. Step by step, never losing eye contact, Simon led her across the gorge.

  And it was worth it.

  Because on the other side was the most fantastic waterfall any of them had ever seen. The sun shone through sprays of crystal-clear water, creating two beautiful tropical rainbows.

  “Whoa,” exclaimed Zoe in an awed voice. “It’s a double rainbow all the way! Whoa… What does it mean?”

  Chapter 21

  Dave was exhausted. He took a sip from a muddy stream and sighed.

  “What is it now?” asked Ian.

  “Nothing,” answered Dave. “I’m just worried about the chipmunks.”

  “Still?” said Ian, disgusted.

  “Yes, still! They’re still lost and I’m still worried about them.”

  “I don’t know why you’re so worried,” said Ian. “I mean, alive they’re superstars. Dead … they’re legends!” He grinned. “We’re talking back-catalog sales, tribute albums, pay-per-view funeral…”

  Dave looked horrified. “Hold it right there. You actually think I’m in this for the money?”

  “If you’re in it to meet women, you’re doing a lousy job.”

  “I’m doing this because I love them, okay? And if something happened to them, I don’t know what I’d do. Fine, go ahead, make fun of me.”

  Ian was staring at him, a smug smile on his face. “I can’t. What could I possibly say that would make you feel stupider than you already are? You want to spend the rest of your life chasing after a bunch of spoiled brats, that’s up to you.”

  Dave exploded. “They’re not brats!”

  “Really?” sneered Ian. “Not even Alvin?”

  “You never bothered to get to know them. I mean, sure, Alvin can be kind of a handful, but he means well, he really does. He’s just sometimes a little irresponsible, that’s all. But c’mon: Simon? He’s probably the most levelheaded kid I know. If anything, he’s a little too uptight.”

  Dave could never have imagined that at that exact moment Simon was swinging from vines into a waterfall while Alvin was working in the hot sun to build a shelter for his friends. Things had really changed.

  “And then there’s Theodore…”

  Ian could barely contain his boredom. “Dave, I didn’t care what you had to say about the first two. I can’t imagine
the chubby one is going to be any more interesting.”

  “You know what? Never mind,” said Dave. “Let’s get going.”

  “Now hold on, Dave. I do have one question.”

  “What?”

  Ian looked thoughtful. At last, he said, “How do you spank them?”

  Dave blew up. “What?” he screamed.

  “I mean, what do you do?” Ian taunted him. “Lift up their tails or something?”

  “I don’t spank them!” said Dave forcefully. Even the idea of it was upsetting to him.

  “Oh, okay. Sorry.” Ian smirked. A wicked smile passed across his face. “Not even Alvin?”

  “No!” yelled Dave. And he stormed off into the jungle with Ian following him.

  Chapter 22

  Simon dived into the pool beneath the waterfall. His enormous chipmunk cheeks were filled with air, and he was able to swim deep underwater. When he surfaced, he was actually in the space between the waterfall and the cliff. Behind him the water rushed down like a moving wall. In front of him a large pile of rocks blocked what looked like the entrance to a cave. Simon was curious. He pulled himself out of the water and managed to squeeze his tiny body between the cracks. He was ready to explore!

  The walls of the cave gave off a pale green glow from a special kind of algae. It was magical. And even more magical was what Simon saw in the pale light. His eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe it! He couldn’t wait to surprise Jeanette with what he’d found.

  Beside the pool the other chipmunks were getting worried. Simon had been underwater for a long time.

  “He should have come up by now,” Eleanor fretted.

  “Maybe he hit his head on a rock and doesn’t remember who he is!” said Theodore, panicked. He called out, “Simon, where are you?”

  “Zoe, you gotta do something!” begged Jeanette.

  “Okay, okay!” said Zoe, lazily getting up. She pulled the golf ball out of her pocket. “Callaway, find him and bring him back!” Zoe flung the ball right into the waterfall.

  The chipmunks exchanged anxious glances. “You’re kidding, right?” muttered Jeanette.

  “If Callaway can’t find him, no one can,” said Zoe confidently.

  And somehow she was right. A second later, Callaway flew right back to Zoe, who caught him in her hand. The chipmunks barely had enough time to wonder how that was possible, when Simon jumped out of the water right in front of them.

  “Simone!” said Jeanette, relieved.

  “Sorry if I caused you any worry, mademoiselle,” said Simon with his usual extravagance. “Allow me to make it up to you.” He held out a gold bracelet.

  Jeanette couldn’t believe it! “It’s beautiful! Where did you find it?”

  “Yeah, it is beautiful. Where did you find it?” Zoe’s eyes narrowed. She was studying Simon suspiciously.

  “In a cave behind the waterfall,” answered Simon. But he wasn’t really paying attention to Zoe. He only had eyes for Jeanette. “I thought it would look nice on you, but now I realize that even the most perfect gem cannot compare to your beauty.” He placed the bracelet on Jeanette’s wrist.

  “Awww!” gushed Jeanette.

  “Awww!” said Eleanor.

  “Awww!” said Theodore.

  Only Zoe wasn’t affected by the romance. “So were there any other bracelets?” she questioned Simon. “Or necklaces? Or gold coins?”

  Simon shrugged. “I do not know. By the time I found the bracelet, I had already been gone from my Jeanette far too long.”

  “Awww!” giggled Theodore again.

  The chipmunks crowded around Jeanette to look at the beautiful gift. They didn’t notice Zoe hurrying away through the jungle back to her camp.

  “Guys, guys!” Zoe whispered excitedly to her various tennis balls and footballs and basketballs. “They found it! They found it!”

  Zoe knelt down in the sand and started digging frantically until she’d uncovered a shovel. “And the best thing is, they have no idea what they found. They think it’s just one bracelet.” In her eyes was a mad gleam. “The rest is mine, all mine!”

  Zoe froze, embarrassed, as she looked at the faces of the different balls staring back at her. “I’m sorry, guys. Ours, all ours!”

  She laughed crazily. She was out of her mind.

  Chapter 23

  By the end of the day, Alvin was putting the finishing touches on his driftwood hut. It looked pretty good, if he said so himself. Now it was time to help poor Brittany. “Okay, Brit,” he announced. “I’m all done. If you want, I can help get you started.”

  But then he saw Brittany’s shelter.

  It wasn’t a hut. It was a masterpiece. Somehow Brittany had created this amazing tree house with different levels and rooms and an extension that connected to her hot spring. She’d even made her own hot tub!

  “Whoa,” said Alvin, awed. “You know, maybe you are kind of the smart one. That tree house is awesome.”

  “Thank you, Alvin,” said Brittany. She knew she’d won. “And yours … is … well, you did your best. Anyway, no reason we can’t be comfortable and stylish while we wait for Dave to show up, right?”

  Alvin suddenly felt uncomfortable. He’d been thinking a lot about Dave. What was worse, he’d been thinking about how he’d treated Dave when they were onboard the cruise ship.

  “Um, Brittany, I think I know why Dave hasn’t come,” he admitted.

  “You do?” said Brittany eagerly. “Why?”

  Alvin took a deep breath. “Because he’s not even looking,” he said.

  “Alvin, why wouldn’t he be looking for us?”

  “Because I drive him crazy. You know the way Simon’s been driving me crazy? That’s what I’ve been doing to Dave. For years. No wonder he hates me.” He sat down in the sand, more depressed than he’d ever been.

  But Brittany refused to accept this. “What do you mean? Dave’s not coming for us? We’re stuck here forever?”

  Alvin put his head in his hands. He knew it was true. And it was his fault.

  Brittany actually felt sorry for Alvin. “Don’t worry, Alvin,” she said, more sweetly than usual. “I’m sure Dave will come. I mean, he certainly loves Simon and Theodore.”

  Alvin sighed.

  Neither Alvin nor Brittany realized that Theodore had been walking by at just that moment—and had heard everything. He scampered through the jungle looking for Simon and finally found him as night was falling.

  The stars were coming out, and Simon was gazing up at them as Theodore, clearly upset, ran up to him.

  He had tears in his eyes. “Simon? Is Dave ever going to find us?”

  Simon didn’t respond.

  “Simon?”

  Again there was no response.

  And then Theodore figured out the problem. “Simone?” he said, trying to sound French.

  “I’m sorry, were you speaking to me?” Simon said at once.

  “Yes! About Dave! Where is he?”

  “I see you are sad, mon ami, my friend,” sympathized Simon. “And I hate to see you sad. I shall make it my business to find this Dave friend of yours.”

  “You really think you can find him?” asked Theodore.

  “I know I can!”

  Theodore looked so relieved. Everything was going to be okay.

  “And then,” said Simon, “I will find this Simon you keep speaking of!”

  This was getting worse and worse! What were they going to do?

  Chapter 24

  Zoe kept glancing left and right to make sure no one was following her. In one hand she held a shovel, and in the other, a torch that gave off just enough light for her to make her way around the ledge by the pool to the waterfall. She slipped behind the wall of water and saw the entrance to the cave glowing green in the darkness. But the pile of rocks in front of the entrance blocked her way. She tried to pull out the boulders, but they were too big. She tried to use her shovel as a wedge, but she wasn’t strong enough. She tried to squeeze herself between
the cracks, but she was too big. There was no way into the cave where the treasure was hidden. Unless you were really, really small.

  Only a chipmunk could reach the treasure.

  Chapter 25

  Another day dawned as Simon and Theodore searched the jungle.

  “As Dave and I have never met, I will need you to describe him for me,” Simon said.

  Theodore thought hard. “He’s very kind and a good storyteller.” He paused and then scampered up a tree and held out his hand. “And he’s about this tall.”

  “Mmm, very helpful,” said Simon, peering at the jungle floor. “Is he by chance a large, flightless bird?”

  “I don’t think so,” said Theodore. He was pretty sure Dave was just a guy.

  Simon sighed and straightened up. “Then these footprints are not his.” He pointed at the large web-footed prints in the mud. They looked like they could have been made by a giant pelican.

  “Jungle Monster!” screamed Theodore.

  Not too far away, Dave and Ian were also slogging through the brush.

  “Did you hear something?” asked Dave, listening.

  “Yeah, my stomach grumbling,” Ian answered.

  “No,” said Dave. “Maybe it was a helicopter. Listen!”

  Ian’s stomach grumbled.

  “Face it, Dave: No one’s coming for us. My stomach noises are going to get louder and louder and louder, until one day they finally stop. Because I will have eaten you.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” said Dave hopelessly. “Maybe no one’s coming. Maybe the chipmunks aren’t here at all. Maybe they’re gone.” He sighed. “I really messed up. You may as well eat me now.”

  “Hey, Dave,” said Ian. “Okay, it kills me, kills me to say this, but you did nothing wrong. You’re really good with those kids, and they really love you. And I should know because I was really bad with them, and they really hated me. Whatever happens next, you should know you did nothing wrong.”