by Perdita Finn
It was the first nice thing Ian had ever said to Dave. He was touched. “Thanks.” Dave smiled.
“Now come here,” said Ian, holding out his arms for a hug.
Dave leaned in. He and Ian were becoming friends at long last. And then Ian lunged for his necklace. The string tightened around Dave’s neck, choking him. Ian gnawed on the raw macaroni like a wild animal. Dave struggled to get loose, making the trees and shrubs around them shake.
On the other side, Theodore noticed the commotion. “The jungle monster! It’s real! And it’s angry!” He was scared.
“Or hungry!” said Simon. Which was even scarier.
Chapter 26
After all her work on the tree house, Brittany was ready for a nice steamy bath in her hot tub. She was going to wash her fur and get all clean and relaxed. She stepped into the water and immediately jumped out, screaming. It was boiling hot. Actually boiling. Scalding. What was going on?
And then she got it.
She looked up at the mountain looming over the island.
It was a volcano. And it was about to blow!
She called out to Alvin, Jeanette, and Eleanor to tell them what was happening. Simon and Theodore were still somewhere in the jungle on the hunt for Dave.
“A volcano?” said Jeanette.
“Are you sure?” asked Alvin.
“That’s why the water was so hot!” exclaimed Brittany. “It’s being heated by the underground magma chamber!”
Jeanette was surprised. She didn’t think Brittany would know something so scientific. “How do you know that?”
Brittany shrugged. “I have no idea! The place where I get my nails done always has the Science Channel on. Maybe I accidentally paid attention.”
Zoe ambled over to where all the chipmunks were chattering. “Hey, anyone small up for a little hike? Maybe to the waterfall?” She was making an effort to be casual.
“Not now, Zoe!” said Alvin. The whole island’s going to explode!”
Zoe looked horrified. “What? No, it can’t. Not now. Not after all this time…”
Zoe realized that she’d nearly spilled her secret. She recovered as quickly as she could. “Not after all this time that I’ve enjoyed living here.”
“Guys,” said Alvin, taking charge. “We need to get off this island. Fast. We have to build a raft—now.”
Zoe was frustrated. “Like, right now? Or like, right after a quick hike to the waterfall now?”
The island began to tremble. More smoke billowed out of the volcano. There was no time to lose!
Chapter 27
Ian and Dave were still struggling over the macaroni necklace, when it finally snapped and went flying. Dave fell to the ground, Ian went scrambling into the bushes, and the necklace wrapped around Simon, taking him down.
“I’ve been hit!” he shouted.
Theodore rushed to his side and saw the necklace. “How did the monster get the necklace I made for Dave?” he wondered out loud.
A moment later he saw Dave still sprawled on the ground where he’d fallen during his fight with Ian.
“Dave?” asked Theodore. He couldn’t believe it.
“Theodore!” exclaimed Dave, stunned. He scooped the chipmunk up into a big hug, and Theodore reattached the necklace around Dave’s neck.
Simon rushed over to them. “Dave? Ha-ha! I told you we’d find him!”
“Simon!” exclaimed Dave, wrapping him in a hug as well.
“It is Simone,” said Simon stiffly. “But I am often confused for this Simon fellow. Perhaps we look alike?”
Puzzled, Dave turned to Theodore. But Theodore had just seen Ian. He looked as frightened as when he’d thought a jungle monster was after them.
“Don’t worry, Theodore,” said Dave reassuringly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. Is it, Ian?”
But at that exact moment the whole island began to tremble.
“What was that?” squeaked Theodore.
Smoke was billowing out of the mountain looming over the island. The rotten-egg smell of sulfur was in the air. “Oh, just an active volcano,” said Ian.
Dave and the chipmunks exchanged terrified glances. They had to get off the island—fast!
Chapter 28
Alvin, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor were gathering up bamboo as fast as they could to make a raft. Zoe watched from a distance, plotting something.
Alvin was directing the whole operation. “Okay, Brittany and I will build the deck. Eleanor, you need to start braiding ropes. Jeanette? Who knows how long we’ll be out there, so find as many coconuts and mangoes as you can.”
Dave, who had just been led into the clearing by Simon and Theodore, looked on proudly. He waited a moment, pleased with how responsible Alvin was being, and then spoke. “What can I do to help?”
The girls whirled around, and Jeanette and Brittany rushed into Dave’s arms. Eleanor hobbled over on her crutches.
“Eleanor! What happened?” asked Dave, concerned, as he held Jeanette and Brittany close in a hug.
“I’m okay, Dave,” she chirped. “It was just a zipline accident.”
“A what?” exclaimed Dave, horrified. But then he caught himself. After all, maybe he needed to be a little less uptight. “Doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you guys are safe.”
Dave noticed Alvin was hanging back, staring at him.
“Alvin?” questioned Dave.
Alvin nodded.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” said Dave reassuringly.
Alvin nodded again, his lower lip quivering. Dave knelt down next to him. “Hey, what is it?”
And that was all it took. Tears spilled out of Alvin’s brown eyes. He’d been trying so hard to keep it together, to take care of everyone, to be a grown-up, but now that Dave was here he could be a little chipmunk again. He couldn’t stop crying. “I thought you’d never find us! That you weren’t even looking!”
Dave scooped him up into his arms. “What? Why wouldn’t I look for you?”
“Because I’m such a pain in the—”
Dave stopped him with a look before he could say a bad word.
Alvin began again. “I know, you don’t think I’m a pain in the—”
“Oh no,” interrupted Dave, laughing. “You are. But I’d come no matter what.” He hugged Alvin close.
Ian had been keeping an eye on the volcano. “Hey, what do you say we save the ‘everything’s okay’ hugs for when everything’s actually okay?”
Alvin couldn’t believe it. It was Ian. What was he doing here? “Dave?”
“Kind of a long story,” said Dave. There clearly wasn’t time for it right now.
“So, how do we get out of here, Dave?” asked Alvin, wiping his eyes and getting serious again.
“I think you’ve got this under control,” said Dave, pointing at the raft, which was almost finished.
Alvin smiled proudly. He jumped out of Dave’s arms and began giving orders again.
“Theodore, you and Eleanor are on rope duty. Dave and Ian, we need oars. Simone, you and Jeanette are in charge of food. Zoe…”
“I know, go pack up my balls!” said Zoe, and she disappeared into the jungle.
Dave scratched his head, puzzled. “Who is that?”
“Another long story,” chirped Theodore.
Chapter 29
Jeanette and Simon were gathering mangoes and coconuts to take with them on the raft when they heard heavy breathing from behind a bush.
“Did you hear something?” whispered Jeanette.
“When I am with you, all I can hear is the beating of my own heart,” gushed Simon.
“Oh, Simone.” As Jeanette swatted him playfully, a golf ball flew through the air and smashed into Simon’s face, knocking him out.
Jeanette spun around and saw the basketball rolling toward her. She started to run, but it kept gaining on her, and as she looked over her shoulder to see how close it was, she tripped and fell into a hole.
The bask
etball rolled over the hole and stopped, trapping Jeanette beneath it.
Back on the beach, the others were admiring the raft they’d built. It was floating in the shallow water with oars made out of bamboo and the feet from Ian’s pelican costume.
“It’s incredible,” said Dave enthusiastically. “And watching everyone work together to build it. I just want to say—”
But the rumbling volcano interrupted him. The whole island was starting to shake.
“It can wait,” said Dave hastily.
They were about to climb onto the raft when Eleanor realized that Jeanette and Simon were missing. Everyone began frantically searching for them.
It was Alvin who discovered Simon knocked out in the jungle a few feet from the beach. “Guys! Guys! Over here!” he shouted.
“Simone, are you okay? Simone!” said Theodore, shaking him.
Simon blinked open his eyes. “Why are you calling me Simone?”
“Simon?” asked Alvin carefully.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You’re back!” cheered Alvin. “It finally wore off!”
“What wore off?” Simon adjusted his glasses and sat up.
Alvin explained. “You were bitten by a spider. It, like, messed up your brain.”
Simon nodded, looking around. “Is that why I think I see Dave and a half Ian, half bird?”
Dave tenderly picked up Simon. “No, it’s really me. And really Ian.”
“ ’Sup,” said Ian, trying to act cool. He held out his hand, but Simon just stared at him, still bewildered.
“Simon, where’s Jeanette?” asked Alvin, who was keeping an eye on the volcano. “She was out here with you.”
Simon looked more confused than ever. “I don’t know.”
“I do,” said Brittany. She’d spotted the basketball lying on the ground. “It’s Zoe. She took her. Simon, I need to know where you found that gold bracelet.”
This was all too much for Simon. He didn’t have any idea what was going on. It was like waking up from a dream. “What gold bracelet?”
“The one you gave to Jeanette,” said Brittany, exasperated.
“When did I give Jeanette a bracelet?”
Brittany was getting mad. “On your date!”
“Jeanette and I are dating?” Simon looked dazed.
“Okay, he’s useless,” sighed Brittany. “Theodore, Eleanor? You’re going to have to lead the way.”
“I don’t remember exactly how to get there,” said Theodore.
“I do!” piped up Eleanor. She was thrilled to finally be of use.
Eleanor and Theodore clambered up onto Dave’s shoulder and directed him through the jungle along the path to the waterfall. Everyone else followed behind.
When they came to the deep gorge with the rotted log for a bridge, Theodore hesitated. “Okay, we just have to cross here,” said Eleanor.
Simon looked down into the gorge with the rapids hundreds of feet below. Then he looked at the old, rotted piece of wood. “Are you kidding? I can’t do that.”
“But Simon, you already did,” said Theodore. He didn’t tell him that he’d done it backward.
“No, I didn’t. That was Simone, not me.”
“But Simone is you,” said Brittany. “He’s in there somewhere. You just have to find him, and soon. Jeanette needs you.”
That’s what did it for Simon. Because no matter who he was or how he was behaving or what accent he was using, he had a pretty big crush on Jeanette. And he wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to her. But then he looked over the edge of the precipice again. “No, I’m sorry, I can’t do it.”
Dave was thinking fast. They didn’t have any time to lose. “Ian, take everyone else back to the raft. If the volcano blows before we make it back, you have to promise me you’ll—”
“Leave without you?” interrupted Ian. “Got it.” He picked up Eleanor and Theodore and began to run, with Brittany and Simon following behind him.
Alvin stayed put.
“Alvin?” questioned Dave.
“I’m coming with you, Dave.”
“Absolutely not; it’s too dangerous,” said Dave, putting his foot down.
It was a standoff. “Remember I said someday I might need to disobey you? That someday is now.”
Dave could see the determination in Alvin’s eyes. He couldn’t say no to that. “Let’s go.”
Alvin scampered across the log.
Dave took a deep breath, resolved not to look down, and slowly and carefully crossed over to the other side. They just had to hope the log would still be there when they came back.
Chapter 30
At the entrance to the cave behind the waterfall, Zoe was tying a rope to Jeanette. “You’re not coming up until I have every last piece of that treasure.”
The volcano was rumbling even louder now. The smell of burning filled the air as Zoe lowered Jeanette through a chipmunk-sized hole.
“But … but … the volcano’s about to explode!” cried Jeanette desperately.
“Then you better hurry, hmm?”
After a few minutes, Jeanette called out from the cave. “Okay! Pull me up. I can’t hold any more.”
But Zoe didn’t believe her. “If you can still talk, it means you haven’t stuffed your cheeks yet!”
There was a rustling noise from within the cave, and Jeanette mumbled something.
“That’s better,” said Zoe. As she started pulling on the rope to bring her out, the island began shaking harder than ever. Finally, she managed to lift Jeanette out. The chipmunk’s arms were filled with jewels—emeralds and diamonds and rubies and gold.
Zoe couldn’t believe it. She’d been looking for this treasure for years and she’d found it at last!
“Zoe!” chirped a high-pitched voice.
She swung around and saw Alvin and Dave.
“Not another step,” warned Zoe. She grabbed Jeanette and held her tightly in her hands.
Dave took a step forward and spoke softly. He could see at once how crazy Zoe was. “Easy, easy. Jeanette, are you okay?”
Jeanette spat out a few jewels. “I’m a little scared, and those earrings tasted awful.”
“Zoe, you don’t have to do this,” said Alvin.
“I don’t?” screamed Zoe. “I spent ten years looking for this treasure. It’s the whole reason I came to this stinking island!”
“So you didn’t crash-land?” asked Alvin. “You made that whole thing up?”
“They said I was crazy,” continued Zoe. “They said this map was a fake.” She held up a worn and wrinkled piece of paper.
Alvin peered at it. “I think that’s a place mat from a fish restaurant.”
“That’s right,” exclaimed Zoe. “I was working at the Crusty Anchor as a waitress. One day, an old man came in, ordered the all-you-can-eat popcorn shrimp and an Arnold Palmer. He didn’t have enough money to leave a tip. But he said he’d give me something far more valuable.”
Zoe flipped the place mat over, and drawn in crayon on its back was a treasure map.
Zoe was ranting now. “I found it. And all those people who doubted me—my shift manager, Dave Henderson; my assistant shift manager, Dave Henderson Jr.—they were wrong!”
The island shook again, and Zoe lost her balance. The jewels flew everywhere. “No!” screamed Zoe.
Jeanette took advantage of the distraction to jump out of her arms.
“Run!” commanded Alvin.
And they ran. As fast as they could.
At the gorge, Jeanette suddenly froze in place. She couldn’t move another step. She was still attached to the rope Zoe had put on her. Like a leash. Like a chain. She was trapped. Zoe was pulling on the rope, reeling her in.
“You’re going back into that cave! You’re gonna get more treasure. You hear me? You hear me?” Zoe was totally out of control at this point.
Jeanette was terrified. There was no escape. She was going to die in the cave when the volcano exploded.
But ju
st at that moment a dashing chipmunk swung through the air on a vine, as if in slow motion.
“Simone!” said Jeanette.
“It’s Simon!” yelled Simon, swooping Jeanette up into his arms.
But she was still attached to the rope, and now both of them were being dragged back toward Zoe. Simon tried desperately to untie Jeanette, but the knot was too tight. He tried to gnaw it, but it was too thick.
They were getting closer and closer to Zoe when a familiar voice rang out through the jungle. Alvinnnn! Dave was doing his familiar scream. Only for once he wasn’t angry. He needed Alvin right now.
He reached into his pocket, grabbed the pocketknife he’d taken from Alvin on the cruise ship, and threw it to the chipmunk—who caught it effortlessly.
Alvin knew exactly what to do. He sliced through the rope, Zoe tumbled backward, and the chipmunks and Dave took off toward the beach.
“Go! Go!” shouted Dave as they ran. There was no time to lose!
There was a huge blast. The volcano spewed smoke and flames and ash into the sky.
Jeanette and Simon scurried across the log over the gorge. Alvin followed. And Dave brought up the rear. He’d just stepped onto the log when it crumbled and crashed to the rocks hundreds of feet below.
Dave’s hands reached out and grabbed at the side of the cliff. He was hanging on for dear life over the gorge. The chipmunks on the other side looked back in horror. “Hold on, Dave! You can make it!”
And then a shadow loomed over him. It was Zoe. And her feet were inches away from Dave’s fingers.
Chapter 31
Ian, Theodore, Brittany, and Eleanor were waiting on the raft in the shallow water. Pieces of ash and soot filled the air. Embers were landing on the deck and threatening to light it on fire. They kept splashing seawater on them and anxiously looking toward the jungle. Where were the others?
