as the sun painted the hills with a rosy glow, the gang, after a restless and tearful night, resumed their journey along the train tracks. they walked through the serene landscape, surrounded by trees that stood as silent witnesses to their quest.
the group shared a peculiar slimy, purple breakfast.
vern, with a mouth stained in hues of purple, wasn't exactly keen of the breakfast choice.
"geez, gordie. why couldn't you guys get some breakfast stuff like twinkies and root beer?" questioned vern.
"sorry, vern. i guess some more experienced shoppers could have gotten more for your seven cents," replied gordie with a hint of humor.
persevering, the five pressed forward to the royal river.
after what felt like an endless trek under the scorching sun, chris, sensing a significant moment, stopped the group and directed their attention to the sight before them--the royal river. as they scanned the rocky hills lining the water with a canvas of clouds above, a shared realization dawned on the five.
"gentlemen.." chris began, "and lady, the royal river."
they absorbed the beauty, taking a moment to appreciate the scenic landscape.
teddy noted, "god, the tracks go way out of the way."
suggesting a shortcut, teddy proposed crossing the adjacent field, ensuring a faster arrival. on the other hand, vern was itching to stay on the train tracks. chris, seeking input, turned to caroline for her opinion.
"cals?"
"i say we cross through the field," said caroline.
"gordie?"
"yeah," gordie affirmed.
"let's go!" chris declared, initiating a spirited run through the field.
as the group dashed through the field, with tall weeds swaying in the wind, tessio initially hesitated, expressing his concerns about the potential dangers lurking within the woods. the others pressed on.
"you don't know what's in those woods!" vern shouted.
they ignored his cautionary words and left him behind. however, he eventually joined the lively pursuit.
the group then had to navigate through a muddy path, with the squishy mud oozing underfoot. this was a challenge that put caroline's white shoes at risk. despite their initial dirtiness, the shoes were now caked with mud, rendering them beyond recovery.
as they trugged through the ankle-deep mud, caroline, determinded to preserve what was left of her cleanliness, clung to gordie's back for support. the struggle against the mud became a shared adventure.
"i hate this shortcut," said vern adamantly.
the gang then faced the challenge of murky water obstructing their path.
"how are we supposed to get across this?" asked vern.
"i guess we'll have to use you as a raft, vern," joked caroline with a playful grin.
chris snapped a stick from a nearby tree and tested the water's depth. to their relief, it wasn't as deep as feared.
chris confidently declared, "we can walk across."
with newfound confidence, the group ventured into the water. the murky water then enveloped them up to their shoulders, leaving them completely soaked.
the moment caroline submerged underwater, she impulsively put her arm up once it touched her burn, since the water caused an immediate stinging sensation.
vern voiced his regret for straying from the tracks.
teddy, with water dripping from his hair, retorted, "is it me, or are you the world's biggest pussy?"
sarcasm dripped from vern's reply, "i suppose this is fun for you."
teddy seized the moment, grabbing vern's head and playfully dunking him in the water, causing splashes that reached chris, caroline, and gordie.
"come on teddy, act your age!" chris exclaimed.
after releasing vern, teddy defiantly proclaimed, "this is my age! i'm in the prime of my youth and i'll only be young once!"
chris, unimpressed, teased, "yeah, but you're going to be stupid for the rest of your life."
the boy in the glasses took it as a challenge.
"uh-oh, chambers you just signed yourself your own death warrant! you die, chambers!"
the trio then attempted to dunk each other under water. meanwhile, gordie and caroline, seeking the peace, sidestepped the watery antics, continuing their walk through the murky depths.
chris suspended the watery play, turning around with furrowed eyebrows asking, "hey, where do you guys think you're going?"
the boys swam over to them. in the ensuing chaos, chris fell on caroline, who then toppled onto gordie. vern and teddy joined the pile. as the group laughed, gordie noticed something on vern's neck.
vern dismissed it as a prank, saying, "yeah right, i'm not falling for that one, lachance."
caroline, who was wide-eyed, confirmed, "no vern, there really is something on your neck."
teddy identified it as a leech, leading to the collective scream as they discovered the unwelcome guests.
still screaming, they ran to the ground, frantically stripping off their wet clothes. the boys ended up in their underwear, while caroline, in her underwear and bra, joined them.
with urgency, they began pulling the black leeches off their skin, wincing at the discomfort.
"get them off!"
"help me! help me!
the group quieted down once they had removed all the leeches from their skin. gordie, however, paused, sensing an unusual sensation.
he looked down, opening his underwear.
"oh chris. oh shit, chris. oh shit, man."
wincing, gordie reached in and pulled out a bloody leech. the boys looked on, imagining the pain, while caroline had a twisted look on her face.
raising his bloody hand to his face, gordie's eyes rolled back, and he passed out, hitting the ground below.
everyone rushed to him, calling his name, and shaking him to see if he was okay.
"can you hear me? gordie, are you there?" asked chris.
"maybe he's dead," said vern.
"he's not dead, he's still breathing, you idiot," responded teddy.
"well i don't know."
caroline looked down at gordie, telling the boys, "cool it, you guys. he just fainted."
she tried to shake him again, seeing if he would respond. blinking slowly, gordie started to regain consciousness.
"you okay, gordie?" asked caroline with worry.
"yeah," he mumbled while getting up.
after drying off, they found themselves back in the woods, leaning against the trees. gordie stood slightly apart as the group deliberated about taking him back home. chris was pressing the idea of heading back, but caroline, on the other hand, held a firm stance that they had come this far, and turning back wasn't an option. she advocated for continuing the journey with gordie.
in the middle of the discussion, teddy, ever the outspoken one, exclaimed, "oh great, chambers, now you're turning pussy too!"
"what's your problem, duchamp? he had a leech hanging from his balls, he fainted!" defended chris.
"what are you, his mother?"
"eat shit!"
"you eat shit!"
as chris and teddy engaged in a heated exchange, vern spoke up, "hey, hey! i think chris is right. let's go back."
both caroline and teddy shot him sharp looks.
teddy commented, "what a suprise, the king of the pussies wants to go back too!"
"stop calling me that!" yelled vern.
"well, pussy," ragged teddy.
"stop it."
"pussy."
"stop it."
"pussy, pussy, pussy."
the tension in the group escalated, revealing the differing opinions on the path forward.
fed up with the bickering, lachance couldn't take it anymore. he raised his voice, yelling at the boys to stop their arguing. he made it clear that he wasn't going back.
picking up his belongings, gordie continued to walk away, leaving the rest with no choice but to follow him.