After a long shower, Gabriel and Misha returned to the campsite. The pungent odor that lingered around assaulted their noses, making them want to turn on their heels and rush back to the bathroom, where it smelled nice and fresh—at least, in comparison.
Pinching their noses, they scanned the campsite, looking for Masha and Gulnas. They quickly found them, the light of the flashlight illuminating their backs, and when they grew closer, they saw how they dealt with the terrible odor: by plugging their noses with tissues.
The girls looked foolish with the twisted white Kleenex stuffed up their nostrils, making their noses appear more prominent and rounder, almost like a ball. Misha couldn't restrain himself and roared with laughter. He knew he shouldn't laugh, but he couldn't restrain himself! And, of course, laughing at his sister's expense earned him a light knock on the head.
With a smile that wasn't quite a smile, Masha shook a box of white tissues under her brother's nose and mischievously said, "You shouldn't laugh. In a short while, you will look as stupid as we do unless you want to abuse your nose for the rest of the night. It's not like the stench will disappear any time soon."
…His sister's grin could be so annoying sometimes!
Lowering his head, Misha reluctantly picked two Kleenex, glaring at them before stuffing them in his nostrils. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, hindering his breathing, but the odor did become less intense. Although he could still smell it faintly, it was bearable, and his stomach didn't churn as much.
Once Misha was done, he not-so-discreetly peeked at Gabriel's grimacing face, which comforted him a little. Looks like he wasn't the only one who found the sensation unpleasant.
Afterward, the four of them decided to sleep in Mrs. Brown's tent. It was a little cramped, but it was better than the other tent doused in skunk's spray. Misha thought he wouldn't be able to fall asleep with things stuffed in his nose, yet he was the first to close his eyes and enter dreamland.
He even had a good sleep. The same couldn't be said for the other three, though. In addition to the strange sensation in their noses, they also had to endure the child's loud snores and bad sleeping habits.
The next day, Misha was the last to wake up, and when he met with Masha, his mother, and Gabriel, the first thing he noticed was the dark circles under their eyes. He wisely decided not to comment and silently ate his breakfast.
Since they didn't want to spend the day with tissues stuffed in their nostrils, they decided to go to the beach. There, they could relax while thinking about what to do next. The terrible stench pervaded the campsite, and even their clothes reeked. Staying in such an environment for the rest of their vacation was out of the question. They didn't know how long it'd take for the stench to disappear, but it should at least take a few days.
.
.
At the beach.
Misha sullenly sat on the sandy ground and stared at his joyful sister with dissatisfaction.
When he wasn't paying attention, she had jumped on Gabriel's back, wrapping her long legs around his waist and pressing her breast against the teenager's back. She was like an octopus that plastered itself against an ugly rock.
Who knows why, but Misha could understand his parents' old-fashioned way of thinking all of a sudden. The teenagers were too close, and there was too much skin-to-skin contact between them! Moreover, his sister's swimsuit was too revealing, making him want to tightly wrap his towel around her chest. Although her bikini was cute, a bright blue one with lacing and ruffle, it didn't cover enough, attracting the greedy gaze of many men.
'It'd be great if the flies could drop dead,' he resentfully thought, wishing he could shove his fingers in their eyes and poke them out.
Because his ankle had just healed and was still weak, his mother had told him to stay put, and Misha could only watch the two teenagers play in the water. There was nothing he could do, and glaring at the teenagers wouldn't bring them back to shore, so he decided to shift his gaze. He took the plastic shovel and the bucket his mother had given him and started to build a sandcastle to pass the time.
Slowly, he got engrossed in digging and forgot about his grievance. After an hour or so, his castle became more and more exquisite, making him feel quite proud. He even added pebbles and broken pieces of seashells to the walls, trying to embellish his work.
At some point, the teenagers came back and spoke with his mother, who was quietly reading by his side. Gabriel suggested renting a chalet for the next few days, and after deliberations, Gulnas went to the front desk to ask if there was a free one. After repeatedly explaining what had happened, the front desk lady, whose knowledge of the English language was a bit lacking, became more considerate, checking for a chalet that wasn't too far on foot.
Afterward, they left the beach, retrieved their luggage, and went to the chalet, which was about a 40-minutes walk away from the campsite. It was a long walk in the forest, and the trail was sometimes very steep, sometimes very torturous.
In no time, Misha was panting as if he had run a marathon, and his sweaty hair clustered around his small, round face. Anyone who had eyes could tell he was exhausted. He thus ended piggyback riding on Gabriel's back once again, pouting and sulking.
"I'm not that tired!" he mumbled, gripping the teenager's shoulders. "I can walk on my own!"
"Yes, and trip and hurt your ankle again!" Masha admonished. "Just let Gabriel give you a ride!"
Misha opened his mouth to protest, but his sister's warning glance made him swallow back the words at the tip of his tongue. Fine! He'd just use Gabriel as his personal horse! And if he dropped dead tired afterward, it wouldn't be his fault!
Time slowly passed until they reached the chalet atop a small cliff. It was made of logs, and the bright color of the wood told them that it had been built recently. It had one floor and three rooms: two bedrooms and a living room that included the kitchen. It wasn't big, but the open areas gave off a spacious feeling. As for the toilet, it was outside, hidden in a wooden cabin.
There was a double bed for the parents in one bedroom and two single beds for kids in the second room. It was decided that Masha and her mother would sleep together while the boys would share a room, making Gabriel wince in his heart.
Bad habits were hard to break, and he feared the boy would hide his glasses again—understandably so! Looking for them every morning was a real pain in the neck. Thankfully, he didn't see any superglue in the kid's luggage, so maybe he wouldn't lose a layer of skin this time.
The teenagers then went back and forth to bring the rest of their things from the campsite to the chalet. As for Gulnas and Misha, they diligently cleaned up.
At around 2 pm, Mrs. Brown sent her son to bed, even if the kid still wanted to help dust the rooms. Because he had been often skipping his afternoon nap lately, his protestations fell on deaf ears. Misha had no other choice but to take a break.
That night, everyone slept soundly, especially the teenagers who were exhausted.
For the next few days, they mostly hiked, played board games, and went to the beach. Once, they even met the group of children who had tried to bully Misha. The boy happily waved at them, but the four kids ran away as if the devil was on their trail. Grinning, Misha glanced at Gabriel with a 'did you just see how I scared them silly' kind of look on his face.
To this, Gabriel had no idea how to react, so he just smiled in response and ruffled the boy's hair. As long as he wasn't the one being targeted, everything was good and well.
Today too, they had thought of hiking again; they were camping in the Park National of Oka, so they had to make the best of it! There were so many beautiful landscapes in the vicinity, and it wasn't every day that they had the chance to admire them.
Although Misha wasn't fond of hiking because he always ended up piggyback riding at some point, he knew how his sister loved strolling in the forest, so he shut his mouth and obediently followed them. Anyway, he wasn't the one abusing his body while carrying a child on his back, and he had to admit that hearing the teenager's puff and huff put him in a good mood.
Thus, they were getting ready to depart. While Mrs. Brown was busy preparing everyone's lunch for today's hike, Masha took the trash out.
The trash bin was near the bumpy road a few meters in front of the chalet, and she quickly jogged to it. However, when she opened it, she froze. Inside, she saw a pair of bright black eyes that shone in the dark. There was no fear in them, only curiosity, making her heart turn soft.
She didn't know how the raccoon ended up in the trash bin, but she could tell it couldn't get out. The plastic walls were smooth and had no holds for its small hands and feet; all it could do was scratch the walls with its claws. There wasn't any garbage bag, so the poor animal was stuck at the bottom of the trash bin. With its big, round eyes, it looked adorably pitiful.
Instinctively, Masha put down the garbage bag on the ground and bent over, stretching her arms. She tried to take it out with her bare hands, forgetting that no matter how cute the raccoon was, it was still a wild animal with sharp teeth.
_______________________
Chapter revised on 2022-05-08
Edited by Clozed! ♥
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rs_vaesen
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZsEYr5eh6h