Chapter 42 - Raccoon

When Gabriel and Misha came back to the campsite, the terrible odor assaulted their nose, making them want to turn on their heel and rush back to the bathroom, which smelled quite nice and fresh in comparison.

Pinching their nose, they scanned the campsite, looking for the girls. They quickly find them, the light of the flashlight illuminating their backs. It seemed like they were busy cleaning up the place. The boys approached and soon found out that the girls dealt with the odor by plugging their nose with tissues.

Upon seeing their faces, Misha couldn't restrain himself and roared with laughter. His mother and his sister looked quite foolish with the white Kleenex stuffed in their nostrils, making their nose appear more prominent and rounder. It was impossible not to laugh at the sight! Still, it earned him a light knock on the head from Masha, who then mischievously said while shaking a box of tissues under her brother's nose:

"You shouldn't laugh. In a short while, you will look as stupid as us, unless you want to abuse your nose for the rest of the night. It's not like the odor will disappear any time soon."

His sister's grin was so annoying, making him want to hit someone.

Lowering his head, Misha reluctantly picked two Kleenex, glaring at them for a short moment before stuffing them in his nostrils with a grimace. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, hindering his breathing, but a least, the odor became less intense. Although he still could smell it faintly, it was bearable, and his stomach didn't want to churn as much.

When the child glanced at Gabriel, he felt a little comforted. Look 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 that had been sprayed with skunk musk. Misha thought he wouldn't be able to fall asleep with those things in his nose, yet he was the first one to close his eyes and enter dreamland. In the end, he had a good sleep; the same couldn't be said for the other three. In addition to the strange sensation in their nose, they also had to endure the child's loud snores.

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 nose, they decided to go to the beach. There, they could relax while thinking about what to do next. The terrible odor pervaded the campsite, and even their clothes reeked. Staying in such an environment for the rest of their vacation was out of the question.

At the beach, Misha sullenly sat on the sandy ground, staring at his joyful sister with dissatisfaction.

At an unknown moment, she had jumped on Gabriel's back, wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t against the teenager's back. Misha suddenly felt like he understood his parents' old-fashioned way of thinking. The teenagers were too close, and there was definitely too much skin to skin contact between the two. His sister's swimsuit was too revealing, making him want to wrap his towel around her c.h.e.s.t tightly. 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 in heat.

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. The child shook his head. There was nothing he could do, and glaring at the teenagers wouldn't bring them back on the shore, so 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, which made him feel quite proud. He even added pebbles and broken pieces of seashells to the wall, trying to embellish his oeuvre.

At some time, the teenagers came back and spoke with his mother, who was reading by his side. Gabriel suggested renting a chalet for the next few days, and after deliberations, Mrs. Brown 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, the four of them left the beach and went to the chalet, which took 40 minutes from the campsite. It was a long walk in the forest, and the trail was sometimes very steep. In no time, Misha was panting as if he had run a marathon, and his sweaty hair cl.u.s.tered around his small, round face. Anyone who had eyes could tell he was exhausted. Hence, he ended up piggyback riding on Gabriel's back once again, pouting and sulking. As for his mother and his sister, they each carried a backpack.

The chalet was made of logs, and the bright color of the wood told them that it had been built not too long ago. It has one floor and three rooms: two bedrooms and the living room, which also included the kitchen. It wasn't excessively big, but the open rooms gave a spacious feeling. As for the toilets, they were outside, hidden in a wooden cabin.

In one bedroom, there was a double bed for the parents and in the second one, two single beds for the kids. Thus, it was decided that Masha and her mother would sleep together while the boys would share a room, making Gabriel wince in his heart. He knew bad habits were hard to break, but he still hoped that the child wouldn't start to hide his glasses once again. Looking for them every morning was a real pain in the neck. At least, he didn't see any superglue in the kid's luggage, so maybe the teenager's skin wouldn't suffer too much this time.

Afterward, the teenagers went back and forth to bring their things from the campsite to the chalet. As for Mrs. Brown and Misha, they diligently cleaned up.

Around 2 pm, Mrs. Brown sent her son to bed, even if the kid still wanted to help her dusting the rooms. Because he had skipped 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. In 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 waved at them, but the four kids ran away the moment they saw him. Grinning, Misha glanced at Gabriel while puffing out his small c.h.e.s.t, acting like a peac.o.c.k. He had a 'did you just see how I scared them silly' kind of look on his face.

Today, they had thought of hiking again. Since they were in the Park National of Oka, they had to make the best of it. After all, 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 didn't like 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.

Before leaving, Masha took the trash out while her mother and Gabriel prepared their backpack. The trash bin was near the bumpy road a few meters in front of the chalet, and when she opened it, she froze.

She didn't know how the raccoon ended up in the trash bin, but she could tell that he was unable to get out. The plastic walls were smooth and had no holds for his small hands and feet; all it could do was scratch the walls with his claws. There wasn't any garbage bag, so the poor animal was stuck at the bottom of the trash bin. With his big, round eyes, it looked quite pitiful.

Instinctively, Masha put down the garbage bag she was holding and bent over the bin. She tried to take it out with her b.a.r.e hands, forgetting that no matter how cute the raccoon was, it was still a wild animal with sharp teeth.