Carmelita Stories 1-13

They were stuck on a shelf in Mr. Snyderman’s gallery.  No one could really remember how long they’d been there.  At least since the start of the show on Art from Found Objects which means it was probably a month or two.  Mr. Snyderman wasn’t really a mean man.  He liked Minnie, Mannie, Moe, and Carmelita.  In fact he liked having them there so much that he’d put them under a magic spell so that people who came to his gallery wouldn’t want to take them away.  So there they sat.

Mannie held the reins.  Minnie gave directions…or was all set to do that.  And Moe faced backwards because he had bad breath and Minnie, Mannie, AND Carmelita all didn’t want him breathing in their direction.  Carmelita was sad because she wanted to go on adventures but the spell kept her from moving.  She didn’t smile either.  All she could do was wink and if someone would wink back then the spell would be broken.  Mannie shook the reins but Carmelita didn’t move.  Minnie checked her map.  Moe looked backward and held his breath hoping this would bring someone to see them who could break the spell.

One hot day, Grandma and Grandpa came into Mr. Snyderman’s gallery.  They looked at all of the creations…lots of funny people and strange and funny animals that seemed to be made of all kinds of crazy things like wire, tape, and glue or old toys, broken tools and scraps of this and that.  Carmelita watched Grandma come over.  WINK, WINK, WINK…Carmelita tried to get Grandma’s attention.  Grandma smiled…but she didn’t wink back.  Grandma called Grandpa to come see the three little people riding on the sad camel.  Grandpa smiled.  WINK, WINK, WINK…Carmelita tried again.  But Grandpa didn’t notice the winks.  He smiled again at how cute they all looked.

It was time for Carmelita to work her own magic.  So she flashed a big toothy smile, blinked her long eyelashes, showed her white teeth, and thought really hard: “Wink at me and take us away for adventure.”  Grandma and Grandpa looked again, noticing that something seemed to have changed on Carmelita’s face.  Then Grandpa turned to look at a funny bird hanging from the ceiling.

It was time for lunch and Grandma and Grandpa were hungry.  So they told Mr. Snyderman what wonderful things he had in his gallery and walked out to find a restaurant.  Mannie shook the reins in frustration.  Minnie tried to shout to Grandma and Grandpa that SHE could tell them where to go for lunch.  Moe burped a smelly burp.  And Carmelita’s smile faded but not her hope.

Grandma and Grandpa found a busy market where they sat and ate a big lunch.  Grandpa had a cheesesteak sandwich and a root beer.  Grandma had a crab salad and a lemonade.  And then they both felt sleepy and tired.  They needed to go to their hotel to rest but something, maybe Carmelita’s magic, brought them back to Mr. Snyderman’s gallery instead.

Mr. Snyderman got up to greet them.  He smiled knowing that a second visit usually meant visitors to the gallery liked something very much, sometimes enough to want to take it home.  Grandma and Grandpa toured the gallery again.  They stopped to look at all the funny people and all the funny animals.  And then they stopped to look again at Minnie, Mannie, Moe and Carmelita.  Just then and all of a sudden something seemed to get in Grandma’s eye … was it a tiny bug or some dust?  Whatever it was, it made Grandma’s eye water.  Then she lifted her finger to rub the eye and she blinked and WINKED!  …and just like that, Mr. Snyderman’s spell was broken.  Minnie, Mannie, Moe and Carmelita could move!  The door to adventure opened before them and they were ready to roll!  And so Grandma and Grandpa decided to take them from Philadelphia (where they had always lived) to Annapolis.  Mr. Snyderman put them in a big white bag and they rode in the car.  Carmelita didn’t have to use her own wheels.  Mannie still held the reins.  Minnie didn’t have to give directions since Grandma already had a bunch of maps.  And Moe held his breath. (He didn’t want to break the magic or offend Grandpa with his bad breath.)

And so began their new life at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and their adventures in Annapolis –  along with Quinn and Gray; Wesley and Paige and Maggie; Carly and, sometimes, Hollywood; AND with Grandpa and, of course, Grandma who started it all with a magic WINK.

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Not long after they came to Annapolis, Minnie, Mannie and Moe heard that Wesley, Quinn and Gray had  gone on a pirate ship where they shot at pirate Pete, found treasure, drank grog, danced and said piratey things like aaargh and ahoy.  They (Minnie, Mannie, and Moe, that is) really wanted to go too.  So Carmelita took them to the wharf and signed them on as pirate crew.  Carmelita wasn’t going to go on board – being a camel and preferring deserts with hot sun and sand.  But Minnie, Mannie, and Moe persuaded her to come aboard the pirate ship and, as we will learn, it was a good thing that they did.

First they got bandanas and swords and pirate patches – and went potty.  Then it was aboard the ship.  The first mate was named Scar.  When asked, he remembered what good pirates Gray, Quinn and Wesley had been.  He assigned jobs.  Minnie was to read the treasure map since she’s good with directions; Mannie was to shoot the water cannon when they found pirate Pete; and Moe was to climb the mast to be look-out and so no-one would have to smell his bad breath.

Captain Ruby steered the ship into the bay.  Scar shouted orders.  Minnie unrolled the treasure map.  And Mannie held the trigger on the cannon while Moe hugged the mast and closed his eyes since he discovered that he was afraid of heights.  Moe wasn’t a very good look-out with his eyes closed.  Carmelita sat peacefully on the deck near Captain Ruby.

Then the wind picked up and suddenly there were big waves.  A big sailboat came out of the harbor and pointed toward the pirate ship.  Behind it was hiding pirate Pete.  The wind filled the sails of the sailboat and it sped forward.  Waves crashed over the bow of the pirate ship almost washing the treasure map out of Minnie’s hands – and overboard.  Mannie lost his grip on the cannon and fell on the deck.  Moe swayed on the mast and got seasick.  Captain Ruby turned hard left to keep from crashing into the big sailboat just as another wave slapped the pirate ship and almost flipped it on its side.

Pirate Pete, seeing his opportunity, sneaked out from behind the sailboat, grabbed the rails and started to climb aboard the pirate ship to steal the treasure map.  He had a dark patch over his left eye, a curved sword in his right hand, and a mean smile on his face.  Aarrrgh.  Scar tried to push him away but pirate Pete was too quick and Scar fell overboard into the bay.  Captain Ruby turned hard right to try to make pirate Pete fall down but it didn’t work.  Moe almost fell off the mast.  Minnie clutched the treasure map to her chest and Mannie aimed the water cannon at pirate Pete…but missed.

Then Carmelita calmly rolled forward, gave a magic wink, and squirted pirate Pete with grog from her water hump.   And you of course know what happened…Pirate Pete fell fast asleep.

Captain Ruby pulled Scar from the Bay with the boat hook.  Minnie showed them where to find the treasure.  Mannie put away the cannon and danced the pirate’s dance.  And Moe climbed down from the mast and sat next to pirate Pete ready to breathe his bad breath on him if he started to wake up.

The treasure chest was found and the pirate booty shared.  Everyone had some grog.  And Carmelita brought Minnie, Mannie, and Moe back to the big house in Annapolis.  They were sleepy and ready for bed.  Was it the grog or the adventure that made everyone so sleepy?

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Since they now lived in Annapolis on Grandma and Grandpa’s shelf, and the weather had cooled just a little, Minnie, Mannie, and Moe decided they wanted to go to a park.  “Which park?” asked Carmelita. “There are several to choose from.”  “Quiet Waters!” they all shouted in unison.

“To the turtle pond”, said Mannie.

“To the dog park”, said Minnie.

“To the river overlook”, said Moe.

“Or, to the playground”, said Mannie.

“Or, to the trail in the woods”, said Minnie.

“Or, to the ice rink”, said Moe.

“But it's still summer, silly”, said Minnie.  “So what”, said Moe. “I like to skate and see my breath.”

“Nobody wants to see your breath”, said Mannie.

Carmelita said they all needed sunblock and bug spray.

“I’ll give directions” said Minnie.  “I’ll hold the reins” said Mannie.  “I’ll hold my breath” said Moe. “…at least until we’re at the rink”, he added -- still hoping winter would come right away.

And so they went to Quiet Waters Park.  They stopped to look at the fountain at the entrance.

“Playground first” shouted Mannie.  “No, Dog Park!” shouted Minnie.  “No Arguing,” said Carmelita. “We’ll see what we come to first.”  And so they started at the playground where they climbed on the platforms, hung upside down from the money bars, and swung on the swings until they were a little tired.

“Now the dog park”, said Minnie. “I’ll give directions.” And she headed them down a wooded trail.  Soon they were among tall trees and thick bushes that shaded the sun…and they were lost.  The trail twisted through the darkening woods and just as it was starting to get a little scary the trail opened onto a field.  Just ahead was a pond and gazebo.  

“Look, it’s the turtle pond,” shouted a relieved Mannie.  They stopped on the bridge to look down at the huge turtles floating up and down in the murky green water.

After a while, Minnie got restless.  “I want to go to the dog park” said Minnie. “But how do we find it?” “Look for the dog tracks,” said Carmelita.  And soon they found the dog track signs that showed the way.  When they got to the dog park the found – guess who?  Why Grandma and Carly who had come for her afternoon play with other dogs named Boson, Cedar, Woody, Lilly, and Natalie.  Carly and Boson wrestled.  Then Carly tried to keep the squeaky ball from Cedar and Woody.  Finally she rolled in the big mud puddle to cool off…and Grandma go a little upset.  “Time to go, Carly”

Minnie, Mannie and Moe followed Grandma to the water pump where she rinsed the mud off Carly with a hose.  Then Carly shook and gave Carmelita a shower.  “Enough of that”, said Carmelita. “I’m a camel and I don’t like to be wet.  Since we’re close to the river, let’s go to where we can look out and watch the boats.  “I know the way there from here,” said Minnie.  “It’s right down that road!”

This time she was right and they came to a place high above the river where they could watch a parade of sailboats gliding out to the bay.  Then Moe, who had been quiet, said “I want it to be winter so I can go to the skating rink.” 

“Too soon,” said Mannie. “Summer is just ending and school is about to start.  Winter is months away.”

“Well we can go to the big fountain that they turn into the ice rink in the winter and we can imagine skating”, said Minnie.  “I know the way.  We just follow the dog track signs backwards.”

“I’ll find the signs,” said Moe who, as we know, always rode backward on Carmelita because of his bad breath.  And sure enough, the dog track signs led them back to the fountain.  The Carmelita told them to close their eyes and think about winter.  When their eyes were closed, she winked her magic wink and a cold wind came off of the river.  “Now open them”, said Carmelita.  And when they did they saw the Zamboni leaving the rink with a shiny coating of new ice and lots of kids scrambling through the gate to begin to skate along the wall. 

“Can we skate today?” asked Moe with his breath forming a white cloud that wasn’t at all smelly in the cold air.

“Next time,” said Carmelita. “On another cold day when we aren’t tired we can skate and then warm ourselves with hot chocolate.

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Halloween was coming and Minnie, Mannie, and Moe were getting excited.  “We’ll go trick-or-treating”, said Minnie.  “We’ll dress up like scary monsters”, said Mannie.  “Or superheroes”, said Moe.  

“I’d rather be a princess”, said Minnie.  “Well”, said Mannie, “Scary monsters can take princesses away to castles and lock them up and eat their candy.”  “But superheroes can beat up the scary monsters and get all the candy,” reminded Moe. “And good superheroes like Wonder Woman can share the candy with all their friends,” said Minnie.

“Wonder Woman?” said Mannie. “I mean guy superheroes like Batman, or Green Lantern, or Captain America”, said Moe.  “What about Buzz Lightyear?” asked Mannie.  “He’s not a superhero, he’s a space-guy”, answered Moe.

“Well, maybe I’ll be Angelina Ballerina instead of a princess,” said Minnie…thinking out loud.

“And we need pumpkins.” added Manny.

“Costumes first!” shouted Moe excitedly, at which point Minnie and Mannie both pinched their noses.  “You need a breath mint.” Said Minnie.  “CANDY” responded Moe.

So it was off to the costume store.  Carmelita let them off at the door.  “You three look around and decide who you want to be while I go next door to the fabric store,” said Carmelita, although she thought that maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t a good idea.

The costume store was filled with all kinds of costumes – hanging on racks, stacked up on the floor, and overflowing from boxes.  Masks were strung along ropes that stretched from one corner to the other.  Minnie went to where there were racks of colorful dresses with lace and ribbons – costumes for Belle, Snow White, and Barbie.  Mannie found a scary rubber mask that was mostly red with green teeth and a long wrinkly nose.  He put it on.  “BOO”, he said, turning to Minnie who jumped back and almost knocked over the dress rack.  “BOO”, he said to Moe who didn’t seem too frightened.  “I’m Luke Skywalker”, said Moe who grabbed a light sabre from a box stuffed full with them. “I’m good and you’re bad and I’m going to beat you.”  He slashed at Mannie with the light sabre.  Mannie jumped away and the light sabre crashed into a stack of jack-o-lanterns that rolled all over the floor.

“Eke!” said Minnie.  Manny laughed and ran down the aisle.  “You can’t get me, Luke Skywalker!  Besides, I’m Spiderman”, he said as he stopped by some web-slingers.  He grabbed one and shot a web at Luke.  But it got stuck on a goblin display that wobbled and then fell into a pile of light sticks.

“I’m not Luke”, said Moe. “I’m Captain America and I can shoot super discs from my shield.”  He grabbed a shield and shot a disc across the store hitting a cardboard Tinkerbell and spilling glitter onto the floor and into the air.

“I think I want to be Casper the ghost and be invisible and sneak through the wall to find Carmelita”, thought Minnie just as the costume store owner rushed out from behind his counter.  He was very red in the face and very angry.  “What are you three doing?” he shouted.  “Just look at the mess you made.”  Mannie thought he looked just like the scary red monster mask he’d found.  Apparently Minnie did too since she jumped back and, this time, knocked over the whole rack of princess dresses.  Moe thought maybe he should slash him with his light sabre but realized he’d changed to Captain America and hadn’t re-loaded his shield.

Just then Carmelita rolled into the costume shop.  She stopped, looked at the mess, and saw the angry shop keeper.  Carmelita paused and thought about what to do.  Minnie, Mannie, and Moe had gotten a little too excited and the man who owned the costume store was right to be upset.

Carmelita winked, and winked again.  Magically everything was back where it belonged and the man was smiling as another customer bought doctor and nurse costumes.  Carmelita had bought three big pieces of white cloth at the fabric store.  “I think I know what you three are going to be for Halloween”, she said. “Three QUIET ghosts.”

“What about pumpkins?” asked Moe.  “We need to go to the Pumpkin Patch!”

“…to pick them”, said Minnie.

“…and carve them into scary monsters!” added Mannie.

“Another day”, said Carmelita. “You’ve had enough excitement and have made enough mess for now.  Time to go home to Annapolis…and to bed.  A trip to the pumpkin patch will be another adventure on another day.”

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Halloween was fast approaching and Minnie, Mannie, and Moe were both excited and a little worried.  They were going trick or treating as three ghosts but they hadn’t gotten pumpkins and, of course, hadn’t carved them into jack-o-lanterns.  

“It’s probably too late to go to the pumpkin patch”, said Moe. “All the pumpkins will be sold…or squishy.”  “No they won’t”, said Mannie. “We just rode on Carmelita past a pumpkin patch and the field was full of huge orange pumpkins.”  “Plus some white ones”, added Minnie.  “Well, Okay”, said Moe. “We should at least try and if there aren’t any good pumpkins to choose we can at least go on a hayride.”  “Or through the corn maze”, said Minnie.  “Or to the haunted barn”, said Mannie although he had just made that up and, at the same time, was sort of happy that it was imaginary.  He really didn’t want to go to a haunted barn, or a haunted house, or ANYPLACE that there might be a real ghost.

So they hopped onto Carmelita’s back and off they rode to the pumpkin patch.  Just as Mannie had said, the field was filled with huge orange pumpkins – and some white ones; and funny squiggly gourds.  But something was a little strange.  At the gate where Carmelita dropped them off, they were the only ones there.  “Oh well”, they said together, “I suppose we really are late but we have lots of pumpkins to choose.”  So they went to the gate to buy tickets to ride the hay wagon that would take them to the field.  The lady at the gate was kind of old and wrinkly…and she wore a peculiar pointed hat.

“Three tickets for the hay wagon? Why, of course”, she said.  “Be sure to keep a close eye on old silo.”

“Old who?” said Minnie.  “Old Silo”, replied the ticket lady with the pointed hat. “He’s the horse that pulls the wagon.  Just make sure he takes you to the field and NOT to the old barn.”  And then she laughed in a funny scratchy way that some might call a cackle.

Mannie was starting to get a little worried.  “Who will drive the wagon?” he started to ask but the ticket lady had suddenly disappeared.  So they climbed onto the haywagon.  Silo was hitched to the front.  He kept his head down as he munched on some grass and appeared to pay no attention to them.  They sat there for what seemed like the longest time.

“We must be waiting for some more people”, said Moe.

“We must be waiting for a driver”, said Mannie.

“We must be waiting for Silo to finish lunch”, said Minnie.

“It must be the driver’s naptime”, concluded Mannie.

Moe picked up a fistful of hay and dumped it on Minnie’s head.  “Cut it out”, she said and took a fistful of hay and stuffed it into Moe’s shirt.  “Look, you’re a scarecrow”, laughed Minnie just as a big black crow flew out of the cornfield and over the wagon. 

“Caw” said the bird.  He circled and flew back over Silo.  “Caw, Caw”

Silo stopped eating and started to pull the wagon along a narrow muddy path into the cornfield.  Mannie noticed the reins to horse’s harness had floated up in the air over the wagon driver’s seat but no driver could be seen.  Soon they were in the cornfield.  The cornstalks were very tall and they couldn’t see the pumpkin patch or the old barn.  They made a left turn, and then another, and another.  “We’re in the corn maze” said Minnie.  “Lost again!” said Moe.

It was very quiet.  All they could hear was the creak of the wagon wheels and the slow clop of Silo’s hooves.  After a while – a very long while – they came out of the corn maze and there, before them, loomed the old barn.

“The ticket lady said we weren’t supposed to let Silo bring us to the barn”, recalled Moe.

“Maybe it wasn’t Silo’s idea”, noted Mannie who was still looking at the reins floating in the air over the driver’s bench.

“Well there was something creepy about the ticket lady”, said Minnie, remembering her pointed hat.

The crow circled overhead again.  “Caw”, it said to Silo, and the old horse pulled the hay wagon through the big barn doors.

Inside, it was dark… And very quiet…

“TRICK OR TREAT” shouted a familiar voice as the lights came on.  And there was Carmelita with a big warm smile.  “The scary ride was our trick.  And here’s your treat” as she gave them each fresh cider, a warm greasy doughnut, and a bright orange pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern. 

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After a very long and very hot summer, the weather finally turned cold.  The leaves on the trees changed color and dropped to the ground, slowly at first but then in big bunches when the wind blew leaving a thick crunchy coating on the lawn.  Halloween came and went and the candy bowl was emptied.  And Minnie, Mannie and Moe started to think about the adventures that might come with cold weather.

“Thanksgiving turkey”’, thought Mannie.

“Wood fires and hot chocolate”, thought Minnie.

“And Marshmallows”, Moe added to Minnie’s thoughts without even saying a word.

“Christmas”, they all thought together, “with Christmas trees, and lights, and Santa, and PRESENTS.

Carmelita was a little unhappy with them.  “You three have to think about what fun you can have out of doors now that it is cold and not just about warming yourselves and eating sweets.”  …although she also loved to think about warm fires, hot chocolate, and toasted marshmallows.  In truth, Carmelita, being a camel and coming from a hot desert, loved to stay warm.

“Well, if it snowed we could go sledding”, said Mannie, looking out over the carpet of brown leaves on the lawn. 

“And make a snowman or a snow angel”, added Moe giggling.

Minnie didn’t understand what was funny.  “Why are you giggling?” she asked.

“Dunno”, said Moe, who then giggled some more.

“How about ice skating?” said Minnie.

“Ice skating?” said Mannie and Moe together. “We don’t think so…  We’ve never been ice skating,” said Mannie.  “We could fall and get hurt,” said Moe.  “We might look really silly,” they added.

Carmelita smiled her big smile.  “What a wonderful idea, Minnie”, she said. “I just read a notice that the ice rink at the park is open and that they rent skates and have a cozy fire where I can sit while you skate.”  Then Carmelita winked her magic wink and before Minnie, Mannie, and Moe could say another word they were off to the rink.

“Three tickets and three pairs of skates”, said Minnie nervously to the rink attendant.  Soon they wobbled out of the skate house and onto the ice.  Minnie immediately grabbed onto the wall and stood very still, trying not to move and not to look silly.  Mannie then stepped onto the ice, took two steps, spread his arms, spun, and landed on his butt.  Ouch!  Moe watched his friends and the other skaters carefully.  He noticed that there were box-like things that some skaters could push over the ice to keep from falling.  He found them lined up next to the entrance to the rink, took one, and pushed it onto the ice in front of him.  He move his feet but his skates just slid back and forth.  He didn’t go anywhere.  “Now what?” he thought.  What a group – Minnie clinging to the wall, Mannie on his butt, and Moe holding his little box and kicking his feet without going forward.  All around them, other skaters glided by – some forward, some backward, and some making jumps and spins.

Carmelita came to the edge of the rink to watch.  Right away she could tell that they were having some problems.  “I may be a camel from the desert”, she thought, “but I guess I know a little about skating.  After all, I travel on roller blades!”  So Carmelita came quietly behind Minnie and whispered “Put just one hand on the wall, keep your head up, look forward and push/push/glide.”  Then she slid over to Mannie and said “Bend your knees, spread your arms, and lift your feet like you’re marching.”  Finally she glided to Moe and told him to “Turn his feet out just a little and to push each skate to the side instead of straight back.”  To all three she said “Think of a song and move your legs to the music.” And to Moe she added “Be sure to hold your chin up high so your bad breath doesn’t melt the ice.”

Before long Minnie was able to glide around the rink barely touching the wall.  Mannie could march his skates from one end all the way across to the other, sometimes still spinning and landing on his butt.  And Moe put the box-thing back by the gate and wobbled across the ice with his chin up and his arms flapping like a bird.

Push/push/glide/wobble/flap/slip/crash – and get up and try again.  This was fun!...but tiring.

Then they were all told to leave the ice rink so the Zamboni could clean the ice and put a shiny new layer down.

“Time for a warm fire indoors, hot chocolate and marshmallows”, said Carmelita.  “Well, OK”, said Minnie, Mannie and Moe, “but we have to be quick so we can get back outside to skate some more.”

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“And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight, Happy Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.”  Carmelita closed the cover of the book and turned to Minnie, Mannie, and Moe and reminded them that it wasn’t long until bedtime and that they had to go quietly and get to sleep early since surely they would be up before daylight the next morning.  Carmelita didn’t need to remind them that it was Christmas Eve and that Santa would be coming during the night.  They’d each told Santa’s helper what toys they wanted.  And they’d been pretty good.  So they thought Santa would bring what they’d asked for.

For Minnie, a globe with a light inside so she could plan trips to far away countries.

For Mannie, a computer with maps so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost ever again.

For Moe, a bread oven so he could bake snacks whenever he was hungry.

Minnie and Mannie added breath mints for Moe to their lists.  And they’d all wished for new bikes or scooters even though Carmelita almost always would take them where they wanted to go.

This Christmas Eve, Minnie, Mannie and Moe had a plan to stay up late to see Santa when he came – all night if they had to.  But they didn’t tell Carmelita about their plan.  It was a secret!  And here’s what they planned to do…

Minnie and Moe would make enough cookies and brownies for Santa to share with them since it was likely that they’d get hungry while they waited.  Mannie would get candles and flashlights – candles so they could see well enough in the dark not to be frightened and flashlights to shine up the chimney after they heard Santa’s reindeer on the roof.  Minnie and Mannie hung stockings.  Moe put newspaper and logs in the fireplace so they could stay warm while they waited…”and maybe roast marshmallows”, thought Mannie forgetting that they would already have cookies and brownies to share.

So their plans were all set.  And while Carmelita hurried them into their jammies and gave them goodnight kisses, there was no shouting, or crying, or pouting.  They were determined to be super good.  Santa would know their plans, for sure, but they hoped that if they held really still with their eyes closed when Santa came, he’d think they were asleep.  Then, when he came down the chimney, they would open their eyes just a crack and turn on their flashlights just enough to watch him fill their stockings and put their gifts under the tree.

Once Carmelita kissed them goodnight, turned out the lights, and took herself to bed they sneaked out of their beds, tiptoed down the stairs, and huddled together on the couch in front of the fireplace.  In the candlelight they could see their stockings hanging empty.

It was very quiet…not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…

“I’m hungry”, said Moe after a while.

“Me too”, said Mannie.

So soon they were sharing the cookies and brownies.  But they were careful to leave one each for Santa. “That was good”, they told themselves.

“I’m cold”, said Minnie.

“No problem”, said Moe who took a candle and lit the newspaper and logs he’d earlier put in the fireplace.  Soon there was a crackling fire warming and lighting the room.  They blew out the candles, huddled together, and waited.  And pretty soon they were all very sleepy.

Suddenly there was a loud clatter.  Minnie and Moe leaped from the couch to see 

… What was the matter?  …Away to the window they flew like a flash… 

But it was Mannie who had just realized that Santa couldn’t come down the chimney if there was a fire in the fireplace.  So he’d jumped up from the couch, grabbed the glass of milk they’d poured for Santa and knocked the plate with the last brownie and cookie onto the floor.  Crash!  That’s what woke up Minnie and Moe.

Mannie threw the milk onto the fire.  Ssshhh.  The fire sputtered.

Then Carmelita glided quietly into the room.  “What are you three up to?” she asked, knowing all along that they were waiting up for Santa.  “Don’t you know what will happen if you’re naughty?  To bed now, all three of you, before you completely spoil Christmas”.  And off they went.

Then Carmelita glanced at the cookie dish, winked, and a thick dark brownie and a big sugar cookie appeared along with a tall glass of milk.  Then she looked at the fireplace, winked, and a neat pile of dry logs replaced the hot coals and ashes from Mannie and Moe’s fire.  When she winked a third and final time, Minnie, Mannie and Moe were fast asleep in their beds.

In the morning there were only a few crumbs left on the plate, the milk was gone, and unde the tree were a globe for Minnie, a computer for Mannie, and an oven for Moe.  In each stocking was a note that said: “Next year, to bed early – No Tricks!  -- Santa”

And in to toe of Moe’s stocking was also a pack of breath mints.

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Outside it was cold and rainy.  Minnie, Mannie, and Moe had stayed indoors for the whole morning, shifting their attention from the TV, to the IPAD to games of Chutes and Ladders and Candyland.   “I’m bored” said Minnie.  “.Me too” said Mannie.  “Let’s play another game of Chutes and Ladders or Candyland” said Moe who hadn’t won either game yet that morning.  “Not Again” groaned Mannie.  “I’m really really really bored repeated Minnie, who was sounding really really really whiny.  “When’s lunch?

“You all know what Grandma Lin says”, said Carmelita. “If you’re bored, you’re not using your imagination”…and lunch isn’t for an hour.

“Can’t you use your magic to make us unbored?” asked Mannie.

“That wouldn’t help you learn to entertain yourself” responded Carmelita. “Getting interested in something doesn’t require magic.  But I do have an idea for you.  Each of you take 10 minutes to imagine an adventure you’ll have when you grow up; and then we’ll share our adventures.  Extra M&M’s after lunch for whoever tells about the most amazing adventure.  I’ll decide who goes first and judge the winner.”

Minnie sat on the couch and closed her eyes to think.  Mannie moved to the window and looked out at the rain while his imagination got busy.  And Moe looked at the Candyland board and wondered how he could finally win.

After 10 minutes Carmelita said: “Minnie goes first; then Mannie; and finally Moe”.

Here are the stories of their adventures.

Minnie is a spaceship captain.  One day, because her spaceship is broken, she decides to borrow a submarine to explore the bottom of the ocean.  So she goes to the submarine base and checks out a submarine with bright headlights and a bubble on the top where she can look out into the ocean.  Her submarine has two superblasters – one in the front and one behind.  She brings a lunch box and Sniffy, her dog.  She’s so excited she forgets to take a map of the ocean floor.  “No Problem”, she thinks,  “Sniffy and I have never gotten lost in space which is bigger and emptier than the ocean floor.  That same day, Marilee, a giant blue whale and her baby Dawn decide to leave their whale pod to go a a picnic in a deep ocean canyon where Marilee knows that there are lots of tasty shrimp.  Armbruster, a nasty giant squid, watches them thinking that Dawn, the baby whale, would make a good picnic lunch for himself.  Soon they’re all deep in the ocean canyon.  Minnie and Sniffy are looking at millions of shrimp swimming around the submarine when Sniffy alerts.  Then, suddenly, Armbruster squirts black ink all around so neither Marilee, nor Minnie, nor Sniffy can see anything.  He grabs Dawn just as Sniffy sees his inky shadow.  Marilee dives in panic.  Then Minnie shoots her front superblaster and cuts off two of Armbruster’s tentacles.  Armbruster pulls Dawn behind the sub.  Sniffy looks back and barks.  So Minnie turns and shoots with the rear superblaster.   Armbruster lets Dawn go and Marilee swims over to gather her baby in her fins.  Armbruster looks at Minnie angrily.  “You ruined my picnic”, he thinks. “But you are lost in the ocean canyon.  Aha!”  When the ink cleared, however, a happy Marilee showed Minnie and Sniffy the way back to the submarine base.  Next time, Minnie vowed, she would remember to bring a map.

Mannie is a doctor at the fire station.  His job is to ride on the fire truck and to treat the fireman if they get hurt fighting fires or to treat people in homes that catch fire, or that may be hurt by tornadoes, or falling trees, or big floods.  If no one needs a doctor, Mannie gets to help put out the fires.  He likes to do that.  And sometimes when the fireman rescue animals, like kittens, Mannie gets to treat their scratches and give them treats.  One day while it was raining and Mannie was looking out the fire station window, the alarm bell rang.  A big tree had fallen onto a power line, the power line broke and sparks had started a fire at the pet shelter.  Mannie grabbed his fire helmet, rain coat and doctor bag and jumped into the front seat of the pumper truck, right next to the fire captain.  At the fire, some firemen squirted water through big hoses to put out the flames.  Others carried animals in their kennels out to safety.  A beam broke and fell breaking fireman Bob’s arm.  Mannie rushed in to bandage him.  The cage of a cat named Muffy popped open when a fireman set it down.  A frightened Muffy scrambled to the top of a thornapple tree.  When the fire was out, Mannie rode to the top of the thornapple on the ladder truck, rescued Muffy, and put bacitracin on his scratches.  Muffy gave Mannie a big lick to thank him.  Mannie was the hero of the day.

Moe is a famous magician.  He can do all kinds of card tricks.  He can make things like rings or coins disappear.  He can make animals, like bunnies, appear out of a hat.  He can pull long scarves out of his mouth.  Today Moe has planned his most difficult trick ever.  In front of a large audience at a theater – no, in front of a huge crowd at a stadium, Moe is going to beat Minnie, Mannie, Carmelita, Grandma Lin, Uncle Jason, and Cousin Maggie at Candyland ALL AT ONCE.  Everyone is excited.  Everyone is nervous…except, perhaps, Carmelita who has some magical powers herself.  Pretty soon, using his best magic, Moe has left everyone way behind…everyone, that is, except Carmelita.  Grandma Lin and Mannie are stuck in the Peppermint Stick Forest.  Minnie is lost (again) in the Gum Drop Mountains.  Uncle Jason and Cousin Maggie have made it to the Lollipop Woods while Moe the magnificent approaches the Candy Castle.  Carmelita has one card to draw.  She needs a yellow.  The people in the crowd all hold their breath.  Oh no…it’s back to the Gingerbread Tree for Carmelita.  Moe now just needs a blue.  He draws.  The crowd moves to the edge of their seats .  DOUBLE BLUE!  Moe smiles…he has done it. “WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!” chants the crowd, putting Moe on their shoulders and marching him down the game board.  Then with a tap of his magic wand, Moe produces a mountain of M&Ms to share with everyone.

“Well”, said Carmelita, “See what fun you can have with your imagination.”  Those are all amazing adventures and you all get extra M&Ms for dessert – AFTER you finish your broccoli.

Mannie woke up from a sound sleep, suddenly worried that it was almost Valentine’s Day, the day when they celebrated Carmelita’s birthday.  Nobody really knew what day Carmelita was born; or how old she was.  If someone asked her her age, Carmelita would usually just say “older than you think” or she might say “a day older than yesterday”.  In fact, nobody knew a lot about Carmelita like where she was born or who her parents were.  People just figured that Carmelita was born someplace where Camels lived like in the desert or at a zoo.  And if asked about her parents, Carmelita would describe them as kind and magical – like herself.

Anyhow, awhile ago Minnie, Mannie, and Moe had agreed that they would have Carmelita’s birthday party in February on Valentine’s day.  So, in a way, the whole world would celebrate her birthday even if they didn’t know it.  “Besides,” Minnie had said, “February is THE birthday month since I was born in February; and Moe was too; and Aunt Kory.  (WHO ELSE HAS A FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY?)

“Wait a minute,” Mannie had complained at the time, “October is THE birthday month since I was born in October; and so was Grandpa Rich, and Carly.  (WHO ELSE HAS AN OCTOBER BIRTHDAY?)

What about Grandma Lin?  What month was she born in?

Or Molly?

Or Rob?

Or Hollywood?

Well…, they’d finally agreed that every month was a birthday month for someone.  But Carmelita would still celebrate hers on Valentine’s Day.

Mannie wasn’t thinking about all these things when he woke up in the middle of the night.  He was thinking about what they’d do for her party.  “First things first”, said Minnie after they all had gotten up. “Shall we have a cake or cupcakes? …they couldn’t agree.

SO THIS YEAR THEY DECIDED TO ASK GRAY AND QUINN TO HELP THEM PLAN THE PARTY.  There would be lots to decide so they needed to make up their minds quickly.

1. Cake or Cupcakes?

2. Chocolate, white or red velvet?

3. Pizza, hot dogs or crab cakes?

4. Broccoli, edamame¸ or asparagus?

5. A Pinata or Pin the tail on the Donkey?

6. A surprise party or let Carmelita know ahead?

…”but wait, since it was always on Valentine’s day,  don’t you think Carmelita will know even if we try to make it a surprise?” asked Mannie.

…but they’d try anyhow to make it a surprise…

…so telling her now wouldn’t spoil anything…

At last, the party plans were set.  It would be a __________ birthday party and they would have ________, _________, __________, and ____________ to eat.  

Next they needed to pick a present.  But what to pick??

Clothes?  …but camels don’t really wear clothes.

Toys? …but Carmelita was grown up and didn’t really play with toys.

They thought and thought.  DO QUINN AND GRAY HAVE IDEAS?

Finally Moe suggested that they go to Grandpa’s workshop and make something for Carmelita.  We’ll know, for sure, that whatever we make she won’t already have since we’ll have just made it.

Soon they were off to the shop with Grandpa Rich.  They found wood in the wood box and nails and screws and glue to hold pieces together.  And quickly they were sawing and nailing and gluing.  They found wheels in the wheel box, dowels in a can, and paint on the shelf.  So they attached wheels and painted it pretty colors.  And soon it was done.

But what was it?

Minnie thought, maybe, it was a wagon.

Mannie thought, maybe, it was sort of a sandbox that rolled or a really leaky bathtub.

Moe thought, maybe, that if they just gave it a steering wheel it could be a soapbox derby car.

Whatever it was, it was very colorful and they were SURE Carmelita didn’t have anything like it.  They wrapped it carefully and hid it so Carmelita wouldn’t see it before the party.  And when Valentine’s Day came they had a wonderful party for Carmelita where they ate ________, ________, ________, and _________.  Then they brought out the present they’d made.  “Would she like it?” they wondered.  Would she know what it was?  Did they know what it was?

Carmelita opened her present slowly and quietly.  Her eyes widened and a big smile appeared on her face as a tear of happiness rolled down her cheek.  She winked a magic wink and then said:

“Why thank you Minnie, Mannie, and Moe.  That’s the most beautiful jewelry box I’ve ever seen.  I will use it to hold my tiara and necklace.”   Jewelry box??? , they wondered as they stood on their tiptoes to look at the present.  And, sure enough, it had become a beautiful jewelry box.

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Minnie, Mannie and Moe were going to go on a trip to the mountains. Carmelita was taking them.  There would be lots to see – tall mountain peaks all covered with snow, big clouds in deep blue skies, wild animals like big horn sheep, mountain goats and bears, and hawks and eagles soaring in the air.  Moe really wanted to ride facing forward but Minnie and Mannie both shouted “NO!”  “Your breath is too bad and we’ll have to smell it.  And it will probably gross-out the birds and animals; or make them hide so we can’t see them”.

Moe felt sad and embarrassed.  He was tired of having to face backward. “in the mountains there’s lots of fresh air and wind” Moe said.  “No one will smell by breath.”  

“We will” said Minnie and Mannie.  “The trip is still two months away, so if you want to face forward you have two months to fix your breath,” added Minnie.

“But how?” wondered Moe.

“Start by brushing your teeth AT LEAST twice a day” said Minnie (reading Moe’s thoughts) “and while you’re at it, brush your tongue.”  So Moe brushed twice a day; and brushed his tongue.  And his breath got a little better.  But it was still pretty bad…and now the trip was 6 weeks away.

What should Moe try next?

“Try breath mints” said Minnie, “or gum”.  And so Moe tried breath mints but they made his breath better only while he sucked on them.  Gum was no better.  And the trip was getting closer.

What next?

“Try mouthwash” said Mannie, “And don’t forget to gargle.”

“I don’t know how to gargle”, said Moe.

“Well I’ll teach you” said Mannie.  “Put some mouthwash in your mouth but don’t swallow it.  Swish it around and the tip your head way back and then go Grrggggh.”  Mannie made a gargling sound with his throat.  So Moe tried.  His mouthwash was bright green and soon his teeth and tongue were green like he’d had a green popscicle.  He tipped his head back and said “grrgggh” but it made him cough.  Green mouthwash came out his nose.  “Eeeyew” said Minnie.

Moe tried again and pretty soon he could gargle the mouthwash and then spit it in the sink.  And his breath WAS better.  But still Minnie and Mannie wouldn’t let him ride facing forward.

What next?  Their trip was now just 2 weeks off.

“Don’t breath through your mouth when you’re sleeping” suggested Minnie.

“How do I stop that?” said Moe. “I’m asleep.”

“We’ll pinch your lips” said Minnie.

“We’ll tape up your mouth” said Mannie.

“Enough of that silliness” said Carmelita.  “You’ll do nothing of the kind. But I do think I it is time for you, Moe, to go to the dentist to look for cavities and have your teeth cleaned and polished by the dentist’s assistant.

So Carmelita made an appointment for Moe with the dentist.  Minnie and Mannie came along but they had to wait in the waiting room when Moe was taken back to an exam room.  Minnie and Mannie both thought the dentist would send Moe back out right away because his breath was too bad for the dentist to tolerate.  First Moe saw the assistant, Miss Diane.  She smiled at Moe, seemed unbothered by his breath, and went right to work cleaning and polishing his teeth.  When she was done, Dr. Sally the dentist came in to look for cavities.  She wore funny think magnifying glasses and used a small metal pick to poke each of Moe’s teeth.  She didn’t seem bothered by Moe’s bad breath either.  Dr. Sally did find a tooth with a cavity in it.  “Even though that’s still a baby-tooth and it will fall out some day, we should still go ahead a fill the cavity so it doesn’t get bigger and start to hurt.”

She gave Moe a shot of numbing medicine and then drilled and filled Moe’s cavity with a new, shiny white filling.  When she was done, she gave Moe some bright green mouthwash to rinse his teeth.  He was just supposed to swish but Moe gargled expertly…and Dr. Sally was impressed.  When she was all done, Dr. Sally gave Moe and new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste with a picture of spongebob squarepants on it.  “Your teeth are all clean now,” she said. “Take care of them; brush regularly; and watch what you eat.

What did she mean by that?

When he came out of the Dentist’s office, Minnie and Mannie were amazed.  Moe’s breath didn’t smell bad at all.  In fact, it smelled fresh and minty.

“That’s Carmelita’s magic” said Minnie, wondering why Carmelita hadn’t just magically given Moe good breath before.  “No” said Carmelita.  I didn’t perform ANY magic.

“Well” said Minnie and Mannie, “Whatever happened is just in time.  We’re about to go on our trip and now that his breath is fresh, Moe will be able to share the front seat and take turns looking forward.”

“Time to celebrate”

“Time for lunch”

“Moe, for being such a good patient at the dentist,” Carmelita said “you can choose were we go to eat”

And so Moe happily climbed into the basket on Carmelita’s back.  Facing forward for the first time, he announced his choice:  To the bagel store for an onion bagel sandwich!”

Uh oh. 

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Minnie, Mannie, and Moe were really excited about their trip west with Carmelita.  Moe was especially excited since, after seeing the dentist and getting rid of his bad breath, he could take his turn riding in front, facing forward and being first.  They could hardly wait to climb into the basket on Carmelita and get started.

The night before leaving on their trip they couldn’t sleep; and stayed awake in their bedroom whispering in the dark about where they would go and what they would do.  Their first stop was going to be Colorado where Uncle Jason and Aunt Kory live (and, of course, Maggie, Paige and Wesley).  And where Uncle Rob went snowboarding.  They could go over high mountain passes where sometimes it snows even in the summer.

“And see wild animals”, said Minnie, “like moose, and elk and mountain goats.

What other wild animals live in the mountains?  (Bears, mountain lions, big horn sheep, deer, snow foxes and snow owls…)  “What about alligators or snakes?” asked Mannie.  “No”, said Minnie,
“not in the high mountains; but there are lots of chipmunks…”

Moe started imagining what he would do if he was sitting in front and facing forward and a bear or alligator jumped out of the forest.  “I’d better pack my light saber”, he thought to himself.

Carmelita heard the whispering and came in to tell them that if one gets to see a bear in the wild it will leave you alone unless it is a mama bear that thinks you could hurt its cub.  Then it will send its cub up a tree and growl; or unless it thinks you will share your lunch…so you don’t feed the bears.  “Now” Carmelita added, “stop talking and go to sleep!”  “I’ll still have my light saber if I need it”, Moe thought.

As soon as Carmelita left them, Mannie started to whisper about the Alpine Slide in Winter Park.  Grandpa Rich had told him about it.  First you ride up the chairlift and then you come down on a little sled twisting and turning really fast.  Grandpa said that Wesley took him down once and his hat blew off.  Now Grandpa rides by himself and holds onto the brake.

Minnie said Moe or Mannie got to go first.

Mannie said that that would be Moe since he would be riding in front.

Moe started to wonder how he would get his hat back if it flew off and whether he really wanted to go first.

“Quiet down or I’ll separate you three”, said Carmelita who know they were awake without even coming into their room to check.  So they were quiet…for a minute.

“When we get to California, we’ll ride roller coasters at Disneyland”, whispered to Mannie.  “You go up really slowly, then down really really fast.  If you’re really brave, like a superhero, you sit in front and don’t hold on with your hands.”  “Cool”, whispered Mannie.  “And Moe will get to ride in front on the roller coaster too,”  he added.

Moe quietly squeezed the rail on the top bunk with both hands.  He imagined the Pirate’s of the Caribbean boat ride instead – which, he was pretty sure, didn’t go too fast.  He reminded himself to bring his pirate sword in case he had to fight off a particularly evil pirate.

“When we get to the ocean in Washington”, Minnie reminded Mannie and Moe, “Carmelita says we can go out in a kayak to look for Orcas.”  Minnie was especially excited about paddling with whales since Grandma Lin was going to do that too.  Mannie said it would be really neat if a big Orca, like Willie, jumped out of the water, right over their kayak and then splashed them with its tail…and they got soaking wet.  Moe wondered if he’d have to sit in the front of the kayak and be the first one splashed.

They finally fell asleep.

Moe had a dream.  In his dream he was going really fast down the alpine slide and a mama bear came out and took his hat and his peanut butter sandwich for her cub which was up in a tree – except that it wasn’t a bear cub or a tree, it was an orca on a really high wave that jumped over the front of his kayak – except that it wasn’t a kayak, it was Carmelita’s basket.

In the morning, they checked their suitcases for bathing suits and sunblock and then lined up to climb into the basket on Carmelita to start their trip.  Moe got in first and immediately went to his old plaace facing backward.  “But Moe,” said Minnie and Mannie together.  “You don’t have bad breath anymore.  You get to face forward and go first.” 

“No Thanks”, said Moe.  “I’ve decided that I like facing backward and going third after all.”

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Minnie, Manny and Moe travel on lots of adventures with Carmelita.  Carmelita’s birthday is in February, on Valentine’s Day but she doesn’t tell how old she is…which doesn’t really matter for a magical camel.  In all our stories, we haven’t learned when the birthdays are for Minnie, Manny and Moe.  Well, it turns out that each has a birthday during the same month and even on the same day as a You-Know-Who.   Minnie was born in February, like Carmelita – but not the same day as Carmelita.  Do you know who might share Minnie’s February birthday?  (hint: not Ashby.)

Why Quinn!  February 5th!  Isn’t that amazing?

Manny was born in July – but not on Independence Day, the day when they shoot all the fireworks.  Do you know who might share Manny’s birthday?  

Why Wesley!  July 6th!  Isn’t that doubly amazing?

Moe was born in October which, according to Grandpa, is the best-est ever month to be born.  Do you think Moe and Grandpa share a birthday?  Well, as Wesley and some others say “close but no cigar.”  So do you know who else has an October birthday that might be shared with Moe?

Why Gray! – of course.  October 14th.  That is triply amazing!  

So now we know the birthdays for Minnie (Feb. 5th), Mannie (July 6th), and Moe (Oct. 14th).  But do we know how old they are?  Well, the answer is one year older than they were last year – which is the same age as Grandpa, and the same age as Grandma and Wesley, and Gray, and Quinn.  In fact, if you think about it, Minnie, Manny, and Moe are the same age as just about everybody.  That is quadruply amazing! …even a little magical.

Anyhow, Minnie, Mannie and Moe have told Carmelita that when summer is over they would like to go to school. But there are many schools and they don’t know which to choose.  Minnie wants to go to Quinn’s new school since they share the same birthday – Bradley Hills Elementary.  Manny wants to go to Wesley’s school – Carl Sandburg Elementary.  And Moe wants to go to Gray’s school – Wesley Preschool.  “The boys stick together”, say Mannie and Moe.  “Not fair”, replies Minnie.  But Carmelita has to remind Minnie, Mannie and Moe that they always go everywhere together so, despite Carmelita’s magic, they can’t go to three different schools.  So which shall they choose?

As usual, Carmelita has the answer.  Using her magic and with the help of Gray and Wesley and Quinn she will create a new school that combines Wesley preschool, Bradley Hills and Carl Sandburg .  It will be called the Bradley Wesley Sandburg School and it will be in a town called BetheCentennial in Marylorado.  Now Carmelita says that Wesley, Quinn and Gray will help to design BWS school.

The principal will be?  Grandpa (Wesley’s choice)

The first grade teacher will be?  Grandma (Quinn’s choice)

The preschool teacher will be?  Gray (Gray’s choice)

The best (most fun) class will be?  Recess (Wesley’s choice)

The best thing on the playground will be?  Monkey bars (Quinn’s choice)

The naughtiest boy will be?  Moe (Gray’s choice)

The naughtiest girl will be?  Quinn (Wesley’s choice)

The principal will or won’t have super powers?  Will (Quinn’s choice)

His or her super-hero name will be?   Ironman (Gray’s choice)

And the bad guy will be?  Grandpa (Wesley’s choice)

“That is SO COOL” say Minnie, Mannie and Moe all at once.  We can’t wait for summer to be over and for school to start.  “Well school won’t start before the end of summer”, says Carmelita “and before then we have lots of things to do – like swimming, boating , tubing, riding bikes and scooters, picking tomatoes, doing crafts and getting lots of sleep so we can be ready when school does start.

And speaking of sleep, it is bedtime.  So, “goodnight Minnie, Mannie, Moe, Wesley, Quinn and Gray.  All six of you need to brush teeth, go pee-pee, and GO TO BED.”

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Minnie, Mannie and Moe were getting ready to go to the beach to see their cousins.  To hear Carmelita talk about it, seeing their cousins was all they were going to do at the beach.  So they had to remind themselves that there was lots to do at the beach with or without cousins; and that even if their cousins weren’t coming (which they were, anyhow) they could enjoy doing things at the beach together – like jumping waves, digging in the sand, riding boogie boards, and eating watermelon.  But their cousins would be there, so they would get to have fun doing all those things with other members of their family.

It had been just about a year since they last saw their cousins and they were excited.  They sat together to remind each other of all their cousins’ names.  “They all sound a lot alike,” said Minnie.  “There’s Maurice and Maureen, the twins.  They’re young still.  And baby Matilda who everyone called Mattie.  Last year Mattie was just a newborn so she hardly counted but this year she’d be a toddler which probably meant that she’d get into all their stuff.

And there’s Mitchell and Matthew, his younger brother.  Together they definitely meant trouble.  “Remember last summer?” said Mannie, “when Matthew took Mitchell’s bike to go swimming in Mr. Robert’s pool in his underwear?  And Mitchell found out and took his bike back AND Matthew’s pants and shoes.  Then Matthew had to walk home barefoot in his undies.”

“Mannie, you DARED Matthew to do that” said Moe.

“He dared me to dare him” said Mannie. “He was, like, looking for an excuse to get in trouble…and he did.”

“And remember when Mitchell scooped up the jellyfish in a pail and put it in the twin’s wading pool?” said Mannie.

“And when Matthew caught a frog and put it in the coffee pot?” added Moe.

“And who helped him with that, Moe?“ said Minnie. “As I recall you had to help wash the pot.”

Finally, there’s cousin Margaret who’s older and mostly wants to lie in the sun and work on her tan; and her brother, Mike, the surfer dude who last year promised Minnie, Mannie and Moe that they’d all get up on a surfboard this year. “He said that last year too,” said Minnie “but it didn’t happen.”  “No waves last year,” said Moe.  “No balance,” said Mannie.  But they all wished the Mike would teach them to surf this year.

“So let’s list all our cousins from oldest to youngest,” said Minnie.

“There’s Margaret.  Then ME” said Minnie. “and then Mike.”

“Then ME; and then ME” said Mannie and Moe.

“Then Mitchell and then Matthew; and Maurice and Maureen, the twins, and Mattie, the baby.

“That’s 10 in all – Amazing! And everybody’s name begins with an “M”.  Except Carmelita” noted Mannie.

“But she’s not a cousin,” said Minnie, “So it’s OK for her name to start with a “C”.

Soon they were all together at the beach.  “Who wants to be first to learn to surf?” asked Mike. “How about you Minnie?” …and off they went.

Margaret laid out a blanket on the sand.  Maurice and Maureen grabbed buckets and shovels and dug a hole near the water that quickly filled with water as waves ran up on the shore.  Mattie toddled over and sat in the hole, giggling as water and sand filled her diaper.

“I dare you to sneak over to Mr. Robert’s pool and swim nudie.” Said Mannie to Matthew.

“No way” said Matthew. “That didn’t go so well last year and I was in my undies then.”

“Do it” said Mitchell. “That was sooo funny when you walked home.”

“No Way!” said Matthew again.

“Okay” said Mannie, “I dare you to climb on the pilings at the end of the pier and shout at Minnie as you jump in the water so she’ll fall off her surfboard.”

“Double Dare” said Matthew.  “I’ll do it if you do it too”

“Triple Dare” said Mannie.

“What’s a triple dare?” asked Moe.

“Not sure” said Mitchell. “I think it means that WE are going to make them do it together at the same time cousin Moe.”  So all four marched out to the pilings at the end of the pier.  When they got there they saw a fat gull perched on the top of each piling.  “Go away, gulls” shouted Moe and they all took off into the air with a loud squawk.  Then Matthew and Mannie each climbed onto a piling and looked down to the water way below.  It seemed far away.  And then they looked onto the piling caps where they were standing and what do you think they saw?  BIRD POOP!  They shouted and jumped together off the pilings and into the surf.  Woo Wee, that was fun.  They climbed out and did cannonballs and pencils together with Mitchell and Moe who joined in the fun.

Then they saw Minnie on her surfboard.  She’d managed to get onto her knees and glide along a wave.  Next time she would try standing on her feet.  So when she paddled back out for her next wave, Mannie, Moe, Mitchell, and Matthew decided they’d each climb onto a piling and then shout and jump just as she went by so Minnie would fall off her surfboard.

But Carmelita was watching…

The boys climbed up onto the pilings.  Minnie started to come down a wave and slowly and unsteadily stood on her board.  “Ready on the count of three” said Mitchell. “One, Two, Three … BIRD POOP! They shouted together and jumped off the pilings.

Then Carmelita winked a magic wink.   No sound came out of their mouths; and there was no splash when they hit the water.  Minnie glided past, standing up on her board and smiling from ear to ear.  She was surfing for her first time.

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