Lost at Piney Point

LOST AT PINEY POINT

Katherine Alyse and Mia Bella were the only girls in the Big House by the Park who had never been to Piney Point.  Their idea of “roughing it” was to have a picnic in the park without spreading a blanket on the ground first!  Bailey managed to convince them that they should have the Piney Point Experience at least once, so off the three of them went.  As they stepped off the steamboat at the Piney Point dock, Baily began to extol the virtues of the rustic retreat, and Katherine Alyse and Mia Bella began to suspect that the last of civilization was steaming away across the lake behind them.

        While Bailey went off doing all sorts of woodsy activities, the other two sat around reading the latest fashion magazines. 

“You should take advantage of being here!” Bailey admonished them, “Reading fashion magazines is all you do at home, too.  Here you can go boating, swimming, hiking, climbing!  Get out in the fresh air and get some exercise!”

 

            If just to get Bailey off their backs, Katherine Alyse and Mia Bella decided to go on a nature ramble along a broad, well-marked trail.

            “Just stay on the trail and you’ll be fine,” said Bailey, “And don’t be gone too long; I have prepared a special treat for after supper.”

 

            Before long the girls noticed a meadow above the trail, filled with wildflowers.

            “Let’s gather some to take back to the Lodge,” suggested Katherine Alyse.  And so they left the trail and went into the meadow.

         Soon they each had a lovely bouquet.

            

 

            Mia Bella saw a clearing in the woods a little way off.  “Let’s go see if there are some different flowers in that clearing.”  And they went through the woods to see.

 

            They didn’t find any, and turned to go back, but realized they didn’t know which way they had come!

            “I think it was this way,” said Katherine Alyse.

            “No, I’m sure it was the other direction,” declared Mia Bella.  Confused, and a little concerned, they struck out through the trees, hoping to find the trail again.

 

            But in their confusion, they missed their footing, and tumbled down a steep embankment, their flowers and hats scattered behind them!

 

            They got up shakily at the bottom, all covered with dirt and leaves.  They looked around in panic, realizing that they were hopelessly lost in the forest!

            “What will we do?” wailed Katherine Alyse, “We’ll never find our way back!”

            “I don’t know how to forage for nuts and berries!” Mia Bella exclaimed, “We’ll starve to death for sure!”

            “Sister,” said Katherine Alyse, “If you starve to death first, I promise I won’t eat you stay alive!”

            “And I promise I won’t eat you!”

 

            Just then, they heard a rustling in the undergrowth.

            “IT’S A BEAR!” screamed Katherine Alyse.

            “WE’LL BE EATEN ALIVE!” cried Mia Bella.

            “GOOD-BYE, SISTER!”

            “GOOD-BYE!”

            The bushes parted, and there was Bailey, with their hats.

            “I suspected something like this might happen,” she said, “so I came after you.  You certainly left an easy trail to follow.”

 

            “Let’s go back to the Lodge and get you cleaned up and into something more practical; it’s not that far.  And we’ll have that treat I promised you.”

            So back at Piney Point the girls got out of their frilly whites and into sailor suits, even though the Nautical Look was “so 1900!”  They went down towards the shore to where Bailey had prepared a campfire.  Bailey had followed Gila’s recipe, and made a batch of marsh-mallow candy, which she brought along in a basket with plenty of Hershey’s chocolate bars and a box of healthy, nutritious Graham crackers.

 

            Katherine Alyse and Mia Bella soon realized that “roughing it” could be quite delicious, as they made little sandwiches, which the girls called “same agains”, of Graham crackers, chocolate, and marsh-mallow candy.

            “These ‘same agains’ are delicious!” said Katherine Alyse.

            Mia Bella added, “I would like some more ‘same agains’, please!”