Previously on A Maddisun Tale…
Vancouver Island
Green Point Beach
2 AM
Charlie, Samantha, and Amanda had planned this with Brodie like a SEAL Team beach landing. Low tide was at 2:07 AM. Charlie explained that he’d visited Luna in the Veil before they left, and Luna had told him she would meet them at the first low tide after the new moon. They would meet just at the small inlet south of Green Point beach, directly east of a scattering of rocks rising from the ocean. They could beach the boat and leave when the tide had come in enough. A fire ban was in effect, which would help, as there probably wouldn’t be any late-night partiers out.
The seas were calm on the trip in, and visibility was clear enough that they could cut the lights before they approached the beach. Charlie had brought a propane stove, a skillet, and some of Ed’s BBQ chicken, which Penny had learned to make. Samantha and Amanda were happy when they noticed Penny had made enough for two wolves and three humans.
The aroma didn’t take long to reach its intended party.
Two female wolves swam across the inlet and shook their fur free of the water on the beach. Luna and Mayhem sat next to each other and momentarily watched the humans.
“Do you ever think about going back, Mom?” Mayhem sniffed the air. She’d smelled BBQ before, but this was different. It was intoxicating.
“Only for the BBQ,” Luna said, joining her daughter in enjoying the aroma. “Let’s go meet Charlie Jo…”
Mayhem rooster-tailed sand in her mother’s face as she took off. “Race me!”
Luna almost caught her daughter about 100 feet from Charlie, but she slowed down to a walk and smiled. Mayhem was about to ensue.
It was pretty quiet where they were, and the waves coming ashore were enough to dampen the sound of the wolf running on the sand at full speed.
Charlie, Samantha, and Amanda were in the surf, washing off the BBQ, when Mayhem jumped and caught Charlie right in the chest, just as her mother had a little over a year ago at the Falls by the Diner. Charlie caught Mayhem, and they crashed into an incoming wave. Charlie stood up and looked around, only to see Mayhem swimming ashore. Luna was sitting by the camp stove, looking out at the scene. She lowered her head and put her paw on her nose as a parent would to their forehead over their child's antics.
Charlie walked over to the boat, grabbed a towel, joined everyone, and sat before Luna and Mayhem.
“Told you, It’s Mayhem.” -Charlie said to Samantha and Amanda.
Charlie took a paper plate, scooped a bunch of BBQ Chicken onto it, and set it in front of Luna. He grabbed and filled another plate, held it in his lap, and looked at Luna for permission.
Luna didn’t look up until she’d finished her plate. Mayhem was drooling at that point. When Charlie finally set her plate in front of her, she ate a good portion of it, stepped backward, and proceeded to get the zoomies. Finally, she stopped, remembering she still had more to eat, but she walked up to Charlie before she did. He was still sitting, and they were nose to nose.
The two looked into each other’s eyes briefly, then lowered their heads so their foreheads touched. Then Mayhem stretched back in a crouch, took a deep breath, and howled a pitch-perfect Dm7. Her mother joined her, and in the distance, so did her brothers.
Luna and Mayhem shared one last moment, and it was time to go. The incoming tide was loosening the beach's hold on the boat. Charlie led Mayhem to the back of the boat and showed her how to get in, and she followed.
Luna sat on the beach and watched. Charlie jumped out, and he and Samantha could push the boat back out deep enough to start the engine. Mayhem had come up to the bow, watching them and then looking back on the beach. Her brothers had joined their mother. They watched as Charlie and Samantha boarded the boat. Charlie joined Mayhem at the bow. When the engine started, it startled Mayhem a little, but she seemed to understand where the noise was coming from.
Amanda opened the throttle once the boat turned back towards the sea. Mayhem stood and put her paws on the bow railing, and Charlie stood behind her. Amanda and Samantha looked at each other for a moment and nodded.
Samantha connected her phone to the boat's stereo system and cranked it as Mayhem put her paw on Charlie’s hand.
Samantha sang in the cabin while Amanda wiped the tears of laughter, thankful they’d passed the rock croppings. Charlie must have heard the song playing in the cabin because he put his hands under Mayhem’s front legs, held them out, and yelled, “I’m the King of the World!” The boat skipped along on the small whitecaps as they traveled back toward Vancouver Harbor.
A little over a day later, on a lazy August morning, a black 1968 Impala pulled onto Westergaard Drive. Mouse was driving, and Amanda was next to her. In the back seat, Mayhem took in the sights of her mother’s home for the first time.
At the Diner, Sheriff Joey Strongbull and Deputy Bella Price were having an early lunch at the counter when the jukebox speaker crackled. Jenny Portnoy was in the kitchen and peered through to see if anyone was at the Jukebox.
Seeing only Joey and Bella in the diner, Jenny, her inner metronome on point, announced, “And?” towards the jukebox affectionately known as Bumblebee.
Having just passed Charlie’s camp, the Impala passed through the Veil when Mayhem spoke up.
“Awoo!”
Back in the Diner, Bella followed Jenny a second later with “Here” and Joey a second behind Bella with “We.”
About 100 yards from the Diner, Mouse stopped the Impala in the middle of the road and looked in the rearview mirror.
A wide-eyed and very naked girl sat up in the back seat. Her arms covered her breasts on an instinct she didn’t know she had, considering she’d never been human before. She was surprised she was able to speak.
“Woah! Everything’s in color!” -Mayhem, again living up to her name.
In the Diner, Jenny, Joey, and Bella said, “Go.” just as the needle dropped on the vinyl.
The Jukebox at The Diner will return.