the clipboard over Mr. Tannenbaum’s shoulder. She read: ‘Unauthorized readers will be automatically disqualified from the contest. This means you, Molly.’

She was so surprised that she dropped the binoculars on Kit’s head.

“Ouch!” the boy cried. He put a hand to his head and frowned up at Molly.

“Sorry.”

“There’s an eagle!” Rebecca said excitedly, pointing to a bird circling overhead.

“Barn swallow,” Mr. Tannenbaum corrected.

“Right.” She laughed nervously. “Thought it was an eagle from here.”

“More like a booby bird,” Baloo muttered with a glare at Rebecca.

“I’m a business woman, not a bird watcher,” she whispered.

“That’sobvious.”

“At least I’m trying, birdbrain.”

Baloo fired back with, “Well, stop tryin’. You’re makin’ us look bad.”

“You’ve already made us look bad with your table manners,” Rebecca said loud enough for Mr. Tannenbaum to hear.

The judge stopped and turned to look at the quarreling couple. Wildcat examined their miniatures through his binoculars. An unhappy Molly perched on Baloo’s shoulders clapped her hands over her ears.

Baloo countered heatedly, “At least I know a snake when I see it, lady!”

Eager to change the subject, Kit broke in with, “How do you know so much about birds, Mr. Tannenbaum?”

“I’m the local chapter chairman of B.W.A.”

“Bwah?” Baloo and Kit said simultaneously, exchanging puzzled glances.

“Bird Watcher’s Association.”

When a little brown bird with a forked tail swooped around them, Kit said half-jokingly “Let me guess. Barn swallow.”

“Correct, young man.”

Baloo flashed Kit a thumbs-up as they continued down the narrow path.

Fifteen minutes later, Kit stopped in his tracks and exclaimed, “Hold it!”

Wham, wham, wham, wham, wham! Everyone ran into the back of the person in front of them.

“Ow!” Molly cried in a muffled voice. She was squished between Mr. Tannenbaum and her mother.

“I heard something,” Kit said in hushed tones.

“What?” Baloo said.

“Shh!”

For a few moments, everyone stood in silence. All ears strained to hear the mysterious noise.

“I don’t hear anything,” Wildcat said.

“Hmm...” Kit murmured as he tentatively continued down the trail.

A few minutes later, Kit once again halted in his tracks. “There it is again!”

Wham, wham, wham, wham, wham!

“Wildcat, watch where you’re going!” Rebecca cried. She untangled the binoculars from her hair.

“Sorry, Miz Cunningham.”

Then, they heard it.

A low growling as of a ferocious, man-eating animal.

Rebecca clutched a squirming Molly to her. “Mommy, not so tight!”

Wildcat, bent over double, peered through his legs with his binoculars. Mr. Tannenbaum looked bored and wrote.

“It’s coming from...” Listening intently, Kit moved towards the growling. “Here.” He pointed to Baloo’s stomach. “Never mind.”

Baloo pushed Kit’s cap over his eyes and said indignantly, “Hey, it’s been a whole hour since that snack. I can’t help it if the Big Guy’s complainin’.”

Rebecca sighed in exasperation. “Let’s keep going.”

“When are we startin’ back?” Baloo asked, his stomach growling loudly.

Lake Flaccid
An Hour Later

Mellow afternoon sunshine sifted down through the fluffy clouds that drifted lazily across the bright blue sky. Mixed with the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore was the drone of insects and the soft scratching of Mr. Tannenbaum’s pencil against paper.

In this sleepy environment, no amount of pinching and prodding from Rebecca could keep Baloo awake. The big bear was happily dozing in his lawn chair near the water’s edge, his fishing pole loosely dangling from his hands.

Because the cubs were splashing in the water and Wildcat was tinkering with something in the Sea Duck, Rebecca was alone in entertaining Mr. Tannenbaum.

“This is such a beautiful place,” she said, leaning back in her chair with a contented sigh. Of course, it would have been more relaxing if the judge wasn’t watching them with his all-seeing hawk-like gaze and continually writing who-knew-what on his infernal clipboard. She thought it was unfair that she was stuck making insincere pleasantries while Baloo got to sleep.

“Yes,” Mr. Tannenbaum said curtly. Scribble, scribble.

“So serene and peaceful.”

Snore.

Frowning at the sleeping big bear to her right, she muttered under her breath, “Almost serene and peaceful.”

Without warning, the cubs, who had been playing in the water near shore, splashed Baloo. He awoke mid-snore, spluttering, “Shark attack! Shark attack!”

Laughing, Kit and Molly took off across the beach.

Between giggles, Rebecca choked out, “You should have seen your face!”

“So ya think that’s funny, huh?” Baloo said, standing up. Water dripped from his fur.

Rebecca nodded, snickering.

“I’ll show ya how funny it is.” Baloo jumped into the lake and sent a spray of water her way.

“Hey!” Glancing down at her water-spotted shirt, she said, “Two can play at that game.” She waded into the lake until she was face-to-face with him, then repeatedly hit the water as hard as she could with her palms, drenching him from the waist up.

“Stop!” Baloo said, his eyes squeezed shut as he smacked the water. Splash!

Splash! Splash! “You first!” Splash!

Splash! “You!” Splash!

“I’m not stopping!” Splash, splash, splash, splash, splash! “And you can’t make me!” Splash!

“Oh, yeah?” Baloo pinned her arms to her sides. “Ha! Got ya ta stop.”

Panting a little from their splashing contest, the two sopping-wet bears’ eyes locked for a moment. Then...

“Cannonbaaaaaaall!” Mr. Tannenbaum yelled. He jumped off the Sea Duck’s wing into the water - suit and all - sending a gigantic wave of water crashing towards shore.

“Ah!” Rebecca squealed.

“Hey!” Baloo shouted.

Twilight

Kit lounged in a lawn chair before the crackling campfire, the pungent smoke of which slightly stung his eyes. While he toasted a marshmallow, he thoughtfully gazed out over the lake at the oranges and reds of the sunset reflected on the rippling waves. The silhouettes of the fir trees were superimposed darkly against the setting sun. Somewhere within those trees, an owl hooted. The voices of chorus frogs permeated the air, their unique call sounding as if thousands of them were running their fingers across the edges of combs. Overhead, a few faint stars were making their appearance in the purple sky.

As Kit’s eyes roved towards the group gathered around the campfire, he mentally reviewed that day’s events. It had been a wonderful day. A day full of laughter and fun. Sadly, it was drawing to a end.

To his left, Mr. Tannenbaum was meticulously toasting a marshmallow to a perfect golden-brown. Then, he neatly slid it off the pointed stick and popped it in his mouth. While he chewed, he wrote on his clipboard.

On the other side of Mr. Tannenbaum, Baloo held his multi-pronged branch, loaded with marshmallows over the fire. A few of the squishy confections were in danger of catching fire. Wildcat had his marshmallows speared on a long-handled screwdriver. Molly, who sat cross-legged on the lawn chair to Kit’s right, was too impatient to toast hers. She ate them right out of the bag.

Kit looked up when Rebecca draped a light blanket around his shoulders, giving him a hug in the process.

“So my flight crew doesn’t get chilly,” she whispered in his ear. She took Molly on her lap and wrapped a blanket around both of them.

Warmed by the blanket and the hug, Kit smiled his thanks over at Rebecca.

Wildcat said matter-of-factly, “I like toasting marshmallows with an acetylene torch better. It gives them a different flavor.”

Baloo, who was eating charred marshmallows directly from his branch, chuckled, “You can say that again.”

“Gives ‘em a different flavor,” Wildcat repeated.

Baloo groaned. He swiped a sticky hand across his sticky mouth and said casually, “So, Mr. T. Know who the winner is yet?”

“Not yet," the judge replied without looking up from his clipboard.

“Just one teensy hint?”

“No. It’s against regulations. But I can tell you that it’s very close.”

“Will another marshmallow put us over the top?” When Baloo waved his branch in Mr. Tannenbaum’s direction a marshmallow stuck to his pince-nez. “Oops. Sorry, Mr. T.”

At the judge’s comical, slightly annoyed expression, Kit hid a smile behind his hand. Molly giggled. Rebecca hushed her quickly.

“I’ve heard of mud in your eye, but never marshmallows in your

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