Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

floating forests there are out there.”
    “Yeah,” said Peter, “but we’re going to want to have them to go look for things when we need to later … back in that town.   I mean, we’re not going to be out in the swamps forever and ever without ever leaving for anything, right?”
    I shook my head.   “Probably not.”
    “So we need to keep dem.   But do we need to take dem with us is da question.”
    “I don’t think we should leave them here.   Someone will eventually find them and take them.”
    “Okay, den.   So we bring dem with us.   We need to disconnect da trailer.”
    “I’ll get on that.   You guys get the other two bikes down there and the sensitive cargo that’s left in the trailer.”
    Thirty minutes later we had everything to our names piled up in three canoes.   We tried to stack all the bikes in one, but it made it to top-heavy and it looked like it could tip over too easy.   We sat on the dock, drinking water from our bottles and eating a bag of the chips we had found in the shack.   I handed a few to Buster who crunched away at them and then licked up every single crumb that dropped.   He drank water out of my cupped hand for a few seconds and then gave up, running down to the water’s edge to drink from there.
    “So do we go in one canoe together and pull the other ones somehow?   Or are we going to each take one alone?” asked Peter.
    “I will tell you what I think,” said Bodo.   “You guyss go in two empty canoes, with Peter in da front.   We can attach da three canoes with our stuff to you, Bryn, and each udder.   Den, I can follow in a canoe with all da udder boats behindt me.”
    “Like a big convoy,” said Peter, smiling.
    “It’s not ideal, but I guess it’s the only way we can make sure that we don’t leave behind a boat for someone to follow us with.”
    “Is the current strong?” asked Peter.
    “I have no idea.   I guess we’re going to find out.”
    “We can handle it.   It’s not a problem.”   Bodo beamed at us, rubbing his hands together in excitement.   “We are almost home, guyss!   I can feel it!   And I haff extra energy right now, so we should use it before I get tiredt again.”
    “You’re right,” I said, standing up and brushing myself off.   I’m not really sure why I bothered, since my jeans were beyond ever being clean again.   I guess old habits die hard.   “Might as well do this now.   I don’t want to be fighting currents or alligators when the canners might be out and about, listening.”
    “Alligators?” asked Peter meekly.   “Are you serious?”
    “Kind of.   I mean, they do live here, you know.”
    “Yeah, but they’re shy right?”
    I shrugged.   “Let’s hope so.”
    Peter stood up.   “Bryn, sometimes I don’t know if your lack of concern is bravery or … something else.”
    “Tell me you weren’t going to say stupidity.”
    “I didn’t say it,” said Peter, trying to look innocent.
    “Go ahead, call me stupid.   But I got us this far.”
    “Yes, you did,” soothed Bodo.   “You’re not stupid, you’re brave.   Maybe a little more creatif dan udder people, but dat’s a good thing to me.”
    “Thank you, Bodo,” I said, just before sticking my tongue out at Peter.
    “I’m sorry, he’s right.   Without you I would have been sitting in my aunt’s house still, looking at my last batch of tomato sauce and wondering where I was going to find my next meal.”
    I smiled hugely.   “And here you are, getting ready to float away with a bunch of boats filled with baked beans and nacho cheese Doritos instead!   How can you possibly doubt my awesomeness?”
    “It’s gonna be gassy in this swamp,” he said, giggling.
    “You’d better not, Peter.   You’ll get kicked off the island.   I’m not kidding.”
    He just shrugged, stepping off the dock and going over to an empty canoe.   “What are we connecting these things together with?”
    “Da chain,” said Bodo, picking up one end of it and passing it through a metal loop on the front of an empty canoe.   He dragged it down the length of the boat, clanking and banging it along its side until he got to the next one.   He only had three of them strung together when he ran out of links.   “We think needt a rope.”
    “I saw one in the shack,” I said.
    “I’ll go get it,” offered Peter, scrambling up the bank.  
    “It’s behind the counter!” I yelled.   “Grab the blanket off the windowsill on