beatrix bobbit's family vacation

Drip, drip, drip.

"This will do nicely," Mr. Bobbit declared.

Mrs. Bobbit peered inside the dilapidated beach house, and visibly recoiled. Instinctively, she put an arm out to shield Sybil and Beatrix. "You can't be serious, Jack, dear."

"Nonsense, Judy," Mr. Bobbit proclaimed. "If it's good enough for Colin, it's good enough for us."

Everyone groaned. Except for Mr. Bobbit and Penny. Though, if rabbits could groan, Penny certainly would've joined the chorus.

They had heard endless Colin anecdotes in the car on the way down.

"Well Colin probably doesn't come here when it's cold and rainy. Can't he loan it to us in the summer?" Beatrix mumbled.

"Dad, is Colin your best friend in the world?" Sybil asked cheerily.

Mr. Bobbit startled, "I don't have best friends," he looked at Penny and softened. "Come on in. Let's unload the car and make up Penny's bed."

Once Mr. Bobbit had traipsed inside with an alarming amount of splashing, Mrs. Bobbit turned to Sybil and Beatrix. She puffed her chest out and let out a big sigh. "Would one of you like to feign sickness so that we may leave here at once?"

Both Beatrix and Sybil bursted out in giggles. "No way that would work," Sybil said.

"Dad would just have us sit outside on the cold beach because the salt air is a cure-all," Beatrix added.

Mrs. Bobbit sighed again. She turned to face the front door, which was cracked in several places. "All together then?"

She stepped inside.

Right into the first small puddle. It appeared that the splintered wooden floor sloped downward, hence all of the congregating water.

"AHHHHHH!" Mrs. Bobbit screamed.

"What is it Judy??" Mr. Bobbit came running.

"It dripped on me," Mrs. Bobbit was covering her head with her arms.

"I know it's authentic, but Colin really insisted. What was I to say? He's always talking about this place," Mr. Bobbit explained with a sympathetic tilt of his mustache.

"Are you absolutely sure this is the right place, Jack, dear?"

Mr. and Mrs. Bobbit both surveyed the downstairs room. There was a single rocking chair in the middle of the floor, and one book on top of it. The kitchen was missing a fridge, stove and microwave. But it did have a dusty white cooler and a rusted sink.

The back deck was only two planks of wood wide, but did have a lovely view of the wintery beach. Though, the boards didn't look like they'd hold any weight for more than a split second. Even Penny's weight seemed dubious for the makeshift deck.

Penny hopped over to Mr. Bobbit's feet and Mr. Bobbit fell to his knees. She was almost entirely white. Her black fur so thickly coated in dust.

"NOOOOOO!" Mr. Bobbit wailed. "Beatrix, Sybil, we need a bucket of warm water NOW."

Sybil walked towards the sink, but when she turned it on, only drips of water came out. "Any ideas, Beatrix?"

"I guess we can use my cauldron," Beatrix turned and walked back down the steps. She hoisted her cauldron from the top of the car and called for Sybil to join her as she trekked down to the beach for ocean water.

"How do we decide who has to wade into the freezing ocean water?" Sybil asked as their feet squelched through damp sand.

Once they'd passed through the tall wavy grass, a beautiful and empty beach opened up before them. The dark sand was nearly completely invisible through the bed of shells and colorful rocks.

"Whoa," Beatrix said.

"It's like a treasure beach!" Sybil leapt and pranced forward.

Beatrix charged after her, keeping on her toes as she hopped across the beach, closer to the edge of the ocean. The smell of salt water stung her nostrils and tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

She loved it.

"Bea look at all of these! It really is like a beach filled with treasures and gems!"

"Why is no one else here?" Beatrix wondered aloud. "You'd think that people would be flocking to steal all of this..."

Sybil shrugged and held out her hand for the cauldron.

"No, Sybie, I've got it. You take a look around," Beatrix took a breath and stepped into the soaking wet sand. Her feet turned to ice almost instantly, but once they were completely numb she felt better.

She squatted low and waited on the next wave to break to dip her cauldron in. As it was coming, she braced herself for more cold. Prepared to fill the cauldron and get out of the winter ocean.

Until a voice spoke from the water.

"What are you doing?"

Beatrix was so startled she lost her balance and fell flat into the sand.

"It's rude not to answer, you know," the voice said. Beatrix still couldn't tell from where it was coming when it spoke again. "It's also rude to take things that do not belong to you." The voice carried to Sybil who was staring, open mouthed with a handful of shells and colorful smooth stones.

"There were no signs on the beach," Beatrix said, still peering into the water for a glimpse of who spoke to them. "We're staying in that awful house back there," Beatrix pointed. The house appeared to be tilting sideways from here.

"That is an awful house," the voice agreed. "Fine, you shall have your water. But nothing from the beach unless you come back and visit me."

"More than fair. Sybie!"

Sybil bounded over. Her eyes were wide as they scanned the water in front of them. At last a wave crashed near enough by that Beatrix and Sybil were able to fill the cauldron enough for Penny.

They scurried out of the water, carrying the cauldron between them. Then, headed back to the tilted, dripping house.

"If you took something from my collection, I'll know!" the voice called a final time. Beatrix whipped around in time to see a green tail kick once above water, and disappear.

Back inside, Beatrix and Sybil were out of breath when they set the cauldron down in front of Penny. Beatrix muttered a heating spell, for herself and the water. After a few moments, steam rose from the depths of the cauldron.

Mr. Bobbit stuck his hand in first, and nodded before gently lowering Penny down. Dust flew off of her, clinging to their clothes. But Mr. Bobbit didn't seem to mind.

"Ew," Sybil said.

"My cauldron," Beatrix lamented.

"ACHOO!" Mrs. Bobbit sneezed.

Water trickled down Mr. Bobbit's face while Penny hopped around in the cauldron. He was hovering completely over the top so as to shield Penny from the drips coming from the roof.

"How was the beach?" Mrs. Bobbit asked with a sniffle.

Beatrix and Sybil looked at each other, then smiled. "Interesting," Beatrix said.

"There was treasure everywhere. But a voice in the ocean told us not to touch it," Sybil added.

"What sort of voice, Sybil, dear?" Mrs. Bobbit asked.

"We couldn't see anything more than a green tail," Sybil responded with happy shrug and bob of her ponytail.

"I think some time in the fresh ocean air will do both of you good," Mr. Bobbit grumbled while unzipping his quilted coat. Once he had it off he lifted Penny from the cauldron, and wrapped her tightly in the jacket.

The last light was fading, and since there was nothing to cook dinner with, Mrs. Bobbit sent Beatrix and Sybil up to the third floor loft, where they'd be sleeping, with a candy bar and an apple.

There was only a half filled air mattress for Sybil and Beatrix to share, and the cramped upstairs space was cold and drafty.

Beatrix wiggled her fingers, and sat down in front of the cauldron, muttering and pointing her wand until flames leapt from inside it.

At once, their cramped space was bathed in a golden glow and a blanket of warmth. After munching their non-dinner snacks, they laid on the now fully deflated air mattress.

"As long as we're here, we might as well dig into this treasure beach, and whatever that creature was," Beatrix said. Through a hole in the roof, she could see the stars.

Quite suddenly, she was struck by all that she had not seen. Even if this beach was cold and home to a possibly dangerous green tailed creature, at least she was seeing something.

"Like detectives!" Sybil cheered. "I have a confession to make though."

"What'd you do?"

"I took a pink rock--" Sybil was interrupted by pounding on the door below.

"What did I say about stealing?" the voice growled before the front door blew wide open.