It was the last weekend before school holidays, and the McBristly Porcupines wanted to make the most of it.
The Pins & Needles Tailor Shop was always busier in the summer months, and they wanted to make sure they were nice and relaxed before they opened it for weekends.
And what better way to relax than an afternoon at their Sunshine Tiki Hut? Parents Peggy and Porter had packed up some food, and their kids, Quinn and Quill, were looking for a beach ball.
“I can’t wait!” said Quinn. She put on her sunglasses and smiled in the mirror.
They headed to the Tiki Hut with their beach bags and barbecue. There was just one cloud in the sky, with a faint rainbow on the horizon.
As they reached their hut, they realized something was wrong: everything was soaked!
“Oh no!” squeaked Quill. The hammock had blown away, the tiki torches were quenched, and the ukulele was floating in a puddle. It really was a sorry sight.
“It must be from that thunderstorm yesterday,” said Peggy. “What a shame!”
Quinn felt like crying. “We were so looking forward to this!” she sniffed.
“Not to worry, darling,” said Porter. “It’s so sunny today that everything will dry out soon. In the meantime, let’s clear up this mess!”
The McBristlys dropped their bags and started picking up all the loose items in the sand. Porter swam out to rescue the hammock and Penny shook out all the water from the torches. Quill picked up the ukulele and started plucking the strings.
🎵 Plink-plink-plink-plink
Ploon-ploon-ploon-ploon
Plink-plink-plink-plink 🎵
The melody wafted through the air, with tinkly notes making everything seem better. The fish seemed to enjoy it too, as they all started to swim up near the shore.
“Look!” called Quinn! I’ve never seen so many before, and so many different colors!”
Peggy joined her kids near the pond’s edge and pointed out some of the creatures. “This is a sunfish,” she explained. “See all the colors it has on its scales? And that over there is a crab. They can walk in any direction but they usually move sideways!”
The McBristly kids gazed for hours at the water, as their mom continued to teach them all about pond life. They had forgotten all about the Sunshine Tiki Hut when –
“Hey guys, who’s hungry?” called Porter. While they were learning fun facts, their dad had been busy cleaning the hut and setting up the barbecue. All the chairs were now dry, the tiki torches were lit, and hot dogs were sizzling away on the grill.
“Oh wow!” said Quinn. “It looks as good as new!”
“Sometimes things don’t work out the way we think,” explained Peggy. “But, if you look on the bright side, you can find something different that’s just as fun!”
“Yep!” agreed Quill. “Now let’s eat, I’m staaarving!”
The McBristlys sat on the sand and happily ate their food, talking about all the different kinds of fish as they watched the sun set on the pond.
Tune in next week to hear about the aquatic adventures of the Quickquack Duck Family!
