Patchy & Mitch

Somewhere in the mountains, in a small space with the smell of lavender lingering around. Coming from a candle placed on a square rag. There are apple kernels and chocolate wrappers crumpled in a pile. Scraps of cloth and tattered blankets lying on the ground. Used as beds for the two siblings, an older brother and younger sister tasked by their father to survive 7 nights on their own. Hone their skills as a hunter and scavenge while he went solo on a sailing mission. So, they took camp in a pit in a mountain next to the docs. Planning to catch fish for the duration of their stay. Although on most days they had empty stomachs since Mitch didn't like when his hands got slimy from the bait and would gag when it squirmed on the hook. For some reason, he was in awe when he saw his cutesy sister with the squeaky voice play with it in her hands. Patchy was different than most girls and Mitch didn't like to fish unlike most boys. It was his turn to get the big meal for the day and every time a meal is had, there is always a tale to tell.

Mitch: “Hey Patch, do you want to hear about my wild adventure that I had today?”

Patchy: “Um yes, spill the bananas.” She says struggling to get the fork that is out of her reach. “It must be a good one if you brought silverware!”

Mitch looks left and right like he is about to tell her a secret and Patchy leans in. But he just excitedly yells.

Mitch: “Ok, Ok! Well, I walked up to this dude's part of the docs right, told the guy straight up like ‘Look buddy, pass me the cooked fish or else. I want the lobster and the oysters in the cabin too. If you give it to me, then you won't end your day with a bloody nose.’ Buddy says, 'Make me' so I'm like 'You sure? I gotta mean left hook.' And Buddy's still like, 'Make me give up the food boy'. So, I whacked him in the face!"

Patchy tilts forward, the flame almost touching her chin.

Patchy: “What then Mitchy?! I knew he wasn’t happy about that.”

Mitch: “The only thing he could say is ‘Oh Boy, you really do have a mean left hook!”

Patchy: “And what’d you say?”

Mitch: “I know! I thought I told you so! Now hurry up and get what I asked for.”

They both laugh out loud and Patchy begins to use her best mafia like accent.

Patchy: "You know," she puffs an imaginary cigar mimicking her father. "I don't like to be lied to. And you know where papa put the liar’s dontcha?"

Mitch: “No I suppose I don...”

Patchy: “With the fishes that you didn’t bring! So, tell me the real details and what's in the sac or I'll get some bait tomorrow morning and stuff them in places you don't like! Capeesh?”

Mitch: “Agh, I'll just stop you when I see you waddling around with the bucket,” he waves his hand nonchalantly.

Patchy: "Not if I wake up early and put it in your clothes and ears and teeth…"

Mitch: “Okay. okay! I'll tell you the deets, sheesh!”

His body shivers and patchy was filled with pure giggles.

Patchy: “Mhm, Mhm. Go on” she says quickly as she nods her head.

Mitch: “I did some work raking the fields for Old man Roger. I did stop at the docs though. I looked for any sailing ships I could find that resembled our dads. I imagined his ship coming up on the horizon. His hand waving at me and soon after,” he pauses. "Feeling him pull me into a great ole bear hug."

Patchy gives him a tiny smile.

Mitch: He quickly shakes out of it and continues, “Then I ran down to the ramen place with the money I earned and got us mad food!”

He holds the sac up and carefully puts it in between them.

Patchy: “Mad food?”

Mitch: “Mad food! He gave me way more than what I paid for." The sac gently unfolds. "Four bowls of ramen and a plate of sushi, your favorite!”

Patchy’s eyes wander across the room.

Patchy: “So, no” puffs chest out, "Look buddy?"

Mitch: “Not exactly.” He rubs his head.

Patchy: “No left hook and no whackin?”

Mitch: He chuckles a bit, “No, not really an exciting day, huh.”

Patchy: “Eh, I give it a 4.5 maybe a 6 since you got the salmon sushi too,” she wiggles doing a happy dance.

Mitch: “Patchhh,” he hits an imaginary cigar, "You know you can't do your family like that. You always gotta stick up for em. If it's not a 9, then your sleepin with the fishes." He holds up a playful angry fist.

Patchy: “Oh, come here!”

Mitch points at himself

Patchy: “Yes, you in the back. Come here, I need to talk to ya for a second.”

Mitch moves closer, his ear inches away from Patchy's face. She grabs the collar of his shirt.

Patchy: “Look here, you see that piece of sushi over there. Say that sushi told me I would be sleepin with the fishes. Right! Me!" She chuckles to herself and tries to hold her best mean face, "Like who is this guy right?" She lets go of his shirt, “I don’t think they know what my papa does to people."

Mitch: “You don't say” his eyebrows raise, "So, you're all about that ‘Look buddy’, huh."

Patchy: "Mhm, you know it!"

Mitch shakes his head a bit and looks up at the stars through a small hole.

Mitch: “Your speech is getting better. You haven't stopped reading books right, Patch. You have always been better at it than me.”

Patchy: “Of course, I have to be smart for papa! and I'm always better than you".

Mitch: “Would you ever write a story about papa, sailing the seas one day?”

Patchy: “Eh, it would be missing unicorns, every story needs a unicorn. "

Mitch: "You don't always need a unicorn when you’re crouching around; listening to papa’s business stories when he talks to his friends." He pokes at her.

Patchy: She blushes before speaking, "Because papa is my unicorn. He grants all my wishes and does what he says he's going to do!"

She stuffs some noodles into her mouth.

Mitch: "Your right Patch" he smiles. "Your right."

Mitch rubs Patchy’s head and begins to dig in while his smile rests on a sliver of hope. He now felt that his papa would make it back home like he promised.

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