Beneath the water

It was a hot day in Bumpy Town, just like any other. Banana Split and pogo had set out to the nearby lake with plans of swimming, cooling off, and messing with the wild-life. The two giggled as they raced each other through the forest, slithering under branches and pouncing over bushes. It felt like the trip was stretching out as they bounded under the sun. They passed many things which Split would have liked to investigate, odd-looking flowers, little bugs, and even small rodents. In the long-run Split didn't mind not stopping because all they could focus on was how cool the water would be on their scales. The trees started to draw back and the lake was now in their view.

"Stop!" Banana Split harshly hissed grabbing Pogo's tail with his paws. Banana Split pulled Pogo into a bush and pointed through the leaves. "You think they saw us?"

"Who?" Pogo said, confused. He peered around the leaves and spotted a keke standing on the opposite side of the lake. "Oh, them. You're being paranoid Split!" Before Banana Split could try to convince him otherwise Pogo left the safety of the bush and carelessly slithered towards the lake. Split didn't see the use in hiding anymore if Pogo was out and about. The other keke didn't look mean anyway, they just felt... off. They were crouched over the water, not even slightly bothered by their presence if they even knew Split and Pogo were there. There was no use in bothering the keke since all they were doing was looking into the water.

"You think they'll get mad if we get in the water?" Split questioned, seemingly to a brick wall. Pogo was already at the water's edge putting his arms in the water.

"Aah, that feels so good." He smiled, slithering more towards the water. "Hurry up Split or you're a rotten egg!"

Split looked at Pogo for a moment before turning back to the stranger. "I'm going to go see what they're looking at, maybe they found some treasure and just don't want to get wet!"

Pogo shot up, not even having thought of that idea. "Hey, wait for me!" The two kekes approached the adult, bent over the water.

"Um-- excuse me? Hello," the two keke mumbled suddenly losing their confidence. The keke turns their head to the small children before them, slightly startled as they were too intent on watching whatever was below the water's surface.

"Hello," they clear their throat and say: "Could you help me catch a fish?" The nervous glances from Pogo and Split must have given them an idea that they best reraise their words. "Not to eat of course. One just...swallowed something that belongs to me." The keke turned around before Split or Pogo could edge in a relieved sigh, "It swam over there..." he motioned to a spot in the lake where the sun glistened on top of the water.

"We can do that for you! We planned on swimming around anyway," Pogo shouted, a little too loud after having to be quite for "so long." Pogo eagerly squirmed out onto the water, his belly scales keeping him above the water.

"Hey slow down! If the fish hasn't been scared off already it sure has been now!" Split yelled, struggling with his hair tie. He wrapped the tie around his wrist and joined his friend out on the water. "Do you see anything?"

"Nah," Pogo started before loudly shushing himself. He pointed to a large fish with sparkling scales just beneath the surface of the water staring directly at them. The kekes and the fish stared at each other for what seemed like ages, but suddenly both Pogo and Split lunged for the fish, ramming their heads into one another. Both of their paws wrapped around the fish's slippery body and they held it above the water. What they expected to see was big fish wriggling to be freed from their grasp, what they actually saw was both their hands wrapped around a scroll. Both keke dropped the scroll looking back underwater for the fish.

After hearing an intrigued, "What's that," from the stranger both keke suddenly lunged for the paper, resulting in their heads colliding once more. Both keke screamed at each other that they could get it. Huffing and puffing, holding their heads, and with the scroll in hand they headed back to the shore where the stranger waited.

"What do you think it is?" inquired Split, offering the scroll up to the stranger. " Is it what you were looking for?" The stranger didn't reply to their questions, simply looking at the paper waiting for them to unroll it. After a few moments of awkward silence and holding the scroll out Pogo snatched it and eagerly rolled it out on the ground. At first both keke were worried that the paper had been ruined by the water, but it didn't appear to be the case. In fact, the water rolled off the map and absorbed into the group when Pogo unrolled it.

"It's a map!!" Pogo squealed in excitement, "Not just any map, a treasure map!" His eyes lit up and he threw his arms over his head howling in joy. The plan of swimming had totally left their minds, whatever treasure they would be able to find was more worth being cool. Split grabbed the map from Pogo and he noticed that it didn't even feel wet, in fact, whatever water was on it bubbled to the surface and fell off like dew. The edges of the map were wrinkled and slightly eaten away, possibly by the fish. Inside a crude drawing of where to go from the lake leading to a big X.

"Do you know what treasure we might get?" Asked Split, looking to the keke for answers. They didn't respond, but rather stared at the map with much interest.

"Buried treasure," they muttered, sounding amused "Will you follow it?" Pogo jumped up onto his lizard-legs and shook Split by the shoulders.

"We have to now, they gave us permission!!"

Split sighed, there was no getting out of anything when Pogo was this excited. "Okay, okay!" he shook himself loose from Pogo's grasp. "What about your fish problem?" He nodded to the lake

The stranger waved a paw dismissively and said, "I'm probably better looking for it on my own." The two keke smiled widely, appreciating that the stranger wasn't going to keep them there wrestling fish.

Pogo's eyes were as bright as ever, not even slightly deterred, "you think we should get supplies? Like, we might need snacks, and food, and treats!"

Split laughed, "Is all you can think of food? We probably won't be gone long." Pogo looked slightly disappointed, but also more enthusiastic that they were going to look for the treasure right then and there.

"Good luck finding your item" Split hollered over his shoulder as he and Pogo slithered off in the direction of the dotted line on the map. Using the shape of the lake as their guide they determined that the treasure had to be this way, it was the only part of the lake that looked like that after all! The map wasn't hard to follow most of the time, but sometimes there would be an abrupt turn without any sort of landmark to determine how much to turn.  Eventually, they would find something else that the map displayed that would revive their confidence, however. As they slithered the pain from bashing their heads in twice slowly began to sink in, a throbbing headache greeted both of them.

"Ugh I wish that we weren't such good friends" Mumbled Pogo, not holding his thought back.

Split was taken aback, "What? Why!" He questioned, looking away from the map.

Pogo looked at Split thinking about what he had just said, "Uh-- well, we wouldn't have such good instincts!" He ended up deciding. "Besides you know you're just leeching off of my natural talent of reacting to things." He smiled, quite pleased with himself.

Split rolled his eyes, "Oh puh-lease, if anyone got instincts from anyone you got it from me!" As if to demonstrate what he ment he lifted a large rock that must have been about the size of Pogo's head.

"Strength doesn't mean anything if you don't have reaction time!" He argued.

"Come on, we both just saw that we reacted at the same exact time" He dropped the rock and hurried to catch up to his friend as he had stopped walking. "This argument is stupid."

"You're only saying that because you know how right I am," Pogo boasted.

"Oh hush!" He looked from the map, then back up, then back down to the map. "Hey we're almost there!" Split was right, they were almost there. It was very clear because a large stone pillar rose up from the ground as if it had been placed there by a giant creature. Even though Pogo and Split were with each other the atmosphere produced by the ominous rock made them feel alone. All sound seemed to fade into the distance leaving an eerie quiet in the air. The rock had dirt wrapped around its base making the boys rethink their previous silent assessment of it having been moved. It didn't belong but did belong, all at once. They both drew away from the stone, too scared to approach it for some time.

"Great instincts" Pogo snickered at Split trying to lighten the mood. "Think you could lift a rock that big?"

Split snorted, "Look who's talking you baby!"

"You didn't answer my question!" He raised his voice, wanting an answer of some sort.

"Probably not" Split sighed, giving up the useless back and forth banter. "I bet you won't touch it though!" He retorted after obviously thinking for a moment.

"I bet you won't touch it either!"

"Hey, that's not fair I bet you first!" Split folded his arms across his chest.

Pogo looked at his friend and then at the pillar. "I'm not a baby and I will touch it!" He carefully approached the stone and stretched out his paw.

"Hurry up so we can find the treasure!"

"Don't rush me" Pogo called over his shoulder. Something about the rock changed when Pogo looked back. A small set of fingers poked around the edge of the stone. Pogo slowly leaned towards the hands but they moved out of sight. "What was that...?" Small scratching noises riddled up the rock clearly amongst all the quiet. The creature flung itself into the air and glided over their heads.

"Hey wait, we're not going to hurt you!" Split called, trying to gauge where it would land. Split lunged forward trying to catch the child, but it maneuvered in the air propelling itself just outside of Split's grasp. As soon as its toes hit the ground it began to run for someplace to call a safe haven. The thing spotted a shallow burrow in the bushes away from the pillar and dove for cover. The boys stood where they were and watched in silence. Pogo's paw hit the cold surface of the rock with a loud slap.

"Told you I'd do it." Split spun around to look at Pogo, though he had already retracted his hand from the cold surface.

"That's cheating! How do I know you really did it?" He whispered harshly under his breath.

"You'll just have to trust me," Pogo whispered back, matching Split's tone. They both began to slither towards the burrow that the baby had dove into, optimistic but cautious. "You think we can keep it?" he whispered to Split as they both tried to look into the burrow at the same time.

"Depends on what it is. I couldn't make out what it was, it was moving too fast." He shoved Pogo out of the was and peered into the hole. "It's a gribbon!" He said, shocked, straightening his back.

"What's a baby gribbon doing all the way out here? It's practically the middle of no-where..." He kneeled down in front of the hole and poked his fingers in, making soft clicking noises. "Come on out, buddy. We don't bite!"

"Yeah, we can get you somewhere nice and warm too!" It took some time to coax the baby out of the burrow, but eventually, they were able to get them out. The gribbon just wanted to hold onto them and was too tired to run away anymore. The boys took the baby back to Lily, one of Bubmpytown's hatchery employees.