Chapter 5:16 Misadventure

"Winners fix their mistakes immediately," Oliver says to himself. "I remember the map. I can get us back on track."

Past the forest on the other side of the river they came across plains. A grassy hill and a cascading tree at the top with candy growing from the branches. Bees swarm around the candy and an old dog barks up the tree.

"Is that candy?" Maise asks excitedly.

"Yea but those are tickle bees that eat candy from the giggle tree." Oliver says. "If they sting you you'll catch the laughing disease and you'll never stop laughing, ever."

"Are you a tickle bee?" she asks him.

"No, I'm a racer bee. Well I was a racer bee. The fastest. A racer bee's stinger is deadly. I'll never use it though— racer bees die if they use their stinger."

"Oh," Maise says.

Oliver yells out to the old dog, "Hey! You're barking up the wrong tree!"

"No, look—" the dog replies. At the top of the tree is a baby in a green cradle, laughing.

"He won't get down from there." the dog says.

"Well how'd he get up there?"

The dog looks up the tree and shouts, "Hey, baby, how'd you get up there?!"

The baby giggles, reaching for the mockingbird's eggs. The mockingbird laughs as if it's making fun of them, "HAHA. HAHA."

"Who knows," the old dog shrugs. "Maybe you can go up there?"

"I'm not going up there." Oliver says. "That's high up."

"Ahh, well. I guess don't worry about it then. I'll get him tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, yea. He does this all the time. They won't even notice he's gone."

"Say, we're a little bit turned around." Oliver says. "We're trying to get to Where."

"Where?"

"Yea."

"Where's a long way from here. I live in that direction though. I'm headed that way if you want to follow me."

They agree and follow the old dog.

The cackling mockingbird laughs, "HAHA. HAHA."