Post by hawksandfeathers on Feb 4, 2013 4:41:27 GMT 10
"Boys," Baird called in the darkness, "Help put up the tent. I'll get the fire going." He set to finding dry wood in the patch of trees nearby.
Graeme, a candle illuminating his face, grinned wickedly. "Neal, you do it, okay? Martin and I will fetch the marshmallows." He ran to their carriage before Neal could shove him.
Alone, standing by a pile of tangled fabric and poles, Neal groaned. Putting up tents was unfathomable to him. He wouldn't dare try, and his brothers knew it. "Curse them!" Neal muttered indignantly to the empty air. "Curse them!" Gingerly, he picked up one of the tent poles and stuck it in the hard soil. It looked so comical there - a lone piece of wood, amidst nothing but dirt and rocks. Neal laughed derisively at himself and shook his head. Graeme and Martin wanted roasted marshmallows, and Neal could roast.
Neal meandered casually over to his twin brothers, smiling. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked over their pitiful tinder pile. "The tent's up, lads." He raised his eyebrow, coughing subtly. "Need any assistance cooking those sugary… things from oblivion? I don't even know how you two can eat the stuff."
Graeme gaped at him in surprise while Martin scoffed. "Yeah, sure the tent's up, Neal. Why don't we have a look for ourselves?"
"Go right ahead," Neal responded airily. "I'm not worried."
As Martin and Graeme went to investigate, Neal quickly sparked his Gift to the wood. It roared to life, filling the air with a heady cedar scent. The bag of marshmallows lay on its side by the fire. Neal grabbed it and speared them five at a time. When the bag was empty, Neal thrust the sticks into the fire and watched as the white puffs slowly melted into half-burnt, pasty liquid. He tried not to laugh as they came running back, faces stiff with anger.
"We knew you tricked us," Martin threw at him, fuming. "Can you cook, at least?" Martin's eyes lowered to the gooey, molten marshmallow at the fire's base and let out a strangled yell.
Neal chuckled. "Serves you right for making me do two of your tasks, which you know perfectly well I can't complete without a blunder."
Baird came back carrying a load of firewood, looking accomplished. When he saw the boys shouting and gesturing crossly, his face fell. "Wonderful. This is not what I had in mind for a family camping trip."
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!