The girls could see the houses now from where they were in the woods. They're close now. Thank goodness.
As they rounded the last bend, they came to yet another obstacle. A new house was being built and water from the run off filled a trench cutting across the trail. Fortunately, someone had left a narrow board across the muddy expanse. Describe them evaluating their options and Mary deciding to go first. First, Mary decides to make sure her clothes are straight doing some primping. Describe Mary starting across with her arms out for balance with Becky following. When Becky stepped onto the board, it added too much weight causing it to break with both girls falling into several inches of mud and water - both sprawled out on their sides. Describe their shock and dismay. Describe the damage to their clothes and shoes. Describe in detail them arguing with one another as to whose fault it was as they stand with their outfits ruined.
The girls were finally nearing the edge of the woods, their steps lightening when they caught glimpses of houses in the distance. The sun glinted off rooftops, and they could almost
feel the relief of Chad’s air-conditioned home and plush sofas, not to mention his doting attention. "Finally," Mary breathed as they rounded the last bend in the trail. Both girls were tired from their impromptu wilderness adventure, though they tried to hide it behind straightened backs and poised steps.
“We’re almost there,” Becky exclaimed, her voice filled with hope but laced with a hint of fatigue.
But as soon as they turned the bend, that hope was shattered.
Before them was one more unwelcome challenge. A large trench, gouged into the earth by construction near a new house, yawned before them. It wasn’t too deep—perhaps six inches or so—but muddy water filled the trench, turning it into a sticky mire. The runoff, mixed with dirt and construction debris, had created a thick, soupy mud bath. Over the trench lay a narrow wooden board, weather-worn and questionable at best, and not particularly wide—just wide enough for one girl to walk across it if they kept their steps straight.
"Oh,
you’ve got to be kidding me," Mary groaned, putting her hands on her hips as she stared down at the mess in utter disbelief. Her white Tretorns caught the sunlight, practically glowing against the dark earth around them, and she stepped back slightly as though recoiling from the muddy pit like it was a contagious disease. "
This close, Bex. We’re
this close, and it’s… mud? Really?"
Becky’s shoulders slumped as she surveyed the scene. "Why? Why today?" She nudged at the edge of the trench with the toe of her Keds, wincing as a bit of mud slipped down the side. "We almost made it." She sighed, exasperated.
Mary’s eyes narrowed, thinking through their options. There weren’t many, realistically. Turning around wasn’t one of them. And the board—though sketchy—was the best solution to get across.
"Okay," Mary finally said, smoothing her hands down her white polo as though gathering her resolve. "There’s no other way, clearly. We’d have to walk all the way back
through the woods if we don’t cross here, and that’s not happening. We’ll just have to… be careful." She pressed her lips together, then quickly tugged at the hem of her navy shorts, straightening them with a prim little flick of her fingers. After checking that her ponytail was still perfectly in place, she gave her canvas Tretorns one last glance. They were, as always, spotless.
Becky, watching Mary as she primped and fussed over her outfit, raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She understood the meticulousness, but considering they were about to cross a rickety board over a flooded trench, it felt a little unnecessary.
"Here goes," Mary finally said, stepping cautiously toward the narrow board. She placed her foot on it gingerly, testing its stability. The board wobbled slightly but it held. She took a deep breath.
"You’re going to go
first?" Becky asked, looking both surprised and slightly impressed.
"Someone has to do it," Mary muttered with mock bravado, though secretly, her heart was pounding. Her arms lifted out to the sides for balance, and she began inching her way across, her pristine Tretorns carefully aligned one step in front of the other. She kept her eyes trained on the board, her steps slow, controlled. So far, so good.
With each step, the board swayed ever so slightly, the water below sluggishly swirling in the trench. Mary’s shoulders were stiff, her arms hovering just above her sides, as though sheer focus alone could keep her steady. Her heart skipped a beat when the board creaked loudly beneath her weight, but it still held. As if to reassure herself, she murmured, "Okay… almost there..."
Becky, nervously watching from the edge, pursed her lips. "Careful, Mare…"
Mary finally made it to the other side, hopping off the board with a slight sigh of relief. "Okay, your turn," she called, placing her hands on her hips as she waited.
Becky hesitated for a moment, then carefully began stepping onto the board. Her white Keds settled lightly on the wood, and she held her breath as she followed the same careful path Mary had. So far, so good—until she neared the middle of the board.
Just as Becky advanced toward the midpoint, the board groaned under the combined weight of the two girls. A sharp, splintering
crack echoed through the air.
"Wait, it’s—!" Becky started to say, but she never finished. In an instant, the board split in two with a deafening
snap, sending both girls sprawling into the muddy trench below.
With a collective shriek, Mary and Becky tumbled sideways into the muck.
"NO! NO, NO, NO!" Mary’s voice was filled with pure panic and horror as she found herself splashing into several inches of mud and water. She had landed on her side, her once-pristine white Tretorns now completely submerged in the muck. Her navy shorts were caked in thick, dripping mud, and the entire side of her white polo shirt was soaked and stained beyond repair. Meanwhile, her perfectly styled ponytail hung limply down her neck, now streaked with bits of mud and water.
Becky, sprawled out next to her in the mud, was in a similar state of shock. Her powdered-blue sundress was drenched, the fabric clinging to her legs and stomach, now stained with dark brown streaks. Her cardigan had fallen into a gross, muddy heap, and her white Keds, once so spotless, were no longer recognizable, completely submerged in the sludge. Mud had splashed up to her knees, her socks soaked beyond saving.
For a moment, neither girl said anything, too stunned to form words. The mud oozed around them, making sloshing sounds as they struggled to sit up.
Mary wiped a streak of mud from her cheek, her face twisting into an expression of pure disbelief. "
I knew it! I just knew this whole thing was a mistake!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and disbelief as she stared down at her ruined shoes and ruined outfit. "This is all YOUR fault." She flung an accusing glare at Becky, pointing furiously toward the splintered board sticking out of the mud.
"
My fault?! How is this MY fault?" Becky countered incredulously as she tried (and failed) to wipe mud off her once-powder-blue sundress. Her hands came away covered in sticky brown sludge. "You’re the one who insisted on going first!" she shrieked, pulling at the soggy fabric of her dress that clung in uncomfortable, muddy patches to her legs.
"Oh, right. And YOU stepping on the board didn’t break it? Of COURSE it broke when you got on!" Mary shot back, standing up shakily in the mud, her once-immaculate white Tretorns making horrible squishing sounds as she tried to pry one foot up from the mess.
Becky’s eyes flared with indignation. "Are you calling me FAT, Mary?!
I didn’t make the board break!" she snapped, standing up herself and gesturing dramatically at the broken planks. "If anything, you were the one putting too much
pressure on it!"
"I—" Mary sputtered, glaring at her friend’s now equally ruined shoes. "Just LOOK at our clothes! Look at our
shoes!" she wailed, stepping in place and kicking off more clumps of soggy mud. "This is a total disaster. We look
awful! What are we supposed to do now?!"
"Well, we can’t exactly walk into Chad’s like this!" Becky shouted, throwing her arms in the air, her dress soaked and clinging awkwardly to her body. Mud streaked up her delicate legs and arms, her hair now a stringy mess. "This is embarrassing!"
Both girls stood there in the trench, still half-covered in mud, looking utterly defeated. Their flawlessly preppy outfits were ruined, their white shoes a distant memory beneath the brown muck.
And yet, for all their blame-shifting and arguing, they both knew one thing: there was
no coming back from this cleanly.
“I’m
never taking a shortcut again,” Mary muttered dejectedly, her shoulders slumping.
Becky just sighed. "Yeah… same."
