Chapter 22

Simon dived into the pool beneath the waterfall. His enormous chipmunk cheeks were filled with air, and he was able to swim deep underwater. When he surfaced, he was actually in the space between the waterfall and the cliff. Behind him the water rushed down like a moving wall. In front of him a large pile of rocks blocked what looked like the entrance to a cave. Simon was curious. He pulled himself out of the water and managed to squeeze his tiny body between the cracks. He was ready to explore!

The walls of the cave gave off a pale green glow from a special kind of algae. It was magical. And even more magical was what Simon saw in the pale light. His eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe it! He couldn’t wait to surprise Jeanette with what he’d found.

Beside the pool the other chipmunks were getting worried. Simon had been underwater for a long time.

“He should have come up by now,” Eleanor fretted.

“Maybe he hit his head on a rock and doesn’t remember who he is!” said Theodore, panicked. He called out, “Simon, where are you?”

“Zoe, you gotta do something!” begged Jeanette.

“Okay, okay!” said Zoe, lazily getting up. She pulled the golf ball out of her pocket. “Callaway, find him and bring him back!” Zoe flung the ball right into the waterfall.

The chipmunks exchanged anxious glances. “You’re kidding, right?” muttered Jeanette.

“If Callaway can’t find him, no one can,” said Zoe confidently.

And somehow she was right. A second later, Callaway flew right back to Zoe, who caught him in her hand. The chipmunks barely had enough time to wonder how that was possible, when Simon jumped out of the water right in front of them.

“Simone!” said Jeanette, relieved.

“Sorry if I caused you any worry, mademoiselle,” said Simon with his usual extravagance. “Allow me to make it up to you.” He held out a gold bracelet.

Jeanette couldn’t believe it! “It’s beautiful! Where did you find it?”

“Yeah, it is beautiful. Where did you find it?” Zoe’s eyes narrowed. She was studying Simon suspiciously.

“In a cave behind the waterfall,” answered Simon. But he wasn’t really paying attention to Zoe. He only had eyes for Jeanette. “I thought it would look nice on you, but now I realize that even the most perfect gem cannot compare to your beauty.” He placed the bracelet on Jeanette’s wrist.

“Awww!” gushed Jeanette.

“Awww!” said Eleanor.

“Awww!” said Theodore.

Only Zoe wasn’t affected by the romance. “So were there any other bracelets?” she questioned Simon. “Or necklaces? Or gold coins?”

Simon shrugged. “I do not know. By the time I found the bracelet, I had already been gone from my Jeanette far too long.”

“Awww!” giggled Theodore again.

The chipmunks crowded around Jeanette to look at the beautiful gift. They didn’t notice Zoe hurrying away through the jungle back to her camp.

“Guys, guys!” Zoe whispered excitedly to her various tennis balls and footballs and basketballs. “They found it! They found it!”

Zoe knelt down in the sand and started digging frantically until she’d uncovered a shovel. “And the best thing is, they have no idea what they found. They think it’s just one bracelet.” In her eyes was a mad gleam. “The rest is mine, all mine!”

Zoe froze, embarrassed, as she looked at the faces of the different balls staring back at her. “I’m sorry, guys. Ours, all ours!”

She laughed crazily. She was out of her mind.