Adventure Hotdog

Mariah is in her room doodling and listening to music with her headphones. Suddenly, her mom appears and takes away her notebook, saying, “MARIAH, I SAID, WE’RE GOING CAMPING!!!!”

Mariah groans, “UHHHHHH, why!!!!”

“Honey! It’s dad! He wants us to go and make memories, but he can’t ’coz he is sick,” says mom, “so, we have to make our own memories. Your brothers already said yes.”

Mariah props her head on her hands and stares into space. Ok. So, I know my dad has cancer and he wants us to make memories, but I really don’t want to ’coz it's too dirty and muddy. I’ll get too itchy. And don’t get me started on the mosquitoes! 

Suddenly, her eyes feel wet. I wish dad could come camping. It sucks. Mariah’s dad was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer three months ago, and he is living in the NYU Brooklyn Hospital. He had a lot of tests to see if he has cancer, and her family was only able to visit him four times. Life was very different without Dad at home.

Mariah sighs, “OK, fine.”

“Good, now get packing,” says mom, “we leave after breakfast TOMORROW.”

Mariah grabs her suitcase and gets packing.

The next day, Mariah goes into the kitchen to eat. Mom is making pancakes. It smells like happiness. Matias, Rio, and Koh are eating pancakes, except for Milo, because he is drinking syrup from the bottle. Mariah takes it from Milo’s hand, pours some in her mouth, and then gives it back.

“Good morning,” sings mom brightly.

“Uhhhhhhhhh,” Mariah moans tiredly. Last night she doomscrolled until 1 a.m.

“Finish your pancakes everyone, and let’s go,” Mom says, snapping her fingers.

Everyone starts rushing and grabbing their bags. Mariah’s youngest brother, Koh, starts crying, feeling overwhelmed. Mariah’s family is all ready to go. Pulling a suitcase towards the door, Mom scoops up Koh from his highchair, saying, “Come here, let’s go.” They go in the RV and drive off.

At the camping spot, everyone sits around the kitchen table. Mom unpacks their bags.

“Hey guys, you want hotdogs for lunch?” she asks.

Mariah and Milo shout back, “Yeah!” Mariah smiles. Hotdogs are her dad’s favorite, too.

Rio and Matias grumble, “We’ve had that five times this week!”

Mariah smiles smugly, gets up and says, “Mama, I’m gonna go for a walk. Who’s coming with me?”

“Sure, I'll go!” Milo calls out, raising his hand.

“KK,” says Mariah.

“Wait! Before you go, I want to take a photo of you guys,” says Mom.

All the brothers and Mariah gather for a photo. Koh waves his arms, gurgling, “Woo wow wee!” Rio jumps up and shouts, “Paparazzi!” The camera snaps with a click.

Mariah and Milo go on their walk. There are trees, bushes, and bugs. “Ugh. Why did I decide to do this?” Mariah complains.

“Come on, get over it,” Milo rolls his eyes. “You’re the one who wanted to take a walk anyway.”

Suddenly, they see a big glowing stone.

“Wh-wh-what’s that!” stutters Milo, his eyes widening.

“I don’t know,” replies Mariah, frozen with shock.

Just then, a big storm of hotdogs comes exploding out of it!

“It’s raining hotdogs!” Milo shouts in excitement. Both of them catch as many hotdogs as they can and start eating them. Suddenly, an avatar beams out.

“Hello, my name is Sparkle Wing-bell!” She has pigtails with bows, and she is wearing a big hotdog suit. “I help make your wishes come true!”

“Okay…” trail Milo and Mariah, confused.

“Do any of your parents have any sicknesses?” she asks.

Dad, thinks Mariah quietly.

“I know how to fix your dad’s sickness,” says Sparkle Wing-bell.

“Woo han?” reply Mariah and Milo with hotdogs stuffed in their mouths.

“I know that your dad loves hotdogs and he wants you to make memories, right?” asks Sparkle Wing-bell.

Milo and Mariah gasp, dropping their hotdogs, “Oh my goodness, how did you know?”

Sparkle Wing-bell winks and says, “Here is how it works. If you do these two things, your dad will get better.”

Milo and Mariah listen carefully.

“Here is a camera, and there are two portals that you can jump into. Number one is the hot dog portal. You will go through a big ketchup pool, and it's 100 meters. You will have to swim to get to the first hotdog and then take a photo with the hotdog that you find.”

“Uh, no thanks, I’m good,” Mariah says, tugging Milo’s arm.

“No! But the hotdogs!” Milo pulls back. “Let’s try it. Plus, it’s making memories,” reminds Milo.

Mariah remembers what her mom said: It’s Dad! He wants us to make our own memories.

She sighs. “Ok cool, so where do you find the ‘magic’ portals?” asks Mariah, making air quotes with her fingers.

“Uh, excuse me, it is real magic,” Sparkle Wing-bell retorts. “Anyway, the portals are right here, see ya!”

A blue swirly cloud of gas and lasers appears. Milo and Mariah jump in together.

“Omg!” screams Mariah. “We shouldn’t have done this!” Her voice trails off as they get sucked into the portal.

A burst of energy pushes them into the first portal, and they land on the hard ground with a thump.

Milo asks, “Where are the hotdogs?”

Mariah sees the ketchup pool.

They know exactly what to do. There is a 100-meter ketchup pool and a hotdog at the end, so they just have to swim across the pool!

Milo jumps in first. “Grab my hand!” Milo shouts.

“Okay, I guess,” says Mariah as Milo pulls her into the pool.

They swim and swim. Luckily, Milo knows how to swim because their oldest brother, Matias, did swimming lessons and taught him. Mariah and Milo try to swim, but it is so hard because the ketchup is so smushy and sticky. But they don’t give up. They swim harder and harder. Finally, they get to the end.

“WE DID IT!” scream Milo and Mariah together.

“Yay, the hotdog!” Milo cheers.

“So you really just care about the hotdogs?” Mariah says sarcastically but still smiling.

They get the hotdog. Mariah takes the camera out of her pocket and then snaps the photo.

The blue portal comes out of nowhere. Milo and Mariah high-five each other. “Let’s go!”

Back at the forest, Sparkle Wing-bell says, “Well, that took you long enough! Now it is time for the fire portal. You will have to go on ropes across lava to get the hotdog, and it is very very very very very very very hot, so don’t fall in.”

“Fire? No, thanks,” says Mariah, “I’ll pass.”

Milo groans, “No hotdogs?”

Sparkle Wing-bell shrugs and reminds them, “It’s for your daaaad.”

A burst of fire rises into the air, but it isn’t hot. A golden chariot with the name “Omar” appears.

“Omar will take you through the lava portal,” Sparkle Wing-bell says.

Mariah and Milo get on the chariot, which takes them to a very long, wobbly bridge.

“OH NO, I’M NOT CROSSING THAT BRIDGE,” says Mariah, “not in a million years!”

“It’s ok, let’s take it one step at a time,” says Milo, “feel it, it’s actually not hot! It just looks hot!”

“Ok fine,” says Mariah, taking a deep breath. I’m doing this for dad. I got this.

Milo steps onto the bridge, and it wobbles. Mariah gets on the bridge, too, and she also wobbles. Suddenly, Milo trips on a rock!

“Ahhhhhh, help me!” Mariah grabs Milo on the arm and takes it.

“Thank you. I could’ve died!” whimpers Milo.

“You’re welcome. Now come on, let’s get to the end of this,” Mariah says.

To go to the hotdog, which is dangling off a hook on a volcanic boulder, they take a photo and return to Omar, riding the chariot back to the forest.

“We did it!” says Mariah.

“Yeah, I know,” Milo replies confidently with his hands on his hips.

“It was scary, wasn’t it?” exclaims Mariah.

“But we got back in one piece!” says Milo confidently.

Sparkle Wing-bell meets them at the glowing rock. “Good job,” she says, “you're done! Give this hotdog to your dad. It will make him get better. Now get going, you don't want to miss lunch. So, go!”

“Thank you!” says Mariah.

“Race you,” calls out Milo.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Mariah quickens her pace.

They get to the campsite. Rio and Matias are playing soccer. Koh is drinking his bottle.

“There you are,” says Mom, “lunchtime!”

Everyone has a good time for the rest of the trip. Mariah can’t wait to see her dad.

The next day, everybody goes straight to the hospital.

“DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD DAD!” shout the brothers.

“Hello, I missed you all,” says Dad, giving everyone hugs, “I love you.”

Mom shows him the photo of them at camp.

“We made memories for you,” Milo says.

Mariah walks to him. “Eat this,” she says, giving her dad a hotdog.

“You know it’s my favorite,” smiles Dad.

The next day…

“Kids! We have to go to the hospital. The doctors called!” Mom shouts.

Mariah’s heart skips a beat. Is it happening? She and Milo look at each other. 

Everyone gets in the car, and Mom drives to the hospital quickly.

At the hospital, everyone gathers around Dad, and the doctors come into the room.

“It seems you are all better,” the doctor says, “it is a miracle!”

“YAY!” Everyone cheers together.

Mariah gives her dad a big hug.

“You know,” dad tells her, “I had the strangest dream about a funny-looking girl wearing a hot dog suit…”

Mariah and Milo wink at each other.

THE END