Splashdown by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters. You have been warned.
Time flies when your having fun or say the old idiom goes. Whether weeks are full of interesting things to do or otherwise mundane activities, it doesn't change that life goes on whether you want it to or not. This is even more true when in our youth when things are simple and often one doesn't enjoy the offerings life gives when one has very little to worry about. Of course, to those in the thralls of childhood or adolescence, they claim to want to be older. But we must remember to take time to enjoy things for nothing lasts forever.
Jakk was a young boy who lived on the outskirts of the big city of Montreal. At 12 years of age, the young domestic rabbit had grown up having a comfortable job. His parents were by no means rich but still had enough money to make things comfortable for the family. Both of them worked for a big software development. The mother was in middle management while her husband worked in quality assurance. They had been together since high school and still had a very strong relationship.
Jakk himself went to the local secondary school, though he had just started the latter stint of his academic career. The rabbit wasn't exactly the most academically strong student but he did what he could to get by. The cub was only selectively social, taking up a more chatty behavior when the subject interested him. Lately, he had been getting into art and even lost into it, finding himself attracted to everything from simple sketches to ornate designs. Over the last few years, he had been developing this skill, and the work he was putting into it was beginning to show.
Jakk had a small group of friends with whom he congregated. Ironically enough they were all herbivores, just like he was. But there was one carnivore whom he took solace in, an arctic fox who went by the name of Pent. The two hadn't known each other long but already had gotten pretty chummy with each other. Sometimes they hung out with each other but Pent was much more studious than the other boy and often got lost in academia. Still, they got along quite well and hung out when they could.
It was already Spring and break was to come soon. Spring was the best time in the entire year for many cubs since it was the best time of year in terms of climate. It wasn't quite muggy yet and the chills of winter had already fallen behind them. Already many of the kids of Evermont secondary were planning for what they wanted to do, though many more still winged it and do whatever fancied them. Jakk hadn't made parents but was looking forward to using the pool his parents had just installed.
Jakk wasn't the most athletic kid but he did enjoy swimming when the weather was warm enough. He had been gloating about the pool for some time now and just about everyone in his grade knew about it. Spring break was fast approaching and he wanted to hang out with someone but wasn't sure who he wanted to invite over. Just about everyone he knew had plans already and then he remembered he hadn't thought about Pent. After all the fox was far less social than he was and was often left alone by his age mates.
Just a few days before the break was to set off, Jakk decided to approach the other boy. He knew just where to find the fox after school. Just about every day the fox kit went to the school labs. He was a well-known Science nut and spent much of his free time experimenting with whatever thing the lab moderator would afford him. Jakk knew just where to go and waited for the final bell of the day to ring.
Once it did, Jakk wasted no time and rushed right out the door. Of course, the crush of traffic made it harder to get out of the tight door of his class. The halls were already full of people and many of them were rushing to get out of the building. A few of them bumped into the smaller student who was not the biggest one in school. Eventually, the hallways thinned out and he was able to move freely.
The rabbit made his way to the labs of the school which was on the other side of the building. It took a few minutes for him to manage to get there. Once he arrived he smelt something that he was unfamiliar with. Sure enough, once he was inside, he saw the fox already hard at work mixing some unknown substance. A bunsen burner next to him heating some clear solution. Jakk made his way over to the other cub.
"Hey, how's it going? Got any plans for the break?" Jakk asked the arctic fox boy.
Pent craned his head upward, his eyes fogged by some goggles he was wearing. "Huh?"
"You know spring break? What are you doing over it?" He asked again just to be clear what he was referring to.
The fox scratched his head with his gloved paw. "Oh, uh…I dunno. Why?"
"Well my family just got a new pool and I was thinking you could come over and swim with me." The scent of whatever was cooking was arid and made the rabbit wrinkle his nose.
The slightly bigger boy hummed for a moment. "Sure, that sounds fun."
"Cool. Does tomorrow sound good? Here's my address and number if you need help finding the place." Jakk handed the fox a small slip of paper.
Pent smiled and wagged his tail a bit. "Cool, thanks."
"What are you working on anyway?" Jakk craned his head curiously at the other boy.
The kit held up his vial proudly. "Oh, I'm just removing extracts to do a basic PH test. It's nothing complicated."
"What's that smell then?" The rabbit couldn't tell what it was by just looking at it.
The fox pointed over at an onion. "Just an onion. Is it that bad?"
"Well, yeah. I smelt it down when I entered the room. Anyways. See you tomorrow?" The rabbit began walking away not expecting an answer.
Jakk made his way out of the room and exited the school. He was certain that his parents would be alright with the other boy coming over since it wasn't often that he asked to do so. Just to be certain, he pulled out his phone to text his parents the situation. He figured they wouldn't respond but would appreciate the heads up all the same. It took a while for them to respond but when they did they were fine with it.
The next few days rolled by rather quickly. Jakk had already planned a slew of things that he wanted to do in the pool. His parents had recently treated the water so he hadn't been allowed to go in. So the weekend would have been the first opportunity in which he was allowed to do so. He was very much looking forward to it, especially since he'd be able to enjoy it with a friend. Now that the day had arrived, it was only a matter of time before his friend arrived at the door.
Soon he overheard a knocking coming down the hall. Jakk had his door open and had already changed into his bathing suit in anticipation of his friend arriving. The rabbit burst out of his room and down the hall. The pitter-patter of his bare feet echoed through the tile-clad portion of the room. Once he arrived at the door he swung it open and before him stood the slightly larger fox. Pent had a bag of his things over his shoulder and seemed to be in casual clothing.
"Welcome, friend. Make yourself at home and get changed. The pool is waiting." Jakk was jonesing to get to the water as quickly as possible.
Pent hesitated before walking in through the door to take off his shoes. He figured it would be alright to change in one of the bathrooms and bent over to pluck his suit out of the bag that he had brought with him. The fox disappeared for a few moments only to return in naught but a pair of purple and black striped trunks. It seemed he was ready to go enjoy the pool. Jakk nodded at him and gestured for him to follow the other boy.
The rabbit made his way to the kitchen which led to the backyard of the home. The pool was a below-ground one which was just barely visible from where they stood. The sun above shone against the surface of the water. The two cubs walked outside. It was a warm spring day and the trees and grass surrounding the paved area were green and lush. The smell of morning dew was apparent in the gusting wind.
Jakk didn't wait a single second. Once he pulled open the glass door to let them out, he burst forward and rushed towards the open water. He knew that the depth of the water was even throughout so he didn't have to worry about hitting the bottom. He curled up and ejected himself into the water. As he broke through the surface, the water plumed up around him. Pent lagged behind him and wasn't so much as hit by the water, despite the rabbit's attempt to splash him.
The fox closed the door behind him and walked forward.
"Come on, slowpoke." Jakk goaded on Pent who seemed to be moving slow on purpose.
Pent rolled his eyes and continued walking casually. As soon as he came close enough the rabbit began splashing the other cub. It was just enough to reach him.
Pent shied away slightly. "No fair…"
The rabbit continued his assault, causing Pent to walk quicker. By the time the kit reached the water, he was already wet. Pent jumped into the water, not making as much of a big deal about it as his friend.
"Finally…" The rabbit stopped his playful behavior and smirked.
Pent shrugged and ducked his head underwater. Now it didn't feel nearly as awkward since all of his body was soaked. The fox tugged on the rabbit's legs, sweeping him from underneath. The rabbit was caught off guard, causing him to slip underneath. The kit was soon released and swam away to the far side of the pool. Once both of them rose to the surface, the fox looked over to the other cub with a smirk on his face.
"Wanna race?" Pent knew he was the more athletic of the two and more likely to win.
Jakk nodded all the same as he wasn't about to turn down a challenge. The rabbit made his way to the area where Pent was. The fox was already positioned on the wall ready to kick off.
"On three…one…two…three." Pent dove his head underwater the moment he finished the countdown.
With that, the two of them were
off. The kit didn't get much of a head start since his goal was to be as fair as possible. Both boys remained near the surface, stroking forward in the fashion that they had been taught by their elders.
The rabbit's rhythm was more refined but Pent's own was more rapid and had more strength to it. At the halfway point of the first lap, the fox was ahead with his friend not far behind. Pent attempted a kickflip but messed up in the process leading to Jakk catching up to him. The cub looked over to see his friend's neck and neck with him, making him more frantic to pull ahead. As they came to a close Pent was able to pull ahead again, coming ahead victorious.
The two cubs popped their heads above water, both of them huffing and puffing as they tried to catch their breath.
"Good race. You're getting better." The fox reached out his paw and shook the other boy's hand.
Jakk nodded but said nothing, walking away for a moment. He knew another way to get even on the more athletic pup. Pent wasn't sure to make of it as he thought he might have upset his friend.
"You alright?" The kit asked waiting anxiously for an answer.
The rabbit turned around for a second and nodded. "Yeah, don't worry. I have an idea though."
Jakk made his way out of the water and over to a storage shack that his family had set up on the side of the pool.
He popped his head inside the small shack and looked within. He knew exactly what he was looking for and the light peering in from outside made it easier for him to find it. A few seconds later he popped out with two fairly large squirt guns. Trying to manage both of them in each of his hands was harder than he originally thought. Still, he was able to drag both of them to the side of the pool.
Once he was within throwing distance of the other cub, he tossed him one of the colorful guns. Pent dodged the thing believing it would hit him but In reality, it came nowhere close to him. Jakk soon hopped in close behind the landing mere meters away from the fox. The explosion of water splashing all around the other cub. It didn't matter much to Pent who didn't so much as guard himself since he was already wet.
Jakk began to unscrew the cap of the canister that held the water and filled it once it was open. Pent knew exactly what he had in mind and followed suit. However, it was nearly fast enough to match the other boy's speed at loading the thing since the rabbit had done this a few times before. Once it was primed with water Jakk began squirting away rotating in circles around the fox, who was still struggling with getting the thing filled.
It took Pent a few more moments to fill the thing but when he did he returned fire. Jakks own stream started to weaken as he hadn't quite pumped the air into the gun. Both boys giggled and laughed as they stood there squirting each other, exchanging liquid-filled blows. Jakk retreated once his gun had expired its load, trying to swim away but the fox continued to follow in tow.
Jakk found his way out of the water, quickly racing towards where the hose was. Pent was close behind, pumping air into his gun in preparation for his strike. Just when Pent was close enough to the other cub and started to squirt him, Jakk pulled out the hose and turned it against the other cub. He untightened the nossel and let loose a huge stream of water. The fox guarded himself but it wasn't nearly enough to defend from the jetting of the water against him.
"I give…I give!" Pent whined as he had enough of being pelted by the hose.
By the time Jakk turned the water off, both of them had huge smiles on their faces and their guns relaxed to the side. It seemed their little bout of watery fun had expired. Jakk recoiled the hose, realizing that their little spat of fun had sullied the yard. He was a little worried about his mother yelling at him about it but looking up at the sun, thought that it would dry it out. The two cubs headed back to the poolside and began to dry off.
"Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun." Pent said before handing his gun over to the other cub.
The rabbit nodded. "Sure. I had fun too. We should do it again sometime."
"Yeah, that sounds fun. Next time I get to use the hose though!" Pent said before playfully shoving the other boy.
Jakk forced a fake laugh and led back inside to his home. The boy's mother was waiting for them inside, giving Jakk a quick stare once they came into the kitchen. She was annoyed but wasn't angry at him, handing both of them a juice box before throwing them a towel as they hadn't dried themselves. However, she didn't chastise them and decided to let it slide. Jakk was happy about this and cheerfully sipped away at the sugary drink.
The two boys spent the rest of the day inside, playing games. Jakk showed Pent some of his favorite stuff. Of course, the rabbit knew he was able to best the other boy in these challenges as the fox wasn't exactly the biggest gamer. Still, they both enjoyed the activity to the best of their abilities. Jakk even threw a couple of games to make the other boy feel better. When all was said and done, they had a fun-filled day. Looking forward to the next day they would spend together.
