The Invasion of "Castle-Mak"
'Twas a full moon that night. All was quiet at Castle-Mak as its inhabitants were lost to a deep and abiding slumber.
The moon illumined the naked branches of the aged spruce tree which reached out like the gnarly fingers of an old crone. 'Twas an eerie omen of impending villainy against noble Castle-Mak. The stillness of the night was disturbed by neither wind nor breeze and the humid air hung heavily over the inhabitants' huts.
Cloaked in the shadows, a stealthy approach was made to the Main House…
The maleficent band systematically scaled the West Wall and secured their position on the 'Table of the Lost and Found'. As The Novice kept watch, the largest and most experienced of the marauders went to work, deftly slashing screens, breaching the long-standing defenses of Castle-Mak. The evil-doers hustled through the opening one by one, as disciplined and quiet as a group of Navy Seals.
It was The Novice that inadvertently raised the alarm.
As the careless criminal crossed the sill of the window, a wooden artifact was knocked to the ground. The din awakened Princess Rosemarie who had been slumbering in her upper chamber. The princess hurried down to the Great Hall to investigate and was filled with horror at the sight that lay before her.
The "Masked Bandits of the Clan Raccoon" were plundering the treasure chest of Castle-Mak! The feeding frenzy was frightening! Hissing and snarling and gnashing of teeth filled the air. Teeth were bared against each other as the looters fought over the choicest plunder, their blood-shot eyes filled with greed. The sight confirmed what Princess Rosemarie feared most: the masked villains were looting the childrens' treasure trove of skittles, popcorn, cheese-its and crunchy-ee-o's. It was a veritable blood bath of red licorice. 'Air-Heads' were decapitated. Lollies lay popped and dens of gummie bears were devoured en masse.
The carnage was devastating. Yet, Princess Rosemarie, caring more for the childrens' happiness than her own well-being, sprung into action, suppressing her own terror. She grabbed the royal broom that stood in the corner. With a "broom-chick-a-broom" she broom-broomed the evil entity from the Main House.
Forever banished, the Masked Bandits of Clan Raccoon retreated to the dark forest from whence they came, never to be seen again.
At daybreak, the noble children of Castle-Mak stoically accepted the news that their treasure trove had been forever fouled by the beasts. In celebration of Princess Rosemarie's bravery in the face of overwhelming danger, they hoisted the lovely princess on their shoulders and shouted, "Let us give a Castle-Mak toast!"
THE END
Dear Well-Meaning Parents and Friends,
Please do not send candy and food packages to Camp Ak-O-Mak. We simply do NOT have the ability to securely store the ENORMOUS volume of loot sent to campers. As a result, the racoons have become a nuisance, forcing us to prohibit all food-containing packages.