I swear I can’t seem to catch a break, Janie. Almost threw in with some folks building Swiss Family Robinson-style houses up in the trees. Getting above it all sure seemed like a great idea to me. But then I couldn’t help noticing this outfit was gearing up for a fight. It was like boot camp all over again, except I don’t remember any Chinese lady sergeants there drilling recruits with pig-stickers. Besides, I wasn’t keen about enlisting in a brand-new war so soon after I’d gone AWOL from another. So I struck out on my own, but not too far. Thought there might be something to that safety in numbers idea, in case those guys from the mine came back to make an example of us escapees. I spent a few days building a nice tree fort all my own, off to one side of Toothpick Terraces. No sooner did I have my place all set up just the way I liked, when the bad guys showed up. I knew we were in for it when I saw they had artillery mounted on dinosaurs. And sure enough, they started raining hell on us! All that work for nothing... In the middle of the mess I managed to spot the kid from the mine again, the one who broke us out. You’d think I would have learned by now to stick with her, but no. I heard her yelling to run into the swamps, and decided I might do better going the opposite way.
Already thinking I might’ve screwed up again -- BOB