You're Only Young Once

                                    

                                          
"Leonard! Stop right there!" Mavis throws a fairly large rock at his feet making him shriek almost losing the fountain water. 
                          
"Once you take that water up to the surface, the last of the Timucuan tribe will die out!" Cried Jake. 
                          
"Who cares about the tribe! You and your sister are really fools for wanting to keep this discovery a secret!" He said to them.
Mavis takes one of the spears held by one of the warriors. "Leonard, if you make every old person young again, they'll be just as worse!" She said pointing the spearhead at him. "Worse, what are you talking about, wouldn't you want your grandparents or your parents to be young again?" The scrawny guard looked rather hesitant trying to lower the spearhead that was pointed between his eyes. 
                          
"Well, no. We don't." Said Jake, "Ever heard someone once saying that you're only young once?"
His eyes darted around the cave tunnels then to the redheaded boy. "My community college professor told me that but I didn't listen too much on it." 
                          
"Well, trust me, being young isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when you're 11 years old or even as a teenager." Jake goes on to list some of the downsides to get Leonard to make him see the flaw in his plan. "Grownups can find us aggravating, we have no respect for the rules and authority figures except for me and Mavis."
                          
"Get to the point already, pipsqueak!" Snapped the guard. "My point is, other than I'm not a pipsqueak neither is my sister, the fact is, young people are just as bad as old people. We all have our flaws, you're probably too selfish to see it." Jake told him. The twins waited with baited breath to Leonard's next move either cross the ravine or give the water back to the tribesmen. 
                          
"No way! As if I'd listen to either of you! One day, the two of you will thank me for this!" Leonard makes a dash with the sturdy vine to get over the ravine and a Timucuan warrior threw his spear at the bottle on his back puncturing the container at the neck of it causing the water to spill out on him as he lept and swings across the ravine making it across and stumbled over and the empty 10 gallon bottle thumps away from a small frame. The twins got the vine as it swung to their side. "Mave, I'll go across and then pass the vine to you." Jake tells her as he gets a running start leaping from the edge and crossed the ravine. "Here you go!" He said passing the vine along to her.
                          
She grabs it and then looks back to the tribesmen. "We're real sorry about losing the water." 
"Don't be, the fountain did not stop flowing when it was taken. Also, bring this with you, use the water wisely." He said handing Mavis the blue glass potion bottle she carried with her that was full with the fountain water. "We will and, Jake and I won't forget about you and we promise to not tell anyone about the real Fountain of Youth." With a nod, they bade farewell to the twins and Mavis swings across to the ravine's edge grabbing her brother's hand. "Sis, looks like that water does have youth restoring powers, look." He points to Leonard who is now a child because of the water that spilled from the neck of the now empty bottle. 
                          
"Huh, wha..." Leonard looks into a puddle seeing a reflection of himself as a 4 year old. "Now look what you stupid brats have done!" 
"That's what you get for trying to make old people young for your selfish plan." Said Mavis taking his small hand. "Not cool but you did prove that the water is the real deal." He said taking the glass bottle from Mavis' bag waving it in his hands teasingly. "Give it! Give it here you freckled trash wad!" He said trying to get it from Jake. "After that stunt you pulled, hecking no!" He said sticking his tongue out at the now kid guard who began to throw a temper tantrum. "I'd shut up if you know what's coming for you; like me bending you over my knee!" Yelled Mavis making him shut up.
                          
They walked further in the cave tunnel to the surface until the light of the midday sun peeks out from the entrance. "There it is! They ran faster towards the entrance and out of the cave with Jake tripping over a jutting rock leaving them in a tumbling heap to be greeted by a confused tour group. "Carry on, there's nothing to see here! Just go on doing whatever it is tourists do." Jake frantically blocks up the tunnel entrance to keep others like Leonard to not try and get rid of old people out of spite just to make your life and job easier.
                          
They find their parents and grandparents at the park looking for them as they stood under a tree and Jake passes out from exhaustion. Mavis lays back next to her brother holding his hand. "Why do I feel like it's Africa all over again?" Said Charlie. "Because it is and look over there." Pops said pointing to Jake and Mavis napping under a large tree and a pint sized Leonard being chased by the peacocks that roam the area. "I know just how to wake 'em up." GiGi said approaching the sleeping twins deploying some smelling salts. 
                          
"That ain't right!" Jake pinched at his nose accidentally pushing Mavis at her side waking her from her nap. "What is wrong wit-... GiGi! Pops!" They hug them tightly. "Now where did you two scampered off to this time?" Their mom said to them. Jake spins a tale of what he and Mavis had went through as their parents listened walking back to the house. "Is that so, and the two of you discovered that it was real?" GiGi said brightly, "yep and promised the Timucuans who are not only the guardians of the real Fountain but are also the last living generation of the tribe and how we saved them from being wiped out.
                          
"That must've been exciting did you by any chance bring back some water?" Mavis nodded showing the glass blue potion bottle full of it. "I made a promise to use it wisely and if anything, we learned that youth is not a forever thing and we should enjoy it while we can." Jake then brings up how the water turned Leonard, the double-crossing guard into a child. He points over at some other adults surround the small former adult. 
                          
"What ever are we gonna do with the two of you?" Their mom, Sophie said laughing lightly getting them in the car. "Turn a hose on us because of the dirt, dust and cobwebs from the caves and tunnels." Cracked Jake. "Sounds tempting but, no, a regular bath is better and try not to get a high from the bath salts."
                          
After experiencing the fun, terror and betrayal, Mavis and Jake agreed to not share about legend of the Fountain of Youth being real to protect it and its last remaining guardians. 
                          
The end