Mayhem at Willowbend

Two friends, Jenna and Leo, embrace the fun and magic of paddleboars a night.

The sky is dark but the moon is full, casting a ray of light over the sleepy lakeside town of Willowbend as it transformed into a carnival of chaos and laughter. It was the night of the annual Midnight Paddle—a quirky tradition where townsfolk dressed in ridiculous costumes and raced across Moonlit Lake in paddleboats they’d decorated themselves.

Jenna, wearing a glittering dragon costume, adjusted her cardboard wings and climbed into her boat, “Scales of Fury.” Beside her, her best friend Leo wore a matching knight’s outfit, complete with a plastic sword and duct-taped armor.

They weren’t in it to win—no, they were in it to cause a scene.

As the whistle blew, boats of every color and shape surged into the lake: a giant rubber duck, a floating castle, even someone’s couch mounted on barrels. Laughter echoed through the night as paddles splashed, wigs flew off, and one team accidentally lit a firework inside their boat (no injuries, just flair).

Jenna and Leo, steering with synchronized chaos, zigzagged wildly but somehow made it halfway before colliding with the rubber duck. Both teams went spinning in circles, howling with laughter.

Up above, the full moon cast silver ripples across the water. It lit up faces painted like cats, aliens, and one guy dressed as a taco. The town gathered on the shore, cheering, sipping hot cocoa, and dancing to a makeshift DJ booth playing 80s hits.

By the end, no one remembered who won.

All that mattered was the joy. Wet, ridiculous, and full of memories.

As Jenna lay back in her soggy dragon suit, floating on the lake, she looked up at the sky and grinned. “Same time next year?” she asked.

Leo, soaking and smiling, nodded. “Only if we make the boat fly next time.”

WC - 297