by Camden S.
I wake up on a normal morning, the rays of sun shining through the windows, birds chirping after returning from migrating south for the winter. It’s a Saturday morning after a long week at school. I love sleeping in on Saturday mornings, my eyelids still heavy after a long night of dreaming. As I lay in bed peacefully, my Dad calls my name. “Henry, start packing, we’re leaving in an hour!” And then my peacefulness ends as I remember we have a camping trip lasting the whole weekend. It’s not that I don’t like camping, in fact, I love it. But I was looking forward to a nice calm weekend instead of hiking until my legs feel like they’re going to fall off.
I drag myself out of bed and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I exit my bedroom my little brother Gregory (we usually call him Greg) comes running up to me. “Henry, I’m so excited! Do you think we’ll find any animals?!” He says jumping up and down. Can’t you go bother someone else? I say to him, not in the mood to start a long conversation. “But Dad’s busy packing, so there is no one else to talk to.” He says, sounding disappointed. I push past him ignoring his questions and go brush my teeth.
After I brush my teeth, I head downstairs to have some breakfast. My Dad sees me and asks, “Are you excited for the trip, son?”. Sure am, Dad, I say trying not to sound like I don’t really want to go. I feel bad for my Dad. It’s been hard ever since my mom passed away a couple years ago. He’s been trying to comfort us by taking us on many adventures, but it can sometimes be a little bit tiring.
I finish packing and get in the car, ready to go. My dad comes out of the house looking like he’s carrying a whole convenience store’s worth of goods and loads it into the back of the car. Greg comes out of the house, excited to go and begins running in circles.
It takes us about 4 hours to reach our camping location. It’s a really beautiful place; the sound of water flowing down the lush green hills and squirrels leaping from one tree to another. When we arrive at our spot, we begin unloading the car. I grab the tent with my Dad and start assembling it, while trying to figure out where the heck this one pole goes. After that, I grab a book and sit underneath a tree to read.
As dusk approaches, we all head into the one cramped tent that we all share. Our particular tent has a little clear plastic window at the top so you can see the stars. I lay there looking at constellations while I drift asleep.
The next morning, we wake up bright and early, Greg is the first one, wanting to head outside the tent while I was still trying to sleep. “Calm down Greg, I’m trying to sleep,” I say. “How can I calm down!? I want to head outside!” I love Greg but he doesn’t really understand the concept of relaxation. All this commotion wakes my Dad up and he takes Greg outside.
When I head outside the tent, I find them cooking some sausages. I walk up to my Dad, and he hands me a plate. I breathe in and smell the wood burning in the fire and the scent of the trees and flowers all around me. It smells amazing. I sit down on a seat near the fire and begin devouring my sausages.
Once we’re finished eating, we get ready to go on a hike. I grab my boots and favorite hat. My dad steps out of the tent and asks us if we’re ready to go. As ready as I’ll ever be, I say still half asleep. As we start trekking through the forest, I look all around me and see many beautiful things, from the little bugs on the ground fauna to the giant eagles flying above the treetops.
Around noon, and an hour into our hike, we hear rustling in a bush off on the side of the path. As we go to investigate, we see a deer snacking on some leaves. I see Greg the most excited I think I’ve ever seen him. The deer notices us and starts to run away but when Greg sees this, he runs after the deer. Greg! I yell as I run after him. My dad did the same and we run through the forest in an attempt to stop him. I eventually catch up with him and I grab his wrist. “What were you doing Greg? It’s not safe to run out into the woods like that.” I look around to see where my dad is, but I can’t find him. I call out for him but hear no response, we must have gotten separated while chasing Greg. I have no idea where I am, and the trail is nowhere to be seen.
Greg starts crying and says, “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have run off like that. I just wanted to say hi to the deer.” It’s ok Greg. Do you remember the way back to the trail? “I don’t. Are we lost?” he asks between sobs. I don’t know, but we should try to find our way back before it gets dark. I think we went this way. Holding Greg’s hand, we start to find our way back to camp.
It’s quite scary being in a forest all alone. I hear noises echoing in the tall trees above my head. I see a squirrel running away, afraid, just like how we feel as we are trying to find the way back to camp.
After a while of walking, I notice the sun starting to set. I realize that we will not be able to find our way back today, and we’ll be stuck out here for the night. Just thinking about being stuck out here in the cold scares me. Just Greg and I alone. What happens if a bear comes? I can’t think about this now, I need to focus on finding somewhere to sleep for the night. After about 10 minutes I spot a cave. Looks like we’ll be spending the night here, Greg. “What! We are sleeping here!? What about camp and Dad!?” he yells. We’re going to have to continue looking tomorrow, but we need rest right now, I say, exhausted.
The cave is pretty big, and it seems safe as I walk into it. I call over Greg, saying to follow me into the cave. My voice echoes off the cave walls creating an eerie effect. I gather some leaves to make a bed, so we don’t have to sleep on the bare rock. As the sun sets, we lay in the cave as the forest starts to fall asleep. Something I never would’ve expected about being in the woods alone was how, after your fear fades, you notice how peaceful it is. The only sound is the light breeze and swaying trees.
Greg and I wake the next morning to a sound outside the cave. A slight bristling in the leaves as something moves through them. We lay in silence, fear creeping in as I wonder if it is a bear. Every second feels like an hour, the suspense unbearable as it gets closer to the cave. And suddenly, I see my father. I feel Happiness, joy and relief all at the same time as I run to my father to give him a big hug with Greg close behind me. As I hug my father, I think to myself how Greg and I just survived a night in the woods, and how this will be the best story I will tell in my life.
The End
The Lighthouse 