The Wonderful, Scary Camping Trip

Once upon a time there were 12 little boys.  These little boys were very lucky indeed because they were all cousins.  There were the four year olds, Jessie and Austin; the three year olds, Cody, Beau, Vince, Trenton and Slaytor, the two year old Tucker, the one year olds Christian, Jackson, and McKade and then a none year old Tanner.

One day as they were playing at Grandpa and Grandma Whiting's house they had a wonderful idea.  They were going to have a camp-out!!!

"I know," said Trenton.  Let's have it at my house.  We have a big back yard and my daddy and mama won't care.

"Yeah!" said Slaytor.  "That will be fun!"

"Cody and Beau and I all have our very own sleeping bags," said Jessie, "and I can bring the new blanket off my mom's bed if someone else needs some covers."

"I can borrow my dad's sleeping bag," said Austin.  "It has blood on it from a bear my dad shot."

"Cool," said Slaytor with his eyes opened wide, "Where did he shoot it?"

"In his head," answered Austin proudly.

"I have my very own sleeping bag," Vince said.  "Grandpa and Grandma gave it to me for my birthday.  It has a Harvey David motorcycle on it,"

"Cool," Slaytor said excitedly.  "What's a Harvey David Motorcycle?"

"I don't know," Vince answered.  "He's somebody that my mom and dad likes."

The rest of the little boys just stood and listened.  They didn't talk very much.

The next Saturday afternoon, Trenton was playing in his back yard with his little brother Jackson when everyone started coming.

Jessie and Cody and Beau arrived with three sleeping bags and the brand new quilt from their mom's bed.  Jessie was wearing a large silver pan on his head.  Cody and Beau carried large sticks.

Right behind them was Slaytor.  He had his Ninja turtle sleeping bag under one arm and under the other he had a little cushion to his mom's new couch.  In his teeth he carried a plastic bucket.

Following Slaytor was Vince and Christian.  Vince had his Harvey David Motorcycle sleeping bag and a Barney sleeping bag for Christian.  Christian was holding a little flashlight and a handful of string. 

Austin and Tucker came next.  Austin carried a very large sleeping bag that had the stains from the bear smack dab on it.  Tucker carried his jacket and a candle and a smile from ear to ear.

McKade was the next to come.  He was carrying his trusty bottle and a blanket, and one shoe that had fallen off.

"Hi Guys!" Trenton yelled as he ran to meet them.  "You really did come."

"Trenton?" his mother called from the doorway.  "What is going on?"

"We're having a camp-out at our house," Trenton called back excitedly.

"Did daddy say it was okay?" his mother questioned.

"Nope.  Daddy doesn't know yet," Trenton replied.  "Isn't he going to be excited?"

"Oh, I'm sure he will," his mother answered.

The boys busied themselves making their incredible camping spot.  They decided that the very best place to sleep was underneath the trampoline.  Trenton pulled off the blankets from his bed and with the brand new quilt Jessie had brought they laid them over the trampoline until they touched the ground all the way around.  They didn't have anything to hold the blankets on top of the trampoline, so they all took off their shoes and laid them on the blankets to hold them in place.

It was getting dark, so they all climbed inside their huge tent and laid their sleeping bags and blankets out.  It was getting darker and darker.  Pretty soon it was so dark that they couldn't see each other.

"It's awfully dark in here," Vince said.

"Yeah," answered Austin. "I've got a good idea.  Tucker has a candle."

"That's not a good idea," said Jessie.  "We aren't allowed to use matches so we can't burn it."

"Oh yeah," replied Austin.

"Christian has a flashlight," Vince said excitedly.

"Good. Where is it?" asked Jessie.

"I don't know," Vince said.  "I can't see."

"Let's all feel around," said Slaytor.  "I bet we can find it if we just feel around for it."

All the little boys got down on their hands and knees and started feeling around for the flashlight.

"Ouch!" Slaytor screamed.  "Somebody just stepped on my fingers."

There was a loud "thud" as Cody and Beau bashed into each other's heads.

"Cody! Watch out where I'm going!" yelled Beau.

"You need to watch out where I'm going," yelled back Cody.

"You guys," Jessie piped in.  "How can you watch where you're going when you can't see?  Just look for the flashlight."

"I found it!" yelled Trenton.  Just then McKade began to cry.

"No you didn't," Austin said.  "That's McKade's bottle.  Give it back to him so he won't cry."

"Sorry 'Kade," Trenton said as he handed the bottle back to McKade who happily put it in his mouth and stopped crying.

"Here it is," Vince said as he turned on the little flashlight that made just the tiniest little glow.

"That doesn't make a very big light.  Does it?" Slaytor said looking a little bewildered.

"Everybody just get in your bed," Jessie said, now being in authority.

All the boys snuggled down in their beds as Vince turned out the little flashlight.

"Did you hear that?" whispered Trenton.

"What?" whispered Vince.

"Sh-h-h," Jessie said.

"I think it's a bear," Austin replied.

They could hear something moving around in the dark night.

"Let's go kill it," Slaytor said standing up and picking up one of the twin's sticks.  "Come on Jessie.  We'll follow you.  You go first."

"Why do I have to go first?" answered Jessie.

"Cause you're the oldest," Vince said.

"Oh.  All right then." Jessie picked up his silver pan and placed it on his head and then picked up the other stick of the twin's.  "Let's go kill it."

"Here," said Vince handing them the string that Christian had brought.  "If you can't kill it, we can tie it up."

"Here," said Trenton, picking up the pillow that Slaytor had brought.  "If he opens his mouth to eat us, we can shove this pillow in it."

"Good idea," Vince said.  "You're smart."

"Thanks," smiled Trenton.  Then we can fill Slaytor's bucket with water and drown him."

"They pushed back one of the blankets and sneaked out into the dark night each one holding on tight to the other.

"Ruff, ruff, ruff," Came a sound as a creature brushed up against their legs.  "Ruff, ruff, ruff."

"Run," screamed Jessie.

"Run!" yelled Slaytor.

"Run!" cried Austin.

"Run fast!" Yelled Trenton.

And run they did.  They ran so fast.  Trenton threw open the sliding glass doors that led into his front room.  In ran Jessie.  In ran Slaytor.  In ran Austin.  In ran Trenton.

Early the next morning, Trenton's mama walked into the front room to find the four boys laying on the couch, laying on the floor and laying in the reclining chair.

"What are you guys doing in here?" she asked.  "I thought you were sleeping out in your incredible camp."

"We had to come in," Trenton replied sleepily.

"Yeah," Slaytor said with a big yawn.  We had to come in."

"Yep," Austin said stretching out his arms.  "We had to come in."

"Why did you have to come in?" Trenton's mother asked puzzled.

"Cause the little boys were all scared," Jessie said as he turned over and faced the couch and fell back to sleep.

Trenton's mother walked out to the wonderful, scary camp and peeked inside.  There lay Cody and Beau, Jackson, McKade, Tucker and Christian' all sound asleep.  Trenton's dog Drake was sleeping nearby.

It had been a wonderful scary camping trip.