The Campout

Six year old Sydney and four year old Rodney were playing chase in the living room when the lights suddenly blinked twice, then went out. They both screamed.

         Mom ran into the living room with a flashlight, telling them everything was okay and there was no need to be scared. Dad came in a moment later and told Mom that they hadn’t blown a fuse so it must be a problem with the transformer. Dad handed each of the kids a flashlight.

         For a while, the kids played flashlight tag and Mom and Dad read books. It didn’t take very long for this to get boring to the children. The temperature was rising in the house, as it tended to do in late August with no air conditioning. Suddenly, Dad had an idea.

         Dad and Mom discussed his plan in whispers. Soon, Dad got up and left the room. He was gone for a good while. When he returned, Mom left the room. She, too, was gone for a good while. The kids were beginning to whine that they were hot and bored.

         When Mom came back in the room, she took Sydney to her room and Dad took Rodney to his. Both parents helped the kids change into shorts and tank tops so they would be cooler. Once that was done, they helped the children gather a few of their favorite toys.

         By this point, the kids were venturing guesses as to what they would be doing. 

         “Are we going to Grandma’s?” Sydney asked.

         “No.” Mom replied.

         “Are we going to a hotel?” asked Rodney.

         “No.” Dad said.

         They put out several more guesses, such as the movies, the grocery store, the zoo, and a museum (which they both hoped they were NOT going to). All guesses yielded the same answer.

         Mom and Dad took all of the things the kids had gathered and put them in their book bags. They then told the kids they were going on an adventure. The whole family then headed into the back yard.

         The kids were annoyed. The backyard wasn’t an adventure. It was pitch black dark outside and there were all kinds of strange night noises. Mom and Dad assured them that the backyard WOULD be an adventure this time and that anything making those noises was more scared of them then they were of the creatures.

         Dad walked away with his flashlight and the rest of them aimed their beams after him. He walked all the way around the back yard, lighting the citronella tiki torches that he had set up and then he returned to them.

         Now they could see a silhouette of a tent in the middle of the yard. Dad handed Mom his flashlight and lit a lantern. He then walked toward the tent. When he stopped a little bit away from the tent, he knelt down and lit a campfire. 

         Now the children were getting excited. They were jumping up and down and cheering. This made them realize that their flashlights made cool shadows and they began running around the backyard making different shadows, their fear forgotten.

         Mom went over and met Dad. She began placing hot dogs on sticks and laying out the fixings. Dad had even brought out some benches for them to sit on during their cookout. They called the children over, and they reluctantly abandoned their game.

         All four of them roasted hot dogs over the campfire. The kids each at two hot dogs, which was amazing since they had already eaten dinner earlier. Dad said this was because of the open air, and then he chuckled.

         When they were all done with their hot dogs, Dad said they were going to tell ghost stories around the fire. Each person took a turn telling a ghost story, then they told one round robin. When they were done, Mom got up from her seat and went into the tent.

         The kids wanted to follow, but Dad told them to wait. There was another surprise coming up. They began bouncing up and down in anticipation. So far, they were having a wonderful time.

         When Mom came out of the tent, Dad brought the kids inside for a bathroom break. When they went back outside, Mom had all the skewers set up to make ‘Smores.

         The kids ate each a three, and so did the parents. They were all stuffed. Mom and Dad had even allowed them to have sodas, which was a luxury item in their house.

         After they finished their ‘Smores, the kids ran around playing flashlight tag again, this time in the back yard. When they had worn themselves out, they went back and sat down. 

         Dad and Mom had yet another surprise for them. Now it was time to sing campfire songs. They sang about fifteen songs, the kids singing at the top of their voices until they were hoarse. When that was done, Mom brought them back inside for another bathroom break.

         When they returned to the backyard, Dad had sleeping bags all unrolled and placed in the tent. He said it was getting to be about time to go to bed. The kids begged and pleaded to stay up. Mom and Dad exchanged glances and nodded at each other. The kids cheered because they had won.

         They chased each other around and around, giggling and laughing, the reason for the camp out completely forgotten. Mom and Dad made coffee over the camp fire and sat with their arms around each other, happily watching Sydney and Rodney play. 

         Finally, Dad got the kids corralled and Mom tucked them in to their sleeping bags. Dad pulled out his guitar and began playing soft and soothing lullabies. The kids drifted off to sleep with smiles on their faces, certain to have good dreams.

         Mom and Dad sat talking and enjoying each other’s company while watching the children sleep. Mom sat up and looked over at Dad.

         “Honey, this was an absolutely wonderful idea and a beautiful evening.”

         “Thanks, Babe. Maybe we should have power outages more often.” Dad said, chuckling.

         Eventually, they crawled into the tent with the children and slept. The next morning, they all woke up to find that the power had been restored. The kids were really disappointed. They had hoped they would have to camp out again.