Jack Goes Camping

• Eli Pakula, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2017

Something wet and slimy crawled around my neck. I froze in horror. Was it a snake! Or was it some other weird creature that lived in this place. I couldn’t tell. I had never been this scared before. I could feel it on my head it must be a cold-blooded. Snakes are cold-blooded. Then suddenly a torch flashed on. “Oh Jack what’s going on,” said dad. “Oh dad, I thought you were a snake,” I said. “No it was just my cold arm,” said dad. “But why are you out here anyway?” asked dad. “I must have been sleep walking,” I said. “Why are you out here?” I asked. “I couldn’t get to sleep. Isaac kept crying, so I tried to move my tent” said Dad.

My name is Jack by the way and I am twelve years old. I have two brothers and one sister. Coby is the oldest he is sixteen. Rachel is fourteen. Then me, I’m twelve. Isaac is the youngest he is two.

The next morning was a lazy morning. You could hear the slow murmuring of leaves and the morning crow giving its call. Mum and my brothers and sister got out of the tent. Mum was sipping her tea when suddenly the whole morning changed from lazy to crazy. The earth started rumbling. It got bigger. Cracks started running through the ground. “It’s an earthquake,” said Coby. “Run Run Run,” said dad “Get in the car”. We had no time to pack up. The cracks were getting wider.

We all piled into the car and Dad stomped his foot on the pedal. We drove so fast that our heads were stuck to the seats. Isaac started crying. Dad was turning and twisting all over the place. Isaac’s crying got louder. The car went faster. Worst of all the cracks were getting bigger.

Then suddenly dad had an idea. “Honey, do you still have the bread that we were going to feed to the ducks when we were camping?” “Yes.” Said mum. “And do you have the fishing rope too?” said dad. “Yes,” said mum. “We could attract that flock of cranes over there with the bread and when they get close enough we could tie the fishing line around them and then tie the rope to the car and they could carry us to safety.” Said dad.

So Dad held out the bread and suddenly all the cranes flew over in a hurry to get the bread. Dad threw the rope all over the birds and tied it to the steering wheel. The car suddenly lifted. And lifted some more! Then the birds flew up and the car was flying. We could all see the cracks and the shaking houses under them. They flew safely through the clouds. It was a beautiful sight. We were saved.

But after that we didn’t go camping for a very long time!