Campfire - Chapter 1

Quick note: This story is not about me, just in the perspective of a kid like myself :)

Blasting through my window at 7 a.m. was the early morning sunlight of Charleston, South Carolina. I think it wants me to get up, because my alarm doesn't ring until 8.

I reluctantly roll out of bed, not wanting to leave the warmth of my sheets. My room is always freezing cold, even in the afternoon. Trees completely surround my house, not letting any light seep through the walls, keeping this wonderfully cozy room a refrigerator for half the year. The only time my room gets the warm sunlight is in the mornings, when I don't want it.

I hear my family already making noise downstairs. I can't come to understand why people want to get up so early. I have no reason to, I enjoy my lazy life. High School is the only thing that gets me up before 10 a.m. ever. If I didn't have to go, I wouldn't. Yes, I have friends, but they don't entertain me nearly as much as I entertain myself. Behind my house is a massive forest filled with old pine trees, some older than this state itself. Adventuring this forest is how I often spend my time, alone with my own thoughts.

"Oscar, come down for breakfast!" my mom calls. The last thing I want to do right now is eat food, but the smell of bacon has me roped by the hands.

"Coming mom!" I respond. I should throw on some clothes before I go down, but the bacon is too much. My stomach is rumbling now.

Striding down the stairs and into the kitchen, I see everyone already dressed and with their bags on the couch. Thankfully I packed last night, expecting me to be late getting ready in the morning. Today is the camping trip, the one we've been planning for months. My mom and two sisters weren't the most energetic about it, but me and my dad certainly were. My dad loves the woods just as much as I do, and he's showed me so much about camping and hiking over the years.

"Oscar, what are you wearing? Go put on some clothes then come eat. We don't have all day here." my dad says.

"I thought you'd be out the door already," Sophia adds in that sarcastic tone of hers. She's my older sister, a Senior at the same High School as me. I can't tell if she hates me or not most of the time, so I just ignore her.

I grab a piece of bacon and shove the whole thing in my mouth before I run back upstairs to change. I already know what I want to wear; a white T-shirt, my favorite blue plaid flannel, and dark camo cargo pants. It hasn't gotten colder than freezing this week, but it's scheduled to be much nicer for our camping trip. I have my other essentials already stuffed in bags, like my compass, flashlight, boots, and cooking supplies. I don't cook much, but when I do, I do it well.

With my clothes on and my piece of bacon in my belly, I head back downstairs for more. Lucky enough for me it's all gone. Bacon doesn't feed a family of five by itself, especially not in the early mornings.

"There's yogurt in the fridge and some bananas on the counter," mom tells me as she fixes Katelyn's hair. Katelyn is my younger sister, only in 5th grade. She isn't nearly as passive-aggressive as Sophia is, mainly because she hasn't learned how to be yet. I have no doubts that Sophia will teach Katie (her nickname) soon enough, maybe next year. I wish I had a brother sometimes, but the woods are my brother. I go to the woods when I need to let my thoughts out, or when I need some time alone, away from this chaotic life. I grab a banana off the counter and shove that down my throat as well. Not my favorite fruit but it will do for now.

"Same shirt, same you?" dad asks as he hustles by me, probably looking for the newspaper.

"You know it," I say with half the banana still in my mouth. I almost choke.

"It's 7:30 already, lets be out the door in 30 minutes!" dad alerts the house. I'm still half asleep, but with the sounds of a camping trip in the air, I force myself to stay wide awake. Katie walks up to me and hands me a piece of bacon. "I know you love bacon," she says in the most adorable voice on the planet. Who doesn't love bacon?

I throw my two small bags in the bed of my dad's crimson red GMC Sierra pickup truck. It's mostly filled with other things, but my bags don't take up any space at all. I only pack what I know I'll need.

The girls all travel in their little white Subaru Outback. It's half the size of our truck, at least that's what my dad always says. I laugh every time.

My dad knows exactly where to go for this trip, since it's the same spot that he camped at when he was a boy. This trip is a journey down memory lane for him, and I'm glad I can see what his old camping spot looks like. It's supposedly deep in the woods, but I have my suspicions. Dad wouldn't make his wife and two daughters walk into the vast forest just to pitch a tent.

"Ya ready champ?" dad asks. "Couldn't be more ready if I tried," I reply.

With the rev of the engine, our truck pulls out of the driveway and rides off into the morning sunshine.