A Family Camping Trip by Chantal Bellehumeur

A Family Camping Trip

by Chantal Bellehumeur

When Martha announced to her two teenage children that they would be going on a family camping trip over the weekend, neither of them looked up from their electronic devices. Her sixteen-year old daughter Jody let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, then continued texting. Although Martha couldn’t see the back and forth messages, she figured her daughter and the other party had just ridiculed the trip and were probably complaining about how unfair their lives were. Jody’s phone kept giving out text message notification beeps which Martha found as annoying as the clicking noises of her daughter’s quick typing.

While Martha tried to keep her cool, her thirteenyear old son Jonathan rapidly pressed the buttons of his gaming console. "Come on!" he yelled. "How are you not dead? I hit you!" He let out a frustrated grunt. "What? How? How?" He threw the console down beside him. "Yo! You made me die," he told his mom.

Of course it’s my fault, Martha sarcastically thought. She took a deep breath and looked at her husband Greg for reinforcement.

"As your mother was saying," Greg said in an authoritative tone, "We thought it would be nice to go camping together this weekend."

“Sorry. I already have plans with Emma,” Jody said without looking up from her phone.

Before Martha had the chance to respond or tell her daughter to put her phone down, Jonathan asked if they were all to sleep in the same tent.

"No way!" Jody yelled, finally looking up. "We're actually not going to sleep in tents," Martha said. "What!? Are we just going to sleep on the ground and let bugs crawl all over us and get eaten alive by mosquitos?" Jody asked. "I'm definitely not going!" "Let your mother speak," Greg told his daughter.

With his muscular build and standing six feet tall, Greg looked imposing. His naturally loud voice could be intimidating and this was one of those times. Martha on the other hand, although as athletic, was quite the opposite. Being only five foot one, slim, and with short dark brown hair, she was pixie-like. She was also soft spoken, and often had trouble disciplining her children; especially as they got older.

When Martha finally got her children’s full attention, she informed them that she’d rented a cottage by a lake, and that it was in the form of a treehouse. "A treehouse?" Jody said, looking unimpressed. She silenced her phone and discretely texted, likely letting Emma know the plan. Jonathan had a more positive reaction. He thought sleeping in a treehouse would be cool, and Martha was happy with the progress of the conversation. She was about to provide more details, but the shocked look on Jody's face stopped her. "What is it honey?" she asked.

Jody looked up from her phone with tears in her eyes. "My life is over!" she shouted before running out the living room.

"Hormones," Jonathan said as Jody stomped up the stairs.

"I heard that!" she shouted. A few seconds later a door slammed.

Martha exchanged worried looks with Greg. “I’ll handle it,” she told him. She waited a few minutes before going up to Jody's bedroom. She heard her daughter sobbing and lightly knocked on her door.

"Go away!" Jody shouted.

Martha opened the door and let herself in. Jody sat on her perfectly made double bed with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She held her favorite teddy bear. Although Jody was a fully developed young woman who liked to claim she was independent, to Martha she looked like a helpless girl. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Jody wiped her tears and remained silent. Martha didn’t press her to speak.

"Jake broke up with me," Jody finally said, then angrily specified it was done by text. "I can’t even. I mean, who even does that?" She started crying again.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that." Martha sat next to her and put a comforting arm around her daughter’s shoulders. Jody allowed herself to be hugged. "Do you want to talk about it?" Martha asked.

"Not really."

"Okay. I'm here for you if you change your mind."

They sat in silence.

"You and dad never really liked Jake," Jody eventually said.

"We didn't hate him. We just..." Martha didn't really know what to say. The truth was, she and Greg thought Jake a bad influence. They didn't like his attitude, nor the way he treated their daughter. Of course, telling her this after she introduced them to him almost a year ago had only made her rebel. "I'm not happy Jake broke your heart," Martha said. “And I’m definitely not impressed with the way he ended things with you. It just wasn’t meant to be. I know you'll find somebody much better, who will treat you with respect."

Jody ranted about not wanting anyone else because she loved Jake. She told her mother that she could not possibly understand what she was going through. Of course not, Martha sarcastically thought. She knew it wasn't the time to tell her daughter about her own breakup experiences though, so kept her mouth shut.

"I think this camping trip will do you good," Martha said to ease the tension. "It will help clear your head and get your mind off Jake."

After receiving confirmation that there would most likely be no cell phone reception or shared Wi-Fi at the camping site, Jody stated that she absolutely could not go. "What if Jake tries to get back with me while we're away?” she whined, “He'll think I'm ignoring him when I don't respond."

"You can't stay here alone sulking," Martha told her. "And before you ask, no, Emma can't come here while we're gone either."

Jody tried to reason with her, even promising that her and Emma wouldn't have a party which hadn't crossed Martha's mind.

"You're coming with us, and that's final." Martha’s tone of voice surprised her, but it barely had any effect on Jody. "Why do you want to ruin my life?" Jody asked. When she saw the hurt in her mother's eyes, she apologised.

"This is important to me," Martha said. "We haven't done anything as a family in a while. You and Jonathan are growing up so fast, and soon you'll move out and start families of your own."

"Okay," Jody said even though she didn’t seem thrilled about being forced to go camping.

"You'll see, it will be fun," she said and got up to leave. "I love you," Martha said as she reached the doorway then waited for a response.

"I love you too," Jody finally answered without much conviction.

Jody spent the rest of the afternoon in her bedroom talking to Emma on her phone. She only came out when it was time for dinner, after Jonathan came to her door to let her know it was ready.

"I heard about Jake," Jonathan said as they walked down the stairs together.

"I'm okay," she lied.

"He's still a jerk. Want me to beat him up?" Jody laughed. "I'd love to see you try." She ruffled her brother's gelled short brown hair. "Yo! Not the hair!" Jonathan yelled. "Ohhhh! Does that make you salty? Your hair won't look so perfect while we're camping," Jody teased. "And you might break a nail," Jonathan replied.

When the children walked into the kitchen, Martha was happy to see Jody in a much better mood. "I made your favorite," she said to her smiling daughter in a sing-song tone to keep the positive vibes flowing. "And I helped," Jonathan added.

"Seriously? You cooked lasagna?” Jody said to him. “Is it safe to eat?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny," he responded. Martha and Greg gave each other satisfied looks.

As the family ate their meal Martha and Greg discussed possible activities for their upcoming trip. Neither Jody nor Jonathan let out a single complaint; not even when Martha mentioned that they wanted their getaway to be free of cell phones or gaming consoles.

“You both need to exercise more than just your fat thumbs,” Greg told his children.

After dinner, Martha handed Jody and Jonathan new hiking backpacks as well as individual packing lists. "Pack light. Bring essentials only. Everything has to fit inside your backpacks," she told them. "We'll be doing a short hike to get to the treehouse."

Jody opened her mouth to contest, but her father gave her a warning look so she said nothing.

"Makeup, face cream, perfume, and hair spray are not essential," Jonathan told Jody. "If that's what you were going to ask."

She lightly punched his shoulder, and he hit her back when she told him that hair gel wasn’t essential either. “You know what is though?” Jody continued. “Deodorant and soap. Know what those are?" Jonathan gave his sister another little punch in response.

"If you two end up fighting during our trip, your father and I will leave you in the woods," Martha said.

"And we won't come back," Greg added.

The following day, Greg loaded the trunk of his grey Volkswagen with their backpacks, two reusable shopping bags of food, plus a cooler containing frozen ice packs and items that needed to be kept cold. "Do we have everything?" he asked Martha when he came back into the house.

"Everything except the kids," she answered. Jody and Jonathan were taking their time getting ready. Martha almost yelled that they were going to leave without them, but thought better of it. "Come on! It's time to go!" she shouted instead.

Jonathan ran up from the basement holding two fishing rods and a small tackle box full of fish hooks and lures. "Can we bring these?"

"That's an excellent idea," his dad answered. "I can't believe I didn't think of it myself."

Meanwhile, Jody came down the stairs from the second floor while writing a text. She was still looking at her cell phone screen while slipping her bare feet into flip flops. Her toenails were painted light pink, just like her long fingernails. "Please tell me you're bringing a better pair of shoes," Martha said. "My running shoes are in my backpack," Jody replied and continued texting. “Put your phone away now,” Martha told her.

Jody sent another message. “Just one second.”

Once everyone was in the car with their seatbelts on, Greg backed the vehicle out the driveway and started singing a song he had learned in Boy Scouts. Jody and Johnathon asked him to stop singing.

Martha laughed at the children’s misplaced embarrassment. After all, there was just the four of them in the car. She turned the radio on to replace her husband’s bad singing. An old country song played,

and Jody asked her to change the station. Martha turned the dial until her daughter was satisfied. "Teenage Dream" was playing, and Jody softly sang along with Katie Perry while looking out the window. When "Let’s Talk About Sex" by the eighties hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa played next, Martha loudly sang along.

"Mooooom!" Jody shouted. "What? You're the only one allowed to sing?" Martha replied and laughed.

"I think we should change to a rock station," Jonathan said.

"Fine," Jody agreed, likely so that she wouldn’t have to listen to her mother singing about sex.

Martha changed station, and nobody sang or complained about the music for the remainder of the one-hour car ride. As their cabin wouldn’t be ready until late afternoon, they decided to go zip-lining. When they arrived at a small pebbled parking lot at the site, they were greeted by a golden retriever. The dog ran towards them wagging his tail. He allowed himself to be petted, then ran off towards a small brick building.

Jody changed footwear and put her long hair in a ponytail. When she was finally ready, the family headed over to the visitor’s center where the golden retriever greeted them again. Greg handed their reservation number to a woman at the front counter. With a smile, she handed him four liability waivers attached to clipboards as well as cheap-looking blue pens and told him where to go after filling out the forms.

Jody and Jonathan sat on a wooden bench and made snarky comments as they read the disclosure about the dangers of the activity. They then filled out the forms and answered the medical questions. Because they were minors, Greg signed the legal forms. Greg then returned the pens and clipboards and instructed the family to follow him into the next room. The back wall was covered with hooks holding yellow helmets and black body harnesses. They each handed their form over to a man in his early twenties wearing the site's green and black uniform as well as zip-lining gear.

The man checked through the forms. “Okay. Everything is good. My name is Jeremy, and I’ll be your guide today. We’re still waiting for a few people, so if any of you need to use the restroom now’s the time.” He pointed them out, and both Martha and Jody headed towards the women’s door.

Each family member as well as the eight other participants were given protective helmets and a body harnesses according to their sizes and weights. They were then told to put their feet through the bottom loops of their harness and pull it up like pants. Jeremy helped everyone in turn to tighten the harnesses.

Martha noticed her blushing daughter checking out the blue-eyed and blond-haired guide and stifled a smile. She thought Jeremy too old for Jody, but wasn’t worried about them hooking up. When everyone was ready, they headed outside and walked towards a wooded area. The golden retriever followed for a short while.

“Hey boy!” Jeremy shouted when he noticed the dog.

“Is he yours?” Jody asked him.

“Max here is our unofficial mascot. I often give him treats,” Jeremy added and gave Jody a friendly wink.

“Is it just me, or is it really hot?” Jody said before chugging half her bottle of water. “Duh! It’s like a hundred degrees,” Jonathan responded.

Martha laughed. Jonathan lifted his hand to volunteer, and Martha watched her son walk to the clear water and put his hands in the shallow stream. He stooped there with his hands about six inches apart, without moving. A large fish swam between Jonathan's hands, and he made his move. He grabbed the fish and threw it onto the ground.

The trout flapped around and Jeremy grabbed it. He then hit the fish's head on a large rock which made Jody and a couple of other women turn away in disgust.

"I have to pee," Jody whispered. "Who wants to go next?" Jeremy asked.

"Seriously?" Martha asked. "Didn't you just go?" Jody laughed, and Martha knew she was joking. She was glad to see her daughter in a good mood, even if Jeremy was likely the main cause. She made a mental note to avoid doing anything that could embarrass Jody. She took her husband by the hand, and as they walked together she whispered that they both needed to be on their best behavior. She then motioned her head towards her daughter and then Jeremy. Greg nodded in understanding. When the group reached a dirt path and started hiking up an uneven hill into the woods, Martha could see the various steel zip-line cables above them.

About halfway to the top, Jeremy stopped beside a small stream full of fish. "For those who paid to do some hand fishing, this is the spot. There are plenty rainbow trout here." Without giving any instructions, he asked who wanted to go first. Encouraged by Jeremy, Jody gave it a half-hearted try but the slimy fish always managed to get away and she gave up. Martha had the same problem, but eventually caught one. After killing Martha’s fish, Jeremy strung it with Jonathan's. Greg went next. He not only caught a fish, making it look easy, but killed it too. He then caught another trout to make up for Jody not catching any. The four fish would be their dinner.

The eight other participants got their chance to try catching fish as well. Most threw their caught trout back into the water, but some kept them to eat. Jeremy told everyone that the fish would be put on ice, and could be picked up at the visitor's center after the zip-lining. Right on cue, his colleague Dave showed up with a cooler. Dave took the fish and left. The group headed up the wooded hill until they reached the top, and soon arrived at the start of the aerial runway. Jeremy gave clear instructions and answered questions, then did a quick demo on a short zip-line close to the ground. The sound of the trolley rolling down the thick steel cable sounded similar to a loud zipper. After his demo, everyone did a practice run on that zip-line which took a little while. Although it took less than two seconds to make the trip down the short line, Jeremy wanted

everyone to try the bungee break in case they needed to use it later. Also, he had to secure each individual, in turn, to the single trolley then unhook them after their descent and bring the trolley back up the hill.

Finally, everyone was able to go on the higher ziplines which consisted of eighteen long runs among the tall trees. It started at twenty-five metres above the ground, and gradually went down in height. Dave had returned and professionally zipped on ahead at around fifty-six kilometres an hour, using his gloved right hand to slow down as he approached the first landing deck even though there was an automatic breaking system. He remained on the wooden platform to supervise. Jeremy attached Jonathan's harness to the bottom of the trolley by connecting the long heavy-duty nylon lanyard at the back with a metal carabiner. He made sure everything was secure before allowing Jonathan to go forward, reminding him to keep his legs stretched out in front of him. The excited teenager wrapped his bare hands on the trolley’s metallic handlebars and lifted his large feet. "Weeeeeeee," Johathan shouted as Martha watched him zoom down the first zipline. Jody’s turn came next, and she let out a long ear-piercing scream as soon as her feet left the high platform. Martha was next, followed by Greg and the others in the group. Jonathan alternated from shouting “weeeeeeee” to “woohoo” as he zoomed down each of the seventeen lines while Jody screamed at the top of her lungs. Martha just smiled, enjoying the bird’s eyes view as wind hit her face during her adrenaline rush. It looked like Greg did the same.

The family met up at the end of the circuit after the thrilling activity, then walked back to the visitor's center together to return their equipment and collect their fish. “That was fun, wasn’t it?” Jonathan said to Jody as they were getting back in the car. Jody not only responded positively but thanked her parents for taking them on the activity. “Screaming in the air released some of my frustration,” she admitted. “Glad to hear it,” Martha responded with a smile.

A half-hour car ride later, they arrived at the cottage’s wooded site. Chickens, ducks, and geese roamed around the grounds. Although there was a welcome centre, there was no need to check in or collect keys. After getting out of the parked car, Martha grabbed a laminated map hanging from a string on a metal hook below a welcome sign. Only one of the other hooks had a map hanging from it. There were four other cottages in the site, each with a different style and name. From what Martha could see from the colourful map, the cottages

were adequately spaced apart and all included access to private beaches. All the guests would get their privacy.

Everyone grabbed their backpacks from the car, and walked together along the main dirt path. When they reached a fork, they turned left without consulting the map; a wooden arrow nailed to a large tree trunk with treehouse on it, pointed them in the right direction. They continued on the path for a good five minutes until they reached another fork, and followed the directions from an arrow nailed to another tree trunk. “More like glamping,” Jonathan corrected.

“Whatever,” Jody said as they walked up the narrow wooden staircase. Upstairs, three double mattresses lay on the ground a few meters from the wooden railing, right below a low triangular ceiling with large windows. Each mattress had clean bedsheets, a thick navy blue comforter, and two covered pillows.

“We’re all sharing a room, or sleeping space?” Jody asked.

“You can sleep on one of the futons or the balcony,” Greg suggested.

“I see it!” Jonathan shouted.

Martha looked where Jonathan pointed. The treehouse looked better then she had imagined. First off, stairs led towards the wooden door so no climbing up any ladders or wobbly ropes was involved. Also, the wooden cabin was bigger than she’d expected. When she reached the balcony surrounding the two-story cabin, she got a great view of the woods and lake. She also saw a bridge leading to a small terrace containing an outdoor table, six matching chairs, and a covered propane barbeque. Inside the cabin was a fully equipped kitchenette with three large jugs filled with water on the counter, a long wooden table with benches, three double-seater futons arranged around a wood stove and fireplace, plus a staircase leading to a mezzanine. “Or in one of the hammocks outside,” Martha added, and Jonathan jumped on that possibility. “I’m good,” Jody replied and asked where the bathroom was.

Martha feared Jody’s reaction if it turned out to be an outhouse, despite how the rest of the treehouse looked. As it was, Jody wasn’t too impressed with the indoor bathroom either because there was no real shower or toilet. Since the cabin didn’t have running water, the water from the jugs had to be heated if anyone wanted to wash, and the toilet was a dry one with a bucket inside a wooden structure. A sign on the wall informed them that they had to fill the bucket with a scoop of woodchips after each use to mask bad odors.

“How about we go to the beach before dinner,” Martha said to change the unpleasant subject that had started around the bathroom doorway. Everyone agreed.

“I’ll get the food from the car and meet you at the beach,” Greg told Martha and kissed her on the lips.

“Gross!” Jonathan teased.

While Greg was away, the others took turns to change into their bathing suits inside the windowless bathroom. As Martha gathered up her clothes, a black spider scuttled down from a thin web near her face. She screamed, unlocked the door, and ran out the bathroom in her black sporty one-piece bathing suit. When he couldn’t find the spider Jody looked completely freaked out.

“Never mind, I see it now!” he shouted. “Okay. It’s dead.”

“Are you sure?” Jody asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. I squished it. You want to see?” he asked and moved the rolled-up paper towards her.

“Ewww! No!” she said and ran away.

Greg returned with the bags of food and rolling cooler. “You haven’t left yet?” he said, sounding surprised.

“We had a spider issue,” Jonathan told him. “I took care of it.”

“Did something attack you, Mom?” Jonathan asked.

“There’s a spider in there,” she answered and laughed at herself.

“What?” Jody let out.

“It’s just a small one,” Martha reassured her.

“Says the one who came out screaming,” Jody said, and everyone laughed.

Acting like a superhero, Johnathon walked into the bathroom and grabbed his weapon of choice; a piece of toilet paper. “Girls, girls. Have no fear. I’ll go kill your monster. Where is it?” After congratulating Jonathan for his heroic act, Greg took ice tea and sodas from the cooler while Martha handed out bags of potato chips. While Greg changed into his swimming trunks, Martha packed everything from the cooler into the small refrigerator, and left the rest of the food near the table. She picked up the thin instructions binder that had been left for them and skimmed through it.

Finally, everyone headed out with towels in hand and made towards their private beach. There, six adjustable lawn chairs sat on the sand around a circular stone firepit. Chopped logs had been set inside the ash-layered pit ready to light and more lay in the sand under a clear protective cover. Although there was a firepit closer to the cabin, Greg thought it would be nice to make a campfire on the beach. When he suggested coming back in the evening, everyone nodded.

They settled into chairs to relax before having a refreshing swim in the dark blue water. Martha and Greg acted like kids, splashing each other. The sound of their laugher echoed. Jonathan took part in the fun, and they called to Jody to join them. She

shook her head no, happy where she was. She always complained about the seaweeds when her bare feet or legs touched the slimy aquatic plants. She preferred to stay seated on her chair, sunbathing in her colourful striped bikini.

Soon it was time to return to get changed and prepare dinner. Greg asked Jonathan to help gut the fish before cooking them on the barbeque. Martha asked Jody to help clean and cut vegetables to make a garden salad as a side dish. They ate outside on the high terrace. To prevent insects bothering them, Martha lit a couple of yellow citronella candles which she placed on the plastic table. After their meal, Martha and Jody headed indoors to do the dishes. They had to heat some water. Meanwhile, Greg and Jonathan went into the woods to collect kindling for the campfire and make roasting sticks for their marshmallows. They then all played card games which the family hadn’t done together in years. Martha made hot chocolates and they munched on chips. Greg lit a fire in the old stove-fireplace. The logs burned for two hours, providing warmth as well as a soothing crackling sound. As the sun was about to set, the family headed to the beach wearing warm sweaters, jackets and mosquito repellent. They brought hot chocolate along with the three simple ingredients to make smores; grahams crackers, milk chocolate, and large marshmallows.

Greg built a campfire, and Martha watched the grey smoke rise. She loved the intoxicating smell it created. Aside from looking at the hypnotic dancing fire, she watched the bright orange sun set behind the dark trees across the sparkling lake. The family barely spoke, paying more attention to the distant sounds of the loons. Soon, the sky faded from various shades of orange to black. Shining stars could then be seen along with a white half crescent moon. Crickets could be heard along with the occasional buzzing of a mosquito. Whenever a pesky blood sucking insect landed on her, Martha instinctively swatted it. The family made smores and roasted marshmallows, all the while having pleasant conversations and telling cheesy jokes. They played a game where they were not allowed to laugh at any of the jokes, but that didn’t last. Nobody could stay serious. When they calmed down from an explosion of hysterical laughter, an owl hooted which got them going again. They all looked to see if they could spot the night bird. Instead, they saw a few bats flying around the long branches of a tree. Jody let out a shriek, but once she realised they weren’t going to come anywhere near her she was okay.

Greg fed the fire another log when it started dying. He started telling a spooky ghost story that he heard as a child, then the others took turns telling their own scary tales. While Jonathan was making something up about a lake monster, a loud splash occurred. It startled everyone and they laughed at their jumpiness. When the splash happened again they decided to investigate. With dimly lit flashlights in hand, they left the warmth of the campfire and moved close to the water. They all curiously looked at the surface of the dark lake, barely able to see anything.

Another loud splash was heard. “Over there!” Jonathan said. “I see something!”

“I can see a dark figure moving in the water. It’s your lake monster,” Martha told Jonathan, and he gave out a nervous laugh.

“Seriously, what is that?” Jody asked. “I can see it too.” about, they returned to the campfire. The loud splashing, which turned out to be the beaver’s flat tail slapping the water, continued throughout the evening. When the fire died, the family headed back to the cabin to get ready for bed. Fairy lights strung around the balcony and terrace were lit up. They took turns using the bathroom to brush their teeth and change into comfortable pyjamas.

While Martha lay on her chosen mattress, she could see the stars through the large windows above her. She thought it was nice to sleep under the stars without getting bitten by mosquitos. Nobody slept for a while since one of them would end up saying something that would start up a conversation or wave of laughter. The chatter was eventually replaced by silence as Jonathan drifted off. Shortly after Greg fell asleep, he started snoring like a bear.

They walked to the end of the long wooden dock. “Careful,” Greg warned, “The monster might attack.”

Another loud splash made them jump, and Jonathan pointed the beam of his flashlight towards the sound. “I caught a glimpse of a round whiskered face with two buck teeth. I think it’s a beaver.”

When Greg confirmed that the lake monster was indeed a beaver, and there was nothing to worry Jody put her extra pillow around her head and ears to try muffling the irritating sound, but it didn’t work. She took her comforter and pillow downstairs to sleep on one of the futons. She could still hear Dad snoring, but at least it wasn’t right in her ears. The evening’s spooky stories started playing with her head, and she imagined a lunatic walking into the unlocked cabin. She tossed and turned, unable to push the thought away. Finally, she got

up and placed the heavy water jugs in front of the door. It gave her a sense of security. When she turned around, a dark figure stood in front of her and she screamed. The figure screamed back, and she realised it was Jonathan.

“Jeez! Don’t scare me like that!” Jody said in a loud whisper.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to,” Jonathan quietly replied and laughed. “I came to see what you were up to.”

When Jody said she couldn’t sleep, Jonathan said that he couldn’t either and walked towards the futons. “I don’t understand how mom can sleep through that,” he added pointing upstairs. “I wear earplugs,” Martha said. It made both kids scream and she laughed. “I thought I heard screaming and it woke me.” I wasn’t expecting to see you both down here, although I can understand why neither of you can sleep. I brought some extra earplugs if you want them.”

Both children enthusiastically said yes, and everyone was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.

The next day, Martha made a light breakfast of croissants, fruits, and orange juice. As the family ate outdoors on the terrace, a wild turkey walked around on the uneven ground below. A few more came into view, but they all disappeared into the woods shortly after. “That was weird,” Jody said. “And you would know cause you’re the expert on weirdness,” Jonathan replied. “It runs in the family,” she responded. Greg proposed that they go canoeing. He’d seen an overturned one near the dock. Six orange life jackets hung in the open kitchen of the cabin and they all grabbed one. They headed to the lake and turned the heavy green canoe around. Two wooden paddles were hidden underneath. Martha took one, and Greg took the other. Once the boat was partially in the water, Jody and Jonathan climbed aboard and sat on benches in the center. Martha sat in the front, and Greg pushed the canoe further into the water before getting in the back seat so he could steer. He used his paddle to push onto the ground to make the canoe move forward, and Martha started paddling. With combined effort, they managed to get far enough from the shore. They headed North to move against the current, and soon saw a beaver den close to the right side of the shore.

“I guess that’s where the lake monster lives,” Glen joked. During a ‘Zen’ moment, Martha realised that since they’d arrived at the cottage, Jody hadn’t told her dad to stop saying bad jokes nor had she told him he wasn’t funny. Her daughter seemed more relaxed and carefree, so did Jonathan. It was nice seeing them having a good time without it involving a cell phone or video game. A passing motorboat broke the tranquility, not only because of the loud engine, but because of the waves it created as it zoomed by. She helped Greg stabilize the wobbling canoe while reassuring Jody that they weren’t going to tip over.

The waves faded and, as Martha continued rowing, she took in the scenery around her. Different types of leafy trees and conifers on each side of the water created a blanket of various shades of green on the small brown hills. She imagined that the woods looked even nicer during the fall season, when the leaves changed colours. When a small island came into view they rowed towards it. There wasn’t much to see; just a few trees, plants, wildflowers, and tall grass. Soon, they reached an area with cattails and a heron standing on one thin leg among the long plants. The big grey bird walked slowly, then dove its head in the water. It flew away with a fish sticking out of its long pointy beak.

After an hour of paddling Martha’s arm muscles hurt. “Do you want to take over?” she asked her daughter. Jody said she could try, but almost tipped over the canoe while attempting to trade places so they aborted that plan. Instead, Martha and Greg turned the canoe around and headed South towards the cabin. They could mostly let the canoe float onwards with the current. Once they reached the shore, Jonathan asked his dad to go fishing. Martha gave her daughter a quick paddling lesson at the beach while the boys headed to the car to get their fishing gear. Jody had trouble with her paddle at first, but soon got the hang of it. She and her mom stayed close to the shore and returned when Greg and Jonathan arrived with their fishing rods in hand. As Greg and Jonathan went back out on the lake, Martha and Jody plonked “Feel like going on a little hike?” Martha asked her daughter. “Sure,” Jody responded with a pleasant smile.

When they returned to the cabin to get some granola bars and water bottles as well as spray some mosquito repellant, Martha scanned the laminated site map. She chose a hiking trail, and off they went. They hiked along an easy path in the woods for about forty-five minutes, during which they saw squirrels, chipmunks, and various types of birds. They also spotted a porcupine, a red fox, and a timid looking doe.

“Look. A murder,” Martha calmly said.

“What?” Jody exclaimed in a panic.

“A murder,” Martha repeated and pointed towards the top of a tree while trying not to laugh.

Jody looked up. “I see seven crows cawing creepily.” She looked at her mother like she’d gone crazy.

“A murder is what you call a group of crows.”

Jeez,” Jody replied. “You didn’t have to freak me out.”

As they resumed their walk, Jody tried to get even by screaming in fear over the false sighting of a bear. Martha didn’t even twitch, instantly calling her daughter’s bluff. When Jody told her she saw a

“I’m totally serious,” Jody warned. “And I doubt you packed any tomato juice, so don’t do anything to scare it. I don’t want to get sprayed.”

A furry black and white animal came out the bushes and slowly crossed the path ahead of them. “I told you!” Jody yelled, backing away.

They remained in place until it was safe to continue without risking getting sprayed by the skunk, Martha felt a bit silly. There were several types of wild mushrooms near the winding path and she asked her daughter if they should pick some to go with their supper. Jody, who despised mushrooms said no.

She then surprised Martha with a question of her own. “How did you and dad manage to stay happy together for twenty years?” It led to a heartfelt conversation about love and relationships. “I want my next relationship to be like yours and dad’s,” her daughter said.

Martha had enjoyed her bonding moment with her daughter. “We should do this more often.”

“What? Hike?” Jody asked.

“No,” Martha replied. “Hang out, just the two of us.” She emphasised that she wasn’t trying to be her best friend, and that they didn’t have to share their deepest secrets. “It would just be nice to go out for a meal, watch a chick flick, paint our nails, do facial masks, or even go to the spa once in a while.”

“Sure,” Jody said. She hesitated then added, “Sorry I’ve been such a pain in the butt lately.”

That made Martha’s day, and she hoped to get a similar response from Jonathan when she approached him with an equivalent proposal. She had a feeling she would have to learn how to play video games in order to bond with her son, but if that’s what it took then so be it.

Back at the cabin, Jody helped make enough cold cut sandwiches for everyone and they brought them down to the beach. They didn’t wait for Greg and Jonathan before eating their lunch. Greg and Jonathan found them on their lawn chairs about an hour later.

Jody opened her eyes. “Hey,” she sleepily said, “Did you guys catch anything?”

Jonathan proudly showed her two fish. “Cool,” Jody told him.

Martha also opened her eyes. “I’m sorry. Did I fall asleep?”

“How dare you?” Jody said. “Actually, I fell asleep too,” she added laughing.

“Must be all this fresh air and exercise.” Martha yawned. “We made sandwiches for you,” she told her husband and son. The sandwiches were gone though. Small prints that looked like hand and feet with claws could be seen in the wet sand, and it was concluded that a sneaky racoon had stolen the sandwiches.

The family headed to the cabin to make something else. Greg and Jonathan cooked fish on the barbeque while Martha and Jody took another nap; this time on individual hammocks hanging from thick tree trunks.

Later that afternoon, the family played a few of the board games they found in the cabin, then cooked steaks and potatoes on the barbeque for dinner. In the evening, they headed back to the beach for another lakeside campfire. People from a nearby cottage had released dozens of lit lanterns into the sky, presumably to celebrate a special occasion.

“I read somewhere that they’re a symbol of good luck as well as worries and problems floating away,” Martha informed her family.

“Sounds nice,” Jody said. “I think I already feel my problems going away. I’m definitely not worried anymore.” Martha felt her daughter was referring to her recent breakup with Jake. Not wanting to bring it up she just smiled. Their lake monster, as they now called the beaver, came back with company so the loud splashing sounds were heard more frequently that evening.

Everyone slept well that night, even though Greg again snored loudly.

They had to leave the cabin before eleven o’clock the next day, so they ate breakfast, packed up whatever belonging they had left out, did a quick cleanup, and headed to the car. Greg and Martha made a second trip to get the cooler and leftover food plus double check that nothing had been forgotten. When they returned to civilization, Martha learned that Jody had received several desperate texts from Jake.

"I'm soooooo over you," Jody said to the phone then turned to her mom. "You were right. Camping was exactly what I needed to clear my head."

Although the point of the trip had been to spend quality time together as a family, Martha was happy to learn it had served a second purpose.

Chantal Bellehumeur is a Canadian author born in 1981. She has several published novels of various genres as well as numerous short stories, poems and articles featured in compilation books, magazine, plus a local newspaper. For a complete list of publications, including free reads, visit the following website: author-chantal-bellehumeur.webnode.com/products-/

Coloring Page

By Adrian Czarnecki

Though I love dreaming up and putting together my Siberian Husky themed children’s illustrated picture story books, Adventures of Hot Rod Todd, I don’t think of myself as an ‘author’ or as a ‘writer’. ‘Story teller’ sounds better. My books are so dependent upon the illustrations. That’s where illustrator Cameo Anderson http:// www.cameoanderson.com/ comes in. Cameo really can see into my mind’s eye interpreting my often rambling page descriptions into works of art; there’s a saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and with a children’s book that is so important and Cameo nails it every time and then some.

So, for your enjoyment, here is a page from the Coloring Book featuring some of the characters and scenes from the books. Coloring Book

FREE PDF download available via website www.adventuresofhotrodtodd.com

Adrian S. Czarnecki is a semi-retired writer of Siberian Husky oriented children’s books based on an actual litter of 6 puppies born to his Dam Empress Maya and Sire Damien Czar on March 14th 2019. Born in Huddersfield, England, Adrian has travelled the world extensively pursuing careers in journalism, photography, PR / Marketing as well as print and sales. Adrian now lives in Idaho, USA with his wife Meta and their Siberian