Part 1

I was the happiest person in the car. My first camping trip to the mountains! I was so excited. I was already wishing I had invited my friend to come along. She would have loved to join me on the trip, but I hadn’t thought I’d get lonely with so much nature around.

I watched the alternating scenes of pastures and thin pine trees change into a screen of thick oaks, tall sweet gums, and fatter pines. The landscape became hillier as we entered the Northern part of the state. I could see lines of mountains rising over the trees and a sensation of pure awe washed over me as it came into view. Sitting in the front seat with my brother and cousin joking about firecrackers in the back seat, I could watch the majestic giant rise up and fill my heart with joy.

My mother saw my expression and smiled. “That’s it.” I sat up in my seat and gazed at my beautiful, but temporary, home. “Mt. Cheaha.” I could feel the enormous smile pull across my face as my Indian blood began to race. I had never felt anything like this before. I could barely hold in my excitement.

We passed Lake Cheaha just before we came to the “Mt. Cheaha State Park” entrance. The lake was concealed behind a thick wall of trees, but the sign clearly stated that there was a lake back there somewhere. We passed a small cabin that had “Country Store” engraved into the wood above the steps. Two gas pumps stood outside, killing the rural log cabin effect.

As we climbed the mountain, my excitement built with every rise in altitude. I secretly hoped we would be camping at the peak of the mountain. Close. We were a couple miles below it, but the air was still cool and thinner. We reached our lot close to sundown. It was surrounded by trees on three sides and the road on the fourth side. It was secluded enough which gave it a more natural feel. A red town car pulled up behind us and my older cousin, aunt, and uncle climbed out with their dog, Mattie. I was all ready to explore so I hurriedly unpacked and set up my mother’s and my tent. I set out the blankets and rushed to my mom.

“I’m going to explore and find firewood!” I said quickly and sped off before she could say anything in return. I entered the woods behind our campsite and immediately my imagination burst forth. I was suddenly a Native American medicine woman gathering medicinal herbs instead of dried limbs. Then I was an Amazon warrior, racing to gather my arrows that had fallen from my quiver.

I finally gathered as many herbs and arrows as I could hold and became a majestic Elf. I walked gracefully with my ancient scrolls, filled with Elvin literature and knowledge, back to the city. My fellow Elves would greet me warmly and we would quietly read the scrolls and discuss them intelligently and in detail.

Unfortunately, all I returned to was happy couples of friends chatting animatedly amongst themselves. The fire was already going and two large pile of firewood sat in the corner of the lot. I threw my measly pile on top of one of the piles and sat down, unnoticed. It was the same every time we went somewhere as a “family.” My brother and cousin were as thick as thieves, same with my mom and Aunt Sarah. Uncle Keith and Eric, the older cousin, had each other to talk and hang out with. Me, I had myself and my imagination. The latter only worked when I was alone. Whenever I was with my family, I felt lonelier than when I was alone. I was different, and though they tried, they naturally had nothing in common with me. Nothing to talk about, nothing to do together.

Now, I desperately missed my friend back home. I didn’t want to go home, I wanted my friend to come here and share the beauty with me through my eyes. She would imagine what I imagined and she would feel what I felt. I mentally kicked myself for not inviting her.

I silently ate dinner and while everyone else talked amongst themselves, I stared into the flames of the campfire. My mid went blank and no thought passed through my mind. A sudden loud bark brought me back to my senses.

“I think Mattie needs to go to the potty.” Aunt Sarah said. “Jessica, could you walk Mattie and see if she potties?” I nodded silently and went to the town car to get the leash.

Mattie walked along in front of me, stopping to sniff random places. We turned off on to a trail and soon Jessica the Vampire Slayer was hot on the trail of a dangerous vampire. My hound sniffed trees and mossy patches, following the scent. She was doing a fine job until she stopped at a thick patch of moss, squatted, and peed. My imagination stopped and the return to camp was an ominous black cloud hanging over me as Mattie drug me back to the campfire.

My mood lightened a little as the marshmallows, Hershey bars, and graham crackers made their way around the circle. This was one of the many parts of camping I favored the most. The only problem was that while I loved it, my stomach refused to eat more than two. I went to bed full, but within two minutes after everyone was asleep, I craved another s’more. I pulled my one piece of modern technology I had with me from my bag. I rarely went anywhere without my mp3 player. Music was, in a sense, my life. Cliché, I know, but it was, and still is, true. I listened to my music until I could hardly keep my eyes open. I turned the player off and rolled onto my side and fell asleep.