As a young boy, I found summers delightful. I had been released from the custody of my teachers, and thrilling adventures lay ahead, whether it was playing cowboys and Indians on Gramps’ ranch in the nearby hills, or practicing field maneuvers in vacant lots in town.
Field maneuvers primarily involved stomping out potential wildfires before they could engulf the neighborhood in flames. Whatever the adventure, fire wanted to be a part of it. It loved tagging along with the gang. This may be why most of the neighbors sprayed their homes with fire retardant.
I will admit I found fires to be very helpful…if used to stay warm, roast marshmallows, or burn opposing mascots in effigy. I even found it quite easy to start fires, although putting them out proved to be much more difficult.
One of my favorite stomping grounds during the summer was a vacant lot across the alley from where I lived. It was populated with numerous, large ant hills, approximately the size of the Pyramids. Although they left very little space for my friends and me to conduct our maneuvers, we didn’t let that hinder us.
One night, after a hard day in the field, I, along with my friend Ernie and a couple of cousins set up camp. After dinner, and a lengthy discussion of world affairs, including who was the best looking girl in our class, we got comfortable in our sleeping bags and prepared to settle down for the night. As I was about to doze off, I heard a strange sound. That was one of the requirements for sleeping outside. You were never allowed to go to sleep without hearing strange sounds, like grizzlies rummaging through the nearby brush, a ravenous wolf pack circling your camp or, even worse, high school seniors lurking nearby.
The sound quickly became a loud thrashing. Fearing it was the entire senior class, I rolled over on my back, and held my breath, pretending I was already dead. I slowly opened one eye just in time to see Ernie shoot out of his bag, which I felt was quite a feat, considering he was lying down at the time.
To be continued...check back soon
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