The Three Amigos

Chapter 1 Have you ever gone camping before? Did you enjoy it? Were there any events that occurred that still haunt you to this day? Hi, um Nathan walker the leader of the best group in the world. I am usually the one who brings humor to this fantastic group. In this novel, I will be informing you of the events that happened to us that were life-threatening events, which gave us an Adrenalin rush. So, buckle up because I am going to take you on an adventure. Grab your tissue and popcorn and be entertained. Promise you: you will not be bored.

Now that we have gotten the ending out of the way, I guess we can start the story. In the year 2018 (BC) I am sure you are asking yourselves how I am still alive in my version BC means before corona and not before Christ. We would go out as pathfinders on camps, which were usually survival camps for just the weekend with other friends from our church, and some other times we would interact with other children from other churches that were camping in the same area as we were, and it went down like this: 5:30, I am awake, and I feel a bit nauseous. The sheet under me is warm and my body feels comfortable inside the blankets. Cannot get up yet. 6:00, My mom is awake and that is my queue to get out of bed. I neatly tidy my room before heading to the showers. After the shower, I get dressed. I then reach for the blazer that was hanging from an old plastic coat hanger. Head over to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. So, I courageously try to swallow a mouthful of scones and then soak it all down with a cup of hot chocolate. As I finish swallowing my bread my mom comes over to see what I was up to. She then requests me to make her a cup of coffee before I leave for school. Then, as I make her a cup of coffee, I could feel my mom’s eyes looking through my soul. She was watching me like a hawk. She was studying to find any imperfections in me because my mom loves perfection.

She then grins as she reaches for her mug which was shaking in my hands. The tension was just too much I could feel my throat running dry and my heart banging like a bongo drum. Then she walks out of the kitchen and then gets into her room. I then have a sigh of relief to show that I am still perfect as usual. I then head out of the house to check for my transport outside. When it arrived, I headed back home to pray. after praying my mother reminded me that I would be going to camp for the weekend and that I needed to rush back in time so that I ensured that I was ready for the camp. Nodded, grabbed my bag, dashed out of the house, and then hopped into the red vehicle that was parked outside the gate, full of uneducated children waiting to be taught. Then, we were off to school. During school, all I could think of was camp so my mind switched off and I was hypnotized by the fact that I would be going to camp without my parents, which made me full of enthusiasm and super-intelligence. Things are heading my way, I had good grades and I was happy with that. Even my friends could notice that there was something about which I was excited. Recall my friend, Smith asked me.

Usually on Friday school knocks out quite earlier than any other day in the week so soon as the gate opened, I dashed out the gate with no hesitation that I might have forgotten something in class because I have a problem with losing things which is something that I need help with. Since I knew the way, I walked home. From walking, I ran as fast as my two skinny legs could carry me. As I ran, I noticed that clouds were forming and that the sun was fading, \"I guess today it will be raining,\" I thought to myself as I ran home. When I arrived home the sun shone again, which gave me hope that the whole thing would not be canceled due to bad weather. When I got into the house, I found my mom cooking up a storm. “Good afternoon mom,” I said quickly as I walked past her. “Afternoon Nathan,” she said. “How are you?” she then asked me. “I'm fine mom,” I responded as I closed the door of my room. I quickly changed and prepared for camp. Mother walked into my room and handed me her cellphone which had a couple of things that I needed to pack. Things like pathfinder uniforms, shorts, t-shirts, and so on.

Needed two bags to pack all my things. they were shockingly lighter to carry than my school bag combined. After packing I went back to return my mother's phone to her. She then told me to hurry up and go take a shower. Finished showering within five minutes because was pumped to go. Got dressed and then took everything into the living room. Mom told me that I could go and check on my friends whether they were done or not. Ran out and went to Brandon's place which was just next door to our place. Brandon lives in room 4 of the complex. Knocked at Brandon's door and out came Brandon with a bandage on his cheek. “Hey Brandon, are you ready to go or you just won’t be going to this camp?” Asked politely. “Yes,” he answered. “Long ready, I just had a dreadful day, and I don’t want to talk about it at all.” Brandon then shut the door so that he could rest. “Wow!” Said to me as I went past his house and went to room 5, which was Lloyd's house. Knocked I found Lloyd with his parents. Got in and greeted everyone. Then Lloyd and I went to his room for a chat. We spoke for merely ten minutes I then noticed that he was constantly laughing which worried me a bit.

I then looked at myself to see if there was something wrong with me in the mirror that was displayed in his room then I asked him if he knew whether what had happened to Brandon and at that stage he was finished, he busted out his laughter until tears ran down his cheeks. He then told me that Brandon was dumped into a trash bin at his school by some boys from another school. “Dumped by boys?” Asked with a puzzled face. “Yes,” he said. “It began when we came to fetch Brandon from school today, as I looked outside the window of the car, I noticed two boys standing outside the school gate, who were both dressed in a blue uniform from the neighboring school next to Brandon's school.” “OK, “I said to show him that I was paying attention. \"I thought maybe they were waiting for someone or were also coming to fetch someone too, but little did I know that they came for Brandon. Brandon was heading towards the car until they ganged on him. They took Brandon and dumped him in one of the bins that were nearby the school. The way they put him in was hilarious. They put his headfirst and his legs were hanging up in the air.\" Lloyd said. “Then one of them saw that we were looking and came towards the car.”

“They looked at us and then disappeared into the streets and then I went to assist him out of the dustbin, I am not going to lie to you he smelled like a beggar.” Then we both burst into laughter for a minute or so until it hurt to laugh. Then Lloyd's mom walked into the room to inform me that my mother was calling me to eat. I at once ran home. Opened the door and found my mother serving some food to Brandon who seemed perfectly fine. Joined him and we both ate and enjoy ourselves. At sunset, we had Vespas which was a custom we have that on a Friday sunset we come together and pray as Seventh-day Adventists. Lloyd came for Vespas as well. at once after Vespas, my dad arrived from work to take us to church, but before we went out my dad then helped himself to the food that was prepared for Sabbath, so as he ate, we took our things and packed them into the car. Then we were off to church, then on the way, my mom asked all of us, if had we had all our things. We did not seem confident to answer her, but I eventually responded as the eldest among the three amigos. When we arrived at our destination, we saw an enormous bus waiting by the entrance of the church. We opened and ran to the boot to take our things and put them on the bus. The bus was a Trans-lux bus. We took our things and placed them in one of the many boots that the bus had to offer. After packing, we went to gather as a church to form a prayer circle. We had a prayer session, which was done by our pathfinder director who concluded with a request that two parents pray for us. Dad prayed the last prayer, and we all went on the bus after saying our last goodbyes to our parents.

Then I was requested to go outside because my mom called me to say what she needed from me and how I should behave at camp. • Do not lose anything (even my mom knew about this problem) • Do not give anyone anything • Look after the amigos • Make sure that Brandon does not burn anything Agreed to my given requirements and headed back to the bus. When I got on the bus, I was shocked at how big it is from the inside of the bus. Saw that it was for VIPs (Very Important Pathfinders) it had comfortable chairs, with mini televisions strapped behind each seat, and came with cup-holders. When I got on the bus, I had to look for my companions who sat at the back of the bus because the vibe is always from the back. Each row had three chairs on each side of the bus. It was like a classroom with wheels. Sat at the end, near the window. Then the directors asked everyone with a phone to step out and hand them over to their parents, almost half the children on the bus went out of the bus. They then returned and then the engine started, when it started moving parents started waving at us then we waved backed someone in the bus started crying which I thought was very immature for them. Can't they go without their parents for the weekend? Then there was silence on the bus, the director then turned on his mini-tablet, which showed that all of us could watch as well. When we switched on the tablets the director had selected an animated movie called “Jesus of Nazareth” which was about five hours long.

A couple of children fell asleep during the whole drive to the campsite. The film was quite interesting being that I had never seen it before plus I was the only one who managed to stay awake until we reached the campsite. I think if the driver were watching as well, he would have fallen asleep. We had finally reached our destination. The bus driver was then directed to our registered or reserved campsite, when the bus stopped the bus driver tried to wake everyone up but was very unsuccessful in his doings. Looked around the bus and to my surprise, I found the most medium-sized bell. Picked it up and rang it hard, the reactions that I saw were quite amusing because people jumped out of their seats it was more like an iPhone alarm. the only reason that I am saying that it sounded like an iPhone was because my parents both used iPhone phones and their alarms sounded the same as the bell, it was very irritating even for me. Then I quickly placed it down so that no one would notice that it was me that woke them up from their slumber.

Chapter 2 Now that we had arrived, only the directors knew where we were. Then out of nowhere, a man with large boots, an Australian hat, and a brown uniform appeared, his face had scars and was very muscular he seemed bothered when he saw us. The man was a park ranger of the reserve that would be camping in. He introduced himself to us with a weird welcome. When he spoke to us, I noticed that he was missing a couple of teeth. I then smile at him, he saw me and smiled. He thought I was smiling with him, but I was smiling at him. So, have ever been to any of those regular-type camps, where kids with funny or spiffy hairstyles spend the summer running around in the fresh air, roasting marshmallows to an even brown, and swimming in the lake all day long? You have even been to one of those places and enjoyed the activities that you did. If you have not, you should, in some cases, it might seem as if it is a trap or that you have been abandoned by your parents. In my situation, we were camping in a reserve park, which would be rather a scary event. Image yourself sleeping in a reserve for the weekend, a place where animals sleep. If this were a punishment, I would award the man who produced the idea to take us there in the first place. Would have understood if we went to sleep in a forest or the wilderness. The park ranger was short with the requirements that he expected from us. Then as he continued a deer stood by the entrance of the bus, which was a funny situation to be found in. The park ranger then went out of the bus to guide the deer to its family. Could tell that deer would be a problem for us. Now that ranger was done talking were went out to pitch our tents. We went to the bus, grabbed the bags, and started working on our tents. Llyod and Brandon, both helped me in pitching the tents which could accommodate all three of us. Fortunately, we finished quickly before everyone in 3:34 minutes, people were impressed with our pace and asked us if we could help them as well.

Our tent seemed strong and well-pitched. The three amigos have done it again, unfortunately, we did not receive any trophy for finishing fast or even a badge. As we were taking now, a bus smaller than ours arrived just a couple of meters away from us but we could also tell that there were children in that bus because of the noise that they made it was as if they were a group of football supporters, which attracted the park ranger to appear again out of nowhere. The ranger spoke to them and warned them that he could threaten the feed them to the crocodiles, which left a girl scared for her life. “They feed children to crocodiles here!?” Asked me. They got out of their bus then when they were visible to us, at that moment I could no longer hold myself, I busted out in laughter. At school, we learned about the Jews who were taken to concentration camps in 1945, in Germany because Hitler, the dictator thought there was the reason they lost the world war. Then after the world war, some survivors managed to survive the harsh treatments, they were very skinny there were skinnier than me. Then when I saw the boys that were standing there, I remembered the images of the survivors and then I busted into laughter because it was fun for me to keep in. ” Do not they feed them at their homes,” said to myself.

Everyone finished pitching up their tents, so put our bags into our tents then we heard a bell ring as we were inside our tent. It was a signal that we were supposed to meet for prayer, as we headed towards the prayer circle, we noticed the other group of pathfinders singing. They were off-tune it was like a stadium with football fans that are trying to sing. I think when the park ranger came, he must have thought that he heard a group of endangered species crying for help. The singing had stopped they thought that their singing was impressive enough to attract the park ranger. After the ranger addressed them, they all came towards our side to pray. Then our director conducted the prayer session than after the prayer the ranger pulled out a brown sack. He then requested from us our cellphones. The park ranger said that phones were an abomination in that reserve, but the directors did not seem to mind them being taken from them, they considered it as an accomplishment or an advantage for them to enjoy camp. Only the directors were allowed to keep their phones because they knew how to use them then the park ranger told all the rules which were. • Respect the privacy of the wildlife, this is their habitat. • Beware of the animals, they are wild and can be unpredictable. • Do not crowd the animals or make sudden noises or movements. • Do not feed the animals, it upsets their diet and leads to human dependence • Keep quiet, noise disturbs the wildlife and may antagonize your fellow visitors. • When viewing wildlife keeps to a minimum distance of twenty meters and pull to the side of the road to allow others to pass. • never take pictures of the local people or their habitat without asking their permission, has no litter, and never leave fires unattended or discards burning objects. Then from there, he said his goodnights to us and then disappeared into the woods, where he went no one knew. We then sang one more song, the other kids sang very loud for no reason, after singing we went into our tents while the directors remained to have a meeting on how to plan Saturday's program. So, went got into our tent, I had to get in first as the leader of this excellent group, and we neatly set up our tent for our sleeping arrangement. After finishing, I invited them into the tent to see how it was from the inside.

Then, we went outside to see our friend's tent and how they had set up their tents if they had managed to finish but what we saw was quite shocking and disappointing how some of our companions cannot set up a tent. We then roamed around the area, but things got creepy then we decided to head back to our tent. When we got back everyone was already asleep. Brandon then asked us if we could go with him to the restrooms since he was scared to go alone so we went with him. We then ran back to our tent for no reason that I could remember. When we got to our tent, we found someone inside, it was Wayne. Wayne is Adam's best friend; they have a lot in common one thing that irritates me a lot is that they are the world's most talkative people ever. They can speak for hours without being interrupted; they speak about their lives which is boring since it is not interesting at all it makes me fall asleep. Wayne was just admiring us since we managed to finish in record time, he then laughed and got into my sleeping bag. Looked at him with rage and anger because no one gets into my sleeping bag. He then invited us into our as if we were the guests in that tent, Lloyd and Brandon got inside their sleeping bags as I sat by the entrance of the tent. Wayne spoke for an hour or two. In those conversations I was dead asleep, then I could not take it anymore so I told him to go because it was midnight and tomorrow, we would have to wake up early, so he wasn't happy about that then he pretended to not hear me. Adam came out to call him so that he come and sleep in his tent before it started raining but Wayne said,

“No, I will sleep here because they have a spare sleeping bag that I am using right now.” “OK, it’s cool you can always come back if you want to, \"Adam responded. “OK, cool I will come back in some hours,” he added. Looked at him in shock, because I stay here so I had to be a man about it this was like our house, so I made the rules as the eldest among all of them. Brandon and Lloyd were already asleep, yet he was still talking. Then, I could not take it anymore, it was time that he had to go because it was so cold that I felt like one of the people who died in the chilly water in the \"Titanic\" movie. Wayne did not take the situation very lightly because he had more to say so he went out of the tent to sleep. Then a few minutes later it started raining, and at that point, that was my moment of rest. After just a few minutes of staring at top of the tent daydreaming, Wayne had just come out of his tent to cause some confusion, this time he was not alone. Wayne and Adam were giggling together and were playing with their torches since they were not sleeping but that is no excuse because I also could not sleep but do not see me carrying a torch at midnight. Their giggling got closer and closer, and it was very irritating because they cannot laugh quietly. Then that is when the drama began when they started shining their torches toward our tent. A little after that, before I fell asleep, I heard some footsteps approaching our tent. I did not have to guess which two rascals were outside. Then, there was whispering and snickering. Then a flashlight came on the right through the side window, and it shone on Brandon's face.

“Brandon, wake up!” Wayne said. “Wha......?” Brandon said in confusion. Then another light came on the left side of the tent, and this time it shone on Lloyd's face. “Buzz off Wayne, go to sleep it’s late!” Lloyd yelled at them, but they just laughed.

After laughing, they headed towards other tents to disturb but they eventually got caught by one of the directors. I did not care either way because I wanted to sleep so bad since we will have to wake up early in the morning. Chapter 3 Woke up early, feeling a bit homesick, or it was Wayne's rancid smell that still was in the atmosphere. Stared at the top of the tent, which was leaking in as the result of last night's rain. I thought of how it was to be a park ranger, in such an enormous reserve there are more like him in the reserve. I then felt something moist, it was our sleeping bags that were seriously soaking. Shocked to see that Brandon and Lloyd were still asleep it could be that they are used to it sleeping with wet blankets, but I also should have woken up much earlier. Decided to take a little walk outside but as I was going outside the tent, I met a deer standing just next to our tent. The deer was enormous, which scared me a lot, so I closed the tent entrance to prevent any sort of damage from happening inside our tent. Woke Brandon and Lloyd and told them that there was a deer outside the tent, they looked puzzled thinking that I might have lost my mind. So, Brandon opened the tent and took a little sneak peek outside, and started screaming abnormally for no reason, as he was screaming, we got scared but then he started laughing. \"Are you on drugs or something because there is nothing there man?\" Brandon asked. “Swear bro, I saw the deer standing out there!” Responded. “Well, there’s nothing there,” Brandon said. “How do you know, Brandon?’ Lloyd asked. “Who knows it might have wandered off after Nathan saw it plus why he would lie on the Sabbath?” Brandon looked at us and then laughed at us hysterically, “you know what guys, let’s just drop this now and go hit the showers before the water gets cold.”

No one answered him or said a word to him and at that moment, we only nodded our heads in agreement, and then we got our towels and soap. We were all ready to take a shower so as Brandon opened the to lead the way out of the tent, guess who was waiting outside the tent, yes it was the deer. Brandon jumped up extremely fast like a springbok. Lloyd and I looked at each other and laughed at Brandon. Then Lloyd produced a plan because Brandon had mocked us, so he wanted us to leave Brandon behind. So, we quickly moved out the way of deer. Then, we went to stand as far as possible from the tent, then after some time it went away, and Brandon came out of the tent laughing as we were going to the showers. Since it was at five in the morning it was dark, so we had to bring a flashlight within in case anything weird is wandering out of the wild. When we reached the bathroom, then on the top of the building there was a huge sign written in bold, \"To Let.” We got inside the bathroom, and we were fortunate enough to have some privacy in the bathroom. The showers were empty, quiet, and peaceful. It was an honor to be the first people from our campsite to use the showers because if we woke up late it would not be the same, the reasons are because the place would be a mess and the showers will be pouring’ ice blocks instead of water. After taking a good, scorching shower, we headed back to our tent and guess who we saw waiting for us, in front of our tent again. Yes, it was the significant deer. It was hilarious

to see that deer in front of the tent again because of how Brandon reacted. We stood there and stared at the deer, which then went back into the bushes from there we did not know its whereabouts. We got in the tent, applied lotion then whilst we were applying, we heard a bell ringing outside, it was our director. He managed to wake both campsites. Some of them started shouting, I guess that they would rather prefer using their phones as alarm clocks than an actual, tremendous bell. When everyone got out of their tents, we had a small devotion by one of our pathfinder directors. The topic was on when Jesus was in the wilderness. Even though I had taken a shower and I was standing, I managed to daydream, until I heard the director say, \"Nathan, would you mind praying for us?\" Then, I looked up and smiled. Said a short prayer and concluded by saying amen. After the prayer, the Berea director came over to the director's side, he was dark, tall, a bit fat but had a kind personality he also had a pair of glasses, hanging from his shirt. “Good morning and a happy sabbath to you all,” he said to us.” Hope that you all slept well, even though it was raining in the middle of the night. Thank you …...?” he paused and looked at me waiting for my response. “Nathan, sir,” I replied. \"Yes, thank you for the prayer. Now that we have finished with our devotion, let us go and take a shower, and meet back in an hour,\" he added. And, with all said and done, we all went our separate ways. We got in the tent and wore our pathfinder uniform. Then, when we finished changing, we went out to get breakfast. As we got out, we were shocked to see that everyone was done bathing and that they had already started eating. Luckily, the food was not finished. Brandon and Lloyd got out first leaving me behind as I was, still wearing my shoes. Went outside the tent to join my fellow companions, I had to do was lock the tent to avoid any break-ins of both humans and monkeys. I also do not want to sleep with snakes inside my sleeping bag, plus Wayne was out to get me. So, I was not going to take any chances. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Since the lock came with three keys, I gave one to Brandon and another to Lloyd. Usually, I lose things I do not think that I have a logical explanation for that. It is who I am. So, get used to it all right. Unfortunately, when I got out people were everywhere around one table with the breakfast, there was no way that I was going to eat breakfast on that day. So, I gave up before even trying to attempt to go on a suicide mission. Went to find my amigos, who were not like me, and went to get food. “There you are Nathan,” Lloyd said. “Got you food whilst you were changing.” At least someone in this camp cares about me. On my plate were three slices of bread, two boiled eggs, and a cup of milk, a meal that a vegetarian like me could enjoy. Lloyd had the same things on his plate unlike Brandon who is greedy (he takes more than can eat). And then when you asked why he is very greedy he will respond and say that he wants to gain weight. He had four of everything, speaking. He managed to finish most of it but one egg, but even though he does eat too much he still has not gained weight then I ask myself where the food in him goes beside the toilet. Whilst we were eating, I heard funny noises from the trees. There were monkeys and they were heading towards our campsite. A bunch of monkeys sat on the trees while at least one monkey walked toward us and asked for some food like the homeless people that you can find on the streets. Wonder where they learned that or where they saw that. The monkey walked towards us and winked at us which made us laugh, then whilst we were laughing Brandon's egg fell. Brandon slowly picked it up then the monkey walked around us and searched us which was very ticklish then it stood In-front of us. Some of the other kids had been attracted to the event that was happening to us, they drew near so that they could feed their curiosity about what was taking place. After being seen by our furry friend, it then stared at Brandon who was nervously holding his egg. It then asked Brandon for the egg.

\"Wow!\" the girls chanted. \"Wow, even the animals here are more well-mannered than you, you should take some notes and learn a thing or two from these monkeys,\" I said. We had never seen anything like that before because monkeys usually fight or steal but I guess in this national park, they teach animals some manners. Not sure about Brandon he can be there for a while, at least he will not be lonely he will have the monkeys to keep him company. Then, for a moment all eyes were on Brandon, who was peeling off the eggshells of the egg. He then cut the egg in half with the butter knife. As he gave it to the monkey, which was more grateful than he. Some of them that were watching from the trees were outrageous to not receive anything from Brandon, I think that if they were human beings, they would have sworn at him and some of them would have torn their clothes like this guy. Or if they had any clothes on, they would have torn their shirts in rage. Then, I remembered that I had one egg remaining, so I threw it at them then that's when stones were thrown at the monkeys. Unfortunately, some of them were intentionally thrown at us.

The monkeys were run away to avoid getting hurt, then one looked at us and made some noise which sounded as if he was trying to advise on something. Sure, if the monkey could speak it would have said something like this. We were angry, disappointed, and embarrassed. We looked back and saw the boys that threw the stones, it was Wayne and Adam. When they saw that we saw them they ran away laughing then Brandon and Lloyd went to the director to report them while I went to make a cup of coffee. I found Sasha standing there she too was making herself a cup of coffee, but she was using powdered milk which was surprising because there were a lot of milk cartons on the desk. \"Hey, Sasha, what you are doing?\" Asked. \"Hi Nathan, um making myself a cup of coffee,\" she said. \"But why are you using powdered milk instead of milk?\" Asked. \"I'm lactose intolerant,\" she answered. \"Oh, I didn't know that you don't like milk products,\" I responded. “Yes....” then the bell rang again before she could finish speaking. We all went to stand with the directors that were waiting for us to come.

The directors stood in front of us, then a female director took a step forward and then introduced herself to us after speaking to us she ordered us to get into three lines according to our heights. She then ordered us to salute and sing the \"Pathfinders\" song. We sang in unison and harmony, this time no one was singing louder than the other. Then, after singing we did some marching drills. After an hour of doing the drills, it was then that I realized that it is not easy being a soldier and that I should never consider it as my future career. We went back into our tents to take our notebooks so that we could write some notes on the honors that we were going to be doing. I usually do not go to school on Saturday, but it felt like I was at school learning. As we walked with others who also did not have a clue where we were going. Then, ahead of us, there was a shade that was there it seemed like an abandoned apartment. It looked quite dull since it was not painted, it only had wooden poles for stability for the fracture. The floor was dusty and poorly cemented which was used for bird watching. I found it hard to sit on since there were only enough chairs to only accommodate the teachers. At first, I thought that the directors were joking about the issue of us sitting on the floor, but I later realized that he was not joking until I saw that everyone was on the floor.

The directors headed our printed papers with what we were going to be doing during the day it was like we were being given timetables from school, I feel like we are at school, or I am daydreaming. Then, a woman arose from the director's row, with a pile of papers in her hand. She introduced herself and told us that she will be teaching the campfire honor. Looked around and Brandon was fascinated so much more than anyone else among the kids. It was because Brandon is a well-known fire starter in my community. Technically he has fire-starting records I am sure that if it was a crime to start a fire, Brandon must be serving a life sentence by now. He took out his pen and started writing the exact words that were uttered by the director he was finally in the zone in full concentration since he needed every single detail on that topic that he could get to feed his curiosity. Two hours of learning went by of learning, and this was what learned there. #1: How to start a campfire These are the few methods that were shown to us, and we got to make a fire using these methods. Brandon was so excited that he did most of the work for us in our group. Here are just four methods to start a fire. We were then shown a couple of structures one can use when camping. We were prescribed not to try to attempt making these at home or school but only at camps.

Honestly speaking why would someone teach you something and then tell you not to try it at home. Then, when you get home your parents will ask them to show them what they have learned at camp. The next director got up and introduced herself to us politely. She was going to be taking the next two of our time before we head back to our tents for lunch. She was talking about how we can purify unclean water in the wilderness for example the following are the methods you can use.

She then pulled out a large stack of bond paper and handed them to us to write the notes. Then, she instructed us to draw illustrations on how to purify water for the next half hour. We took out our pencils and started illustrating on our own. On my side, I found it easy because I learned it at school. Half an hour went by, and people were still drawing, I was already done with it, so another thirty minutes were added. I then used shading technics in my drawing since I did not want to just sit. An hour had concluded so she requested us to hand her our papers. After gathering all the papers, she went and sat with other directors to score us. An hour went by and there were done with scoring us. We then got our papers back from the directors who handed them out. After getting our papers a girl started crying because she got two out of forty. Wanted to cry too but who was going my score since I was plotting not to tell anyone. That was the lowest mark that I have had in my life ever, plus I get better marks than this in Afrikaans. Got one out of forty. Then on my, it had an \"excellent\" comment, was the teacher trying to mock me or what. Then she had three packets of candy and then she called out the three numbers that had done very well, \"one out of forty, please come and stand next to me.\" as I stood up people started laughing at me. She also called the girl that was crying and or pathfinder captain Kevin. \"These three here that you all are laughing at did very well, they followed the requirements that I had requested from all of you to follow,\" she said. That was wrong about my score which was my position among all my companions. She gave us each a hand full of candy and then we went back to sit down. Then she stood up and did a practice of what we were so supposed to do which is.

After learning, we had a quiz to evaluate if we were listening. We were then separated into two according to our church. We managed to score more points than the other group which was extremely fortunate enough for us. Brandon got all the answers to the questions of fire without referring to his notes. Noon lunchtime, the bell rang, and we all headed back to our tents to have lunch. As we walked towards our tent, we spotted a familiar car that we usually see once a week, on Saturday, was parked just next to our tent' \"Oh no! he's here,\" I said in shock. When we reached our tent, where he was sitting in his mother's car, drinking a cup of cappuccino. He then came toward us then he said,\" Hello Nathan.\" \"Hello Zayn,\" I responded. Then I went to unlock the tent just in case he picked up Brandon's key and then might have managed to break into our tent. Luckily, nothing was missing for now and I was not going to take any chances now that he is here.

Chapter 4 Could not believe that Zayn was going to be camping with us at first because if I knew I would have not come at all. Well, if you are wondering who Zayn is well, he is one of the richest kids in our church and can be considered the loudest kid person on earth. He is also known for talking too much he even talks more than Wayne. Honestly speaking, I do not like him because he unnecessarily shows off. When we got out of the tent, we saw Zayn's mother's car leaving, then I saw Zayn shade a tear he did not want to stay here but he will be only spending a night here then tomorrow he will be in his mansion. I guess his mother could not take his talking anymore she wanted some me time, I cannot blame her. Then, a few minutes later another car drove towards us, then Sasha ran towards the car to meet her parents, her parents were the ones who had prepared the food for us. The food was delicious, and it remaindered me of my mother's cooking. Then Brandon went to speak with Sasha's mother for some time after eating. Another unexpected guest arrived; it was my aunt who was also a pathfinder director. She came and we all welcomed her with open arms, she brought two bags with her. One had books and the other clothes and a lunch box. Then, a bell rang once more to show that lunchtime was over. We took our notebooks and headed back to the shade to learn. Whilst waiting for the teacher, I looked around and I found that Zayn was doing something different from everyone it was that he was not in full uniform and the directors did not seem to have a problem with that since he was the only white person there which was also awkward for him to be there. Sure, it was me they would have said otherwise like, \"lead by example, Nathan.\" But what kind of example would I be setting when he is meant to look like this but looks like that. Zayn was also the only kid sitting on a chair. Then my aunt stood up and introduced herself to us and then she told us that we were going to spend the next two hours on how to make structures out of wood in the wild like the few examples.

We had a quiz at the end of the two hours that was conducted by my aunt. Llyod and I tackled those questions we made sure that no one had an opportunity to answer. It wanted to take candy from a baby. We were then awarded sweets, which then made it feel like we were taking candy from a woman. It felt a bit embarrassing to be the only ones to be sucking on sweets whilst others watch and stare at us rudely.

The lesson concluded on short notice, then the directors requested us to change into our normal clothes. We all got out of the shade in a rush to our tents. Then when we reached our tent, we quickly changed into our normal clothes we decided to wear track bottoms and long sleeves just in case it rains. Then, we got out we saw that everyone was done wearing their clothes. We all noticed that Zayn did not have a tent to sleep in. Wanted to offer him the restrooms since there the only ones available. The director asked him if he had a tent to sleep in. “Yes,” he responded.” I don’t wish to use other children’s tents.” He then grabbed a ball-shaped like bag and threw it into the air and a tent came falling. There goes or record, Zayn has done it again and in under ten seconds. After being bedazzled by Zayn, everyone gave him a round of applause to show that they appreciated his showing off, but I must admit that it was cool to see it, so I too clapped my hands, but I tried not to show it. As we sat outside on some wooden fence, my aunt placed a huge bowl of fruits on the table for us to take. So, I and the gang went over to the table to the table to take a fruit, Lloyd, and I both took a pear, and then Brandon took a banana. Then the monkey that Brandon gave an egg returned. It seemed like Brandon had some unfinished business with the monkeys. So, he did not hesitate, and he went over to the monkey and handed over his banana. Then the monkeys went away, and we went to Brandon who did not seem happy about giving away his banana then he went to use the restrooms.

Chapter 5 Have you ever gone for a nature walk in a national reserve on a rainy day? If yes, then how did it go? Well, I hope you can relate with me in my case it ended with people being injured, a boy losing his teeth, and us having to take a leap of faith over a crocodile that was laying in our path. But, after hearing all those events that we had to endure, you cannot relate. Let us get into the story, when everyone was done changing and was also waiting for the directors to finish dressing up, they were busy playing camp games like \"selecta\" and so on, which was not a problem but what they were wearing was a problem. They were wearing summer clothes even though winter was approaching but the news reporter said that it would be a rainy weekend as we concluded march. They made it feel like we were going to the beach, or we were going to be having a picnic or something related to that. Then when the wind blew that is when some of them went back to wearing warmer clothes, but some remained like that well when it pours that their baby to carry. Seventy percent of us were in warm clothing while the rest were still signing for their death wish. Then we got together after the directors finished changing to have a short prayer session then from there we went downhill. When we reached the bottom, we saw the lake and they were fishing with their children. We headed east from the lake and on the way, we saw beautiful birds and other incredible-looking creatures. After an hour of walking, it started drizzling then we ran towards a shade that was meant for bird watching or looking at the lake. Then the rain started pouring and that is when we saw that this was serious and if we do not go at that moment, we might never reach the campsite so the director shout, \"Everyone back to the camp.\" Then at that very moment, everyone ran out of the shade in a hurry the directors ran ahead of us, they were trying to lead by example. We were the last ones to leave the shade because I had to tie my shoelaces then we ran for our lives because we would have died if we did not since the lake was starting to flood so every person for themselves. Then ran past some children who were tired of running then on the way a crocodile was trying to cross the road, so I said to the amigos that we were going to jump over the crocodile since we did not have a choice. We were the last ones to leave the shade because

I had to tie my shoelaces then we ran for our lives because we would have died if we did not since the lake was starting to flood so every person for themselves. Then ran past some children who were tired of running then on the way a crocodile was trying to cross the road, so I said to the amigos that we were going to jump over the crocodile since we did not have a choice. Then, with all our might we managed to jump the crocodile. Then as we were running it started hailing, there was a boy that was running ahead of us that was hit by a couple of ice balls which him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. He was also the same child that lost his tooth, and I do not know how since I didn't ask him. So, we had to jump over him too because everyone for themselves it was survival of the fittest so only the fittest survive and live. So, we managed to reach our tent before it got wet, so we went and placed it under a tree. Then we took the blankets which were still dry then we placed them inside the tent. The clouds were too dark so I could not tell the time but um sure it was around 6 pm. Then I went to bathe because I had been sweating whilst I was running so I went to the surprisingly hot showers. When I finished bathing, I found a pocketknife laying by the shower, I took it and went back to the tent. When I reached the tent, no one was there. So, I quickly applied lotion and got dressed and took my raincoat and went to look for the amigos because I could not stay alone in the dark. Then, I saw a tent with bright lights, and I heard Brandon's name come from the tent. Knocked and got in, everyone that was there was excited to meet me because I bring the vibe with me. Sasha, Nikki, Michelle, Anderson, Kevin, Adam, Wayne, Zayn, and my amigos were there. They were playing truth or dare and “selecta” and even though it was pouring outside, life was good. We had fun in that tent and people enjoy playing until the directors came to send us back to our tents so that we could eat our supper. Then, we went out of the girl's tent and went to our tent. This was an opportunity for us to prepare for another war called April Fool's Day. It would be one of the greatest, funniest, and best April fools ever. blood, sweat, and tears will be endured on Sunday. mostly, the fact that we will be laughing at other children that will be pranked and then tell them that it is part of life or that the world is a cruel place to be in. We then discussed our plans until we were given our supper. Because it was raining, we could not roast any marshmallows. Then we ate cold hot dogs for our supper. Got the vegetarian hot dogs and my amigos had actual hot dogs the meat kind. We prayed and then we went to sleep.

Chapter 6 If you ever want to enjoy camping your entire life, go prepared because you might never know what to expect like pranks. This can cause you to have a distinct perspective view on camping. The day began as a peaceful day too peaceful. Could our enemies be friends be deceiving us or playing tricks on us? Today was going to be the last day in camp for all of us, so you could feel that the atmosphere was sad no one wanted to go home. We woke up earlier than expected because we heard the bell ring at that time. Then we prepared to go and take a shower, as we were leaving our shoes were missing. There were nowhere to be found so we went to look for them outside the tent. Then, Brandon found his shoes hanging from a tree and Lloyd found his shoes under the tent and I found mine in the bin. Well, this meant war. Who steals shoes and then hides them? So, we all went to the shower, on the way I spoke with Lloyd about our phase 1 which was dropping water on people using water balloons, and then as we got in, we found Brandon wet and a bucket beside his legs. We laughed at him and then got inside to take a shower. Then, as I was bathing, I heard another boy scream it sounded like Wayne so rushed out and joined the other group of boys who were laughing at him. It was Wayne who was hanging from his boxers on the doorknob. Then when I saw

him, I laugh harder than ever. He then called my name and pleaded that I help him get down. But I just walked away. We headed back to the tent to change for our last lesson at the camp before we leave. Finished dressing up and then I rushed out to go to the director. I then told him that our shoes were stolen early in the morning and then he just laughed at me. The director found it hilarious, and he mentioned that it was a ‘classic’. “Believe me Nathan it's just life man you grow like this.” my director said to try and cheer me up. After hearing his comment, I decided not to tell anyone because I was not expecting them to do anything but laugh. The bell rang and we went to the shade and noticed Zayn's sleeping bag hanging from the tree. I laugh at him because he is short, and the sleeping bag was way up high. Wayne was then stripped and pushed in front of the extremely humiliating class, so no one laughed because it was in front of adults. On our last day of camp, we had a pop-up test on everything that we had learned from Saturday. If you remember correctly what we learned was about the fire, water, and wooden structures.

Not everyone looked happy to be learning or it was because today was the last day. We wrote notes on each of the categories that learned. Then our transportation arrived and that's when tears ran down people's faces the tension was too much. We then prayed and we went back to start packing our things. Then on our way to the tents, a couple of tents were moving. Then a girl was screaming because they were monkeys that came out wearing her clothes. the monkeys were holding what they could carry they stole things like shoes, clothes, and Doritos. The monkeys had been looting people tent's, I hope that they did not see that from a television there were watching the news. Laughed hysterically at the amazing scene. Looked around and saw that I was the only one laughing and then I kept quiet. The owners of the tent charged toward the monkeys. Less than half of them returned crying and empty-handed. I did not know whether to cry with them or laugh at them so I could not hold it anymore I laughed at them because it is who I am. It was just too much to keep in. Just to see a monkey making someone cry was too much for me. We dissembled our tent, packed our things, and put them on the bus. Then we helped ourselves to some watermelon.

We got on the bus and then we took our positions and the next thing we knew was that we were on our way home. The driver then played a film for 'Johnny English'. After the film had finished, we were just arriving at church where cars with frustrated parents were waiting for their children to arrive but among the cars, my father's car was not there. We got out of the bus and went to remove our things from the bus and wait for my father to come to pick us up but unfortunately, he never showed up. An hour went by and still, no one came. It was until my director was going then he said that he was going to drop us off instead. So, we went a placed our bags into the car. Then we were off, and, on the way home, I shade a tear because I was already missing camp. Then we got through the gate of our complex and then we unloaded the things that were in the car. Now as we unloaded, I noticed a plastic bag in the corner of the boot, and I thought that it was not ours, so I left it behind and went to my home. Got inside the house and greeted my parents who were relieved to see me. They were about to go out because they were wearing smarts. Then my mother said to me, \"Nathan, please make sure that you prepare for school.\" “Yes mom,” I responded. Packed my things and then fixed my uniform and then when I finished, I went to polish my shoes but there were nowhere to be found. Parents asked me what I was looking for and then I told them that I was looking for my shoes. Then it hit me the bag at the corner of my director's boot were my shoes. I guess this week I am not going to school. THE END