Chapter 5

Michael was asleep in bed as it was the weekend before the Fall break from school, something he was looking forward to. He woke slightly as he heard giggling and someone walking up to his bed. A moment later, he felt someone climb up and they began jumping on the bed. "Mike! Mike! Wake up!" Elizabeth cheered.

"Wait for me, Lizzy!" Evan said, climbing up to jump on the bed too.

Michael groaned and turned over to face the other way, but his siblings weren't deterred, still jumping on the bed. "Wake up, Mike!" His sister said.

He waited a moment and then suddenly sat up. "Rawr!" He playfully growled, catching his sister, who shrieked in surprise before laughing as her brother tickled her stomach. "Come here, you little bug!" He said playfully.

Elizabeth giggled. "Evan! Help!" She cried out, still laughing and trying to escape her older brother's playful grasp.

"I'll save you!" Evan said, leaping at his older brother, who caught him and the young boy was soon in giggles as Michael tickled his ribs. Elizabeth managed to escape and pounced on her older brother, tickling his underarms and making him laugh too.

"Gotcha, Mikey!" She said, giggling.

"Get him, Lizzy! Get him!" Evan cheered.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Clara and William smiled in amusement at hearing their children. "Should we go check on them?" Clara asked.

"Nah, let them have their fun," William said before looking at his wife and she stood up quickly.

"William, no!" She said playfully, but he caught her in a hug, spinning her around and making her laugh before he kissed her lovingly.

"I've got the most wonderful wife and the most amazing children," he said, looking at her with a lovestruck look.

She chuckled. "And I've got the most wonderful husband and most amazing children," she said.

William smiled before looking up the stairs. "Kids! Time for breakfast!" He called out.

Michael got up and rubbed his eyes. "Alright, come on," he said to his siblings.

Evan went up to him. "Mikey? Piggyback?" He asked hopefully.

His older brother smiled. "Okay," he said, crouching down and letting Evan climb onto his back. Standing up and making sure Evan had a good grip, Michael began to walk towards the stairs with Elizabeth beside him. They carefully walked downstairs and into the kitchen where Clara was serving up pancakes and muffins.

Liz immediately got to setting the table while Michael let Evan down and the boy ran to help his sister. Michael helped his mother serve the food and William came in with a smile. "Hey kids, since it's Fall break from school and I've got some time off from work, what do you say we go camping for a few days?"

Michael and Elizabeth perked up as they loved camping. Evan looked confused. "Camping?" He asked.

"It's where we leave the house for a few days and get to sleep in a tent outdoors," his sister explained. "We can roast marshmallows, hot dogs, and even corn over a real fire."

"We can catch fish too if we're by a lake," Michael said.

"That's actually where we're going, Mike," William said. "There's a lake a few hours away from here and from what some people have told me, it's a great spot for camping and fishing."

Clara smiled. "It'll be nice not to have to do dishes or clean the house for a few days," she said. "But still, we have to make sure the campsite is clean and tidy."

"When do we go, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked.

"Right after breakfast, sweetie," he replied.

Once breakfast was done and the dishes were washed, the kids ran upstairs to their rooms to pack some clothes and bring some toys or books. Evan packed two of his stuffed animals, a few coloring books and crayons, and some of his favorite storybooks.

Elizabeth packed one of her stuffed animals and a few books to read. She also packed a drawing pad and her colored pencils along with some clothes. Once her backpack was packed, she went into her closet and grabbed her sleeping bag.

Michael packed some clothes and a few books before grabbing his sleeping back and going to check on his siblings. He found Liz ready to go and went to check on Evan, who was trying to pack his clothes, but having some trouble. He looked up at his brother. "Um...what do I pack?" He asked.

Chuckling, Michael helped him with his bag. "Okay, pick something to do on the road or pick another stuffed animal," he said. "It's going to be a bit of a long drive."

Evan picked up another stuffed animal and then a book. "Okay, I'm ready," he said.

"Me too," Elizabeth said, having grabbed a book too.

Evan noticed the sleeping bags. "Wait! I don't have that," he said.

"A sleeping bag?" Michael said before blinking. "Huh. I don't think you have one, buddy."

Evan looked sad. "Then...I can't go?" He said softly.

"No, Mom and Dad won't leave you here by yourself, Evan," Liz said. "Come on. Let's go find Dad and tell him that you need a sleeping bag."

They went downstairs and William smiled. "Your mother's nearly ready," he said. "You kids are ready?"

"Yes, but Evan doesn't have a sleeping bag, Dad," Michael said.

William blinked. "Hmm. Could that be why I found this here in the kitchen?" He asked, gesturing to a chair that contained a blue sleeping bag and a new pillow too.

Evan lit up at that and grabbed it. "Okay, ready!" He said.

"Did you kids grab your pillows?"

"All tucked into our sleeping bags," Liz said.

Clara came downstairs. "Alright, all ready," she said.

The drive didn't take long and the family worked together to get the tent set up, putting the sleeping bags inside and getting everything ready. "It's like staying in one room," Evan said.

"Yeah," Michael said. "Okay, let's go get some firewood."

"Don't go too far, kids," William said.

"We won't, Dad," Liz said.

Working together, the kids found enough sticks to a fire and even some for roasting the hot dogs and marshmallows. When they returned, William stripped a few sticks of the bark and made sure they were ready to use.

That evening, surrounding a campfire as they enjoyed beans and hot dogs, Evan looked up to see the sky. "Wow! It's so much bigger than at home," he said.

"Yeah, it is," William said.

"With more open area and less lights, it's easier to see," Clara said.

Elizabeth looked up, seeing all the stars. "Wonder what it's like up there?" She said.

"Who knows?" Michael said. "Be cool to see someday."

After dinner, they all relaxed until Evan began falling asleep. As William put out the fire, a full moon lit the night sky and the family went into the tent, crawling into their sleeping bags. Michael checked to make sure the tent was securely closed before he went to his own sleeping bag.

It wasn't long before the family was sound asleep under a peaceful night sky.

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