I Don’t Want To Go

Emily zipped up her suitcase, sighed loudly, and then lugged it out to the Family Utility Vehicle. “Why do I have to go?” she asked.

“This is a family vacation,” replied her dad.

Sure it was, she thought. The idea of spending three entire days and nights sleeping in a tent out in the wilderness that was named after the explorer Daniel Boone did not appeal to her girly side. “Mom, can we stay…?”

Before she could finish, Emily’s younger brother came bolting out the door, his suitcase overflowing, and his momentum almost knocking her to the ground. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Emily climbed into the backseat, her MP3 player blasting loudly; at least she had some piece of civilization left. As they drove for what seemed like forever, Emily enjoyed peering out the window. As they got farther and farther away from the city, she began to catch glimpses of rabbits, squirrels, and various birds that she wasn’t used to seeing. The tall buildings and annoying noises of the city began to be replaced by a peaceful quiet. She turned her music off, but kept the ear buds in place, as she didn’t want anyone to know that she was enjoying the ride. Finally, she saw the sign: Welcome to the Daniel Boone National Forest.

“Can we hike to the falls?” her brother asked.

She exited the vehicle, declared that she was ready for a walk. She had heard about Cumberland Falls but had never actually seen them. Some of her classmates had mentioned that they were smaller, but a lot like Niagara Falls. She had no desire to let the others know she was excited, but she hoped that her dad would say that they could go exploring.

Looking around her, she saw huge mountains that seemed to tower above the river below. This was much different from the small subdivision that she called home. Just maybe the next three days wouldn’t be so bad. As she removed her earbuds, she smiled, as a small deer crossed the pathway several hundred feet in the distance. The first live deer that she had ever seen was when she was twelve. “ Wow, this is really amazing! Let’s take that walk, Dad.”

“Really?” he asked.

What happened to get Emily more interested in her camping trip with the family?