This is a work of fiction. The characters herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific place or living persons. The options expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal rights to publish all the materials in this book.
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2014 R. F. Pace
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graph, electronic, or mechanic without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
A Note to Readers
Jake is a high school student that has just moved to a new community in the mountains. He meets three other teens that have the same interest in hiking, camping and the love of the great outdoors. Join these teens as they leave for a camping trip that turns into the adventure of a lifetime. Explore a world where story book creatures come to life for Jake and his friends during their exciting quest. One minute you’re hanging on to your seat in anticipation of what’s to come and in the next you’re, laughing at the funny antics of these teens enjoying life.
Acknowledgements
I started writing this book in hopes of providing good-quality reading for all ages. First and foremost, I want to thank the good Lord for all He has provided me. I also have to take a minute and thank my editor for making me feel like a “D” student in high school again. I didn’t know red pens contained that much ink. And last but not least, I thank my wife and kids for the endless hours of going over this book helping me.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER 1
It started early one Saturday morning, when Jake’s father woke him up to help with chores from the big move. Jake was still tired, it felt as if he had just gone to sleep. When he decided he’d better get moving, he rolled over and looked at the clock. It was just after 9 a.m. He’d been asleep for over 11 hours. Without even opening his eyes, he got out of bed and was going to go use his new bathroom. His right foot landed on the pile of clothes he’d been wearing the night before. His left foot came down close to the right one. When he decided to take a step, he stubbed his left toes on the box that was near the bed. When his toes hit the box, he lost his balance and it sent Jake falling toward the floor. While he was going down, yesterday’s clothes went flying up in the air.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Jim and Donna, Jake’s parents, heard the big boom from Jake’s fall. Donna turned to Jim and said, “I’ll bet that was the box you told him to put up before he went to bed.” Jim just nodded as the two of them broke out laughing.
On the not-so-funny side of it, Jake had both eyes open and was wide awake now. He popped up from the floor like a startled animal. He did the quick look around as if someone might have seen what happened. He quickly went into the bathroom. Jake was 17, just over 6 feet tall and had a solid build. As he walked past the mirror, he caught a glimpse of himself. His short brown hair was going in every direction, except lying down. After a quick shower, Jake walked back into his bedroom to finish getting dressed. With one quick look around at the boxes, he decided it was just as easy to put the same clothes back on from the night before, rather than trying to find clean ones.
As Jake got to the kitchen, both of his parents had smirks on their faces. Jake tried to avoid any eye contact with them for what he knew was the inevitable. Two steps later, as if someone had cued him, Jim said, “Did you have a nice trip?” Donna, not one to be left out of anything, added, “We heard you had a great fall.” Both Jim and Donna started laughing again. Jake could only shake his head back and forth.
After a quick bite to eat, the three of them started unpacking from the multitude of boxes. To Jake, life was at rock bottom. Jake loved to be outside, not trapped inside and especially not unpacking boxes. Minutes seemed like hours to him and the boxes seemed to be multiplying. Unpacking would have been a lot quicker if it wasn’t for one or the other of his parent always having to make a comment about the item they removed from a box.
Jake would stop from time to time and look out the windows. He understood why his parents chose this place. The view was absolutely breathtaking. You could see a good variety of tall green trees, hills that led up to massive mountains and a crystal blue lake that sparkled in the distance. This was what every outdoors lover could only dream of. Snapping out of his daydream, Jake worked his butt off the rest of the day and well into the night. When he went to bed that night, his head hit the pillow and he was out.
***
Sunday morning was a very busy time for the family, with everyone trying to find clothes, eat breakfast and get ready for church. Jake got up and in no time his father was yelling for him to get down stairs so they could leave. During the drive to church, Jake had his face glued to the window. He once again began daydreaming about hiking through the countryside. When the car stopped, Jake snapped out of his daydream and realized they had arrived at church.
As Jake walked into the church, the first thing he noticed was a lot of teenagers his age. Several of the girls were staring his way, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable. Before either one of his parents could say anything snarky, Jake said, “Please don’t!” Jim just looked at him and winked. Donna was too busy scrutinizing the young ladies that were checking her son out. They picked a spot to sit near the back of the church in the middle section.
Jake had a perfect view of most of the teens. The teen section was over to the right side of the church. Jake spent most of his time watching the other teenagers who were watching him, than listening to what was being said by the pastor. The service went by fast and before he knew it, everyone was walking out the front doors. When the family stopped to be greeted by the pastor, he reiterated, “Welcom
e to our community. Don’t forget the youth are having a get-together today at 3:00. That will be a great way for you to make some new friends.” Jim said, “Thanks, Jake would love to come back this afternoon and meet some kids his own age.”
During the ride back home, Jake said, “I think I’ll stay and help unpack boxes instead of going back to the youth group meeting today.” Jim replied, “If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine with us, but I thought you would enjoy a little time away from unpacking boxes.” Jake said, “Well, I’ll think about it.” Jim winked at Donna and mouthed, “He’ll go.”
***
Jake arrived back at the church around 2:45 that afternoon. He hated the thought of meeting new people, but he knew it would only be awkward for just a little while. As he went into the church, there were about fifteen teens just sitting around talking. When they noticed him, it grew very quiet and everyone looked his way. The youth minister greeted him and introduced him to the others. The sad part was there were so many, Jake couldn’t remember most of their names.
As the day went on, he ended up hanging out with three teenagers his age. It seemed like they had the same interests as he did. They exchanged phone numbers and decided they would get together later to show Jake around the area.
CHAPTER 2
Three weeks had gone by and the three teenagers he had met at church turned out to be good friends. The group consisted of Jake, George, Sara and Tammy. They were all about the same age as Jake. George was about the same build, maybe a few pounds lighter and an inch or two shorter. Jake took a liking to Sara and it seemed she had taken a liking to him. She was about five inches shorter than him and had the thin athletic build. Her figure was very appealing, but what stood out the most to Jake was her long, sandy brown hair.
Tammy was just a bit shorter than Sara and a few pounds lighter. She also had a nice athletic figure and long, dark brown hair. She was very pleasant and was buddied up with George. From what Jake had noticed, the two of them appeared to be more than just friends.
They decided to meet the following day at the general store that was down the road from Jake’s house, from there they would go walking around town. During the various conversations they had, Jake found out that for the most part, everyone liked the outdoors.
As Jake was gazing at Sara, she went a bit flush and said to Jake, “Did you know this area has caves and tunnels that go deep into the earth?” Sara now had 100 percent of Jake’s attention. He was waiting for more information when George said, “My parents told me that some of those caves and tunnels are dangerous.” Jake was lost in thought when he heard Tammy say, “What are you thinking?” “It would be so cool to go exploring caves and tunnels or just go camping in the mountains,” Jake replied. George said, “It may be cool, but I doubt very seriously our parents would let us do something like that.” “Chicken,” Sara and Tammy both said together. Jake could only smile as George sat with his mouth open and nothing coming out. George finally announced, “I’m not chicken. I’m ah, ah, ah….” Both girls were giggling and together said, “Chicken!” and busted out laughing. Jake said, “That’s not right, you shouldn’t ruffle his feathers like that!” Without even thinking, George agreed, “Yea, that’s right.” George realized what was said when he looked up and the three were about to pee themselves from laughing.
Jake got a serious look on his face and said, “I think it would be cool to take a few days hiking and explore the area.” The other three went deep into thought. George was the first to reply with, “That would be cool. I can always ask my parents.” Tammy said, “Mine trust me and would allow me to go.” Sara said, “I could talk mine into it.” Jake replied, “I did stuff like that all the time before, so I should have no problem convincing my parents.”
The wheels were turning hard in George’s head. After several minutes had passed he replied, “Ok, if we were to do that, where would we go?’ Sara said, “Deep Gorge!” Both George and Tammy’s eyes went wide. Jake said, “Where is that?” George said, “It’s about five miles west of your house. It’s on the other side of the big mountain, deep in the forest.” Sara smiled and nodded her head. Jake said, “Do any of you have camping and hiking gear?” Everyone said their families did. So the plan began to take shape. The day was fading fast so they decided to go home and each one make a list of things they had and things they would still need.
***
Jake arrived home just before dark. His parents were sitting on the front porch, relaxing. He walked up and sat on the steps. His Mom said, “How was your day, son?” Jake replied, “Great, I found out that George, Tammy, and Sara love to hike. We talked about going hiking this weekend.” Jim and Donna looked at each other with a twinkle in their eyes and grinning. Jake caught the look and said, “No it’s not like! We just thought it would be fun to explore the area.” Smiles popped out on his parent’s faces now. Jake was quick to reply, “NO! Would you two stop thinking like that?” All Jim and Donna could do was laugh. Jim said, “Son, we’ve taught you right from wrong and trust you to make the right decision. We are glad that you found friends you have something in common with. A hiking trip sounds like fun.” Donna nodded and added, “We love you and will always support your decisions”.
Jake was feeling good about what his parents said. Jake said, “I love you guys and the last thing I would want to do is disappoint you.” Without waiting for a reply, Jake got up and walked into the house. Once inside, he gave a fist pump in the air and danced down the hall. In his room, Jake texted George, Tammy, and Sara that his parents didn’t have a problem and was feeling pretty good about the day. He was antsy about what replies he would receive from his friends.
George was first to reply with, “No problem here.” Sara came in with, “I don’t think there’s a problem.” Tammy: “Good to go.”
Jake went back down stairs for dinner. “I’ve heard from my friends and they’re all able to go” Jake announced. Jim asked “Do any of the others have four-wheelers? You could cover a lot more ground by riding rather than walking”. Once again, things started to churn in Jake’s head. He reached for his phone to text them, but quickly put it away when his father gave him “the look.” “I’ll text them after dinner.” said Jake.
He had a hard time going to sleep that night. All he could think of was the supplies they needed and what had to be done. The excitement of riding through the country, not having to be anywhere at a certain time added to his restlessness. It was well after midnight before sleep overtook him.
CHAPTER 3
The ringing of his phone woke Jake up. Sara was calling, and when he looked at the time, it was seven in the morning. He answered with a very groggy voice. Sara said, “Did I wake you up?” Jake replied with, “No, I was just finishing up testing the softness of my mattress.” Sara laughed and said, “Why don’t we all get together this morning around eight.” Jake replied, “Cool, we can meet here at my house. Remind everyone to bring their list of supplies and gear. Let me jump in the shower and I’ll see you guys in a few minutes.” Sara stated “I’ll call everyone and see you then.”
Jake was in and out of the shower in no time. He dressed quickly and ran down stairs. He was greeted by his mother. “You’re up early. Got a hot date?” Donna asked with a smirk. Jake’s face began to redden. He put more of his head in the refrigerator than was required and sighed, “Mom… everyone is coming over to discuss plans for the hike.” Donna said, “So it is a hot date.” Jake just shook his head and replied, “NO! We’re going to start planning the hike is all.” He ate a quick breakfast then headed out of the kitchen
and into the den. After checking to see if the den was picked up, he headed up stairs to brush his teeth and comb his hair again.
***
Just before eight, the doorbell rang. Jake was all too happy to say, “I’ll get it.” He ran from the living room to the front door. As he approached, he could see George standing on the other side. He opened the door and said, “Boy am I glad to see you.” George replied, “Why?” Jake smiled and said, “My mother is giving me a hard time about a hot date.” George smiled and replied, “I am hot.” Jake punched him playfully in the arm.
Shortly thereafter, Sara and Tammy arrived together in Sara’s car. Jake gave them a quick tour of the house, ending it in the den. They sat down and started talking about what they were going to do. Jake said, “My parents had a great idea for us. We should take four-wheelers to explore. It would sure save a lot of time.” He then asked “Does everyone have a four-wheeler? Everyone was nodding. Sara replied, “I think my parents would like that better than me just walking through the wood with strange people.” Jake nudged her. Tammy looked over at Jake and George and said, “Those two are strange.”
Jake asked, “Is everyone good with that?” Everyone nodded again. Jake just looked at them and said, “You’re a talkative group today.” Everyone smiled and Tammy said, glaring at Sara, “I’m not awake yet. Somebody disturbed my beauty sleep this morning.” Sara smiled and stated, “I’m sorry. It looks like you could have used a lot more -” Before Sara could say anything else, a pillow hit her in the head. “Hey, don’t mess my hair up. It took me seconds to fix this morning!” she screeched.
Everyone was now laughing and cutting up. “What equipment do you think we are going to need?” George asked. Jake replied, “I suggest we pack light for the first trip and just scout around for the quickest way to get there and the best place to set up camp. That will save us more time to be able to stay longer if we find someplace to explore.” Tammy interrupted, “For one, I say we make sure we have enough gas. I’m not going to try pushing a four-wheeler anywhere.” Jake got a visual of Tammy trying to push a four-wheeler up the side of a mountain. Jake had a smirk on his face from that thought. Jake asked “Did all of you bring a list of your stuff? We can compare supplies and go from there.” Sara said, “Jake, can you grab some paper to make a list so we don’t forget anything?” Jake reached over and got a notebook with a pen stuck in it. Sara said, “Water.” George added, “Food.” Tammy said, “First aid kit.” The four talked for another 20 minutes, adding to the list of what they thought they needed. When they finished, Jake looked at the list and commented, “This is a lot of things for just a scouting trip.”