The Alaskan Wilderness

    She walked the twisting dirt path. The moon’s luminous light led her way, and before long, she came upon a fork in the path. She caught a glimpse of a campfire out of the corner of her eye, as she decided on which path to take. A hint of hope entered her heart, although she could not remember a path that led to the campsite.
    Jessika tried to decide if she should stay with the path or go off through the trees toward the glow. It would be very dangerous if she ran into some kind of animal, especially a bear, but she wanted to get back to her family. “How did I ever end up getting into this mess?” Jessika said aloud.
    She was excited. It was her first time camping in the large forbidding woods of Alaska. Fifteen year old Jessika and her seven year old twin brothers, Joey and Justin, were sitting by the campfire.
    Their parents had gone back to the car. The boys were giggling, and Jessika had a feeling they were up to no good. They were always playing cruel jokes on her. Just one time, Jessika wished she could pay them back.
    Jessika soon became bored. She was tired of listening to her brothers, so she decided to go for a walk in the woods. She wandered farther and farther, looking for pinecones and exploring the woods around her. It began to get dark, and she got scared; Jessika was especially worried about bears, wolves and other wild animals. Suddenly, the woods became dark and lonely, she then realized: “I’m lost!”
    Jessika decided to leave the path and walked into the thick trees. As she came closer, Jessika noticed she was back at camp, but her parents and brothers were not around. She paused and glanced around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone, but no one was there. She called out, “mom, dad, Justin, Joey.” No one answered her, so she decided to sit down and wait on the log next to the fire.
    At first, the sound was faint, barely heard. Jessika thought that she just might have imagined it. The trees moved, someone or something was out there. Jessika was scared, so scared she could not move. The noise grew louder. It was moving in on her, closer, closer, and closer. Soon whatever it was would be in the open area by the fire and by Jessika.       
    The frightened girl stared in silence as it emerged from the trees; her expression showed pure terror. Two small but hideously deformed men jumped out of the shadows. Jessika screamed and fell backwards off the log.
    The little men began to laugh. Jessika’s parents came running, and everyone watched as the monsters rolled on the ground consumed with laughter. Jessika and her parent’s panicky expressions soon turned into anger.
    The twins took off their masks, sat on the ground, and looked up at their parents with somber faces. The boys then looked at their sister, and she glared back. “We’re sorry,” they said.
    “You should not play practical jokes on people, it could be dangerous. Jessika could’ve been hurt when she ran away or tripped over a log, she might have hurt you boys, with a rock or stick,” their dad told them.
    “I should have grabbed a rock!” Jessika said.
    Dad told her, “calm down Jessika, the boys said they were sorry.”
    “You boys go to your tent for the rest of the night,” their mom said. Jessika’s parents also went into their tent. Jessika sat down by the fire.
    Jessika was still shaking with fright. Most of the night she sat by the fire and tried to think of a way to get even with her brothers. She smiled when a perfect plan began to develop in her mind. Jessika sat by the fire and thought of her sweet revenge.
    Quiet and peaceful, the night continued, the stars brilliance shone down from the black dome, called the sky. The moon glowed and the shimmering of the fire lit Jessika’s smiling face.
    She made sure everyone was sound asleep, especially her parents. Jessika grabbed a twig from the ground and scratched her brother’s tent. She heard her brothers whispering, so she decided to really play it up.
    She growled in a deep voice that really surprised her. Jessika was about to growl again when another growl, a bit louder, came from close behind. Jessika turned around and froze.
    The boys panicked and ran out of the tent screaming, “bear, bear!” They ran into Jessika who was still staring at the real bear. “Run, Jessika!” The boys shouted at her.
    When Jessika finally began to run, she tripped over the rope that was holding the tent in place. She turned around and saw the bear standing over her on two legs. A gunshot was heard, then another; the bear jerked twice from the impact, turned and ran into the woods. Their dad scared the bear off, and Jessika was relieved.
    Jessika sat there silently, her brothers ran to her, “you ok, sis?”
    She nodded, stood up and said, “I was getting you back, then a real bear showed up.”
    “Well, it worked, you sure scared us to death. How much did you pay Mr. Bear to get back at us?” Joey asked with a smile.
    Jessika smiled back at him and said, “too much!” They all laughed and went into their tents to finally get some sleep.
    The rest of the trip was uneventful. Mr. Bear did not show up again, thanks to their father. Jessika and her brothers, for once, got along really well. There were no more fights and definitely no more practical jokes.