The Up & Coming Magazine

One spring morning, Wren’s husband, Sawyer, suggested that the two of them should go on a camping trip. However, Wren was not thrilled about the idea; she preferred to spend her days indoors, and sleeping outside was not at all amusing to her. Sawyer went into their bedroom and packed everything in their dusty old olive-green duffel bag, and then, before Wren knew it, the two of them were heading out to the car and on their way to Silver Springs Campground.

Once they arrived at the campground, the two of them needed to find a spot to put up their tent for the night. They needed to ensure that they wouldn’t sleep on top of any branches or wet leaves, because that would definitely be gross. Wren hated anything to do with being outside, and camping was not something she had ever been fond of since fifth grade, when her dad took her camping, and she woke up to find a black bear eating marshmallows in their tent. Ever since then, bears had been one of her biggest fears, and the thought of going camping ever again had never crossed her mind. Most kids love being outside, playing in the mud, and collecting creepy-looking bugs, but Wren was never into any of those things. And even as an adult, she was terrified of the idea of camping, so she decided she might feel more comfortable sleeping in the car that night rather than on the ground in the tent.

After putting up the tent, Sawyer suggested that the two of them go on a hike through the woods to collect firewood for their campfire later that night. However, Wren was terrified of going anywhere near the woods, so she tightly held onto Sawyer’s hand as the two of them walked into the forest full of trees that looked to be at least twenty feet tall. All of a sudden, a small black spider swung from the web he was building into Wren’s face, and she let out a small squeal. Sawyer then told her, “Don’t worry, Wren, I’m always going to be here to protect you, so there is nothing to be afraid of.” Wren then shrugged her shoulders and said, “I guess not, but spiders still creep me out.”

After the two of them had collected some firewood, they walked back to their campsite. Wren’s stomach was starting to make grumbling noises, so she knew she was getting hungry. She asked Sawyer what they were going to eat for lunch, and he suggested that they should go fishing, so the two of them walked down to the lake. Wren was never great at fishing because she always had to rely on someone to bait her hook and cast her line. However, luckily for her, Sawyer was wonderful at fishing and was always willing to do whatever she needed him to do, so he did it for her.

After the two of them had been fishing for about an hour, they had both caught four catfish that they were going to eat for lunch. The two of them then walked back to their campsite, and Sawyer began preparing the fish so that it was safe for them to eat. He started a warm campfire and cooked the fish. Once the fish was prepared, the two of them ate it. Wren smiled at Sawyer and said, “The fish doesn’t taste too bad.” Sawyer replied, “I’m glad you like it.” Once the two of them finished eating lunch, they sat next to the campfire and shared a few of their favorite childhood memories.

Before Wren and Sawyer knew it, the sun was setting, and the sunset they saw was a beautiful display of colors, including yellow, orange, and pink. Sawyer leaned in and kissed Wren, saying, “The sunset is as beautiful as you are to me.” Wren replied, “I am so grateful that I get to watch it with you.” After watching the sunset, the two of them made a campfire, and in the glow of the pale moonlight, they shared some of the leftover fish they had caught and some potatoes that Sawyer had prepared from their dinner the night before. After finishing dinner, they roasted some marshmallows and made some delicious s’mores.

While Wren was eating the first bite of her s’more, she got some melted chocolate and marshmallow all over her hand. Usually, Wren hated getting her hands messy, but she smiled and licked her fingers. She then said, “I guess not everything about camping is that terrible, at least we’re able to eat s’mores.” “I’m glad that you went camping with me tonight,” Sawyer said. “I’m glad I did too,” said Wren after she kissed him. Then the two of them went back into their tent and fell asleep underneath the starry sky.

This was written by our founder and editor-in-chief, Hanna Peters.

Image Source: Pexels, Dax Dexter Delada