Sneaking out to the woods at night

Fluffy white clouds floated in an aquarium sky. Bluejays flew overhead, singing. Dogs rolled in the grass barking. The smell of roasting meat, cooked on a charcoal grill filled the air.

My sister, brother, two cousins and I sat under the shade of a huge oak tree. We huddled together making plans. My parents, aunt and uncle were going bowling. They would be gone for hours. They ordered us to stay in the house, but it was a beautiful summer day. They left me in charge. I was 10 years old, My sister was 9, my cousins 8 and 7 and my brother was 4. We tried to stay in the house but, the woods so much nicer then TV beckoned. As soon as our parents left, we locked the doors to the house and crept to the woods.

The woods were huge. They were full of mystery and secrets, making it impossible to stay inside on such a nice day. There was a babbling creek full of goldfish and frogs. A pond where ducks swam and catfish hid under logs. . Dirt trails twisted between oak, maple and beech trees. Fallen dead trees littered the dirt, covered in moss. Birds and squirrels hid in the tree branches. We snuck in hoping no one would see us enter our secret place.

We were naive and believed in fairies, leprechauns and banshees. We searched for pots of gold and fairy rings. We looked for free wishes from a magic lamp. We found mushrooms but no fairies. We found yellow wild flowers but no gold. We listened for music.

We heard the stomping of feet on dry leaves. We hid behind a fallen tree. A man, a stranger passed close but did not see us. What was he doing in our woods?

We staided out as long as we dared. The moon rose and owls hooted. We heard bats squeaking. We were no strangers to the dark but we had to be home, when our parents returned.

We scurried home.. The streetlights on, cast dim light over quiet streets. Bugs flew around the lights and in our hair. No one was outside. No one to see us and nark. We had the night to ourselves.

We walked up our driveway. The front door was open. Hun, the door was locked when we left. The lights were on. Who turned on the lights? My parent's car was not in the driveway. Inside the house we saw a stranger. It was the man from the woods. He was a tall, thin man with short brown hair. He wore a plaid shirt and ripped jeans. He moved from room to room. He opened and shut closet doors. He looked behind pictures. He looked under the beds and behind the sofa. He moved in front of the windows.

What to do? A stranger in the house! How did he get in? He was robbing us. Would he steal the TV? We starred in disbelief. What would mom and dad do to us for letting a robber in?

We crept to the garage. We had to get the robber out before our parents came home. We had to save our TV. My brother whined. My cousins wanted to go home. My sister wanted to beat up the trespasser.

We huddled making a plan. Scooby Doo, what would he do? No there were no Scooby snacks, but we could catch the bad guy. We searched the garage, looking for weapons. My sister found a metal garbage can lid and a hammer. My brother found a whistle. My cousins and I found a rope, a baseball bat, a shovel and a can of WD-40. Just like my hero Scooby Doo we were gonna trap the bad guy.

We tipped toed to the front of the house. We tied the rope across the stairs in front of the house door. My cousins and I grabbed our weapons and hid in the bushes next to the stairs. My brother walked to the back of the house. My sister followed him. My brother blew his whistle. My sister pounded on the metal garbage can lid and screamed like a banshee. The stranger sprinted out of the house and tripped on the rope. As he lay on the ground, we screamed and beat him with our weapons. My cousin sprayed him with WD-40. He screamed and covered his head. I hit him again and again, afraid to let him up. Someone took the baseball bat from me. Sirens wailed. Red and blue flashing lights blinded me. I heard crying.

Navy blue pants stood in front of me. I looked up and up and up, a police officer. He started asking questions. I was in trouble big, big trouble. The questions made me tremble. My sister, brother and cousins huddled together. My counsin sucked her thumb. We were gonna get spanked or put in prison. Officer it was like my hero Scooby Doo. We gonna get the bad guy, who was robbing our house. The cop shook his head. He walked away. He told a woman, you deal with this.

A tall thin woman dressed in a bathrobe, kept asking questions. I trembled and cried. My sister told her Scooby Doo and Shaggy saved us. My cousins begged to go home. My brother whined.

Through tears I saw my parent's car in the driveway. My dad spoke to the police officer. The police drove away. My counsins left with their parents. My sister, brother and I went to bed, no spanking.

The next week, my parents, aunt and uncle went bowling. They left me in charge. They would be gone for hours. They ordered us to stay in the house. The sun shone. Birdjays flew overhead, singing. Dogs rolled in the grass, barking. The smell of roasting meat, cooked on a charcoal griĺ filled the air. It was a beautiful summer day. The woods promised mystery and adventure. Again my brother, sister, cousins and I skipped to the woods searching for fairies.