The Winter Camp out. The snow had just began to fall and we were out of firewood. John, my kid brother, told me to take his van home, and load it to the hilt with my household wood. It was all seasoned, and it was all good solid oak. I took Ben with me, he was five years old and I didn't want to leave him at the campsite. There was a lot of work to do there and he was a little too small to help. He would be better off with me, or so I thought. I left all the other kids with John. The dirt roads in the woods were still in good shape, but when we reached the main roads, they were already covered, and more slippery than ever. It was a slow go. We only lived about six miles away, but the van had rear wheel drive and was sliding all over. Ben and I were both wearing our seat belts. It was the law, but more important, it was safer. It took us almost an hour to get home. Ben went inside to see mom, and I began loading the wood into the back. We had three more days of camping, with two feet of snow on the way. I started to sweat, and took off my coat and hat. I hooked them up on the corner of the van door and continued loading. Piece by piece, I tossed them in. I loaded it from the front seats, all the way to the back door, and up as high as I could until it touched the ceiling. The van had big side mirrors so I didn't need the rear view one. When I was done, I grabbed my hat and coat and shut the doors. Ben was having a hot chocolate when I entered the house. It smelled delicious. Then I smelled the bacon. That smelled even better. I swiped two slices and a cup of coffee. Janet came into the kitchen just then and said hey, that's mine. You are camping. I laughed and almost choked. Sorry I said, I couldn't resist. You can come to the campsite tomorrow morning and eat with us. I'll make extra. You do that she said, like I'm gonna show up in weather like this. She laughed. Okay Ben, lets get moving. We put our gear back on and headed out into the storm. I started the van and put it into gear. It was the heaviest load I have ever driven. I figured all the weight would help to keep us from sliding. It did on the snow. I drove slow through the snow covered roads with no problems. Then we again came to the main road. I drove cautiously but not as slow as before. The added weight really did help with the traction. I was on the straight away, about two miles from the campsite, and cruising along pretty good. I saw a car up ahead in the middle of the road. He had no lights on. No brake lights or no blinkers. I assumed he was just moving slow. Within seconds I was behind him. He was parked right in the middle of the road. Hold on Ben I screamed and swerved to the right to go around him. The van swung right, but just kept going. We were on solid ice under the snow. I saw the huge rock in front of us. It was bigger than the van. I pumped the brake but nothing. We just kept sliding at about 45 miles an hour. Hold on I yelled again and pushed my arm in front of him in vain. Bam*%$#*. We crashed into the rock head on. There was only one airbag, and it went off. It was on the driver side. The wood had shifted hard toward the front. Some had smashed through the windshield, and slammed into the rock, and now laid still on the dashboard. I immediately looked to my right toward Ben. All I could see was the wood which had crushed itself up against the dash when we hit. Ben I screamed. I heard nothing. I was okay. I struggled to open my door. The metal was pinched and it wouldn't open. I got the side window down and my seat belt off and climbed out of the window. I ran around the van to the passenger side as fast as I could. There was Ben. End part one. Part two. Ben was standing on the ground outside the door. I knelt down next to him and asked him if he was alright as I looked him over head to toe. Yes I am fine he said. I picked him up and hugged him . As I looked into the door of the van I saw the wood had almost crushed his seat completely. There was just enough room for him in a bent forward position. I checked his back more closely, and he was okay. We were lucky. I went back around the van and looked inside for my phone. In a couple of minutes I found it laying smashed to bits under a log on the floor. Ben and I began to walk to the service station about a quarter mile back. It is the last one in the state on rte 206, before you reach the Delaware River. I told the attendant what had happened and asked to use his phone. He reached down under the counter, and pulled up an old dial up phone. It's a good thing I just got my first cell ever, as I still knew all the numbers I needed by heart. I called John. I was a bit nervous to tell him I totaled his work truck. I knew he only had liability insurance and no money for another. Together between the both of us, we could just about pay for a taxi ride. Hello said John. I told him what happened. He was silent for what seemed like a lifetime, and then he said, call a toe truck and have it towed to your house. That is the closest spot. We can look it over good after the trip. After the trip I asked? How can we keep camping without wood or a vehicle for all our gear I asked sarcastically? Brother Bob may still be home we can call him. Bob was our oldest brother. He was planning on coming camping too. He couldn't make the first two days because of work. I called Bob. I'm just leaving now he said, I want to beat the snow. I told him what happened and that we needed to use his truck to get the wood. I'll meet you at your house said Bob. Ben and I drove in the wrecker with Freddy. He is the go to tow truck where we live. He is very dependable, and always fair. He backed the van into the driveway and unhooked it. John pulled in right behind us in my car with the kids. Holy crap, he said shocked at what he saw. I guess you did total it. Are you sure you are both okay. Yea I said, we are. Bob pulled in as Freddy was leaving. Thanks Fred I said waving as he left. He smiled and off he went. Bob looked at the van and then hugged Ben and I. I'm glad you are okay he said. Yea me too, I replied. Alright said John forcefully, let's get moving. We formed a line like a fire brigade, and passed the wood hand to hand out of the van, and into the box truck. It only half filled Bob's vehicle. When we were finished Ben and I rode with Bob and we followed John and the kids back to the campsite. I told John I was sorry about his van. He said don't worry about it. We are here to have fun and relax. We can worry about that after our trip is over. You're the best man, I said as I gave him a hug. I wish I had your disposition. Ha, he said, I learned it from you. I smiled. He was just being his kind self. The snow was beginning to accumulate faster now. The flakes were huge. The kids, even Ben, were putting wood on the fire to get it going good again. I sat on a log by the fire. I had a small headache, probably from the shock, and sitting there by the heat of the blaze felt good. The adventure of the day was long and it was late. It was dark when we had gotten back, but the snow made it seem light out. I was gonna cook and Bob said the hell with that. Cook breakfast in the morning. We can do hot dogs on sticks he said. The kids all cheered. They thought that was a great Idea. So everyone got sticks and cooked there own dinner. I never saw so many hot dogs eaten in my life. Even Ben cooked and ate three. Bob then broke out the marshmallows. They are all experienced now cooking with sticks he said, let's see how they do with these. We all ate a couple toasted marshmallows, and the kids of course walked around with burning ones as torches. It was a good thing mom wasn't here. She wouldn't have gone for that. I started it off. I yawned. Before long, everyone was yawning and stretching out there arms. It was bedtime. With everything covered in snow, we didn't worry about the fire spreading. In fact, we put many extra logs on it to hopefully keep it going until morning. There was about six inches of snow already. We cleaned up the area and put the burnable garbage into a brown paper grocery bag and into the fire it went. The kids went into the lean to first. They call it a lean to, but it has four sides and a roof. It is about twelve feet wide and maybe fifteen feet long. It even had a tiny wood stove in it. It's not a cabin, just four walls, roof and floor. John, Bob, and I sat by the fire a bit longer talking and planning for tomorrow. I finished my beer and headed inside with the kids. I heard Bob and John laughing outside and it seemed they were having a good time. I almost got dressed and went back out. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and they came in too. In no time at all everyone was asleep. We were all jolted awake by a thunderous bang. Then it went again. *BOOM BOOM*, and twice more. After each explosion, something was hitting the outside of the lean-too. It sounded like shrap metal, or a barrage of bullets from a machine gun. Stay down kids, under the covers. Any protection we could get was better than just the plywood walls. It was quiet and I began to get up and *BOOM*, another bang followed by the barrage. End part two. Part three I was laying over the kids protecting them, scared outta my wits. I couldn't believe what was happening. Were we being invaded? I thought for a second and it came to me. It was probably local youths out drinking, and shooting up the woods with shotguns. But the explosions were so loud and close. It couldn't be guns. Suddenly I realized Bob and John were just laying there indifferent to all what was happening. They had no fear or worry on their faces. In fact it was just the opposite. I looked at john hard in the eyes and he began to break up. Bob immediately started laughing too. I looked toward the kids and they were up and out from under the covers. What happened they asked. What happened I said, these two big kids, that's what happened. So what was it I asked curiously? Bob was still laughing and holding his stomach. I hope it hurts I told him. Keep laughing. Well I said, what was it. John started to speak and looked at Bob, then he busted out laughing again. Well aren't you guy the jokesters I said. We'll see who has the last laugh. It was John, Bob said as he collected himself. In my truck I had an out of date case of canned corn. I was gonna let the kids feed the deer and raccoons with it. John found it when he got a beer. He asked me what it was for and I told him. He said he had a better Idea. After you went into the lean-to, John got the cans, and when we came in, left them in the fire. He started laughing again. I looked at John a bit angry. What if one of the kids went out to pee I said, they could have been hurt. Bob was a bit more serious now as he was the oldest. He was fifty at the time. lol I was awake he said. I would have stopped them. It was funny as hell though, you should of saw yourself he said to me. He looked at John and they both cracked up again. Well we were all up and wondered what kind of damage the cans exploding did to the fire, so we all got dressed and went outside. Thank god for the snow. The huge logs were spread in a circle ten feet outside the fire pit. One was next to the lean-to, but the snow was dowsing it out quickly. The snow was falling harder than before. There were about ten inches now on the ground. We moved the logs back into the fire ring, and got the fire going strong again. If your uncles leave the fire alone, I told the kids, maybe it will be going so we can make breakfast in the morning. Of course they both started laughing again. I grabbed the shovel out of Bob's truck, and saw a couple cans of corn still left. I hid them under the seat just in case John had any more bright Ideas. I took the shovel in the lean-to so we could shovel a path out in the morning. I laid awake for a bit planning my revenge. Then finally, we all slept. End part three.