The Campfire

Pranks and campfires don't always go well together

When the older teens decided to prank the younger boys, someone was bound to go too far and ruin it for everyone.

For more than an hour, Steve, Ray, and Bobby spun yarns a mile long, mostly scary stories of boys out camping, much like the boys were doing now.

The campfire was raging and the kids had already eaten and roasted marshmallows and ate smores. Now it was just a matter of staring intently into the fire as kids do, trying to gain meaning, trying not to act terrified about the stories they were hearing.

Of course, none of the stories were true, but the three teens were good at their craft, having honed the stories for several years and with many eager boys.

Jimbo and Terry had been hiding close by and were ready to pounce at the right story. While the boys would jump at the word “Boo!” at this point, the three teens continued to whip them into a state of fear.

They made the stories believable by continuing each other’s story line, as if they had all been involved in what they were saying. By the terrified looks of the boys staring into the fire, the stories were effective.

Bobby could barely see Jimbo and Terry waiting 30 feet away.

When Bobby said, “And on nights just like this, as a matter of fact, when the moon is full and bright and when the breeze is gentle enough you can hear the words of those …”

“Aaaaaa! Aaaaaa!” Terry and Jimbo yelled at full voice as they ran up the trail with white sheets on, holding one another’s hands to make them appear larger than they were.

The kids jumped up and scattered in all directions, all 12 of them, screaming and crying at the top of their lungs. No doubt a few of them wet themselves on the way back to their tents.

Jimbo and Terry continued their screaming right up to the campfire. Just as they got to the fire, Terry tripped on a stone one of the kids had been sitting on and landed in the fire, bringing Jimbo down with him, and both sheets caught fire. The other teens helped extinguish the flames in between fits of laughter.

Fortunately, the pranksters got away with singed hair on all exposed arms and legs and a bit on their heads.

Within a month all hair grew back, but their singed egos would take a bit longer to heal.

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