Mr. Creeperman

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     Have you ever gone camping before? If so, I'd wager you've sat back admiring the stars on a clear night. I certainly used to. I'd lie inside my tent with the rain cover off, staring off into the night sky. I loved those clear, dark nights when all the cosmos seemed to show itself just for me. Now I never look up into the nighttime sky while camping.

     It all changed during a camping trip during the crisp early winter. Around where I live, it doesn't really get too cold until January or February, so it was perfect weather for camping. A group of my buddies and I decided to go camping during Christmas break. It was going to be a short trip consisting of four days and three nights at a nearby state park. Excitement buzzed among our group, especially from those who had never been camping before. We joked about how we should search for Bigfoot and bring back proof of his existence. If only that's what we encountered in those woods.

     Since only Sam and I had gone camping before, we were designated as the leaders. In total, there were five of us going on the trip. Chris would drive us to the park, Jake and Ernest would bring food and essentials, while Sam and I would bring the outdoor equipment. With our supplies delegated, we felt prepared for our adventure.

     The day after Christmas break started, we were on our way to the state park. Being packed in like sardines didn't dampen our mood as we listened to music and headed to our camping trip. Once we got to the park and found a spot for the car, we started lugging our supplies into the forest to search for a campsite. We found a relatively secluded area that was perfect for our group. Sam and I started setting up the tent we would all stay in while the rest of the group started unpacking our supplies. Ernest inspected our ice cooler to make sure there was still enough, during which Jake and Chris gathered firewood to create a campfire. The sun started to dip behind the treeline as we finished setting up camp. As dusk settled, Chris set to work cooking our dinner of SPAM tacos. Once we had devoured our dinner, we sat back, relaxing while taking in the surrounding nature. I told a couple of campfire stories, the typical fare of bumps in the night, and so forth. It was after my story of the Look-Around finished when Jake suggested that we should have s'mores. We all agreed this was a brilliant idea and went ahead making them. Ernest burned his first couple while Sam melted his chocolate a little too much, resulting in a sticky mess. We all laughed at these mishaps; we were having a great time and that was all that mattered.

     After staying by the campfire for a little while longer, we decided to call it a night. We had a long day of hiking planned and didn't want to get a late start. As we lay in our sleeping bags, we kept up with some idle chit-chat. I told them to be quiet for a second. Once the last word died in the darkness, all was silent. The silence lasted only for a brief moment before the chatter of the forest took over. It was a soothing melody of rustling leaves, owls hooting in the distance, and the chirping of crickets amongst the myriad of other nighttime sounds. Jake looked up towards the clear sky and pointed it out to us, expressing his astonishment at how many stars he could see. We all stared upwards, admiring the beauty of the unadulterated night sky. After a few minutes of gazing at the stars, Chris broke the silence with a question. It was a question that had never occurred to me in all my time of camping. The question was rhetorical, for we all knew the answer as soon as he asked it.

     "If we can see outside, doesn't that mean something could look inside?" Chris asked softly.
The question seemed to create an oppressive silence between us. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I jokingly said, "Well we better watch out for Mr. Creeperman then".

     Jake started laughing at the absurdity of the name. The laughter spread and we soon forgot about the unease that settled upon our tent moments earlier. A gust of cold wind signaled it was time to bundle up and get some shuteye. We all eventually drifted off to sleep listening to the forest's symphony.

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