Along the River

I drove north along the Rock River toward the camp.  It looked a lot different in daylight.

My previous six hours there had been quite unusual.  It started normally enough.  I was talking to a group of scouts about working as a reporter.

Journalists in training, the group of eager faced teens looked at me from their circle of chairs questions at the ready.  "Will I be on TV?"  "Do I need to look good?"  "How much will I get paid?"

I lifted my hand over my mouth as I smiled.  "OK, let's talk about why you might want to be a journalist.  Tom, why do you think it would be interesting to be a reporter?"  "Well," Tom replied, "I like to know what is going on and why things happened.  This way I can learn that and tell others what I learn."

"Lisa, what about you, what do you think about being a journalist?"  "I think it's important to talk to people who have been hurt and find out why that happened.  Sometimes, it's a journalist's job to learn the why so customers or government officials can do something about it."

"You have some good ideas, here.  What about covering something like a... HEY!  What's going on?"  I shouted, wondering why it suddenly turned black, and assuming the adults in the back room were working on the light supper planned for later, "OK, everyone sit tight and see if the lights come back on; does anyone have their flashlight with them tonight?"

"I've got mine."  "Great, but I can't see you.  Who's talking, please?"  "I'm Johnny."

"Johnny, can you turn it on?  Thanks.  We can see something now anyway, is everyone OK?  Johnny, can you make sure everyone is here?"

Time passed, still no light other than a single beam from Johnny's flashlight.  It seemed like a good time to learn more about the kids, so we went around the room asking for everyone's middle name.  I went first.  Then Lisa, Johnny, and Tom shared their middle names.  We talked about siblings, parents, and where their grandparents lived.

The light was weaker now and no light and no sound was coming into our space.  It was time to act.  We decided to head toward the cars behind the conference center.  Johnny handed me his flashlight and I took point; my other hand in Johnny's.  Our chain of 12 people snaked around the chairs, tables, and into the kitchen.

It was quiet in the kitchen.  "Hello?  Anybody there?"

Silence except for the slight squeak of gently swinging pots and pans.

About 15 more steps and I was at the door.  There were no lights outside.  It was cloudy, so we didn't even have any moonlight to illuminate the situation.

"Excuse me, Mr.?"  "Huh, what?  Everyone stop, please. What's the question?"

"My mom and dad were in the kitchen before, where do you think they are?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know and until the lights come in we are, excuse the expression, in the dark here."

The door opens and like the video game centipede, we crawl over the threshold, down the stairs, and reach the ground.  I stop until everyone is on level ground and we form a circle.

A scream scalds the air.  Loud, wild barks not far away.  Next come the screams, shouts, and cries from 12 teenagers.

Wheels spin on the dirt just out of reach of the flashlight's dimming beam.  More screams close to my ear.

"Let's go!" I started, yanking Johnny behind and the rest fell into place like reversing dominoes.

Soon, we found the door of the church van.  The kids jumped inside.  I moved around to the driver's door, got in, and reached around the wheel.  Good!  The keys were in the ignition.

I fired up the van, dropped it into gear, and we drove out.

"Anyone have a cell phone?"

"I do," Lisa said, "who should I call?"

"Call your dad, see if he's alright."

"Hi, Lisa!  How's it going?"

"Dad? Are you OK?  Where are you?"

"That Lisa, is for me to know and for you and the rest of your group to find out.  Welcome to J-101."

Lisa ended the call sat the phone down and looked up.  "I thought we were going to have supper after you finished talking, what is going on?"

I smiled as I pulled into the parking lot outside the Pizza Palace, "That, my intrepid friends, is what we old folks call a colossal J-school April Fool."

The kids headed for the door to talk it over and eat some pizza.  They would find some parents inside.  Me? I headed home with a plan to meet them tomorrow.