Miss Granger, our camping teacher, was dressed in a sky-blue dress with a bright, yellow sun drawn on it. The sun sparkled and had been painted so realistically that it looked like a miniature version of the real sun in the sky. Her dress matched the weather perfectly, as did her mood.

“Is everyone ready?” she asked with a cheerful smile.

“Yes!” we all shouted enthusiastically.

We had been waiting eagerly for this trip to Mystery Meadows and the excitement could be felt in the air. I felt as if I would be able to feel it if I reached out and tried to touch it. I was feeling so excited and full of joy that I had to strongly resist the urge to jump up and whoop with joy. I hoped I would be able to control myself for the entire trip.

We had all settled down in the bus and the engine had started when I felt my bright, green satchel. I checked inside and I realised that I had forgotten something important – my tent. A wave of panic surged through me.

How would I sleep without a tent? What if it rained? What if there was thunder? Millions of questions raced through my mind, far too fast for me to answer them. For the first time that day I was not feeling joyful. However, as nothing could be done now, I decided to enjoy the ride and face the problem when it came.

The drive was a long one, but we barely noticed as we entertained ourselves by chatting to one another and playing enjoyable card games. We even played an interesting new card game which one of my friends invented, in which there were many pictures drawn on differently coloured cards. We had to flip the cards to the back side and then just guess what could possibly be drawn on the card. Whoever guessed the greatest number of cards within a time span of ten minutes was the winner.

I was impressed by Lucy’s art skills for she had been the one to draw the pictures on the cards. However, they looked so realistic that I felt as if at any point in time the picture would pop right out of the card and come to life.

When we reached our destination, however, my fear came true and it had started to rain heavily. Panic began to surge through me once more as I wondered what on earth I was going to do without a tent? Our tents were very small and could not possibly fit more than one person, so two people couldn’t sleep in a single tent. I wondered if I would have to spend the entire night outside, with the rain pouring on my face. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep in these conditions. The sun was still visible in the sky, although it was now partially covered by large rain clouds.

“Tough luck!” I thought to myself.

“Everyone set up your tents,” Miss Granger said. She then created a campfire so we could enjoy the beautiful view of the Mystery Meadows before we slept.

I had been so worried about the tent that I had not noticed the view of the Mystery Meadows yet. When I did, it took my breath away.

Rows of about a dozen hills stood in a straight line. Above them, was a pure white mist that lined the area. Beautiful trees filled with fresh, ripe fruit bloomed among a field of daisies below the hills in a meadow of lush, green grass. The rain had caused a rainbow to emerge, completing the effect of the fairy tale view. I felt as if I had jumped straight into the pages of a fairy tale.

“Alice, set up your tent dear,” Miss Granger said, which brought me out of my trance and back to the world of reality.

I instantly began to panic again. Panicking would not help, I reminded myself. I forced myself to stay calm and think of a solution. It was then that an idea hit me.

I had packed some extra clothes and a bedsheet. I took the sheet and some shirts, and arranged them with the help of some tree branches nearby to make a tent. It worked out much better than I had expected. The differently coloured sheet and clothes made the tent look much brighter and livelier than a regular tent.

“Excellent work. I had a spare tent in my satchel, but here is a badge for improvising,” Miss Granger told me when she saw it.

That night we had a great time toasting marshmallows at the fire and enjoying the breath-taking view of the Mystery Meadows. I had fun picking the shiny, white mist from the hilltops, plucking the fruit from the trees and daises from the grass to take as souvenirs. However, I also learnt the art of improvising if I ever get into a situation where I am short of something. And thankfully, it did not rain the whole time we were there, so we could enjoy our trip very well.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 23rd, 2022