Disclaimer: I don't own Gary or any of the others, they are owned by Tri-Star

Summary: 6-year-old Gary becomes lost during a camping trip with Lois and Bernie.

Writer's Comment: I thought I would try this, I hope you will enjoy it.
 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lost
by Irene Brabson

Gary jumped out of bed. It was Saturday morning and today was the day that he and his parents were going on a one week camping trip. Gary left his room and ran straight down the hall to his parents bedroom to wake them up. He opened the door and ran into the room and climbed up on the bed, right in between them.

"Hey, Mom and Daddy, it's time to get up," said Gary as he shook Bernie.

"Why? What for?" asked Bernie pulling the covers over his head.

"Come on Daddy, get up," pleaded Gary.

"Lois, your son want's you," said Bernie.

"I'm not Daddy and when he's in here this early he's your son," said Lois.

Bernie grabbed the clock and glanced at the time and groaned.

"Gary, it's only 3 am, come on let's go back to bed, we have plenty of time before we get ready to go camping," said Bernie, as he took Gary's hand and led him back to his bedroom.

Bernie soon had Gary settled back into bed and started to leave when Gary called him back.

"Daddy when do we get ready?" asked Gary.
 
"Around 7. Now you go back to sleep and I will wake you when it is time," said Bernie as he closed the door and headed back to his room.

Soon he was once again lying next to Lois.

"Did you get him back to sleep?" asked Lois.

"Yes, so let's get some shut eye. I'll see you in the morning," said Bernie as he put his arm around Lois and they both went straight to sleep.
 
The next morning, Bernie was awakened by a small voice whispering into his ear.

"Now Daddy? Now is it time to get ready?" asked Gary hopefully.

Bernie turned over and looked at the clock, the time said 6:45 am.

"Sure, it's time, but why don't we let Mom sleep a little bit longer  and you and I can get things ready. Now come on, so I can help you get dressed and we'll fix some breakfast and then we'll get Mom up."
 
"Okay, Daddy, but I'm a big boy and I can dress myself," said Gary.

"Okay, but let me know if you need any help," said Bernie.

"Okay," said Gary and he hurried off to his room to get dressed.

Bernie smiled as he watched his 6-year-old son run off towards his bedroom.
 
In no time at all Gary emerged from his room wearing blue jean overalls and his favorite red striped shirt and then he hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. Lois was already up and fixing blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

"Mom, can you help me?" asked Gary, as he struggled to get his shirt down in the back.
 
Lois turned around to look at her young son. The overalls that he had  on were twisted at the straps and his shirt was riding up in the back.

"Come here sweetie, and let's see what Mommy can do," said Lois.

Lois unhooked Gary's straps and started to pull Gary's shirt down in  the back. She could see that Gary was outgrowing his favorite shirt and it no longer fit him quite right.
 
"Gary sweetie, you're going to have to put on a different shirt. This one is getting way too small for you," said Lois.

"But Mom, I like this shirt and I want to wear it," said Gary.

"I know sweetie, but you are growing bigger every day and you have gotten to the point that you have outgrown this shirt." said Lois.

"Mom do you mean I'm growing up?' asked Gary.

"Yep that's exactly what I mean. Come on let's go up stairs and find  you another shirt, while Daddy keeps and eye on breakfast," said Lois.

"Will do," said Bernie as he picked up the pancake turner and turned  the pancakes, while Lois and Gary headed up the stairs.

In a short while, Lois had Gary dressed in his blue jean overalls over  a light blue pull over shirt, with his blue and white sneakers on his feet.
 
"Daddy is breakfast ready yet?" asked Gary setting himself down at the table.

"Yes, it's ready," said Bernie as he placed a plate of blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs down in front of Gary.

"Oh boy, blueberry pancakes," said Gary grabbing the syrup and pouring it all over his pancakes.

"Hey Gar, save some for us," said Bernie.

"Okay," said Gary. Gary placed the syrup on the table and then began to eat his breakfast as if it was the last meal that he would ever have.

"Gary, slow down, before you choke," said Lois. "But Mom, I want to hurry up and eat so we can go camping," said Gary with a mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"We have plenty of time young man, now you slow down and chew your food right. Do you understand me?" asked Lois.

"Yes Mom, I understand," said Gary.

"Good, then please do as I asked," said Lois.

A hour later breakfast was done, dishes were washed and put away, and Bernie had the Gray Ghost packed and ready to go.

"Do you think we have everything, Bernie?" asked Lois as she walked out carrying one of the coolers.
 
"Here Lois, let me take that and you go back in and make sure we  haven't forgotten any thing," said Bernie.

"Sure honey," Lois went back into the house to double check everything. Satisfied, she went back outside and walked over towards Bernie.

"Well is that everything?" asked Bernie.

"Yes, except one important thing," said Lois.

"And what's that?" asked Bernie.

"Gary," answered Lois as she walked back into the house to call him.

"Gary!" cried Lois.
 
"I'm coming Mom, I had to get Moogie, my monkey," said Gary.

Gary had Moogie, his brown and white stuffed monkey, ever since the day he was born. It had been a present to him from his grandmother Hobson, who had died when he was 4-years-old and he wouldn't go any where with out him.

"Okay then, your Dad has the Gray Ghost packed and ready to go,so let's hurry up and get out there," said Lois.

Gary ran out the front door with Moogie tucked under his left arm. When he reached the porch steps he hopped down them one at a time, like a rabbit hopping through the woods and then he ran over to Bernie.

"Hey Gar, are you and Moogie ready to go?" asked Bernie.

"Yeah, we're ready, aren't we Moogie? What's that Moogie?" said Gary as he held Moogie up close to his ear, "Okay, I'll ask."

"Mom?"
 
"What is it Gary?" asked Lois.

"Could Moogie and I ride in the Gray Ghost?" asked Gary.

"Absolutely not! If a car would happen to hit the back of that trailer, you could really get hurt and I would never forgive myself for letting you ride back there. No, you are riding up front with your Dad and I. Now come here and climb in next to your Dad," said Lois.
 
"Oh I never ever get to do what I want," said Gary kicking some dirt  and pouting.

"Gary, there are a lot of things that I will let you do, but letting  you ride in the Gray Ghost, by yourself isn't one of them. Now come on Daddy is waiting," said Lois.
 
Gary climbed in next to Bernie and sat down.

"Let's buckle you in Gar."

In no time at all Bernie had Gary buckled in and ready to roll. Lois climbed in next to Gary and then she closed the truck door.

"Okay, is everybody ready?" asked Bernie.

"Yeah, Moogie and I are ready," said Gary who had forgotten about  riding in the Gray Ghost.

"Ready and willing," said Lois.

"Okay, then we're off," said Bernie.

Bernie pulled the truck out of the driveway and headed down the road towards their destination.

The Hobson's were on their way to Camp Mountain Lake in Petersburg, West Virginia. Gary was sitting between his parents and watching as the trees flew by. Gary was really excited about the camping trip and just couldn't wait until they arrived at their destination. "Daddy, how much longer before we get there?" asked Gary enthusiastically. "I hope it's soon, boy am I getting hungry," Gary said, rubbing his stomach for emphasis.

"Oh Gary, we won't get to Camp Mountain Lake until some time tomorrow afternoon, sweetie," said Lois.

"But Mom, aren't we going to stop and eat? I'm really , really hungry," said Gary impatiently.

"Hey sport, let me stop and get some more gas for the trip and then we will find a place to eat," said Bernie.

"Can we go to McDonald's, Daddy?" asked Gary.

"McDonald's huh? Well that sounds like a swell idea," said Bernie. "But first we need to find a gas station. With all the things we had to do to get ready, Daddy forgot to check about the gas. So I'm going to pull into the nearest gas station and purchase some." Bernie pulled up to a gas station called Marvin's Gas. It was a small place with only one pump. Seeing no one around, Bernie got out of the truck and began walking towards the building..

At the same time Gary was struggling to release his seat belt, so he could join Bernie. "Bernie hold up a minute, so I can undo Gary's seat belt, he want's to go with you," said Lois.

"No problem," said Bernie, walking back to the truck for Gary. Soon Gary was free, Bernie helped him out of the truck and then he took Gary's hand and they both walked back towards the building together. "Hey is there anyone in here?" Bernie called out. Bernie continue to looked around the building.

At the far corner of the room he saw a man that looked to be around 45. He had shoulder length dirty blond hair and a full beard. He also walked with a very noticeable limp. "Excuse me, could you please help me?" Bernie asked the man.

The man's name was Marvin Hunnicutt and he was the owner of the gas station. "Do you want some gas?" asked Marvin.

"Yes, I would like some gas and a couple other things too," Bernie replied.

"Fine, but you make sure, you keep your kid from touching anything. I don't like children and I am not too fond of them being in here. They're nothing but a nuisance and trouble," said Marvin.

Gary clung to Bernie, tears were beginning to stream down his cheeks. "Daddy I don't like that man," Gary whispered as his grip on Bernie became even tighter.

"It will be alright Gar," said Bernie, sweeping his young frightened son into his arms. "Would you like me to take you back out to Mom?"

"No I want to stay with you, Daddy. Please can I stay with you," Gary cried, throwing his arms around Bernie's neck.

"Okay, let's get the gas and what we need and then we'll go to McDonald's and get a cheese burger and fries. How does that sound?" asked Bernie.

"Can I have a milk shake too, Daddy?" asked Gary.

"Well sure you can have a milk shake," said Bernie. "Let's go sport." Bernie held Gary in his arms and headed towards the other supplies that he needed.

Soon everything was paid for and they were on their way once more. Within the hour Bernie pulled into a McDonald's parking lot and the trio left the truck and entered the fast food restaurant. They soon found a booth and Bernie took their order. "Okay, you two. What would you like?" asked Bernie.

"A cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milk shake," said Gary.

"A Double Cheese Burger and fries for me, honey," said Lois.

"Okay sports fans and I will have a Big Mac and fries," said Bernie and then went up to put in the order.

In a little while, they finished eating. "Well I guess we better get back on the road," said Bernie getting up from his chair and heading for the door.

"Come on honey, your Daddy's ready to go and you know what that means," said Lois.

"Yeah it means he's ready to go, now," said Gary smiling as he took Lois's hand.

"That's right. Come on so we can catch up with him," said Lois.

"Mom, when we get back to the car and Daddy starts it up again, can we sing some songs?" asked Gary.

"Well of course we can," said Lois.

"Can we sing Bingo?" asked Gary.

"Absolutely," said Lois, smiling at her six-year old son.

"Oh Boy! Daddy, Daddy, we're going to sing Bingo," cried Gary enthusiastically.

"Well in that case, I guess we better get ready to go," said Bernie. Bernie picked Gary up and placed him in the truck, then he made sure he was buckled in and ready to go. Lois climbed in next to Gary and made sure that Moogie was placed in Gary's arms. Bernie climbed into the driver's seat and they were soon back on the road and heading for Mountain Lake Camping grounds.


'There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-0. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-0, There was a ----- "

"Don't forget to clap Mom. You always forget to clap," said Gary.

"Yeah Lo, you do that a lot," Bernie chimed in.

"I don't need any comments from the peanut gallery mister. You just keep your eyes on the road. Okay?" Lois stated, playfully.

"Okay your Highness," said Bernie snickering to himself.

"Hey! Moogie and I want to finish the song," Gary whined. "

Oh you do, do you? Well then I guess we better finish," said Bernie.

"Can we sing it again?" asked Gary as soon as they were finished.

"Hey sport, why don't we sing something else now?" Bernie suggested.

"Like what?" asked Gary,

"Oh I don't know. How about 'This Old Man?" asked Bernie.

"But I don't like This Old Man, I want to sing Bingo again," said Gary.

"Okay, Bingo it is," said Bernie. "There was a farmer---- "

A few hours had gone by since Bernie had stopped for gas. It was going on 6:00 and Gary was hugging Moogie tight, while Lois was reading a story to him out of the Mickey Mouse Fairy Tale Book she had purchased for him at a store that they had stopped at a while back.

"---and everybody lived happily ever after," said Lois, finishing the story that she was reading,

"Mom, Mickey and his friends sure were brave. Weren't they?" asked Gary.

"Yes, honey Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were very brave indeed," answered Lois.

"Mom, when we get to camp, can I have a slice of bread as thin as Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had? I want to put it up to my eyes and look though it like Donald did," asked Gary.

"Oh, Gary sweetie, we could never slice bread that thin, only cartoon characters have the magic to do that," said Lois.

"Your Mom's right, Gar," said Bernie.

"Oh. Can we grow a bean stalk that high Daddy?" asked Gary.

"No Gar, you can't," answered Bernie.

"But Daddy wouldn't it be fun to climb it if you could?" asked Gary.

"Sure it would be fun to be all the way up in the clouds and to see a big castle in the sky, but I wonder what you would do if you meet up with the giant?" asked Bernie.

"I'll just shoot him with my water gun," said Gary.

"Well what good would that do?" asked Bernie.

"Because, I would shoot him right in the eye and while he was wiping the water out of his eye, I could get away," said Gary.

"Oh, you can, can you?" asked Bernie. "Well what makes you think you can escape the giant?"

"Because he's too big and slow and I'm just a little boy, who is much faster," answered Gary.

"Oh, I see," said Bernie.

"Well I'm sure if you're that fast, there's no way that giant could catch you."

"Nope, Daddy. That mean old giant could never catch me," said Gary.

While listening quietly to Bernie and Gary, Lois spotted a sign that said, Dairy Queen, 5 miles exit 14. "Hey you two, how about we stop at the Dairy Queen and get some ice cream," said Lois.

"Oh boy. Can I have a chocolate milk shake, Mom?" asked Gary.

"Gary sweetie, you already had one at lunch. Why don't you get something different?" Lois suggested.

"Oh please Mom, please, It's what I really want," Gary pleaded.

"Oh Lo, let him have a milk shake. What's the difference? A milk shake or an ice cream?" Bernie argued for Gary.

"Okay, But young man, I don't want to hear you complaining later that you wished you had gotten an ice cream instead," said Lois.

"Okay Mom, I promise," said Gary.

Later that night, Gary had fallen asleep with Moogie lying on the car floor, near his feet. He had drank his milk shake then asked for a bite of Bernie's Dilly Bar, ignoring the look his mother gave him. Gary lost the battle to the sand man around 8:15 pm and was snoring softly, sleeping between his parents. Lois looked down at her young son, she picked Moogie up and placed him in Gary's arms and then she kissed her young son on the forehead, before getting Bernie's attention.

"Bernie, I hope that you don't plan to drive all night," said Lois.

"Lo, if I don't, we won't arrive at Mountain Lake Camp till around 10 or 11 tomorrow night," said Bernie.

"Bernie, we can stop at the closest trailer park, get a good night's sleep, and be ready to be on the road by 6 am. That way we should be there by 5 or 6 in the evening. I really think we should stop. Besides I want Gary to sleep in the trailer, where he can have a bed. He looks so uncomfortable," said Lois.

"Okay Lo, I'll see if I can find out where the nearest trailer park is and stop for the night," said Bernie. Bernie drove another 20 miles, before he came upon a small general store.

"Maybe someone can give me some directions here. I'll go in and find out," said Bernie.

"Okay Bernie," said Lois. Bernie walked up to the door and entered, the first thing he saw was a window display, that had miles and miles of candy, like gum drops, Hershey Kisses, root beer barrels and all the candy a small child could dream of.

"May I help you?" asked the clerk.

"Yes, my family and I are traveling and we're looking for the nearest trailer park, so we can stop and rest for the night. Do you happen to know where one is?" asked Bernie.

"Yes, I can help you out on that. The nearest trailer park is about 8 miles east of here. You keep on Jackson Road, until you reach Mason Avenue, then you turn left and go another 4 miles, you will see a sign that say's 'Parker's Trailer Park'. When you see this sign turn right and you are there," said the clerk.

"Thanks," said Bernie, "I would also like to buy a bag of mixed candy for my son," said Bernie.

"Okay, what would you like?" asked the clerk. Bernie soon returned to the truck with a small bag of candy for Gary. He stepped back in the truck and started up the engine.

"Well?" asked Lois.

"There is a trailer park about 8 miles east of here. The clerk gave me directions and we should be there soon," said Bernie. Lois nodded her head and Bernie pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road toward Parker's Trailer Park.


Morning had come quickly and Lois and Bernie were getting things ready to go. They still had about 14 more hours before they arrived at Mountain Lake Family Camp and wanted to be on the road again as soon as possible. Gary was still asleep in his bed, with Moogie stuck securely in his arms.

"I really hate to wake him, he looks so sweet lying there," said Lois sitting on her young son's bed and gently stroking his head.

"Lo honey, I agree with you, but we have to be on our way. Why don't you go a head and get in the truck and I'll bring Gary out with me," said Bernie.

"Okay Bernie, as soon as you bring him out, you hand him to me and I'll make sure that he is safely buckled in," said Lois.

In just a few minutes Gary was buckled in his seat and they were soon on their way. The time was 6:30 am. They made a few more stops on the way, before they finally made it to the camp entrance around 8:00 pm.

"Hey sports fans, we have arrived," said Bernie as he pulled the truck up to the registration.

"Oh boy! That means Daddy and I can go hiking now," said Gary enthusiastically.

"Oh now wait a minute young man. The only thing that you're doing, is going to bed," said Lois.

"Oh Mom," said Gary disappointedly.

"Don't oh Mom me, you know that 8:30 is your bed time," said Lois.

"Can't I stay up a little while longer. Please!" begged Gary.

"Oh come on Lo, let him stay up for a while, we can roast marshmallows and maybe I can tell some kind of a ghost story," said Bernie.

"Oh boy, a ghost story. Please Mom, pretty please," Gary continue to beg.

"Well it's against my better judgement, but okay. Bernie, I don't want the story to be too frightening, I don't want Gary up all night with nightmares and I want him settled down no later then 10:00," said Lois

"Don't worry Lo, I planned to be in bed by then too or shortly after. I'm going to get up real early tomorrow and do a little fishing," said Bernie.

"Can I go too, Daddy? asked Gary full of excitement.

"Gar, I'm going to be leaving about 4:30 in the morning and that's way too early for you to be up. But as soon as I return, we'll all go on that hiking trip that you've been wanting to go on," said Bernie.

"But I want to go fishing," pouted Gary.

"Now Gary, your father is right. 4:30 is too early for you to be up, besides we will be going hiking when he get's back," said Lois.

"I still want to go fishing," said Gary under his breath.

"Hey sport, we're going to be here for two whole weeks. That will give us plenty of time for you and I to go fishing, but tomorrow morning I'm meeting a couple of real good friends of mine, who happen to be camping here too. So tomorrow is just going to be us big guys. But I promise I will take you fishing before the two weeks is up. Okay sport?" asked Bernie.

Gary nodded his head, tears were streaming down his cheeks, he really wanted to go with Bernie and wasn't crazy about the fact that he had to stay behind.

"Hey as soon as we find out where our camp sight is, we'll start the fire and get ready to roast those marshmallows. How does that sound," asked Bernie.

"That sounds just fine. Doesn't it Gary?" asked Lois as she wiped the tears from Gary's face.

"I guess so," Gary sniffed.

"Hey Gar, cheer up. You're really going to like my ghost story. You'll see," said Bernie.

In just a little while they were at their camp sight, the fire was ready for the marshmallows and Bernie was ready to tell his ghost story. "Okay Gar, are you ready to hear the story about the Thimble?" asked Bernie.

"Yes Daddy, I'm ready," said Gary.

"Well this story is called 'The Tiny Little Ghost With The Tiny Little Boo.' You all have heard of ghosts haven't you? Well this is a story about a ghost that was so tiny that she could set in a tiny little thimble. Even her own ghostly parents had trouble keeping track of her because she was so small. Any way Thimble was not a very happy little ghost, because she wanted to have a big boo just like her mommy, daddy and big brother Jock. But no matter how hard she tried, all she could come up with was boo! boo! boo!

'Boo hoo I want to do a really big boo, but I can't because I'm so tiny,' sobbed Thimble.

'Oh Thimble, your size doesn't have anything to do with it, you just have to practice. Here I'll show you,' said Jock. Jock held in his breath and let out the loudest boo that Thimble had ever heard. 'BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!' screamed Jock at the top of his lungs.

'Oh Jock, I will never be able to boo that loud,' said Thimble as she held her hands against her ears.

'Well sure you can. Give it a try,' said Jock.

So Thimble copied every move that Jock did. She held in her breath and than she let it out. "Boo!" was all that came out of Thimble's tiny little mouth. 'Oh, I give up, I'll never be able to have a big boo,' sobbed Thimble and she floated off to her ghostly bedroom to cry.

'Poor little Thimble, I wish there was something we could do to help her,' said Mommy sadly.

'I do to, but I don't know what we can do,' said Daddy. Jock began to think of a solution to solve little Thimble's problem and came up with one ghostly of an idea. So he floated off to try it out. A few minutes later he came back carrying a tiny little megaphone, that was small enough to fit into Thimble's tiny little hands.

'I just made this for her and I'm sure it will do the trick,' said Jock.

'Okay, let's give it a try,' said Mommy.

'Thimble,' called Daddy. 'Please come in here.'

Thimble floated in with her head down low, she was one really blue ghost indeed. 'Here Thimble, I made this for you so that you can have a big boo too. Now take a deep breath and say boo in to this tiny little megaphone,' said Jock.

Thimble was a little doubtful if this thing-a-ma-jig would work, but she decided to try, if only to please her big brother. So with a big breath she screamed into the megaphone. 'BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' screamed Thimble. This time her boo was so loud, that her mommy jumped into her daddy's arms and Jock turned a ghastly green. ( Everybody knows that ghosts turn green when they're frightened.) Thimble was so happy she decided to go and try her new big boo out on the other ghosts that lived in the ghostly town of Ghostville.

'Thank you Jock, for giving me a big boo,' said Thimble before she kissed Jock and floated off to try out her new big boo and that's the end," said Bernie.

"Daddy that was silly," said Gary.

"Oh it was, was it?" asked Bernie.

"Yeah," said Gary.

"Okay young man it's time for you to hit the hay," said Lois.

"Oh Mom," protested Gary.

"Now, now sport. Your mother is right. Come on and I will tuck you in. Say good night to you mom," said Bernie.

"Night Mom," said Gary, hugging his mother.

"Good night sweetie, I'll see you in the morning," said Lois gently kissing Gary on the forehead.

Soon Gary was down for the night and Bernie and Lois soon followed. Morning came quickly and Bernie was up and getting ready to meet his pals to go fishing. It was around 4:45 and he went in to check on Gar. Satisfied that everything was all right, he packed up his gear and got into the truck and started down the old dirt road.

Gary heard the truck and jumped out of bed in an attempt to catch his father. "Daddy! Daddy!," cried Gary as he hurried out of the Gray Ghost, but he was too late. Bernie had already left and he was well out of hearing distance.

"Come on Moogie, we have to find Daddy," said Gary. Lying nearby in the bushes, was a white tail fawn. The only witness to a little dark haired boy, dressed in Spider Man PJ's and carrying a stuffed toy monkey, wandering down the old dirt road.

 
 It was going on 7:00 am. Lois had been up since 6  and  she had decided  to let Gary sleep in a little while longer. Unaware  that  he had left over  2  hours before in an attempt to catch up with his  father.   'Well breakfast will be ready soon, so I guess I  better go and wake up  Gary. After all, we have plenty of fun to get into  today and the next  two weeks,' thought Lois to herself. 

 Lois walked behind the curtain that was drawn in  front  of Gary's bed.  She leaned over to wake him up and realized that he  wasn't there.   "I guess Bernie must have changed his mind about  taking Gary," Lois  said  out loud to herself.   She looked around for a note, but found none.   'I'm sure going to give that husband of mine a piece  of my mind when he  returns. The least he could have done was left me a  note or something.  Yes sir! A piece of mine mind,' thought Lois to  herself as she grabbed  the eggs out of the refrigerator to fry them for  breakfast. 

----------------------------------------------  

Bernie and three of his best friends Ken Snider,  David  Rumgay, and  Gavin  Brode were enjoying themselves fishing at Hope Lake  about 8 1/2 miles  from the camp site.   "Hey Ken, this is sure a great spot that you picked  out. Boy, I've  caught at least 6 trout. Lois is sure going to love  these beauties,"  said Bernie as he held them up for Ken, David, and  Gavin to see.  

"I'm glad you like this place Bern, I've been  fishing  here since I was  nine-years-old," said Ken.  

"You've been going camping here that long?" asked  Bernie.  

"That's right. Every summer my Dad used to bring us  all here. With Mom  and us 9 kids, we sure had to pack quite a load,"  said  Ken.  

"Nine kids? Geez you could have had your very own  baseball team,"  laughed Gavin.  

"Yeah, nine kids, 6 girls and 3 boys. I was the  fifth  child," said Ken.  "Well anyway Dad would bring us here and we would  all  go fishing. Even  the girls knew how to bait the hooks with worms. Boy  those were the  days," said Ken.  

"It sounds like you and your family had some good  times at this camp,"  said David.  

"Yeah, we sure did," Ken replied.  

Bernie was listening in on the conversation and was  beginning to feel  bad about not bringing Gary. After all, what was it  going to hurt to  bring him along? He was sure that his buddies  wouldn't  have minded and  he sure would have enjoyed his son's company.  

"Hey guys, it's only 7:30, would you mind if I drove  back to camp and  bring back my six-year-old son Gary? He really  wanted  to come with me  and I'm feeling kind of bad that I told him no,"  asked  Bernie.  

"No, of course we don't mind. Go on back and get him  Bern, the guys and  I will be here when you both return. Won't we guys?"  asked Ken.  

"You bet," answered Gavin.  

"Absolutely," answered David.  

"Thanks guys, Gary and I will be back in a flash,"  said Bernie.  

Bernie started to walked over to his car, when David  called to him.   "Hey Bern, wait up I want to come with you, I can  pick  up my daughter  Krista, that way Gary and Krista can play together  if  they happen to  get  bored with fishing," said David.  

"Sounds like a great plan to me. We'll pick up  Krista  first and then we  can drive over to my camp and get Gary," said  Bernie.  

"Okay Bern, let's go then. Hey guys! Be back soon,"   David called out.   Ken and Gavin both nodded their heads and waved as  Bernie and David  left  in Bernie's truck. A few minutes later they arrived  at  David's camp.  David's wife Kelli and daughter Krista were playing  a  game of go fish  at  their picnic table.   Krista was sitting in her wheel chair. She had been  born with Spinal  Bifada and was unable to walk.   "Hey you two, who's winning?" asked David.  

"Me Daddy," said Krista. "We've played five games  and  I beat Mommy in  all five."  

"Yeah she sure did," said Kelli. "David, did you and  the guys have a  nice time fishing? I don't see any fish. Didn't you  catch any?" asked  Kelli. 

"Yes Kelli, me and the guys had a swell time and we  caught a lot of  fish. Bernie and I left all our gear back at the  lake  with Ken and  Gavin. We came here to get Krista so she and  Bernie's  son, Gary, can  play together," said David.  

"You know, I think that's a great idea," said Kelli.  "Being an only  child, Krista gets kind of lonely around here just  having David and I  to  play games with. She should be playing with someone  her own age once in  a while."  

"Gary's an only child too and I bet he would be more  than happy to have  someone his own age to play with," said Bernie.  

Kelli nodded her head in agreement and then turned  to  her daughter.   "Krista, would you like to go with Daddy to the lake  so you can play  with Gary," asked Kelli.  

"How old is Gary?" asked Krista.  

"Gary's six-years-old," answered Bernie.  

"Well I'm seven-years-old, but I guess I can play  with  a younger boy,"  said Krista.   David walked over and swooped his young daughter  into  his arms.  

"Okay Krissy, are you ready to go?" asked David.  

"Yes Daddy I'm ready," said Krista.  

"Okay sweetie, let's go. Hey Bern, could you please  bring Krista's  wheel  chair?" asked David.  

"Sure, no problemo," said Bernie as he went over to  retreive the chair.  

Kelli walked over to Bernie's truck, to help make  sure  that Krista was  safely buckled in.   "Now Krissy, you be a real good girl for your Daddy  and play nicely  with  Gary," said Kelli, as she gently kissed Krista on  the  forehead.  

"I will, Mommy. I promise," said Krista.  

"I know you will sweetie," said Kelli. "And David  please keep a good  eye  on Krista. You know she tires easily,"  

"Don't worry Kelli, I promise The guys and I will  keep  a watch out for  Krista," said David.  

"And Gary will help out too," said Bernie.  

"That's all I wanted to know, bye Krissy see you  soon."  

Bernie and David both got in the truck and they were  soon on their way.  They reached Bernie's camp site in no time at all.  When they arrived  Lois was unpacking some of the toys that Bernie and  she had brought  along for Gary to play with. On hearing Bernie's  truck  she stopped what  she was doing and went to see how many fish that  Bernie and Gary had  caught.   When Lois finally was able to see into the truck,  she  was shocked that  Gary was not sitting in the truck with Bernie. She  began to panic. 'Oh  God, I hope he just left him back with his buddies,'  thought Lois to  herself.  

Bernie parked the truck and got out. He walked over  to  ask Lois about  Gary, but before he could ask, Lois had a question  of  her own.   "Bernie, did you leave Gary back with your buddies?"  asked Lois.  

"What are you talking about? Lois you know I didn't  take Gary with me."  

"Oh my God, when I didn't see him in bed this  morning,  I thought you  changed your mind and took him with you. Oh God  Bernie, where could he  be?" asked Lois, her voice rising in pitch.  

"I don't know Lois. I just don't know," said Bernie.



Gary had walked for what seemed like a very long time and he was no closer in finding his dad. Hungry and exhausted, he sat on the ground in front of an old, dead, oak tree.

"Moogie, I'm just going to rest here for a minute and then we'll look for Daddy some more. I know he has to be around here some where," said Gary, as he yawned from weariness. Soon Gary fell asleep and all the noise that could be heard was two small squirrel's scampering around in the old, dead tree.

----------------------------------------------

Lois never felt so helpless in her life. Her son was missing and she had no idea where to start looking for him. All she could think of was how cold and scared he must be about now.

"Oh God Bernie, why didn't I hear him when he wandered off this morning? Any other time I would have heard him, if he had just stirred in his bed. Oh God, Oh God where is my baby?" asked Lois in sheer panic.

She then turned to Bernie with a look of anger on her face. "Why didn't you check to make sure that he wasn't following you? You knew how much he wanted to go with you. Why didn't you check?" asked Lois as she began to cry uncontrollably. "I want my baby. Bernie, I want Gary."

"Lois, honey get a hold of yourself, I promise you, we will find him. I'll take the truck and drive back in the direction of Lake Hope and see if I can spot him on the way. In the mean time, I will drop David off at his camp, he will get his pickup and drive around to ask the other campers if any of them have seen him. You and Krissy stay here, in case he returns," Bernie instructed.

"Bernie, what if you don't find him? Then what?" asked Lois with a left over tear streaming down her cheek.

"Lois if we don't locate him I will go to the security office and get some help. Now you stay here with Krissy, David and I will be back as soon as we can," said Bernie.

Bernie and David started toward Bernie's truck when Lois called after him. "Bernie wait, I don't know if Gary is dressed or still in his Spider Man pj's. Let me go in the trailer and bring you some clothes for him," said Lois.

"Okay Lo," said Bernie.

"Okay Bernie, wait right there. I'll be right back," said Lois and she headed toward the trailer. A few minutes later she returned with a pair of blue shorts, a blue and red striped shirt, and a pair of brown sandals.

"Here Bernie," said Lois handing him Gary's clothes. "Bernie, please find Gary. Please find him."

Bernie walked over to Lois and held her against his chest, while her tears soaked his shirt. "Lo, Don't cry. I promise, it's going to be all right. We will find him. Trust me. We will find him."

Bernie wiped a tear from Lois's face and gently kissed her on the lips. "Try not to worry Lo, we'll find him," Bernie reassured her.

Bernie walked over to the truck and got in. David was sitting in the passenger seat waiting patiently for Bernie to start up the truck. "Okay, let's go. God, Please let me find my little boy. Oh please," said Bernie sobbing quietly to himself. Bernie started the truck and drove off in the direction of David's camp area.

A few minutes later they were there. Kelli spotted David and Bernie from inside the camper and came out to greet them. "David, honey I didn't expect you back so soon. Where's Krista?" asked Kelli.

"Krista is back with Bernie's wife Lois. Bernie and Lois's son Gary has come up missing and I'm going to help Bernie search for him. I'm going to take you over to their camp site, so you and Krissy can keep Lois company, while we look for Gary," said David.

"Oh, I sure hope you find him. Are you going to go to the security office?" asked Kelli.

"Yes, if we have to. We're going to see if we can find him on our own first," said David.

"David, I think you should go now. The longer you wait the less chance that you will find Gary," said Kelli.

"Yes, you're right Kelli, we should go there first. It's just that Lois and I are so upset that we're just not thinking straight," said Bernie.

"I tell you what. Why don't we go and pick up Lois and Krissy and we can all go to the security office. The sooner we do this the better it will be for Gary," said Kelli.

"Okay then, let's get back to the truck and get going. Time's a wasting," said Bernie.

----------------------------------------------

Gary had woken with a start. Something was crawling on his arm and as he looked to see what it was, he noticed thousands of black ants crawling all over where he was sitting. Unknown to him, he had sat on their nest and now they were crawling all over him in an attempt to get into their home. "Ahh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Gary, jumping up from where he was sitting and running even further into the woods, leaving Moogie behind in his rush to get away from the ants. Only the squirrels heard his cries as he began to scream for his daddy. "Daddyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Where are you? Daddyyyyyy!!!!!!!!"


"Granddaddy is this stick big enough for the fire?" asked 5 year old Michael Emerick.

"Yes Mikey, that is a very good stick for our camp fire. Where's Madison?" asked Luther Emerick.

"Maddy's over by the old dead oak tree looking for some fire wood," answered Mikey.

Maddy had just picked up her last stick, when she spotted something lying on top of an ant hill. On going over to get a closer look, she could see that it was a brown and white stuffed monkey. "Hey little fellow, where did you come from?" asked Maddy, bending over to pick up the monkey.

"Maddy! Where are you child ?" called Luther.

"Here I am Granddad! Over here by the old dead oak tree," Maddy called out.

"Oh, there you are. Did you find enough fire wood?" asked Luther.

"Yes and I also found this," said Maddy, showing the stuffed monkey to her grandfather.

"Oh, can I have it? Can I have it?" asked Mikey as he jumped up and down.

"Hmm, maybe we should take it to the lost and found. This toy looks like it been really loved. So, I'm not afraid to bet that some little boy or girl is missing this little fellow about now," said Luther.

"Oh gee Granddaddy, finder's keepers," Mikey pouted.

"No Mikey, we have to turn it in," said Luther.

"Granddad's right, besides I'm the one that found it, not you Squirt," said Maddy.

"Granddaddy, make Maddy stop calling me that name. Just because she's eight years older than me, she thinks she can call me that awful name. I not a squirt," said Mikey.

"Yes, you are Squirt," said Maddy.

"Madison, that's enough, now let's go so we can get over to the lost and found.

----------------------------------------------

Security Officer Dale Pommerville, was going over some paper work, when Bernie, Lois, and David came rushing into the room. They were soon followed by Krista, who was being pushed in her wheel chair, by her mother. As soon as Bernie got to the desk, he excitedly told Officer Dale why they were there. "Please we need your help------" said Bernie.

"Our little boy is missing," said Lois as she finished Bernie's sentence.

"Okay, one at a time," said Officer Dale. "Now who's missing?"

"Gary, our six-year-old little boy," answered Lois tearfully.

Officer Dale watched with concern, as Lois continued to sob in her husband's arms. He had three daughters of his own and when his youngest daughter, four-year-old Rae Ann was kidnapped last summer, his fears were so great that there were times he thought he would never see her again. Thank God she was found and unharmed and the one who was responsible was now behind bars. So he more than understood Bernie and Lois's fears.

Eyeing the chair that was sitting by the desk, he stood up and went over to Lois and took her hand. "Here, why don't you sit down and then you and your husband can give me some information about your son, so that we can locate him. Okay, tell me exactly how he came up missing," said Officer Dale as he sat himself back down in his seat.

Bernie looked at Lois's tear streaked face and then turned and spoke to Officer Dale. "Well you see, we just arrived here yesterday evening and I had plans to go fishing with my three buddies, David here and two others. We were leaving early, 4:30am to be exact. Well any way, Gary wanted to go along and I thought that it was too early in the morning for him to be up. So this morning I figure that he tried to follow my truck, without me being aware of it," said Bernie.

"I see, and you say that this happened around 4:30 am?" asked Officer Dale.

"Closer to 4:45, to be exact, but we didn't know that he was missing until much later, because like I said, I didn't know that he had followed me," replied Bernie.

"About what time would you say that you found out he was missing?" asked Officer Dale.

"Around 7:30, when I went to get him up for breakfast," answered Lois. "When I didn't see him there, I thought that my husband had changed his mind and had taken Gary with him."

"But, he didn't, right?," asked Officer Dale.

"No, he didn't," replied Lois shaking her head and feeling very guilty.

"Okay, first of all I need a picture of your son, a recent one if possible and I will make copies and distribute them around the camp and then alert the other security officers that are here. I guess you can't tell me what he was wearing, can you?" asked Officer Dale.

"I don't know, he's probably still in his spiderman pj's," said Lois.

"Hey come on Maddy, it's my turn to carry the monkey," said Mikey reaching for Gary's stuffed monkey.

"No, besides it doesn't belong to you," said Maddy.

"Granddaddy -----" Mikey whined.

Everyone in Officer Dale's office turned to see what all the commotion was about. Luther Emerick and his two grandchildren were standing at the door and in his granddaughter's arms was Moogie, Gary's brown and white stuffed monkey.

On seeing what Maddy was holding, Lois jumped out of her seat and rushed over to Maddy's side. "Please, tell me where you found my son's stuffed monkey. He's been missing since real early this morning and my husband and I are just sick with worry. "

"I found it on top of an ant hill near an old dead oak tree," answered Maddy.

"Can you show us where?" asked Bernie.

"Sure, no problem," said Maddy.

"Then let's go," said Officer Dale and they all went out to follow the Emerick's to the old dead oak tree.

----------------------------------------------

"Daddy, where are you? Come and find me," said a sad voice coming from a small dark headed boy with mud puddle green eyes, wearing Spider Man pj's and sitting on a long ago fallen tree.



Just as everyone was in their cars and preparing to follow the Emerick's to the old oak tree, Ken and Gavin pulled up in Gavin's Ford pickup.

On seeing them, Bernie got out of his truck and walked over to where Ken and Gavin had parked. "Hey Bern, what happened to you and Dave? You left over an hour and a half ago and when you didn't return, Ken and I thought we would come and look for you," said Gavin.

"Hey guys, I'm really sorry about that, but we have a real serious crisis here," said Bernie.

"Oh, what's wrong?" asked Ken.

"Gary's been missing since about 4:45 this morning and Mr. Emerick's granddaughter who's standing over there by that Chevy truck, found Gary's stuffed monkey near an old dead oak tree. We're all following them in hopes that we will find him," said Bernie.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Ken.

"Yes, there is," said Bernie. Bernie reached into his wallet and pulled out another picture of Gary. "Could you to drive around to the other camp sight and show anyone you see, Gary's picture? Maybe there's someone there that might have seen him," said Bernie.

"Sure thing Bern. Ken and I will be more than happy to do that for you and don't worry we'll find him," said Gavin.

"Thanks guys for all your help. Lois and I really appreciate it," said Bernie.

"Hey no problem. Okay Ken let's go, we have a little boy to help find," said Gavin before they both took off in Gavin's truck.

Bernie hurried back to his truck and slid into the drivers seat. Lois was sitting next to him silently praying.

"Oh Dear God, help us find him. Oh please help us," said Lois as her body trembled. Bernie pulled Lois close to his side. He could feel the shivering of her body and hear the soft weeping from her tears. He too had shed a tear or two, but at this moment he felt that he had to be strong for her.

"Lo honey, it's going to be okay. Shh, don't cry, we're going to find him. It's going to be alright," said Bernie. He then kissed Lois gently on the lips and wiped her tear stained cheeks.

"Bernie, I'm scared," said Lois.

"I know Lo. I'm scared too, but we will find him," said Bernie. Bernie then turned to the truck next to him. Luther and his grand children were waiting in the truck to take everyone to the old dead oak tree.

"Are you all ready to go now?" asked Luther.

"Yes, please lead on," said Bernie as he grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and held on to Lois with the other. Everyone got into their vehicles and they all followed the Emerick's to the area where Moogie was found.

"This is it," said Maddy as they pulled up to the sight. Maddy left her grandfather's truck and hurried over to where she had found Moogie. "This is where I found the stuffed monkey. It was laying right on top of this ant hill. He just looked so lonely there, that I couldn't help but pick him up and cuddle him," said Maddy.

"How long ago was that?" asked Officer Dale.

"About 75 minutes ago," said Luther, looking at his watch to make sure of the right time.

"I wanted to help carry him too, but Maddy wouldn't let me," said Mikey with a scowl on his face.

"That's because you wanted to keep him, Squirt," said Maddy.

"Grand Dadddieeee!!!!. Make Maddy stop calling me that!" wailed Mikey.

"Michael and Madison, that is quite enough. This is no time for bickering, these kind folk's little boy is missing and we don't have time to settle every little quarrel you two get into," said Luther.

"Yes, your grandfather is right, we really need to concentrate on finding Gary. That's all that's important at this moment," said Lois.

"Okay, there's at least 4 paths he could have taken," said Officer Dale.

"I suggest that we separate and try each path. I'll take the path on the left, Mr. Rumgay can take the path on the right, Mr. Hobson you can take the path directly in front of me and excuse me I didn't get your name," said Officer Dale.

"Luther Emerick," said Luther.

"And Mr. Emerick, you can take the path that's left over," said Officer Dale.

"How about us?" asked Maddy.

"Yeah, we want to help too," added Michael.

"You can help more by staying here with Terri, Lois and Krista," said Bernie.

"Oh, no way am I staying here Bernie Hobson. I'm going with you and there's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind," said Lois.

"Okay Lo, I should have know better than to try and make you stay behind," said Bernie.

"You're right, you should have," said Lois.

"Okay just one more thing before we get started. Here is a walkee-talkee for each of you. Take them and keep in contract with each other, if you see any sign of him, contact one of us right away," said Officer Dale as he handed each one a walkee-talkee.

Soon everyone who was in the search party took off down their own path looking for Gary.

"Mommy do you think that they will find him?" asked Krista.

"I hope so Krissy. I hope so," said Terri,

"We hope so too. Don't we Mikey?" said Maddy.

"Yep," answered Mikey.

----------------------------------------------

"Come on Sheba. Get the ball," said Connie Daily as she threw the ball. But instead of going for the ball, Sheba who was an English Sheep Dog, started to run towards the woods.

"Woof! Woof!" barked Sheba as she ran.

"Sheba! Come back here!" said Connie running as fast as she could to catch up with her dog. "Sheba!" But Sheba just ignored her mistress's calls and continued to run towards the sound that she was hearing. Finally she stopped and sat down next to a frightened little boy. Sheba seemed to sense the child's fears and put her head on his lap in an effort to calm him.

"Hi Doggy. Have you come to help me find Daddy?" asked the frightened child as he threw his arms around the big dog's neck.

"Sheba, where are you?" asked Connie as she ran up near where Sheba and Gary were.

"Woof! Woof!" Sheba reassured Gary with a lick on the face that she would return and then she went to bring Connie to him. "Woof! Woof!"

"Oh there you are, you bad girl. Now what made you run off like that?" asked Connie.

"Daddiee, where are you?" wailed a pitiful little voice.

"Sheba did you find a lost child?" asked Connie, stooping down and petting her dog.

"Woof!"

"Show me Sheba. Show me where you found him," Connie commanded. Sheba ran off towards Gary and Connie was running close behind him. Soon Sheba led her right straight to the frightened young child.

"Well hello little one," said Connie, stooping down and picking Gary up in her arms.

"Where did you come from sweetie?" asked Connie.

"I want my Daddy!" cried Gary.

"Okay sweetie. Sheba and I will help you find your Daddy."


"Come on Sheba, let's go back to the house, I bet this little one is hungry," said Connie.

"But I want my Daddy!" cried Gary as a stream of tears flowed down his cheeks.

"I know sweetie and I'm going to help you find your daddy, but first Sheba and I are going to take you to our house so I can fix you something to eat. I know that you must be very hungry. What would you like?" asked Connie.

"Blueberry pancakes," said Gary with a sniffle.

"If blueberry pancakes is what you want, then blueberry pancakes is what you shall have. Come on Sheba let's go home," said Connie as she held Gary in her arms and began to walk the short distance to her trailer.

Connie's trailer was just a short distance from the Mountain Lake Family Camp site. It was a small house trailer with 5 rooms and bath. On the front porch, sat another pet of hers. A brown striped Main Coon Cat who's name was Bonnie Blue, after a character in Connie's favorite movie 'Gone With The Wind'.

"Hi Bonnie Blue," said Connie, climbing up the stairs to the porch with Gary in her arms.

"Is that your cat?" asked Gary.

"Yes sweetie, this is Bonnie Blue. Would you like to say hello?" asked Connie as she gently put Gary down on the front porch.


 "Hi Bonnie Blue," said Gary with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Oh sweetie you don't have to be afraid of Bonnie Blue. See she likes you," Connie commented. Bonnie Blue was sitting on the railing of the porch and rubbing her head up against Gary's hand. "That's how she tells you that she likes you," Connie explained.

"But I've never seen a cat that big," said Gary.

"Well Main Coon Cats do get quite big. They can weigh up to 20 lbs full grown, but they are one of the most gentle cats around. Go ahead and pet her behind the ears. She just loves that. Don't you girl?" said Connie, as she stroked Bonnie Blue behind her left ear. Gary reached up and did the same and Bonnie Blue started to purr with happiness. She really liked this little human's gentle touch and to show him how much she enjoyed his affection, she gently licked him on the face with her rough, pink tongue.

"Hey that tickles," Gary giggled with delight.

"I like Bonnie Blue. She's nice. "

"And Bonnie Blue likes you too," said Connie.

"Does Sheba like Bonnie Blue?" asked Gary.

"Yes sweetie, they play together, protect each other and they sleep together every night in their own room that they share together. One won't go to bed with out the other," said Connie.

Connie looked at what Gary was wearing. She knew that he had to be a bit chilled. Even though it was late August, this particular day was like a cool autumn day. The temperature was only around 55 degrees. "Sweetie you must be cold in those pj's. Come on and let me see what I can find you to put on. I think I still have a couple of things left of Brad's in here some place," said Connie.

"Who's Brad?" asked Gary.

"Oh Brad's my son," answered Connie.

"Will Brad mind if I wear his clothes?" asked Gary.

"No sweetie, Brad is all grown up with a little boy of his own," said Connie.

"What's his little boy's name?" asked Gary

"Brad's little boy is named Gary," answered Connie.

"Hey! That's my name!" squealed Gary with delight.

Connie stooped down to Gary's level and placed her hands on his shoulder. "Well Gary, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Connie."

Gary looked into Connie's dark brown eyes. He knew that his Mommy and Daddy always told him to beware of strangers, but Connie was different and he liked her. He knew that outside of his Mommy and Daddy that he couldn't be in safer hands. "Connie, would you help me find my Daddy? He's lost," said Gary.

"Yes sweetie, I'll help you, but first let's see if we can't clean you up a little and get you some of those blueberry pancakes."

"Okay. Connie we have to find Moogie, my stuffed monkey too. I lost him when I was looking for Daddy," said Gary.

"Okay sweetie we'll look for Moogie too," said Connie. Connie took Gary by the hand and led him into her trailer. "Come on Sheba, come on Bonnie Blue. Let's go in and get ready for breakfast," said Connie. Sheba stood up and left the rug that she was lying on and Bonnie Blue jumped down from the railing and they both followed Connie and Gary into the trailer.

----------------------------------------------

"Gary! Gary! Please answer Mommy!" Lois's voice was starting to become hoarse from calling Gary's name. But she just couldn't let that factor stop her from finding her only child.

Bernie was just a couple of feet in front of his wife and he was also feeling the strain in his voice. Each step that he made seem to bring him no closer to finding his little boy. "Gar! Gar! Gar, it's Daddy and Mommy's here too. Gar please answer us," Bernie cried out in vain. But the only reply he got was silence, except for a couple of chipmunks that were arguing over an acorn.

Lois suddenly stopped in her tracks, a sick feeling started to build up in the pit of her stomach. A feeling that just kept growing and growing. Suddenly, as if someone opened a gate, tears began to flow from her light blue eyes and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake the feeling of dread inside of her.

Bernie turned around at the sound of his wife's sobbing. His heart went out to her when he saw how hard her body was shaking from the force of her sobs. Bernie walked over and threw his arms around Lois and began to wipe the tears away with the back of his hand.

"Bernie, I just thought of something horrible," sobbed Lois as the tears just kept on coming. "What if someone abducted him? He could be hundreds of miles away from here if that happened."

"Lo honey, please don't think like that. I know in my heart that he is in this camp and we will find him. You just have to hold on and have faith. We will find him," Bernie said, trying his best to comfort her. Bernie held Lois for what seemed to be an eternity. He lifted up her chin and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I promise Lo, we will find him," Bernie whispered, as he tenderly stroked Lois's tear stained face.



Soon, Connie had Gary all cleaned up and ready for the blueberry pancakes that she had promised him.

The smell of the pancakes really made Gary's stomach rumble and he could hardly wait until Connie was done making them, so that he could consume every last bite. "Hey Connie are the pancakes ready yet?" asked Gary hungrily.

"Almost, would you like an egg too?" asked Connie.

"Yes I would. Scrambled please," answered Gary.

"Scrambled it is," said Connie as she turned back to the stove to finish the meal she was fixing for Gary.

Gary was trying very hard to wait patiently, but his stomach was growling so much, that it made it almost impossible for him to wait. "Connie, I'm really hungry. How much longer?" asked Gary.

"It's ready now," said Connie as she flipped Gary's eggs on top of his pancakes. She then placed the plate down in front of Gary and as soon as she handed him the syrup, Gary started to devour the food. It was as if he thought that some one was going to take it away from him.

Connie knew that the small boy sitting at her kitchen table must have been starving. She watched with concern at the way that he was scarfing down the pancakes and began to be concerned that he might choke. "Gary, I know that you are hungry, but sweetie you should slow down so that you don't choke. Okay?" asked Connie.

"Okay. Connie does Sheba and Bonnie Blue like Blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs?" asked Gary.

"Well Sheba likes the pancakes and the eggs, but Bonnie Blue will probably just eat the eggs," answered Connie.

"Can I give them some? They look like they're hungry too," said Gary as he stared at the two pets that were begging for food as if they had never been fed.

"No, sweetie. I want you to eat every bite, because I know how hungry you must be. Sheba and Bonnie Blue will have their dinner later. Besides they're not really hungry, they just like to stare at people when they are eating, in hopes of getting a little bite. Come on you two, go to your room so that Gary can eat in peace," Connie ordered.

Connie opened the door to her pet's bed room and both pets walked in and jumped on the bed together. Laying down beside each other, they both drifted straight off to sleep. "Okay, now that that is done. We need to have a little chat," said Connie.

Gary wasn't really paying much attention to what Connie was saying, he was too interested in the Mickey Mouse overalls that Connie had given him to wear. "Gary, honey I need to talk to you so I can find out where you belong. What's your last name honey?" asked Connie.

Gary looked up at Connie and answered Connie's question with a question of his own. "Connie are you sure that Brad won't mind that I wear these?" asked Gary pointing to the Mickey Mouse overalls that he had on.

"Oh Gary, Brad won't mind sweetie. He out grew those overalls years ago," said Connie with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, but how about his son, Gary?" asked Gary.

"Well Brad's son Gary is only 4 months old, so it will be a few years before he can wear them. So, since you are the only little boy around that they will fit at the moment, you can wear them. In fact you can even have them, if you like," said Connie.

"Can I really?" asked Gary.

"Yes sweetie you can and don't worry. Brad won't mind," said Connie.

Gary jumped down out of his seat and ran over to Connie and gave her a big bear hug. "Thank you Connie. I really like Mickey Mouse," said Gary.

"You're welcome honey. Now let's talk about how to help you find your folks. Okay?" said Connie.

"Okay," answered Gary.

"Okay then. Gary, I need to know what your last name is. Can you tell me?" asked Connie

"Hobson," answered Gary.

"Hobson?" asked Connie.

"Yes, that's my last name. Hobson," answered Gary.

"How about your Mom's name?" asked Connie.

"Mom," answered Gary.

"Oh no sweetie, I mean her first name. What name does your Daddy call her?" asked Connie.

"Honey," answered Gary.

"Does he call her any thing else?" asked Connie.

Gary began to giggle, he thought that one of the name's that his father called his mother was so funny that he started to laugh at the thought of it.

"Gary, what's so funny sweetie?" asked Connie.

"My Daddy sometimes calls my mom his Bunny Boo Boo," laughed Gary.

Connie watched as the little boy laughed even harder at the silly nick name that his father had placed on his mother. She had to admit that it was quite amusing and couldn't help but laugh too. "Gary, your dad sure has come up with quite a silly nickname for your mom," said Connie. "I find it quite amusing, but sweetie I really must know your mom's name. Do you have any idea what it is?" asked Connie.

"Lo," answered Gary.

"Lo?" asked Connie with some puzzlement on her face.

"Yes, Daddy calls her Lo," answered Gary.

"What does your mommy call your daddy?" Connie asked, hoping to get an answer to her question.

"Bernie," answered Gary.

Connie was satisfied with that answer 'Now we're getting some where,' she thought to herself. 'I'll make a phone call to the camp security and see if they have a small child missing over there.' "Gary thank you for telling me your daddy's name. Now I'm going to make a phone call to see if I can't get you back with your folks," answered Connie.

"Are you going to find my daddy?" asked Gary.

"Yes sweetie. That's exactly want I'm going to do," answered Connie.

"Moogie too," asked Gary hopefully.

"Yes Moogie too. Now why don't you go into the other room and watch some cartoons, while I make this phone call?" Connie suggested.

Gary nodded his head and headed for the living room to watch TV. Connie followed to make sure that the TV was on and then she went to the hallway to make the call. BRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

"Hello, Mountain Lake Family Camp. Officer Glenn Newman speaking. What can I do for you?" asked Officer Glenn.

"Yes, my name is Connie Daily and I want to know if you are missing a small boy," asked Connie.

"Yes we are, he's been missing since very early this morning. There is a search party out there looking for him now," answered Officer Glen.

"Is his name Gary Hobson and is he about six-years-old with brown eyes with green flecks and was he also wearing a pair of Spiderman p.j's?" asked Connie.

"Yes that's him. Do you know where he is?" asked Officer Glen hopefully.

"Yes I do. He's sitting in my living room watching cartoons," answered Connie.

"About 2 hours ago my dog, Sheba, and I were out for our afternoon walk, when suddenly Sheba broke loose from me and ran towards the woods. When I finally caught up with her, I noticed a small boy sitting on a old, fallen tree and he was crying for his daddy. So I approached him and as soon as I gained his trust, I brought him to my home, cleaned him up and gave him a bite to eat. After a few questions, that I had one heck of a time getting the answers to, I was finally able to find out that his last name was Hobson and that his daddy's name was Bernie."

"Oh my, what a relief. I was beginning to think that maybe he was abducted or something. Please give me your address so I can contact Officer Dale Pommerville to let him know that Gary's been found and is safe," said Officer Glen.

"Yes, of course. I live at 309 Wilson Road," said Connie.

"Wilson Road?" Officer Glen asked, surprised. "My God, that's 10 miles from here. How in the world did he get all the way over there?"

"I don't know. He was just one very lost little boy. Well anyway that really doesn't matter, what counts is that he is safe and unharmed," said Connie.

"Yes you are right. I will contact Officer Dale right away," said Officer Glen.

"Okay, I will keep him safe until his folks pick him up," said Connie. "Okay, see you soon."

"Did you find my Daddy?" asked Gary as he watched Connie hang up the phone. Connie turned around to see Gary standing there, scratching his right arm.

"What's the matter sweetie? Are those ant bites still bothering you?" asked Connie.

"Yes, they really itch," said Gary as he continue to scratch. Connie had found out earlier that Gary had fallen asleep on an ant hill and that he had been bitten by some of the nasty insects. She had rubbed some ointment on the bites, and it had help to cool the itch, but it seemed that Gary needed another treatment.

"Okay sweetie, come on and I will put some more ointment on those nasty bites," said Connie.

"Connie have you found my daddy?" asked Gary once more as he followed Connie to her bathroom.

"Yes sweetie, your mommy and daddy will be here to pick you up real soon," answered Connie.

"Moogie too?" asked Gary.

"Hopefully they will bring Moogie too," said Connie. Satisfied with that answer, Gary took Connie's hand and they both walked into the bathroom.

----------------------------------------------

"Are you sure Glenn?" asked Officer Dale.

"Yes, she just called about 5 minutes ago. She definitely has him at her house. She says that he is safe and she lives at 309 Wilson Road," said Officer Glen.

"Wilson Road? Isn't that about 10 miles from here?" asked Officer Dale.

"Yes, we're not quite sure how he got that far on foot," said Officer Glen.

"My God, it's a miracle that he didn't get bitten by a snake or worse," said Officer Dale.

"Yes that's true, but the most important thing, is that he's safe and he will soon be reunited with his mom and dad," said Officer Glen.

"Yes you are right. I will contact Mr. Hobson right away," said Officer Dale.

"Okay and I will contact the rest of the search party and let them know that Gary's been found," said Officer Glen. Both men said good bye to each other and then Officer Dale contacted Bernie on the walkie-talkie that he had given Bernie earlier.

----------------------------------------------

Bernie was trying his best to keep from falling apart. He knew that Lois needed him and that he had to keep focused. He had to keep believing that Gary would be found and that he would be safe.

Lois was sitting in a heap nearby, crying her heart out for her little boy. "Bernie, where is he? Where's our baby?" asked Lois as she began to cry even harder.

Bernie rushed to Lois's side and knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Lo, you have to hold on. We will find him, you have to believe that. Just hold on and have some faith. It's going to be alright," said Bernie.

 At that moment, Bernie heard a voice coming from his walkie-talkie. "Come in Mr. Hobson. Do you read me? This is Officer Dale. Are you there?" asked Officer Dale.

Bernie grabbed his walkie-talkie and answered Officer Dale. "Yes, I read you loud and clear," said Bernie.

"Good, because your little boy has been found and he is safe," said Officer Dale.

"Oh thank God----- "

"Did they find him?" asked Lois as she jumped to her feet with a heart full of hope and relief.

"Yes Lo, they found him and he's safe," said Bernie as he pulled Lois close to him and held on to her as if he was never going to let her go.

"Where is he?" asked Lois.

"That's what I'm trying to find out," said Bernie. Bernie began to talk into the walkie-talkie once more.


 "Who found him and where can we pick him up?" asked Bernie.

"A Mrs. Connie Daily, and her dog Sheba, found him not too far from a field that she and Sheba romp around in. So she took Gary to her house and cared for him until she was able to figure out who his parents were. She lives at 309 Wilson Road. Why don't you meet me back at the dead oak tree and we will go pick up your son," said Officer Dale.

"We will be there in a flash," said Bernie.

Bernie finished talking with Officer Dale then he took Lois's hand and they both headed to the old dead oak tree.

Within a little while they found themselves parked in front of Connie's trailer and there on the front porch was Gary sitting on a chair with Bonnie Blue sitting contentedly on his lap. Sheba was laying on the porch near Gary's feet and Connie was sitting near by, knitting a baby blanket for little Gary, her grandson. On seeing Gary, Lois's heart skipped a beat and she could hardly wait until she had her young son in her arms.

"Gary! Gary!" cried Lois as she jumped out of Bernie's truck and ran towards the porch.

"Mommy!" said Gary as he nearly fell over the pets in his rush to get to his mom. "Mommy! Daddy! I'm so glad to see you," Gary cried as he leapt into his mother's arms just as Lois reached the top step. The leap nearly caused Lois to fall backwards, but she managed to catch her balance and her son at the same time. As soon as she had Gary in her arms she started to cry tears of joy and begin to smother him with dozens of kisses.

"Mommy, you don't have to cry. I'm okay. Connie was real nice to me. See, she gave me these Mickey Mouse overalls. See Mommy?" asked Gary.

"Yes sweetie, I see and I'm so glad that Connie was nice to you," said Lois.

"Then why are you crying?' asked Gary as he looked into Lois's blue eyes with his mud puddle green ones.

"Because Mommy is so glad to see you and that you are safe," said Lois.

"Mommy, don't cry," said Gary as he wiped a tear from his mother's face.

"It's going to be alright. Daddy tell Mommy that it's going to be alright," said Gary.

Bernie walked over to the two most important people in his life. The tears that he had been holding back for so long, finally won out and they were flowing down his cheeks as if someone had turned on a faucet and forgot to shut it off. Bernie reached out for his son and Gary went right into his arms.

"Daddy, you're crying too," said Gary as he wiped a stray tear from Bernie's face.

"Well I guess crying seems to be catching today. You know what?" asked Bernie.

"What?" asked Gary.

"You're right. Now that you have been found and you are safe, everything is going to be alright. Hey, are you ready to go back to camp? asked Bernie.

"Yes Daddy. Can I say good bye to Connie, Bonnie Blue and Sheba first?" asked Gary.

"You sure can sweetie. You sure can," answered Lois. Bernie placed Gary back down on the porch and Gary ran into Connie's arms. Connie welcomed the young boy with a hug that was as big as her heart.

"Thank you for helping me and for finding my Daddy," said Gary.

"You're very welcome sweetie and I sure hope that you come and see Bonnie Blue, Sheba and me one more time before you go home," said Connie.

"Can I Mommy? Please Daddy," said Gary.

"Of course we can. Hey, there's someone else who missed you too," said Bernie.

"Who?" asked Gary.

"Well this little fellow," said Bernie as he held Moogie up for Gary to see.

"Moogie you're safe. Daddy where did you find him?" asked Gary.

"I didn't. Mr. Luther Emerick and his two grandchildren found Moogie. They really helped us out a lot while we were searching for you," said Lois.

"Okay sport, I think it's time to finish up our good bye's" said Bernie.

"Okay," said Gary. "Bye Connie, bye Bonnie Blue, bye Sheba. I'll see you soon," said Gary.

"Yes, and thank you so much for taking such good care of him. Bernie and I don't know what we would have done if anything bad would have happened to him," said Lois as she gave Connie an affectionate hug.

"You are very welcome. I was more than happy that I could help," said Connie as she returned the hug.

"Yeah, thank you," said Bernie as he offered his hand to Connie. Connie took his hand and squeezed it, to show Bernie that he was more than welcome. Then Bernie picked up his young son and the three of them walked back to his truck and drove off, while Gary gave Connie and her pets one last wave good bye.

The End

 
 

Email the author:  reaness46@yahoo.com
 

Back Home to McGinty's

Stories by Title

Stories by Author