The Campsite

by Tianna G

Joined Jan 2024
Published Books 1

Hello, my name is Dilya, and I’m a 16-year-old teenager with an interesting story to share. It all began when my father informed me that we were going camping. I must admit that I have never been a fan of camping. I detest bugs and loathe sleeping outside, but my father insisted that we needed to spend more time together, so he suggested camping.

I tried to reason with him, telling him that I preferred cheerleading over camping, but he wouldn’t budge. He only said, “Dilya Marie Smith, you’re going camping, and you’re going to love it!” I had no choice but to comply, so I packed my bags and got into the car as we headed to the River Deal campsite. During the entire drive, my father and I didn’t speak to each other. By the time we arrived at the campsite, it was already dark, and there were only a handful of tents around

My dad set up our tent, and I went straight to bed. The following day, I woke up to the sounds of chirping birds and the rustling of leaves. I decided to take a walk on the trail alone. As I walked, I heard a loud noise that grew louder and louder. I panicked and was about to run back to the tents when I saw a girl with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was a bit shorter than me, and she said, “I’m not going to eat you silly.” I felt embarrassed and speechless, but she helped me off the ground and asked if I was new to camping. We introduced ourselves, and she said her name was Ava. She asked why I was walking alone, and I told her that I hated camping, but my father forced me to come along.

Ava was positive that I would end up liking camping once I got used to it. She told me about her camping experiences and the fun things she had done with her family during camping trips. After a brief conversation, she had to leave, so we said our goodbyes, and I headed back to the campsite. When I got back, my dad was cooking lunch, which consisted of eggs and bacon on a stick. I couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would put bacon and eggs on a stick. I sat down on a log, and my dad gave me a plate of strange-looking food. Just then, I spotted Ava walking towards us, so I invited her to join us for lunch. My dad gave us plates, and we sat down to eat the bacon and egg stick food.

I had a wonderful time with Ava on our afternoon walk after lunch. We talked for hours and enjoyed each other’s company. When we finally got back to the campsite, it was already 6:00 pm. My dad was cooking again, but this time, he had company. Although I was happy about the grilled chicken they were cooking, I was not thrilled about the situation as my dad was cooking with people I didn’t know. As I finished my dinner, I realized that I needed to take a shower to freshen up. I decided to head to the campsite showers, but to my dismay, it turned out to be the worst shower experience ever. Nevertheless, I managed to make the most of it and completed my shower.

After that, I went to meet Ava for the last time before heading to bed. I couldn’t anticipate that it would be the final time I would see her. I bid goodnight to my dad and proceeded to my tent, but my mind was still occupied with Ava’s words. The next morning, I woke up early and went on my usual morning walk, hoping to find Ava on the trail. However, she was nowhere to be found. I came back to the campsite and started searching for her, but all my efforts were in vain. I asked my dad if he had seen her leave or go somewhere, but he didn’t have any information. I scoured the campsite, but she was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t lose hope and decided to search for her once more before giving up. Suddenly, my eyes caught a missing person poster of Ava.

I was taken aback. Why was she on a missing person poster? I pulled it off the tree and ran to my dad with tears in my eyes, telling him what I had just seen. He tried to assure me that the police would find her, but I knew that I had to do something. I decided to take matters into my own hands and interview everyone at the campsite to see if they had any information about Ava’s whereabouts.

One woman said that the last time she saw Ava was the night before, walking on the trail and trying to gather wood for the late-night campfire. However, she couldn’t provide any more details about Ava’s behavior or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. This information left me feeling uneasy and concerned. The next day, I woke up and started my investigation. I went straight to the trail where Ava was last seen, hoping to find some sort of clue that could lead me to her.

I searched for three hours but found nothing. It was difficult, and I couldn’t believe how hard it was to find one small clue. I went back to the campsite, ate lunch, and then went back to the trail. Finally, I found something – a small pink mini bow hair clip. When I first met Ava, she was wearing a pink hair clip. This meant that she had been at the trail at some point.

I knew that I had to make a decision – I could either let this case go or become a lifetime hero by saving Ava. I asked the campsite counselors if they had any cameras on the trail. They said they have cameras at the beginning of the trail to the end of the trail.

So I took a look at the footage and saw nothing at first. However, I asked them to play it again, and after the fifth time, I caught a glimpse of something that made my heart sink. It was a shocking sight that I never thought I’d see. I saw Ava being dragged away by someone in a black hoodie and a red beanie. I was horrified and couldn’t understand why someone would want to harm Ava. She is such a kind and sweet kid who didn’t deserve this.

I realized that I had to act fast if I wanted to save her. I didn’t tell the counselors anything, and instead, I went around to ask people if they ever saw the person who took Ava. Some of them said that the person used to just walk around the campsite trail and would always wear a black hoodie and a red beanie. With this new information, I knew that I had to act quickly and find Ava before it was too late.

“I am positive that we found the person who took Ava. I recognized him as soon as I saw him. His name is Jason Ruler. I asked some people around and they confirmed that his mother used to bring him to this place when he was a child. Unfortunately, his mother passed away, and later his father got into a car accident. I can’t understand why he would take Ava. Perhaps he is just one of those creepy people who do things for no reason. We need to find him and bring Ava back as soon as possible.

As I talked to the person who witnessed the incident, I was shocked to learn that Ava had been taken by someone. I couldn’t believe it, but the witness was sure that the culprit was a man they had seen several times before. They were positive that he was the one who took Ava, and there was no doubt about it.

I thanked the person for their help and decided to report the matter to the cops. I immediately dialed 911 and narrated everything I knew. The operator on the other end of the line was very helpful, and I could tell they were taking the matter seriously. Within no time, the cops were at the scene, and they bombarded me with so many questions.

They wanted to be sure that I was 100% sure that the man pointed out by the witness was the one who took Ava. I didn’t have any doubts and confirmed that the man was indeed the culprit. The cops took down all the necessary details and assured me that they would do everything possible to recover Ava and bring the perpetrator to justice.

I had to play the video clip repeatedly, almost about 10 times before they finally saw what I had been trying to show them. After the cops left the campsite, they immediately went to the guy’s house and arrested him. They took him in for questioning and interrogated him for a while. Eventually, he admitted to taking Ava, confirming the police’s suspicions.

However, he then immediately requested a lawyer, which put the investigation on hold for a few days. During this time, the victim’s friend was left to worry and imagine the worst. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ava and what kind of danger she might be in. Finally, a few days later, the police called her back with some news. The man’s name was Jason Ruler, a 27-year-old male who had been to jail five times before.

The police also informed her that they had located Ava in an abandoned house and that she was safe and sound. Overwhelmed with relief, the victim’s friend rushed to the police station to see her. When she saw Ava again, she couldn’t hold back her tears and ran up to give her a big hug. Ava was crying too, and it was hard to understand what she was saying.

After leaving the station, the victim’s friend took Ava to get some ice cream and then brought her back to her house. They spent the rest of the night talking, watching movies, and playing games. Ava revealed that she was walking on the trail to get some wood for the midnight campfire when she heard a noise. Thinking it was her friend, she called out, but then everything went black.

The next morning, I went to pick up my dad, who was still at the campsite, while Ava stayed behind to get some much-needed rest. It was a crazy experience, but thankfully, everything turned out alright in the end.

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