It was a nice summer day when we stumbled upon our home
away from home. Jerome and I had just got back from our regular
trip to the pool. We were headed on the gravel road back to my
place when we he got the idea that he wanted to take a trip
through the cornfield. Of course, I was willing to go because I’m
always up for anything adventurous.

We got back to my house and decided to get something to
eat before we went on our little hike. We also thought it might be a
good idea to bring some food with us for overnight just incase we
lost our way and needed to camp out for the night.

There we were standing dumbfounded behind my house in
front of the cornfield that was nearly twice the size of us both with
our two blankets, two pillows, and three bags of potato chips. It
seems silly to us now but back then, it was as if we were taking a
trip into another dimension.

As we started our walk through the unknown, we were
scared out of our minds. Everyday sounds seemed like as if they
were coming from some foreign animal. Once Jerome said that he
wanted to go back because he heard a hawk. I told him no and to
stop being such a baby. However, the real reason was because, I
had no idea how we were going to get back.

After what seemed like forever walking in a straight line, we
finally decided on making a right turn.

We walked on our new path for about ten to fifteen minutes
until we concluded that it was to dark and we weren’t even staying
on the path.

We stayed there and made camp for the night. It was then
that we realized that we didn’t bring anything to keep the
mosquitoes and other bugs away from us. The night was horrible.
I was constantly waking up to hit myself instead of the annoying
bugs there were eating me alive like turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

The morning wasn’t much better. We were both very cranky
because neither of us are morning people. We got up looking like
poop. However, we knew that we didn’t have much time because
our parents would eventually call the others and wonder where we
are.

We decided to eat our breakfast (bags of potato chips) on
the go to save as much possible time as we can. I ended up
letting him have the third bag because I wasn’t hungry anymore
after my first.

At the end of the cornfield we came to a hill, and being the
small adventurous little boys that we were, we climbed up it and
we found out that we were on a gravel road and out of the
cornfield. I could even see my house from there and could easily
get there. However, I wasn’t ready to go back yet, and neither was
Jerome.

We descended down into the other side of the road that
happened to be just as deep as the side we climbed out of. On the
way down we lost our balance and we fell head first yelling on the
top of our lungs but we were so far out there was no way anyone
could hear us. We hit branches, bushes, little trees, and every
thing you can think of in an under brush.

When we finally came to a stop we were at the bottom of
who knows what rapped up in roots, grass, and leaves.
Jerome was knocked unconscious half way down the fall. But I
was completely awake and absolutely terrified. I was held to the
ground by a small tree that I rolled into on the way, that
unfortunately managed to roll into me to.

After I calmed down and took the time to look around I
realized that the place wasn’t at all scary. In fact, it was the most
beautiful thing I had ever seen (and I have never been one to take
to nature). I laid there in amazement at the magnificent seen that
was before me. I saw a tiny stream with baby geese in it, and I
saw beautiful evergreen trees.

Then I heard a faint sound in the distance. It kept getting
closer. It wasn’t like the haunting sound of a rabid animal, but
more like a soothing sound. When it got loud enough I started to
look around and saw a mockingbird. It sat on a nearby tree and
just sang the most beautiful tune I’ve ever heard. Then two more
came and joined in on the melody, adding harmony.

I lied there listening to the sweet but melancholy music until
they eventually stopped when it was well after dark. Jerome had
long since woken up and was apparently listening to the birds as
well.

Afterwards we just stayed there to look up at the stars in
wonder. I have no idea what he was thinking about at the time but
I was thinking about absolutely nothing. He said to me, “No one
can know about this place.”

My response was, “ Yeah. Like…Like our own sunset to
night sky paradise.”