[at-l] Sleeping Bag Horror

[Dan Shine <danshine@iconn.net>]

     I should have paid more attention to dad's words, but I didn't.  "When
     you're camping and you get out of your bag during the night, be sure
     to roll up your bag so a snake doesn't crawl in to take advantage of
     the warmth you've created."

     Dad had trained for WWII in the swamps of Louisiana, and no doubt he
     knew some horror stories of GIs found dead in their bags, but he
     didn't share those with an eleven year old.  Maybe I'd have gotten the
     message sooner.

     The summer of 1963 I went on a camping trip in Pennsylvania with a
     church group.  One night was spent camping under the stars in a
     farmer's dooryard.  Sure enough, along about midnight, I had to get up
     to answer the call of nature.  I can still see the sleeping bag as I
     returned to it in the starlight--half opened and inviting to anything
     that slithered or crawled. Although it had been a warm day, the night
     was chilly, and I was happy to push my feet back into the bag.

     Suddenly my bare feet touched something alive, and it jumped!  In a
     flash, I was on my feet next to the bag!  Where, oh where had I left
     that flashlight before I turned in?  The light was nowhere to be
     found, and I was terrified!  I started shaking the other kids awake
     and asking for their lights, "there's a snake in my sleeping bag!"  By
     now I was shivering with fear and cold.

     Finally, I had a light in my trembling hand, and I opened the bag
     cautiously.  The animal did not want to be brought up from the foot of
     the sleeping bag, so I unzipped it fully and opened it slowly with two
     fingers, to reveal--a kitten!

     Later, back in the bag, I lay on my back, still trembling.  There
     would be no more sleep for me on this night.  In my imagination, I
     kept feeling snakes crawling over me, seeking my warmth.  Overhead,
     the stars moved about, and just before first light, a crescent moon
     made its sleepy climb from the horizon.  In the bag and wide awake, I
     watched it all.

     For the rest of the trip, I had no problem remembering dad's words, or
     where I had left my flashlight.  The only real problem was getting any
     sleep...