I dreamt that I was in a park pavilion, which was about a quarter-mile from the ocean and not far from the city, with David Badertscher, Mike and Rachel Phipps, and my brother Mike Baughman (all co-workers at Prairie Camp). David was quizzing us over the Bible, flipping to random pages in the enormous book and asking us questions about the verses he read to himself, expecting us to know the answers. We were all having a rough time answering correctly.
Suddenly a larger-than-life bus pulled up next to us and dropped off a bunch of campers. There were hundred of kids, and many camp counselors were accompanying them (including Jacob Bartlette). We began to prepare for a picnic.
Suddenly, the weather turned bad. Unfortunately, the bus had already left, so we were stranded.
The wind began to punch us and the rain started soaking everything open to it. The pavilion was no use, for the wind pushed the rain right through it. The area began to flood. Soon enough, hail began to drop from the sky. The kids all huddled together. Mike was over on the other side of them with David, and they were all under an overhang, so they were partially sheltered.
Rachel and I were in the pavilion. I began to shield Rachel from the hail for I didn't mind the pain as much as her. However, she began to freak out and, though I tried to calm her down, she took off and began running out toward a fence that was between the park and the road.
I chased her, trying to get her to come to her senses, but she climbed the fence, hopped down, and began running to the ocean. I warned her that we were on the highest ground in the area, and that she risked drowning. Then Mike Phipps also leapt over the fence and joined his wife in a panic. Because of their example, all of the kids and counselors began to run. David, Mike, and I tried stopping them, for I wanted to keep them together on the high ground, but it was no use. Some kids ran with Rachel and Mike toward the ocean, and other kids ran with Jacob Bartlette toward the city (probably a better idea, but still a bit foolish).
Then a rush of water swept down the road causing the kids to disappear from our sight. There were large vehicles floating down the water, out of control, and I feared for the kids' lives. Suddenly, David pulled up in his old Jeep minivan and picked up Mike and I.
We were unable to drive toward the kids, so we were forced to head back to our camp, which was only about a mile away, to regroup.
By then, it was late in the night. I told David that I would take a quick nap so that I would have the energy to swim in search of the children. I went into my little room in a large cabin and fell asleep. Twenty minutes later, I awoke, and decided to go search for the kids. I met up with David, who was just coming back from looking for them. He told me that he would accompany me anyway. As we were putting on our large boots (I believe they're called floaters or something like that), I saw an angry-looking old man peering at us through a small window in the cabin door. I warned David of his presence.
When we got outside, the man startled us and told us to get in his van. We obeyed, for we didn't know what he was capable of. Once we got in, he lightened up and began chatting with us about how we could go about looking for the campers. He was actually a very pleasant guy, and very helpful. He joked around a lot, and he lightened the dark mood a bit, which gave us more energy.
We drove around looking for them until morning, with absolutely no sign of life.
The old man dropped us back off at the camp and told us he would keep his eyes open for any signs of them.
We were disheartened. Then I remembered that Mike was still asleep. I woke him up and told him that we couldn't find anyone.
Suddenly, I heard honking coming from outside the cabin. I ran outside to see its source: a big charter bus. Campers and counselors were walking out of it in a single file line, looking exhausted. I ran over to Jacob and asked him if everyone was there and if they were alright. He informed me that every camper and counselor were accounted for, and that they had found shelter in a nearby gas station, where a sympathetic owner allowed them to spend the night.
I was relieved. Then a thought came to my mind. Why didn't I just call Mike Phipps and ask him if he was alright? I have his number in my phone. It may not have worked, for his phone might have been ruined by the flood, but I didn't even try.
Then Carrie arrived and called a meeting with the core staff and the counselors. She asked us what we could have done differently to prevent this whole thing. I said that we should have all stuck together, and, though I sympathized with Rachel's fear, I suggest that the staff should have been more level-headed, for they set an example for the campers to follow. I also said that they should have stayed on the higher ground.
I was then immediately taken back to the point when the wind began to punch us back at the park. This time, all the counselors and campers followed me to a large white rock that we climbed up and rested on while the weather beat down upon us. The rocked protected us from the wind, hail, and rain, and we watched as the area about us flooded. I turned to the other staff and told them, "See, we should have stayed up on the higher ground."
Then I awoke.
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