My turn: Bear took fun out of camping

Camping?

No thank you.

My first camping experience happened by accident really.

My mom, her boyfriend Kenneth, and his daughters Rhonda, Rebecca and I were riding around in the countryside of Haletown, Tenn.

It was getting late, so the adults decided to stop somewhere for the night. Kenneth knew of an abandoned house nearby. Rhonda and Rebecca slept in the car. My mom, Kenneth and I stayed in the house.

I had a place on the floor in my own room with a blanket and pillow. The floor was cold and hard, but that wasn’t the worst part.

There was a bear.

I kept hearing noises coming from a large hole in the wall, but didn’t know what it was. My mom was a little rattled when she woke me up the next morning. She said she’d discovered a bear had been lurking around the house.

It startled the girls by shaking the car. We also found evidence a bear had been trying to claw its way into the room where I’d been sleeping.

That’s why I prefer motels, thank you.