“Sarah, wake up!” I heard a voice yell. I tried shifting to get into a comfortable position, but I was barely able to move. My eyes popped open, revealing my peculiar surroundings. How did I end up here? I questioned myself before slowly remembering the day’s events…
   

Yeah, there is no way that I can do this. I’m gonna be soooo bored! I was at Fall Retreat –a yearly activity for the youth group at my church. We were doing a small-group activity that required us to spend 20 minutes –without talking to anyone– to walk around the area and be alone with our thoughts and feelings to think without (too many) interruptions. I can’t walk around aimlessly and not sing even a little bit! And I like talking (just not about my feelings)!
   

I sighed and grabbed my fluffy green blanket because I was sleepy. Those beds are rather uncomfortable. I started thinking about the bunk beds that we had to sleep on for the weekend as I exited the building and wandered aimlessly. You had to sleep on a poufy blanket; otherwise the springs inside the mattress would poke you and stick into your ribs.
 

 A chilly breeze flew by me. Jeez, it’s cold… Well, duh, it’s autumn! Obviously it’s gonna be cold! I trudged around the woods and searched for a place to settle for the remainder of the time.

I bypassed other teens who were in on this activity as well. Every time I passed someone and made eye contact with them, I smiled and nodded –acknowledging their presence. Then we would move away. I wanna talk… or at least sing…
 

I shuffled up and down the vibrant green grass, taking in the scenery. I trudged through a small clearing. There was an oval of grass that was not populated with trees. There were pebbles and such scattered along the area. I thought that it was a nice place to stay for a while. I sat down in one of the grassier areas, slowly lowering myself to the ground.
   

I didn’t want to get my fuzzy green blanket dirty. It was my favorite blanket. I had gotten it from my paternal grandparents –who live in Minnesota– for my birthday. I carried it around as if it were a security blanket.
 

 I’m so tired. Not only were the beds a bit uncomfortable, but ‘lights out’ was at 12:30 pm, so until that time, there are yelling, laughing, and just plain noisy teens running around the place.
   

I started to get uncomfortable from sitting on the ground for so long. Why does the ground have to be so rocky? I stood up and started sneaking around again. I passed by more people who were doing the activity. I wonder if they are as bored as I am… How much time do we have left?
 

 I kept trudging, and eventually I came across an obstacle course. There were tires roped together to make a tightrope-looking course. There were rope climbing and balance beams and other things that were made with ropes and tires. This could be fun…
   

I smiled and tried many of the courses. A lot of them were pretty easy, but I wasn’t able to complete a few of them. I didn’t know the purpose or the challenge of some of the courses, so I made it up and made some of them more difficult for me. It looks sort of like a tightrope, so maybe that’s what it’s supposed to be? Then I would try the course. Yup. Balance is definitely not my strong point. I’m going to move on to the next course before I get myself killed.
   

I had plenty of fun doing the obstacle courses and I was about to leave the area to start wandering again, when I saw a giant tire that was securely tied between two trees. Aw, that’s pretty cool. And it looks comfy! I unwrapped myself from my favorite blanket –slowly, so that my skin had time to adjust to the cool, crisp air.
   

I observed the tire as I crept closer. It was pretty big. It must’ve been from a tractor, or something. It probably used to be a solid black color, but the color had faded over time from being in the sun all day, every day, for many years. The outside of the tire had ridges and grooves while the inside was mostly smooth. Both inside and outside the tire, there were words –probably the brand– engraved on it.
   

Inside the tire, there were some leaves and some helicopter seeds. Everything was completely dry. I love these things! I thought as I pick up a couple helicopter seeds. I threw them up in the air and watched them twirl to the ground. Wheee!
   

Done with my little game, I scooped up the rest of the dry leaves and the helicopter seeds and tossed them out of the tire and onto the ground. Carefully, I climbed up and into the tire. As I climbed with my blanket draped over my right arm, I could smell the sappy sweet scent of the tree.
   

I situated myself inside the tire, leaned back into a laying position, unraveled my blanket, and placed it on myself. The tire was comfy and warm because of how tight it squeezed my body.
 

Through the warmth, I wiggled my toes and fingers to loosen them up. I could feel my whole body relaxing into the tire. My eyes were drooping from sleepiness. I closed my eyes and felt my jaw slacken. My cheek muscles gave up on moving my chubby cheeks. My limbs went limp, and I let sleep take me over.
   

My last thought before I drifted off was, If someone didn’t think I was a monkey before, then they definitely will now…