"Yeah," she whispered.
"The mosquitoes?" I clarified.
"Yeah, I hear them."
"Do you think they're inside or outside the sheet?" I wondered aloud as a clutched the picnic sheet tightly over my head making a sort of tent.
"Probably outside." she replied. That was a new idea. Perhaps they were outside the sheet. I would try to imagine that they were. Maybe I was itchy because I was just imagining mosquitoes in my sleeping-bag. I curled up, sliding deeper into my sleeping bag. The croaking frogs were making a noisy 'lullaby' and I made myself imagine that they were far away not close by. No, no. Frogs wouldn't come on the trampoline.
My first time to sleep under the stars. No house with a sturdy roof, no waterproof tent, just a sleeping-bad and a picnic sheet tightly tucked underneath my pillow in an attempt in keep the mosquitoes and other bugs out of my bed. Tiffy and I lay under the stifling sheets. Which was worse? Face the mosquitoes but breathe easily in the fresh air or maintain a sense of safety and remain enclosed in sleeping-bag and picnic sheet? I chose to attempt to keep the mosquitoes out. Tiffy eventually decided to brave them and enjoy the fresh air. So for me my "under the stars" experience wasn't quite directly under them, there was a sheet between me and them the whole night.
Tiffy rolled over. I bounced up and down slightly. I rolled over. Tiffy bounced. This would be an interesting night... We were sleeping outside on the trampoline!
After a while I fell asleep, but I woke up in the middle of the night feeling slightly cramped. I slept some more, but was rudely awakened by a high pitch buzz. I slapped my pillow near my ear. Mosquitoes! Ugggg! I tried to fall asleep, but I was imagining a swarm of a thousand mosquitoes buzzing over my head. I rolled over. Tiffy and I bounced slightly. I made sure my sheet was tucked firmly over my head and under my pillow. What was I thinking?! Why was I out here when I could be in my nice soft bed were there wouldn't be the constant threat of mosquitoes?... Sigh... I must sleep.
I woke up again. Light was shining through the picnic sheet. "It must be early morning," I thought. I rolled over. I'd try to sleep some more, it was probably only 5:00 in the morning or something. All around there was buzzing. I shivered. "Mosquitoes on the attack." I thought. I kept myself firmly sealed in my sleeping-bag hoping that the buzzing mass would go away. I dozed off. A bit later I woke up again. No buzzing. I cautiously pulled the sheet from over my head. It was morning. But I was so tired. Now that I could see around me I saw that there were not many mosquitoes. I also noticed several flies playing on one side of the trampoline. I realized that probably much of the buzzing I had heard was flies not mosquitoes. I kept my face from under the sheet in order to enjoy the early morning air. I closed my eyes to sleep a little more.
Looking over I saw that Tiffy was also awake.
"Good-morning." I whispered. "I wonder what time it is." Tiffy volunteered to go inside and check. When she came back she said that it was 6:45. I yawned. "I'll be back," I said as I walked across the trampoline, making our beds jump a little.
When I returned I brought Early Breakfast. Small pieces of toast with raspberry jam and Milo (Japanese version of hot chocolate). Yum! We tried not to move too much, because it would jolt the tray with the Milo on it so much that it would nearly spill.
"So what should we do?" I asked, "Should we play a game or get an early start on school?" We decided to play a game since that was a funner way to spend our special morning. Tiffy ran inside to get some cards. Milo, toast, game, on the comfortable trampoline with Tiffy. Perfect!
About 8:00 we decided to start packing up. We rolled up our sleeping-bags and moved everything off the trampoline. Then we jumped! We jumped for a minute or two before Tiffy rolled three water bottles onto the trampoline. We had a competition: whoever was touched by the bottles four or five times first lost. So we jumped for several more minutes. How often do you get to jump as high as you want on your bed?
Hot and tired we stopped after the fourth game. "That was fun!" I said cheerily breathing hard. "We should sleep out here again!"
Maybe not enough sleep and too much Milo had some effects...
Thus concluded our adventure on the trampoline, under the stars (and mosquitoes). Do you think we'll do it again?
