Stormy Round Lake Excitement filled the Peterson house. It was June fifteenth and school was over until next fall! Kevin Peterson was no longer a third grader. As of noon, when his mom picked him up after the last minimum day of the year, Kevin had become an "almost" fourth grader. His older brother John had graduated from elementary school the day before. John would start middle school in a few months, but that seemed a long way off to the boys. For now, the brothers were thrilled to be on summer vacation. When their dad got home from the hospital, where he worked as a nurse, the family was going to leave on their annual summer camping adventure. This was the day the Peterson boys had been looking forward to for an entire year. Last summer, and all the summers they could remember before that, they had loved spending a week camping at Round Lake. It was their favorite place to swim, fish, hike, and play as a family. They predicted this trip would be even better than last year's! As soon as Mr. Peterson arrived home, Mrs. Peterson told her husband and sons, "Gather your stuff and load it into the back of the station wagon!" The Peterson family had packed their clothes the night before so they could leave quickly. They hated to get stuck in a bunch of traffic on their way to the lake. Kevin and John thought they should put everything in the car the night before, but their parents had reminded them that Mr. Peterson needed to take the car to work. Remembering that their dad had to park the car in a spot where he could not keep his eye on it during the day, the boys had agreed that they should wait to load it until they were ready to go. The boys had medium-sized duffle bags full of summer clothes, books, card games, disposable cameras, and flashlights they'd gotten for Christmas. They stumbled to the car, loaded down with their bags, plus fishing poles and hiking boots. Then they ran to the garage and grabbed the four sleeping bags their mom had requested they be responsible for bringing. It was hard to believe they needed so much for one week! Kevin and John's parents were also struggling to get their items to the car in one trip. Mrs. Peterson had her clothes and a camping lantern, plus camping cookware and packaged food for meals. Mr. Peterson carried the tent and four collapsible chairs in addition to his personal items. He looked tired from a long day of work, but his mood was enthusiastic and cheerful. "Off we go!" he called out as he pulled the family car, stuffed with the family and supplies, out of the driveway. The whole family had great memories of previous summers at Round Lake. The Peterson family roared down the highway, glad to be in front of all the rush-hour easyCBM Proficient_Reading_5_9 © 2014 University of Oregon traffic. They reached Round Lake by dinnertime. The lake looked peaceful and inviting. The air was still warm, and the sunset was visible in the horizon. No other campers were around, but the Petersons preferred it that way. The sky was clear, and they worked together quickly to set up camp near the lake before dark. Knowing they would need some way to cook their supper, John helped his dad collect wood for a fire. The temperature outside had dropped significantly in the few hours they'd been there, so they hurried to gather the wood. When everyone was perched in their chairs around the fire, they started to prepare dinner. Kevin and Mr. Peterson found four sticks, and John and their mother dug into the food bags to find the hotdogs, buns, and catsup they would need. Before long, they were huddled near the fire, trying to avoid burning their hands as they each prepared their own meal. Before they were even ready to put the hotdogs on the buns, a load roar filled the sky above them! They were shocked and could hardly believe that a storm could have arrived without them knowing it. Somehow, they hadn't noticed the dark sky fill with threatening rain clouds. They heard thunder a second time and saw lightening flash just above the lake. Clearly, the weather had made a drastic change! Rain began to pound on their bodies and quickly changed to hail the size of nickels that hurt when it hit their skin, and they lost all interest in finishing their dinner preparation. They dropped their still-cold hot dogs and looked at each other in despair. The fire began to fade, and Mr. Peterson ordered everyone into the tent. By the time they slithered into their sleeping bags, they were already wet, cold, and very disappointed. The family had hoped to stay up late and enjoy the fresh outside air, but now there was nothing to do but go to sleep, stomachs growling in protest. For a long time, they huddled, shivering, in their sleeping bags. Kevin tried hard not to cry. He didn't want his brother to tease him about being afraid of the lightning and thunder, but he wished they were safely tucked into their house in the city. Finally, even with all the noise, exhaustion took over and Kevin and John drifted off to sleep. "OH NO! Get up! Get up!" Mr. Peterson yelled as the boys awoke and tried to make out their dad's figure in the darkness. It was obviously still night. Barely awake, John and Kevin wondered why he was yelling--and then they felt the water surrounding them! Their mom was kneeling in a puddle in the tent, still too shocked to speak. The tent was about to cave in, and water filled the bottom of it. The boys had gone to bed damp, but they were waking up drenched! Mr. Peterson led them out of the tent into the stormy night. A combination of cold rain and hail hit their already wet clothes and skin. The wind was picking up, and thunder boomed frequently. They knew they had to get to safety before they washed away--or worse, were hit by lightening! The panicked Peterson family rushed to their station wagon. Once they got there, though, they ran into yet another problem. Mr. Peterson could not find the keys! easyCBM Proficient_Reading_5_9 © 2014 University of Oregon "Where did you leave them?" Mrs. Peterson asked. The boys could hear the frustration in their mom's voice. Their dad was famous in their family for his forgetfulness. He lost his car keys all the time, only this time it wasn't so funny. The boys huddled together, frightened, as the storm raged around them and their parents looked like they were about to start arguing. Just then, a huge flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Kevin saw something shiny on the ground near his dad's foot. "Dad!" he yelled, pointing towards the ground. "Right there!" Of course, by then it was dark again, and they had to wait for the next flash of lightning. This time, Kevin was ready. As soon as the sky lit up, he rushed towards the car and grabbed the keys. He handed them to his mom and then stood out of her way. Moving quickly, Mrs. Peterson unlocked the door, and the drenched family scurried to safety. Luckily, they had left the windows up, and no water had leaked in. Mrs. Peterson was relieved that they had fixed the sunroof just the week before. Once Mr. Peterson, Mrs. Peterson, John, and Kevin were safe inside the station wagon, they wondered what to do next. "Do we have to leave?" asked John. Despite the horrible storm, he couldn't imagine not being at Round Lake when the sun rose in a couple of hours. Kevin was more concerned about his stuff. "What about my new flashlight and the disposable camera? Do you think the rain ruined them?" Mrs. Peterson assured him that even if they were destroyed, they were easy enough to replace. Like John, she was more worried about the fate of their camping trip. Mr. Peterson sat quietly, trying not to draw his wife's attention. Kevin thought this was a wise choice as he thought about what might have happened if he hadn't seen the keys on the ground outside. The boys and their father all breathed a little easier when Mrs. Peterson turned to her husband and smiled. "Well," she said, "this is definitely turning into a vacation to remember, isn't it?