Not how I remember it

“We drove and drove and drove some more.” Not exactly how it happened. That’s the memories that were left for almost everyone.

“Mom, come on! We’re the last ones,” Ellie’s mom grumbled the whole way to the bus about rushing her. That was a common complaint from her. As soon as the bags were stowed and they sat down, the bus started moving. Ellie had no idea how they had convinced her mother to be a chaperone for this trip. Her mother barely tolerated her own kids, much less anyone else’s. All of her friends were sitting two rows back. She was stuck sitting next to her mom. As much as her mom disliked kids, adults were even further down the list. She was going to have to hang out with her mom this whole trip unless one of the other parents somehow dragged her mom away. This vacation was quickly turning into the worst summer trip ever.

The school had sponsored this trip and all the whole junior year class was on board. The only downside should have been the report due at the beginning of the new school year describing all they had learned on the trip.

When Ellie read the first draft of her best friend Jessica’s report, she started to wonder how they had experienced such different vacations. Jessica detailed the first stop on their tour with boring facts and no excitement. She explained what type of trees were in the forest and the sounds of birds and animals in the underbrush.

“Jess, didn’t you see the flaming red bird in the first forest?” Ellie asked.

Jessica looked at Ellie with confusion. “Flaming red bird? I think I would remember that, Ell.”

Ellie rather thought so too. “Don’t you remember the path we went on with my mom? We saw that luminous moss and she made up that crazy story about it being a gateway to another realm.”

Nothing appeared to be clicking with her friend.

“Then we went into the cave?” she trailed off as Jessica’s face went blank. It was almost like Jessica’s mind had hit a roadblock and there was no going forward. She waited for her friend’s eyes to clear. Not too long after Jessica made excuses to go home.

Ellie pulled out her phone and called Seth.

“Hey, Ell. I just finished my report on our boring ass trip. You done?”

“Hey, Seth,” she paused almost afraid of his answer to her next question. “Do you remember going behind the waterfall with my mom at the second stop?”

Silence greeted her.

“Seth? You still there?” she waited a minute. “Seth?”

“Hey, Ell. I just finished my report on our boring ass trip. You done?”

Ellie murmured some form of yes.

“Man, I can’t believe we wasted our whole summer,” Seth went on. “I’m on my own next summer.”

Agreeing half-heartedly, Ellie got off the phone. The group chat with her classmates was filled with others making the same comments.

“Mom?” Ellie walked into the living room and her mom closed her book on her finger.

“Yes, hon,” her mom smiled at the frustrated look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

Ellie narrowed her eyes at her mother. “Jessica doesn’t remember following the phoenix to the luminous moss. It led to a different realm," she waved her arms in irritation. "How did she forget that? And Seth?" she gestured to the side like he was standing beside her. "He doesn’t remember going into the cave behind the waterfall. He loved that it led to an underwater kingdom and was the only land route!" she rounded on her mother. "Why don’t any of them remember any of it?”

Her mother just smiled.

“How could they forget the one forest where we shrunk down and visited the village in the mushrooms? Or, or, or the park where we stayed up all night partying with fantastical beings and dancing in the air? Or the cave where we met the men who were carving stones with knives?!”

“Why would they remember your mother’s silly stories?” her mother responded with a wink.

Ellie shook her head at her mother. “Wow,” she deadpanned. “You really are a witch.” She walked back to her room listening to her mother’s cackle.

As school got busy and life returned to the normal day-to-day grind, Ellie would sometimes feel like she was forgetting something. On days that felt really mundane, she would reread her first draft of the summer vacation that no one else ever got to see. She would be reminded of the most magical, most boring summer vacation ever.