That's when π said, "Let's go for a nice Sunday walk on the beach to watch the sunset!" Since the sun was already almost entirely set, I figured it'd be a short walk.
I should have known better.
We walked along the beach and got some pretty pictures. We laughed, we talked, we sang some primary songs...it was great!
We got to 'the point' where the rock meets the water and I turned to go back. π suggested we keep going and walk along the beach on the other side of the point, the kids begged to keep going, I gave in. Walking over the rocks was a bit tricky--they were steep and rough and most of us were barefoot. We made it alright and by the time we got to the picnic tables on the other side, it was pretty close to full on dark.
π wanted to keep walking down the beach until it was pitch black, I told him he was crazy and we should head to the road right then while we could still see. Since we had 7 kids with us, I won. We headed towards the road through a camp ground when K and π suddenly weren't with us anymore. é ran back to see what was up and a moment later π was by my side letting me know the three of them were abandoning me with 5 little children in favor of walking along the beach till they couldn't see anymore.
Great. So they left and we followed the road through the campsite towards the road that would lead us back to the house. Only the road through the campsite didn't meet up with the real road--it turned into a gigantic circle. As it was unpaved (unsealed) it was ripping up our naked feet and by the time we made it back to where we started, several of the kids were near tears because their feet hurt so badly.
By this time, it's full on dark. There's no moon. It was partially cloudy so there weren't even that many stars. And we're right back where we started half an hour before. The kids are all pretty freaked by the bird noises, the frogs and crickets chirping, the surf crashing and the dark so the panic levels are starting to rise.
I have to admit, at this point, I'm just plain annoyed bordering on pissed. How could π force us to all go out on this 'walk' then abandon me with 5 little children?! Swallowing my annoyance I started talking to the kids about what they were afraid of. The birds? The same birds we searched for while laying on the beach before? The same ones we chased while eating a picnic? Why were they scared of the birds?
As they laughed off the birds, we rationed away all their other fears. What they weren't afraid of, but I was, was the rocks. The steep, sharp, craggy points of pain that we were now starting to climb up. L was on my shoulders by this point which was throwing my balance off and the triplets were billy goat gruffing it up like they were walking on clouds. ∞ was my shadow like always--making it more nerve wracking because if this 200 lb girth misstepped and started to fall, she would be directly in the crash zone. The tide looked like it had risen so we opted to try and go up and over the rocks. At the top, the trail we'd been following suddenly ended.
Down or back? We started down and X² stopped in his tracks. When I snapped at him to keep walking (because I'd almost tripped over him) he mumbled something and sounded near tears. I repented quickly and asked him what he'd been doing.
"I was trying to say a prayer because I'm really scared," he said.
Chagrined I apologized and we stopped to give him a moment to say a prayer. We continued down and within a moment or two he said, "We need to go back up. I'm really not comfortable with this. I think it's the Holy Ghost telling me to go back." So we turned around and went back up.
At the top we had another choice, back the way we'd come, or follow the path along the crest. We chose the crest only to be stopped 100 meters later by the trail suddenly ending.
No option now but to head back down and face the rocks. Three group prayers and 30 minutes later we got to the sand on the other side of the rocks. The prayer on the sand was said amid giggles of joy and relief. We were back in the house not 10 minutes later surprised that π wasn't back yet.
When they walked in the door 2 minutes later, they didn't know why I was so annoyed. I told them to read the blog. I guess all's well that ends well.
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