What a night? A storm and the power of suggestion can be anything but normal. 
 
Glenda, Carlene and I decided to meet some friends in Florida, half way for a weekend camping trip. We took a map and divided the distance, picked a camp ground and started out.
 
I have to begin by saying the three of us were inexperienced campers. We had a tent, sleeping bags camp stove and all the cooking things we thought we might need. We had maps. We thought we were prepared but the most important thing we missed all together…we did not check the weather forecast.
 
We made list of everything we might need and rechecked the list several times. We were ready to hit the road.
 
We loaded the car the night before. We put all the camping stuff in the carrier on top of the car and personal things in the trunk. The three of us were comfortable with the cooler in the back seat.
 
We left a day earlier then our friends so we could have time to explore some new areas. And make get some great photos. Our route was through country roads instead of the main highways.
 
We stopped for gas and ice for the cooler. In the South we always travel with something cold to sip on as we travel. So we all got one of those huge drinks with a lot of ice. They will last a long time.
 
We had driven most of the day and as evening approached the sky became very cloudy and the wind was making the trees tops sway. Small branches were coming down. It wasn’t long till the rain started and once it started, it was raining so hard the wipers couldn’t keep up with it. We had no choice but to stop where we were. We had no idea where we were.
 
We found an old house not far from the road. It looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years. We turned the car around in the drive way and thought it would be a good idea to just park there and wait the storm out. It would be better than being on the side of the road and risking being hit by another car.
 
We looked at the house and considered the possibility of taking our sleeping bags and going in there for the night. After all the front door was half open.
 
Of course everyone had a ghost story to tell. The combination of storm, the old house and some very active imaginations made the nigh take on a character of its own. After a few hours the storm was still raging. One by one we started to doze off. . I think I was the last one to fall asleep. I listened closely to every little sound. I heard heavy footsteps. I was too frightened to move I saw a tall hunched over shadow moving toward me. I tried to scream and nothing came out. I found a pare knife that was on the cooler, I had used it to open the ice. As the thing came closer, it made a strange noise. I yelled, ”Go away!” but it keep coming. I could feel it’s hot breath on my face. I closed my eyes and stabbed at the thing and screamed. I felt the weapon sink deep into soft flesh.
 
As I screamed I woke up. Of course by now everyone else was awake too. I was jabbing at the window with the straw from my drink and a very confused cow was standing by the car looking at me through the window. The window was half open.
 
My straw was destroyed since I had tried to use it as a weapon against the poor cow. I was so embarrassed.
 
My two friends looked at me with disbelief and swore to keep all straws away from me.