I only got to see my real father at Christmas time and during the summer vacation. He would fly me down to go stay with him for a few weeks at a time. Since I was so young, and living with Terry on a regular basis, I ended up thinking of Terry as more of a father figure. In my eyes, he was "dad." We used to stay up all night playing Nintendo, and just having a great time. He also taught me how to play baseball. I'll never forget his first words to me about catching the ball, "Don't be so damn afraid of the ball!!" I lived very happily with these parental figures, until my mother decided she wasn't happy living with Terry anymore.

My mom and I moved out, and began living with a guy named Steve in an apartment complex. About a month afte

After I ate, I had to use the restroom, but not the usual, we're talking #2. And of course there weren't any normal restrooms around, so I had to go out into the desert. So, as I walked way far away from camp with my trusty roll of toilet paper, I squatted down to do my thing. In Arizona, they have a particular cactus that they call the "Jumping Cactus". They gave it this name because, when it senses static electricity, it jumps out at the host. Well, just my luck, I had squatted over one of these notorious mood changers. As soon as I bent down, it leached into my behind. "AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!" echoed for miles around as I shrieked in pain. I began to run back to camp as fast as Speedy Gonzalez, but I ran too close to another Jumping Cactus, and it jumped out and lodged into my knee, making me send out another death scream. As I finally got back, everyone was laughing their heads off at my misfortune. Terry even took the time to take a picture of me, in such pain and anguish, which my mom still has to this day. He helped me take out the sharp needles out of my rear. The pain of a cactus in your rump can only be described as getting one hundred shots at the doctor's office, all at once, and all in the butt.

I started walking back, and took a right on the road which I thought our spot was located. Then I soon made a left, and another right, and before I knew it I had gotten of the road and I was roaming through the cactus and sand. Half an hour flew by, and the sun had already settled down for the night. It was pitch black dark, and I was so scared. I kept saying to myself, just find the water and you can backtrack your steps. As I walked through the chilly desert, I heard coyotes howling to the full moon. At first it was just one, but soon it sounded like hundreds of them were doing it. I was beginning to believe that if I didn't find camp soon, the coyotes would find me and eat me. Then I started moving faster, I was now beginning to think, "I am going to be stuck here until I die" and "I should have waited for Grandpa Leroy." I sat down by a tall bush, and tried to think of something I could do. Since the moon was full, and shone down directly above my head, I could now see things better. I looked to the left and saw the mountains, then to the right and noticed something on the ground. I couldn't see what it was at first, so I moved closer for a better look. It was bones! I

Some common words found in the essay are:
Grandpa Leroy, Jumping Cactus, Terry Arizona, Leroy Little, Apache Lake, Steve Terry, , Mickey Mouse, Saguaro Lake, Rouge La, living terry, mom moved, terry mom, jumping cactus, started walking, worried sick, grandpa leroy, real father,
Approximate Word count = 1635
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)