“So honey, where are you taking us today?”
Carl smiled as his wife could not resist and gave in to her curiosity, as she studied from the inside of the car the passing forest with a critical eye.
“I told you, this is a surprise” The man was focused on the road but a quick glance at the passenger seat showed that the woman was actually more amused and interested than upset. Golden curls framed the hearth shaped face, while aquamarine colored orbs shifted to the back seats, where the children sat waiting. Abby was a really beautiful woman even in her forties, no doubt because she was very strict in diets and personal care, unlike the man of the house, who wore a scruffy five-days old beard and never cared much about his everyday appearance, as evinced by the sweaters he wore regularly.
“Must you really keep your hair so long, young man? Take better care of yourself, you will never find someone with a hoodie like that” His wife remarked as she scolded playfully the eldest son, engaged in a cellphone game. The couple had two children, Andy the eldest boy that was almost seventeen years old and Cassie, a thirteen years old girl.
Every child took after a particular parent, Andy was a carbon copy of the father, with almost black hair and forest green eyes, with a slim and tall physique for his age, and had an unhealthy preference for baggy clothes and hoodies. He kept the hair long and shoddy clothes because he wanted to grow his reputation as a rebel, even if his mother described jokingly that he resembled more a vagrant. Cassie instead was very similar to Abby, her golden locks were more straight in comparison to her mother, and was a very bright teen with a love for dresses and make-ups. A child in many aspect she strove to emulate the mother, and wore a white sundress emblazoned with various kind of flowers.
“So dad” Andy started to distract his mother from him “Where are we going? The only thing you said is that we will spend the day outside and the place was near the city of Asta”
“Don’t worry, we will be there soon. You only need to wait a bit more…”
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“Well… This is a problem” The patriarch mused while the family searched for an available spot.
“I’m sorry sir, today we don’t have anything else vacant” The employee stated when they found him “But you can try one of the other spots, there is one only two kilometers far”
“Thank you, and goodbye” The patriarch turned to his children and wife with a smile “I suppose we should search again… Pity, this place was the best one. Come on, to the next destination”
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“It’s like everyone decided to pass the day outside! There is no other marked place left” The father lamented as he continued to drive on. The attendants in the last two parks warned them that there were no location left, because this weekend there was some kind of nature celebration in the nearby city. “At this rate we risks to lose the entire morning on the road…”
“What about that meadow?” Cassie interrupted with her face glued to the window “It seems lovely from here! And it’s all for us, there is no one in sight” The girl pointed to the new location, seeking approval from the father or her mother.
The parents looked each other in the eyes “Well, it’s the closest and best spot we found… The place is a bit wild, but it should be suitable, especially if we want to have lunch soon” The father quickly agreed, and after founding a suitable place parked the car nearby. The family got out from the vehicle, ready to organize the picnic, not aware of the dangers in the nearby forest.