The Story of Burt

Once upon a time there was a young boy. His name was Burt and he lived in a small town in Northern California. He was happy but he felt like he was missing something. One day the teacher asked him to go out and collect some plant specimens in the woods behind the school. She sent him with a partner, Milpas, who he didn't like. He and Milpas had been long time enemies. He was excited to go, because students usually weren't allowed to go into the woods behind the school without a teacher escorting them. When Burt saw the dark woods he was taken back. He didn't remember them being so dark, but he had to go in to collect his plants. He stepped tentatively into the woods. He walked farther into the forest, and picked up his plants. There was a ghostly hooting noise. Burt dropped his plants and ran. When he stopped running he was in a clearing. There was another kid in the clearing. Burt went over and talked to him. The both agreed on the fact that they were lost. The other kid had heard the noise too. He was from the same school and he had snuck into the woods without a teacher noticing. The other kid knew what he was doing in the woods, and he told Burt that if he just stuck with him, they would be okay. They started walking in the direction that they saw Burt's footprints coming from. Pretty soon it started to get dark and they still hadn't found anything that they recognized. The other kid said that they would have to build a shelter and spend the night in the woods and resume looking in the morning. Burt watched him make a makeshift shelter out of tree branches. Then he put a pile of leaves on the ground to keep them warm over the night. The night was cold and dark, more than Burt had ever seen before. There was howling in the woods and Burt was petrified. He didn't sleep at all, and it seemed like forever before morning came. Eventually it did and the sun beamed down on the pair, warming them in the cold morning. Burt was getting pretty freaked out, because he was lost, cold and hungry. The other person reassured him that everything would be okay. Then it occurred to Burt that he didn't know the other person's name. The other person's name was Irk. Irk said that they needed to go and find food, because the might be out for a long time. They hunted around all day and didn't find anything. They spent another cold and long night in another makeshift shelter that Irk made. The next day they got an early start and by midday they had found some berries to eat. There was a huge blackberry bush and they ate their fill. The next day, after another night in the woods, they found their way back to the school. It turned out that they both went to the same school, but had never met each other. Burt was happy to be home, and remained happy for years to come. He realized what he was missing before. He had no friends!