Ch 1: So I was dead.

When I was eight years old, my family experienced a tragedy - my death. Of course, they all say that they never believed I was dead, but they all know that after a week they had lost hope. Everyone except my brother, Jared. Jared and I were camping in Yellowstone National Forest with our parents, in the camper they had just bought. It was the first big family vacation I had ever been on, and I was curious and excited to experience nature.

We had been fishing, and while my dad cleaned the fish, and Mom prepared to cook them, Jared and I played near our campsite. There were strict rules about where you could camp, for our safety and the safety of the forest's natural inhabitants. The campgrounds had been carefully laid out to avoid the habitats of large predators, but a bear or mountain lion would occasionally wander into a campsite.

Most of the time, they would knock over a few trash cans and maybe even cause some damage to a vehicle. But no one expected what they perceived to have happen that day.

"Jared, you guys don't go too far," my mother had warned. And we hadn't intended to, but curiosity got the best of me, and Jared was content to follow me through the trees.

"Oooo, a snake!" I shrieked, and ran further into the forest.

"Wait, Jenny," Jared ran after me laughing. "That wasn't even a snake. It was a worm."

Jared's laughter was cut short, and then I forgot all about him when we saw the Grizzly Bear 20 feet from us.