Fun in the Dark, Part 2
Night Exploration
A few years later, my time at a boarding academy produced many other such amusing experiences. I suppose on a closed campus in the wooded hills miles from town, it felt safer to run around at night, knowing you’re not likely to be shot if someone spotted you. I know I’d never pull some of the stunts I pulled if I was in a public neighborhood. Besides, with buildings sprawled in a random manner across the crest of a hill and down the sides, and large trees everywhere, it was the perfect place to move around unseen at night. All my experience playing tag and hide & seek in the dark growing up came into play here.
My friend, Mike, and I made some rules about how to conduct ourselves on our night adventures. We decided whatever rules we broke by being out after curfew, we would never cause any permanent damage to property. We wanted to have fun, not cause someone else any serious trouble. And I told my friend that everyone else gets caught by being stupid, or by bragging to others about what they had done. So we decided to be extra cautious and patient, not taking unnecessary risks, and NEVER tell ANYONE what we did. I should emphasize that out of the entire school year we only went out late at night a few times. But out of the entire school year, they were some of the most entertaining experiences.
My first outing with Mike was mostly a scouting trip. We just wanted to see what was going on around the campus at 1:00 a.m. The answer? Precisely nothing! It was actually eerie how quiet and still everything was. No cars, no people, no machinery, nothing! It felt like we were the only people alive on earth.
We found a man-made stream, or channel, which carried water from one end of the school property to the other. We crossed it where it went under the road and over a deep valley. To keep the channel level over the valley, a large half-pipe supported by tall bridge-like bracing spanned the elevation drop. Railroad tie-like boards crossed the top of the half-pipe to keep the curve in the sheet metal. We climbed onto these boards and began hopping from one to the other down the channel. Soon I realized I was 30 feet over the valley floor hopping from one board to the next over the rushing water, and I could hardly see where I was stepping in the darkness. “What am I doing?” I thought, “I could fall and break my leg, or my neck!” I was glad when we got to the hill on the other side!
We continued into the college campus. We were walking down a sidewalk near the college girl’s dorm toward a road when we saw a figure walking toward us in the dark. Without a word both of us dropped to our stomachs on the cement and rolled under the edge of the hedge next to the sidewalk. In a few seconds the figure passed by close enough for me to reach out and touch without fully extending my arm. I recognized her as one of the college girls.
Now I have to stop for a minute here. If this were daytime, we would have been easily spotted. This is what is so fascinating about running around in the dark: if people aren’t looking for you, you can hide in what would be plain sight if the sun were shining. And as you’ll see later on, sometimes people who ARE looking for you can’t see you. It’s just a matter of knowing how to blend into shadows, or hedges in this case. Any large object can hide or distort your shape, and your shape is really what gives you away at night. Yet, I was able to make out enough of this girl’s clothing, hair, and face to recognize her. There is something cool and adventurous about observing without being observed.
After she had gone into the dorm, my friend rolled out onto the sidewalk and sat up. “I wonder what she was doing out so late?” he whispered. I glanced toward the road, “Well, the guy’s dorm is on the other side of that road, but I don’t think she was getting help with homework down there!” We both chuckled at the implication and moved on.
Things that run past in the dark...
A couple months later a group of home-schoolers visited our academy for the weekend. My brother and I had been home schooled most of our grade school years so we had fun talking with the kids. On Saturday night they headed out into the woods to camp overnight. This was around 10:30 – right after curfew for us academy guys. Mike, my brother Gregg, and I decided to try adding some excitement to their evening. We put on our dark clothes and head coverings. Ducking out the window, we saw flashlights down the hill, on the trail into the woods. Perfect timing!
We made our way quietly down the hill and onto the trail behind them. We followed them, staying a short distance behind. Then, for some reason, they all stopped and began shining their lights around. I stepped off the trail behind a tree on one side, and Mike and Gregg did the same on the other side. Let me tell you, trying to communicate with hand signals under large trees which block out the moonlight is harder than it looks in the movies! We were trying to collaborate from opposite sides of the trail, narrow as it was, on what to do next. We were just close enough to the group that a whisper loud enough for us to understand could possibly have been heard by them. When it became clear that the group was not particularly interested in anything behind them, Mike darted quietly across to my tree. “Hey, let’s just run past them as fast as we can and see what they do!” It sounded crazy, but I thought the results should be entertaining.
We clued Gregg in on the plan, and then Mike took off. He ran so quickly and quietly past them that they hardly noticed and only a couple students turned their heads. Then Gregg went charging past. By now the students were becoming aware of the dark shadows pounding past them at the edge of the trail. As I approached the group hot on Gregg’s tail, I could see they were beginning to move sharply and look around in alarm. One girl, who was a little bigger than me, turned to look toward me as I passed. Her large backpack closed the space between her and a tree. I hit the backpack at a dead run, spinning her around and landing her on her butt.
About half a second later, two of the bigger guys started yelling and chasing us with flashlights. Obviously, it’s pretty hard to be invisible in a flashlight beam. They could see us running but couldn’t tell who we were. We reached a connecting trail which angled off to the side and dodged into it. For those 2 or 3 seconds, we were out of reach of the flashlight beams. We were looking over our shoulders at the flashlights nearing the corner, running as hard as we could to get some distance before they rounded the corner. Just as they did, we jumped off the trail into the bushes. Pain cut into my stomach and arms, and I realized I had jumped into a large tangle of blackberry vines! Ouch! I did my best to keep my suffering silent. When our pursuers rounded the corner, they shined the lights down the trail. Seeing we had disappeared, they walked back to their group.
As we extracted ourselves from the blackberry thicket, I realized that the RA (resident assistant to the dean) would be checking rooms in 5 minutes. We cut through the woods off the trail to avoid the campers and ran back to the dorm. We climbed in through Mike’s window and were preparing to go back to our rooms. I heard the door across the hall open and the RA saying something. “Quick!” I whispered, “Take off your black clothes!” Gregg didn’t bother, but walked into the closet and shut the door. Mike and I stripped to our underwear. The door swung open and the RA leaned in. I reached down and picked up one of Mike’s dumbbells. “Eric, what are you doing in here?” I looked up, “Uh… Workin’ out.” The RA raised his arm and looked at his watch purposefully. “You are supposed to be in your own room now, it’s almost 11:30.” I glanced at my own watch, “Oh! Yeah. Sorry about that.” I put the dumbbell down. The RA glanced at Mike and I in our briefs and a slightly puzzled look crossed his face. “It’s alright, just go back to your room as soon as you can.” He shut the door.
I looked at Mike. He sat down on his bed convulsing silently with laughter and shaking his head. “I wonder what he was thinking, seeing both of us standing here in our underwear.” I chuckled. Mike took a deep breath and tried to contain himself. “Hey! He’s the RA in an academy guy’s dorm. He’s seen much stranger things! Trust me!” I nodded and gathered my things to go back to my room.
Masked Greeting
Another night later in the year Mike and I were out again. It was probably around 11pm. We were sitting in the bushes near the main road through the campus, trying to decide what we could do when an 8th grader walked by. What he was doing out so late I don’t know, but he was one of our teacher’s kids. Mike got that mischievous grin on his face. “Just follow him down the road. I want to try something,” he whispered.
As Mike disappeared into the dark, I stepped out onto the road and began to walk silently behind our young target. I followed him almost all the way across the campus about 30 feet behind without him noticing me. Then Mike appeared on the road about 50 feet ahead of him. The boy stopped walking and just stared without saying a word. Mike was wearing all black and a ski mask. I wore the same uniform. I continued walking silently, closing the distance behind the boy. When I reached him, I touched him on the shoulder. He spun around, eyes wide and mouth open, but still not making a sound. Mike took the opportunity to disappear into the trees. The boy stared at me for a second, then looked back to see Mike gone and I ran into the bushes on the opposite side of the road. Mike and I watch from opposite sides of the road as the boy stood still for a minute, swiveling his head around in all directions. Then he began to walk slowly on his way again. This wordless interaction was very weird and hilarious at the same time! I wonder what he told his friends.
Ballpoint Dart Gun
One night I had a classmate in my room who refused to leave, even after I told him I needed to get some sleep. He was telling wild, obviously fictional stories, probably wired on caffeine. I finally went to the bathroom, thinking he’d go to someone else’s room. He did. But a few minutes after I returned to my room, he was back! I roomed with my brother Gregg at the time, who was also trying to sleep. He finally piled off his bunk, walked to the door, and opened it. I grabbed the guy by the upper arms, spun him to face the door and pushed him into the hall. “Don’t come back tonight!” I told him. Some people just can’t take a hint!
I had been experimenting with a home-made blow gun using a water supply pipe for a sink and the inside of a Pilot ink pen. I had gotten the ballpoint refill to penetrate a corrugated box earlier that day. I took the contraption to bed with me, facing the wall away from the door. 5 minutes later the door opened again and a tall figure stood there silhouetted in the light coming from the hall. I rolled over and puffed the dart across the room and into his stomach.
The lights came on and I saw my dean examining his stomach! “Ouch man! That thing drew blood! What is that?” Needless to say, the dangerous weapon was confiscated. I guess shooting first and asking questions later is not always a good idea after all.
A few years later, my time at a boarding academy produced many other such amusing experiences. I suppose on a closed campus in the wooded hills miles from town, it felt safer to run around at night, knowing you’re not likely to be shot if someone spotted you. I know I’d never pull some of the stunts I pulled if I was in a public neighborhood. Besides, with buildings sprawled in a random manner across the crest of a hill and down the sides, and large trees everywhere, it was the perfect place to move around unseen at night. All my experience playing tag and hide & seek in the dark growing up came into play here.
My friend, Mike, and I made some rules about how to conduct ourselves on our night adventures. We decided whatever rules we broke by being out after curfew, we would never cause any permanent damage to property. We wanted to have fun, not cause someone else any serious trouble. And I told my friend that everyone else gets caught by being stupid, or by bragging to others about what they had done. So we decided to be extra cautious and patient, not taking unnecessary risks, and NEVER tell ANYONE what we did. I should emphasize that out of the entire school year we only went out late at night a few times. But out of the entire school year, they were some of the most entertaining experiences.
My first outing with Mike was mostly a scouting trip. We just wanted to see what was going on around the campus at 1:00 a.m. The answer? Precisely nothing! It was actually eerie how quiet and still everything was. No cars, no people, no machinery, nothing! It felt like we were the only people alive on earth.
We found a man-made stream, or channel, which carried water from one end of the school property to the other. We crossed it where it went under the road and over a deep valley. To keep the channel level over the valley, a large half-pipe supported by tall bridge-like bracing spanned the elevation drop. Railroad tie-like boards crossed the top of the half-pipe to keep the curve in the sheet metal. We climbed onto these boards and began hopping from one to the other down the channel. Soon I realized I was 30 feet over the valley floor hopping from one board to the next over the rushing water, and I could hardly see where I was stepping in the darkness. “What am I doing?” I thought, “I could fall and break my leg, or my neck!” I was glad when we got to the hill on the other side!
We continued into the college campus. We were walking down a sidewalk near the college girl’s dorm toward a road when we saw a figure walking toward us in the dark. Without a word both of us dropped to our stomachs on the cement and rolled under the edge of the hedge next to the sidewalk. In a few seconds the figure passed by close enough for me to reach out and touch without fully extending my arm. I recognized her as one of the college girls.
Now I have to stop for a minute here. If this were daytime, we would have been easily spotted. This is what is so fascinating about running around in the dark: if people aren’t looking for you, you can hide in what would be plain sight if the sun were shining. And as you’ll see later on, sometimes people who ARE looking for you can’t see you. It’s just a matter of knowing how to blend into shadows, or hedges in this case. Any large object can hide or distort your shape, and your shape is really what gives you away at night. Yet, I was able to make out enough of this girl’s clothing, hair, and face to recognize her. There is something cool and adventurous about observing without being observed.
After she had gone into the dorm, my friend rolled out onto the sidewalk and sat up. “I wonder what she was doing out so late?” he whispered. I glanced toward the road, “Well, the guy’s dorm is on the other side of that road, but I don’t think she was getting help with homework down there!” We both chuckled at the implication and moved on.
Things that run past in the dark...
A couple months later a group of home-schoolers visited our academy for the weekend. My brother and I had been home schooled most of our grade school years so we had fun talking with the kids. On Saturday night they headed out into the woods to camp overnight. This was around 10:30 – right after curfew for us academy guys. Mike, my brother Gregg, and I decided to try adding some excitement to their evening. We put on our dark clothes and head coverings. Ducking out the window, we saw flashlights down the hill, on the trail into the woods. Perfect timing!
We made our way quietly down the hill and onto the trail behind them. We followed them, staying a short distance behind. Then, for some reason, they all stopped and began shining their lights around. I stepped off the trail behind a tree on one side, and Mike and Gregg did the same on the other side. Let me tell you, trying to communicate with hand signals under large trees which block out the moonlight is harder than it looks in the movies! We were trying to collaborate from opposite sides of the trail, narrow as it was, on what to do next. We were just close enough to the group that a whisper loud enough for us to understand could possibly have been heard by them. When it became clear that the group was not particularly interested in anything behind them, Mike darted quietly across to my tree. “Hey, let’s just run past them as fast as we can and see what they do!” It sounded crazy, but I thought the results should be entertaining.
We clued Gregg in on the plan, and then Mike took off. He ran so quickly and quietly past them that they hardly noticed and only a couple students turned their heads. Then Gregg went charging past. By now the students were becoming aware of the dark shadows pounding past them at the edge of the trail. As I approached the group hot on Gregg’s tail, I could see they were beginning to move sharply and look around in alarm. One girl, who was a little bigger than me, turned to look toward me as I passed. Her large backpack closed the space between her and a tree. I hit the backpack at a dead run, spinning her around and landing her on her butt.
About half a second later, two of the bigger guys started yelling and chasing us with flashlights. Obviously, it’s pretty hard to be invisible in a flashlight beam. They could see us running but couldn’t tell who we were. We reached a connecting trail which angled off to the side and dodged into it. For those 2 or 3 seconds, we were out of reach of the flashlight beams. We were looking over our shoulders at the flashlights nearing the corner, running as hard as we could to get some distance before they rounded the corner. Just as they did, we jumped off the trail into the bushes. Pain cut into my stomach and arms, and I realized I had jumped into a large tangle of blackberry vines! Ouch! I did my best to keep my suffering silent. When our pursuers rounded the corner, they shined the lights down the trail. Seeing we had disappeared, they walked back to their group.
As we extracted ourselves from the blackberry thicket, I realized that the RA (resident assistant to the dean) would be checking rooms in 5 minutes. We cut through the woods off the trail to avoid the campers and ran back to the dorm. We climbed in through Mike’s window and were preparing to go back to our rooms. I heard the door across the hall open and the RA saying something. “Quick!” I whispered, “Take off your black clothes!” Gregg didn’t bother, but walked into the closet and shut the door. Mike and I stripped to our underwear. The door swung open and the RA leaned in. I reached down and picked up one of Mike’s dumbbells. “Eric, what are you doing in here?” I looked up, “Uh… Workin’ out.” The RA raised his arm and looked at his watch purposefully. “You are supposed to be in your own room now, it’s almost 11:30.” I glanced at my own watch, “Oh! Yeah. Sorry about that.” I put the dumbbell down. The RA glanced at Mike and I in our briefs and a slightly puzzled look crossed his face. “It’s alright, just go back to your room as soon as you can.” He shut the door.
I looked at Mike. He sat down on his bed convulsing silently with laughter and shaking his head. “I wonder what he was thinking, seeing both of us standing here in our underwear.” I chuckled. Mike took a deep breath and tried to contain himself. “Hey! He’s the RA in an academy guy’s dorm. He’s seen much stranger things! Trust me!” I nodded and gathered my things to go back to my room.
Masked Greeting
Another night later in the year Mike and I were out again. It was probably around 11pm. We were sitting in the bushes near the main road through the campus, trying to decide what we could do when an 8th grader walked by. What he was doing out so late I don’t know, but he was one of our teacher’s kids. Mike got that mischievous grin on his face. “Just follow him down the road. I want to try something,” he whispered.
As Mike disappeared into the dark, I stepped out onto the road and began to walk silently behind our young target. I followed him almost all the way across the campus about 30 feet behind without him noticing me. Then Mike appeared on the road about 50 feet ahead of him. The boy stopped walking and just stared without saying a word. Mike was wearing all black and a ski mask. I wore the same uniform. I continued walking silently, closing the distance behind the boy. When I reached him, I touched him on the shoulder. He spun around, eyes wide and mouth open, but still not making a sound. Mike took the opportunity to disappear into the trees. The boy stared at me for a second, then looked back to see Mike gone and I ran into the bushes on the opposite side of the road. Mike and I watch from opposite sides of the road as the boy stood still for a minute, swiveling his head around in all directions. Then he began to walk slowly on his way again. This wordless interaction was very weird and hilarious at the same time! I wonder what he told his friends.
Ballpoint Dart Gun
One night I had a classmate in my room who refused to leave, even after I told him I needed to get some sleep. He was telling wild, obviously fictional stories, probably wired on caffeine. I finally went to the bathroom, thinking he’d go to someone else’s room. He did. But a few minutes after I returned to my room, he was back! I roomed with my brother Gregg at the time, who was also trying to sleep. He finally piled off his bunk, walked to the door, and opened it. I grabbed the guy by the upper arms, spun him to face the door and pushed him into the hall. “Don’t come back tonight!” I told him. Some people just can’t take a hint!
I had been experimenting with a home-made blow gun using a water supply pipe for a sink and the inside of a Pilot ink pen. I had gotten the ballpoint refill to penetrate a corrugated box earlier that day. I took the contraption to bed with me, facing the wall away from the door. 5 minutes later the door opened again and a tall figure stood there silhouetted in the light coming from the hall. I rolled over and puffed the dart across the room and into his stomach.
The lights came on and I saw my dean examining his stomach! “Ouch man! That thing drew blood! What is that?” Needless to say, the dangerous weapon was confiscated. I guess shooting first and asking questions later is not always a good idea after all.
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