Hail Day, My Nephew Insists on Camping

Just as I was about to watch a newly discovered movie, Sienna called again.

I answered, and her sobbing voice came through.

"Lilah, Stephen was hit in the head by hail, and he's bleeding and unconscious. We called an ambulance, but the hail was too heavy to get through. You need to drive over and pick us up, or Stephen's life is in danger."

Anthony grabbed the phone and shouted, "Lilah, did you hear that? Hurry and bring the car."

I replied, "Dad, I told you the car is smashed by hail and can't be driven. The ambulance can't even get through, so how can I? This is all Raphael's fault for insisting on camping in this weather and taking too long to buy something. If he hadn't pushed for this trip, we wouldn't be in this mess. If he had chosen something quicker, I could have been back by now.

"Right now, the priority is for you to find a safe place to shelter and ensure no one else gets hurt. Cars won't get through until the hail stops. Once it does, I'll take a taxi to pick you up."

Anthony, furious, replied, "I should have strangled you at birth."

I comforted him, "Dad, calm down. Anger won't help. My phone is running out of battery, so please don't call again. If it runs out of battery, I won't be able to reach you when the hail stops."

After saying that, I hung up the phone.

They didn't call again this time.

The hailstorm lasted all day, finally stopping at night.

I went outside to find the ground covered in large ice chunks, making the road impassable.

Fortunately, there was a small hotel nearby, so I decided to spend the night there.

To avoid further disturbances, I switched my phone to airplane mode and slept well.

The sanitation workers cleared the roads overnight, and by morning, they were passable.

I turned off airplane mode and saw several missed calls from my parents.

I called Maria. "Hey, mom, how are you? I tried to get a cab yesterday, but there were no cars on the road. My phone was out of battery. But I call you right after I borrow a charger. Are you okay?"

Maria cried, "Your dad and I took your nephew and walked until we found a factory with lights. Sienna stayed with Stephen, and I don't know how they are."

"What? You left them behind?" I was shocked.

Maria replied, "We had no choice. Stephen is too big to carry. Besides, Sienna can keep him company."

I said, "Alright, send me your location, and I'll pick you up."

After hanging up, I received the location.

It took me a while to call a car.

When I arrived at the factory, Anthony approached me, looking ready to punch.

I stepped back, and Maria rushed to intervene. "Anthony, this isn't the time to lose your temper. We need to hurry and pick up Stephen."

Anthony held back his anger, and we all got in the car, heading for the campground.

Maria, Anthony, and Raphael were bruised. Raphael had several large bumps on his forehead and visible slap marks on his cheeks.

It seemed I had done a good job provoking yesterday.

The kid was much better behaved now and didn't say a word during the drive.

Upon arriving at the campsite, we found Sienna and Stephen missing.

Maria called them, but their phones were off, and we couldn't reach them.