Episode 2: "The National Park Disaster":

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Chapter 5: "The Bear-y Bad Ending"

As the fire crackled, the family finally settled into their camping groove. Maxie was happily roasting marshmallows and singing his "Marshmallow Anthem" on repeat, much to everyone's amusement—and mild annoyance. Greg and Linda were chatting about their plans for the next leg of the trip, while Dwight wandered off into the woods, probably to "inspect" the wildlife he kept talking about.

MAXIE (mid-song): "I'm gonna roast my marshmallow, make it golden brown! Gonna make it ooey gooey, and—"

TESSA (interrupting, tired of the tune): "Maxie, you've sung that same line at least twenty times. It's not that catchy."

MAXIE (shrugging as he pulled another marshmallow from the bag): "I think it's pretty catchy. I'm gonna make a song career out of this, you'll see."

LINDA (leaning over to Greg, whispering): "If he ever gets a record deal, I'm retiring. For good."

GREG (grinning): "You'd miss him too much."

Just as the mood started to feel almost normal, Dwight came rushing back through the trees, his eyes wide with an expression of panic that instantly wiped the smile off everyone's face.

DWIGHT (yelling): "Everyone, get inside the tents! Now!"

The family looked at Dwight, confused, unsure whether to take him seriously.

LINDA (slightly panicked): "Dwight, what's going on? What happened?"

DWIGHT (frantically looking around, backing away from the woods): "There's a bear! A big one. It's not far behind me, and I—I don't know if I can outrun it! It's coming for all of us! GET TO THE TENTS!"

Maxie looked around in confusion, thinking this was part of a game.

MAXIE (chuckling): "A bear? You're joking, right? It's probably just... a big dog or something. You know, like a really big dog. I've seen those around before, like those huge poodles—"

DWIGHT (cutting him off): "MAXIE! Not the time for jokes, get in the tent NOW!"

With Dwight's urgent tone, everyone rushed for their tents in a panic. Maxie, still thinking Dwight was playing a prank, simply stood there looking around.

MAXIE (scratching his head): "Okay, this is getting weird. Bears don't really attack, do they? I mean... I thought they just hung out in the woods, like nature's version of a Netflix documentary. Do they even like marshmallows?"

Just as Maxie finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the bushes. The family froze. Then—CRASH! A massive bear leaped out from behind a tree, its eyes locked on the campfire.

MAXIE (screaming like a cartoon character): "OH MY GOSH! I WAS RIGHT! THEY DO LIKE MARSHMALLOWS!"

The bear was drawn to the fire, but Dwight, with his quick thinking, threw a large log onto the fire, sending embers into the air, creating a makeshift smoke barrier.

DWIGHT (yelling to the family, who were huddled inside their tents): "Stay down! Stay quiet! Do NOT provoke it!"

The family held their breath, trying to be as quiet as possible. Maxie, however, could not contain his excitement.

MAXIE (whispering loudly): "Guys, this is amazing! We've got live wildlife, just like an actual nature documentary! Who's got the camera?"

TESSA (whispering angrily): "Not the time, Maxie!"

Maxie, in an attempt to get closer for a better view, crept out of his tent with his phone, carefully tiptoeing towards the bear. Unfortunately, his attempts to be stealthy were anything but.

MAXIE (accidentally stepping on a twig, making it snap loudly): "Uh-oh...?"

The bear's head snapped in Maxie's direction. The family's collective hearts stopped as the bear took a step toward him. Maxie froze, wide-eyed.

MAXIE (whispering nervously to himself): "Okay, okay, okay... maybe this wasn't the best idea."

At the exact moment the bear started to charge, Dwight tackled Maxie to the ground, rolling with him into the nearby brush, out of the bear's direct line of sight. The bear, seemingly distracted by the chaos, turned back to the campfire, sniffing the air, then lumbered off into the woods.

DWIGHT (panting, clutching Maxie): "That... was too close for comfort. Are you trying to get eaten?"

MAXIE (stunned, brushing dirt off his clothes): "Well, I didn't mean to. But did you see that bear? It was huge! Bigger than a trampoline!"

LINDA (from her tent, relieved but annoyed): "Maxie, what part of 'stay in the tent' did you not understand?!"

GREG (also emerging from his tent): "We're lucky we didn't end up as bear snacks."

Maxie stood up, dusting himself off as though he had just completed an epic adventure.

MAXIE (grinning): "Honestly, guys, I think I'm the real hero here. I mean, if I hadn't been out there, Dwight might've missed his chance to save me!"

Dwight stood up, shaking his head in disbelief.

DWIGHT (grinning despite himself): "Sure, Maxie. You definitely saved the day."

TESSA (sighing, exasperated): "I'm just glad the bear didn't really want to eat us."

GREG (looking at the bear tracks on the ground): "Yeah, but next time... let's stick to the s'mores and not any wildlife adventures, alright?"

LINDA (laughing, shaking her head): "At least we'll have something to talk about when we get to the next gas station. If we make it there."

And with that, they all huddled back together around the fire, the bear a distant memory. The night had been full of drama, adventure, and just the right amount of chaos for the Road Trip Family. It was a trip they'd never forget—though, considering how things were going, they weren't sure they wanted to remember it.

MAXIE (chiming in as the fire crackled on): "You know what would make this even better? More s'mores."

Everyone groaned in unison, but deep down, they couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

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