Meg is too exhausted to sleep. Her children were arguing in the car for the entire drive here. She had planned this entire trip for them, and neither of them wants to be here.

She is not surprised by Cam’s seething anger and hostility, but she is surprised by Iris’ sharp sarcasm and lack of faith in Meg’s planning skills.

They are asleep and quiet now, at least. They are on opposite sides of the tent.

Meg is trying to mimic their slumber, but it is not working. She thinks about the reasons why it might not be working. Could it be disappointment that her children no longer enjoy family outings? Could it be that the tree root under the tent is making her back feel like a piece of wood with an axe sticking out of it? Maybe it’s her husband’s snoring.

She awakes to an empty tent.

She tries not to stumble as she pushes herself out of the tent. She feels like she’s getting out of a clown car. Iris is seated at the picnic table.

“Good morning,” Meg says.

“Morning,” Iris returns as an operatic yawn bursts through her open mouth.

“How did you sleep?”

“I don’t think I did,” Iris says. “How about you?”

“I didn’t sleep great,” Meg tells her. “Your father’s snoring kept me up.”

Iris looks confused. “Dad’s snoring?”

Meg laughs. “Okay, you were definitely asleep if you didn’t hear him snoring.”

“Mom,” Iris begins.

“Where’s your brother?” Meg interrupts.

“He went to get water so he can do dishes after he makes breakfast,” Iris says. Meg is surprised.

“I’m sorry, he’s doing what?”

“Good morning, Mother,” Cam says politely. Meg turns sharply. He is walking back onto the campsite with the water. He is smiling pleasantly.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Meg says. “You’re up early.”

“I got up early to make breakfast for everyone,” he says. “But I was the only one up, and I didn’t want to serve cold breakfast to you when I got up, so I did some other stuff first.”

“Yeah, Iris said you were going to make breakfast and do the dishes.”

“Anything to be helpful,” Cam says.

“Oooo kayyyyyy,” Meg says as she observes him with suspicion. “What time did you get up?”

“Four o’clock.”

“You’ve been up since four?” Meg exclaims. “What’ve you been doing?”

“I practiced some math equations from my school binder,” he says. “As you know, I nearly failed math this year and I don’t plan for that to happen again.”

“You brought your school binder with you?”

Iris coughs and says, “Nerd,” under her breath.

“Hey,” Meg tells her. “That’s not necessary.”

“Dad must have packed my school stuff,” Cam says.

“Dad did not pack your—” Iris starts to say, but Meg interrupts her again.

“So you’ve been doing math, Cam? Since 4 am?”

“I also reorganized all the camping gear and washed your car,” he says. “And then I got started on some reading. I thought it was time I got into the classics. I’m reading Jane Eyre because I know how much you like that one.”

Meg looks around the tidy campsite and the clean car. “Well, that was nice of you Cam,” Meg says. “The car looks great.”

“Anything to be helpful,” he repeats.

After breakfast, Cam cleans everything up.

“I thought we might go for a hike,” he says. “There’s a waterfall nearby. It will probably take about ten minutes to walk to the top of it, and then there’s there’s a trail through the woods that leads to the bottom. I think you’ll really like it, Mother, and Iris might like it, too.”

“That sounds great,” Meg says.

“I’m down, but I’m going to shower first,” Iris says. She opens the tent and grabs some clean clothes and a towel. Her flip flops clap against her feet as she walks to the showers.

“Why don’t you see if your dad wants to come too?” Meg says.

“Sure, I’ll ask him.” Cam climbs into the tent.

Everyone is ready to go when Iris returns from her shower. They fill their water bottles and start to walk.

“I thought you said it was only ten minutes,” Iris complains 45 minutes later.

“I must have miscalculated,” Cam says. “I think we’ll be there soon.”

After another 20 minutes, Iris says, “This is stupid. I’m going back.”

“I think we should stay together,” Meg says.

“Can we all go back, then?”

“Do you think we’re almost there, Cam?” Meg asks.

“Why are you asking him?” Iris snaps. “He doesn’t know. He said it was going to be a ten minute walk.”

“I must have miscalculated,” Cam repeats.

“Well, then I guess your calculations weren’t very helpful,” Iris says.

“I thought it would be helpful to organize an activity that we could all enjoy as a family.”

“It is helpful, Cam,” Meg says.

“Anything to be help—”

“Whatever,” Iris says. “Mom, can we please go back? I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Just use that one.” Meg points impatiently at a porta-potty next to the path.

“Do I have to?”

“I don’t know, how badly do you need to go?” Meg asks. “Could your even make it if we went all the way back?”

“Fine,” Iris says. She opens the door and says, “Oh, god!” before slamming it shut again. She loudly holds her breath before opening the door again and going inside.

Meg hears a voice whispering in the trees. She steps closer, trying to hear it.

“Hello?” she says.

“Help me,” the voice whispers.

“Where are you?”

The voice is saying, “Mom? Mom?”

“Cam?” Meg says, confused.

“Yes, Mother?” Cam says. Meg turns. He is standing next to Iris, who has come out of the bathroom. She is now wearing a pleasant smile, identical to the one that Cam has been wearing all day.

Meg looks back at the trees, and then at her children. “I thought I heard something.”

“I think you might be hearing the waterfall,” Iris says in a chipper voice. “Are you coming, Mother?” She starts to walk down the path.

“I thought you wanted to go back,” Meg says.

“It would be a shame to turn back now,” Iris says. “We’re almost there. I can hear the waterfall!”

“Are you coming, Mother?” Cam asks.

“I guess,” Meg says.

After they’ve been walking for another 30 minutes, Meg says, “I thought you said you could hear the waterfall.”

“I can hear it, Mother!” Iris says enthusiastically. “We’re almost there, and it’s going to be beautiful. This was such a good idea, Cam.”

“Okay, what is going on with you two?” Meg asks. “You’re both acting super weird.” She hears the whispering behind her again. This time, it sounds like two voices.

Cam and Iris look at her with wide eyes.

“What do you mean, Mother?” Cam asks, concerned.

“We just want to be helpful,” Iris says.

“That’s the thing!” Meg says. “Usually I have to beg for help.”

“But isn’t this better?” Cam asks.

“Isn’t this what you want?” Iris says.

They’re both crowding towards their mother as she steps backwards.

“I mean, I do want you two helping out more without me having to ask, but you’re not acting like yourselves,” Meg says. “You’re acting like Stepford children.”

“That’s a very amusing joke, Mother,” Iris says politely. She does not laugh.

The children continue to walk closer to Meg as she slowly moves backwards. They seem to be growing taller with each step. Their features are blurring and their pupils are growing larger. Their eye sockets grow larger too, to accommodate their newly enormous pupils.

The whispers behind her are becoming louder. They’re saying, “Mom! Mom!”

“Are you even my children?” she asks.

“What a thing to ask!” Cam says as he looms over her.

Meg feels her heel drop into air. She hears the sudden, roaring sound of rushing water.

“Look, Mother,” Iris says. “You found the waterfall.

Meg turns to look behind her. It is beautiful. The foaming, bubbling, sparkling water crashes on the smooth rocks as it cuts a silky, white ribbon through the trees. The rocks look like ancient and weathered carved stairs.

She teeters on the edge of a rock as she takes in the breathtaking scene, and then she is cascading backwards through the air like she is a part of the waterfall. She lands on the rocks below head first, where her skull makes a loud crunch. Her limp body gets caught between two rocks, and her blood flows down the river with the water.