Sweet, wild berries plucked from roadside patches are a delightful side benefit of camping. Each summer, my husband Bob and I would send the kids off with their little metal buckets and the next day we would all enjoy the fruits of their labor: raspberry pancakes turned on the grill or firm blackberries to dot a hot cooked-on-the-campfire peanut butter sandwich.
The children looked forward to picking. We could usually find just about anything, from blueberries in early summer to raspberries and blackberries in August. Every year - except one.
"There's nothing around here to pick!" five-year-old Julie complained, poking a stick into the dying fire one late summer evening.
The season had been too dry; what few blackberries were left on the bushes were hard as marbles.
"Yeah. I looked all over," added four-year-old Brian. "Wish there was something."
That night, after the kids were zipped into their sleeping sacks and I was sure they weren't awake, I handed Bob a bag of large marshmallows and I grabbed a bag of the miniatures.
"Get the lantern and follow me," I said. "We're going to make a memory."
"What?" He looked puzzled.
I told him about the kids'campfire conversation and Bob grinned, "Let's go!"
The next morning over pancakes, I said, "Kids, I think you're going to have something to pick today."
"Really!" Julie's eyes shone. "What?"
"What?" echoed Brian.
"Marshmallows," I said, as though I'd said it every summer. "Last night Daddy and I walked down toward the lake and it looks as though they're just about ready to pick. It's a good thing we're here now. They only come out one day a year."
Julie looked skeptical, and Brian giggled. "You're silly, Mom! Marshmallows come in bags from the store."
I shrugged. "So do blackberries, but you've picked those, haven't you? Somebody just puts them in bags."
"Daddy, is that true?" He demanded.
Bob was very busy turning pancakes. "Guess you'll just have to go find out for yourself," he answered. "Okay!"
They were off in a flurry, little metal buckets reflecting the morning sun.
"You nut," Bob said to me, laughing. "It won't work."
"Be a believer," I answered.
Minutes later our two excited children rushed into the clearing.
"Look! I got some that were just babies!" Julie held up a miniature.
"I picked the big ones!" said Brian. "Boy, I want to cook one! Light the fire, Daddy, quick!"
"All right, all right, settle down." Bob winked at me. "They won't spoil." He lit some small sticks while the kids ran for their hot dog forks.
"Mine will be better because they're so little," predicted Julie. Brian shrugged, mashing two large ones on his fork.
We waited for the culinary verdict.
"Wow! Brian's eyes rounded with surprise. "These are sure better than those old ones in the bags!" He reached for another. "These are so good!"
"Of course," I said. "These are really fresh!"
Julie looked puzzled. "How come all those marshmallow bushes don't have the same kinds of leaves?"
"Just different kinds, that's all," I replied quickly. "Like flowers."
"Oh." She licked her fingers, seemingly satisfied with my answer. Then, studying the next marshmallow before she popped it into her mouth, she looked up with the sweetest smile and said softly, "We're so lucky that they bloomed today!"
孩子們也都期待著出去采漿果。很多時候我們會什么都沒有采到，從初夏的藍莓到懸鉤子到八月的黑莓。
5歲的朱莉抱怨說：“這里什么都沒有啊。”
這個季節太干燥了，只有很少很少的黑莓剩下了，而且剩下的那些是那么的堅硬。“是啊，我看了所有的地方，希望會有一些。
那天晚上，當孩子們鉆到他們的睡袋以后，我確信他們已經睡著了，我遞給鮑博一袋大漿果然后拿了一袋小的。
“拿上燈籠，跟我走，”我說“我們要去創造記憶了。”
“什么?”他看著我迷惑地問。
我告訴他孩子們的對話，他笑了，說：“走!”
第二天早飯時時，我說：”孩子們，我想今天你們一定有可以采的漿果了。”
“真的嗎?”朱莉的眼睛里閃耀著光芒，“什么?”
“什么?”布賴恩回應著。
“漿果啊”，像每年夏天一樣，我說，“昨天晚上爸爸和我順著小溪散步，好象那里就是有很多東西啊。我們能在這里太好了，因為它們每年只出現一天。”
朱莉看上去有點懷疑，布賴恩卻咯咯地笑了“你真傻，媽媽。漿果是從商店買來的。”
我聳了聳肩“黑莓也是，但是你已經摘了，是嗎?有人把它們裝進了袋子里。”
“爸爸，是真的嗎?”他好象還不甘心。
鮑博正在忙著翻煎餅，回答到“去看看能不能采到吧，好嗎。”
他們提著小籃在陽光明媚的早晨快速跑去。
“你這個笨蛋”，鮑博笑著對我說：“那沒用的。”
“要相信別人”
一會工夫，兩個興奮的孩子跑了回來。
“看!我采到一些小嬰兒漿果!”朱莉提著那些小漿果跑了回來。
“我摘到大的，”布賴恩也快活地說“爸爸，快點生火，我想做一些，快啊!”
“好的，好的”，鮑博朝我眨了眨眼睛，“他們沒有失望”
“我的肯定更好因為它們很小”朱莉說。
“哇!”布賴恩的眼睛里閃爍著驚奇“這些肯定比那些袋子里的好的多。”
“當然了”我說“他們真的很新鮮!”
朱莉看上去有點迷惑“為什么他們沒有相同的葉子呢?”
“種類不同的，孩子”我趕快回答“像花一樣”
“哦”她咬著舌頭，看上去對我的回答很滿意。開始研究下一個漿果，然后填到嘴里。她微微抬起頭，輕輕地笑著說“我們太幸運了，它們今天全開了!”
