The correct solution...!

“Dad.. i am so excited..!” Danny held pulled his dad’s hand dragging him out of the house.  His dad, Nick, smiled broadly at his son patting on his back.

“Easy, my boy..! Slow down..!” he said pulling his son back.  

“Dad.. we need to pack..!” Danny dashed inside screaming with joy.  Finally his dad had agreed to take a couple of days off for his son.  A single parent, his had had to work hard to make the ends meet.  Danny, a ten year old boy, like any other kid wanted to spend more time with his dad.

“Finally... we are going!” Danny raised his hands in the air jumping on the bed with excitement.

“Yes!Yes!Yes... we are going.. on camping.. only me and my dad!” he said stuffing his clothes in his sack.  

“Take light weight clothes... you should be able to carry it by yourself..!” his father was at the door of his room.  Danny nodded happily stuffing only the required things.

They were ready with their bags packed... his father had hoisted a tent pack on the car and was waiting for Danny.

They raced away.  It took them two hours to reach the entrance... The camping season had started and the weekends were flooded with the campers.  

“Dad.. we have to hurry up.. to get the good spot..!” Danny screamed running ahead in excitement.

“Danny careful!” his dad warned.. “I know, Dad! He shouted back!”

“Stop sonny... i know a perfect spot near the river bed.  No one knows about it!” he said holding his Son’s hand.  Danny looked up at his dad, in admiration.

“Really? We can camp there!” he said swinging his hand.  Nick smiled.

“But we may have to walk down the river more deeper in the woods..! Are you ready?” he asked and Danny nodded “Yes... i can walk any distance...!” his father smiled and their journey began.

They were carrying the food, some vegetables, yogurt packs, grains and soup packs to boil.  Had packed some salami , were carrying body lotion .. a torch, Swiss knife, Hammer, a long stick, a rope, rippling nails, trekking shoes, sleeping bags.. lighter, and water bottles.  

“Give me your bag for some time, sonny.. i will carry it!” his dad offered.

“No.. I can carry it myself..!” said the son.  His father smiled.

They could see families camping along their pathway.  Danny looked around excitedly.  His father was walking faster now. 

“Danny, hurry up.. we must reach sooner if you want to enjoy the river water..!” his father pushed him a bit to increase the speed.

“Dad.. I am so excited...!” Danny couldn’t stop himself from running forward.  His dad followed.  His father took him inside the woods and they could hear the crashing, cascading water fall.  Danny ran forward till he reached the river bank.  He looked around in excitement.  They had left the crowd behind.  He looked at his dad and hugged him around his waist. 

“This is the best day in my life!” he shouted.

“Ok. Sonny, let us find out a clearing for erecting our tent.  They wandered around and found a clearing very near to river bank.  

“This is the best place, Dad..!” Danny screamed..!  Everything his Dad did was best for him.

They looked around. Danny pulled out a drinks bottle and tried to open the seal.

“Give me.. i will do it for you!” dad offered.  “I can do it myself, dad!” said the son grinning.

His dad started clearing the ground.. Danny stopped him..

“I will do it! I can do it, dad! You sit there...!” he pointed at a distance.  Danny started clearing the ground picking up wood, stones, dried leaves and clearing the ground for their tent.  His father sat on a boulder and watched his son doing it ..!

Danny stopped.  A particularly big boulder was in his way.  He had to remove it.  He tried in vain.  He looked up at his father... 

Nick smiled at his son folding his hands without moving from his place..and said 

“Sonny,  use all your resources to remove the hurdle....!”  Sonny nodded.  He tried everything in vain but his excitement and ego didn’t allow him to give up.  

He took out their bags and started rummaging in the bags taking out the tools they had brought with them...

*********   ***********

What do you think? How would Danny remove the boulder? 

 

********   ******

He took out the stick.  Looked at it and the boulder.  I can use it as fulcrum and pop out the boulder.  He smiled at his father.  He watched on..!  The boy tried with the stick sticking it on the side and keeping a smaller stone at the centre to pop the bigger one out.  It didn’t happen.  This stick was littler weaker for the boulder and it broke.  The boy felt bad and didn’t give up.

“Can we erect our tent around it, Dad?” the boy asked in a high pitch clutching a stitch.  

“Try out, sonny! But you need to hurry up, before dusk!” His dad showed him the long shadows.  The boy ran and took out the tape.  Measuring the perimeter of the stone.

“Dad, if we erect around it, where will we sleep? The tent is only for two!” the boy said in frustration.  “Either one of us will have to sleep outside!” said his Dad. 

“Can i break it into pieces with the hammer and nail?” the boy asked.  His father nodded. 

“You can try out my son! Decide how much time you have with you!” he looked at the setting son.

The boy was running against time.  He brought in the hammer and the nails.. Went on hammering to the best of his capacity... could only chip out a small portion of the boulder in five minutes.  He straightened himself up and said..

“Dad, this is not going to work.  It will take ages to break this into pieces.!” His dad nodded again.  

“Yes my son!” he said shifting a little in his seat.  

“Can I erect circumventing this?” He looked at his father.  

“Yeah! You can try” his father said smiling.  The boy took out the measuring tape again to see the clearing area and the size of the tent.

“Dad... it wont work...!” They boy had tried out everything he had in his hand.  He was losing it.  Finally he came to his dad and said.

“What do we do now, dad? We should have chosen another place..!” he blamed his father.

“But this is the best clearing, sonny!” his father pointed out.

“Yeah!” his son looked down.  Nick got up from his seat and pulled his son in his arms..

“Sonny, remember.. what i had told you?” he asked giving his son energy drink from his sack.

 Yeah dad, you said  “Sonny,  use all your resources to remove the hurdle....!”  Danny blurted ad verbatim.  His father smiled.  

“Good!” he said.  “Did you use all your resources, sonny?” he asked taking his son to the boulder.  

“Yes Dad... !” the son said looking at his father..

“Think sonny!” Father said.

“Most of the time, the solution is with us... but we keen looking elsewhere!” Nick looked at his son’s puzzled face and smiled.

“You too had the solution with you, sonny! Why didn’t you utilize it?” he asked placing his hand on the boulder.

“What is it Daddy?” the son asked hugging his dad around his waist.  His dad smiled.

“Sonny, you had me! Am i not your resource?” he asked pulling the boulder with all his might.  The boy gaped.

“Now put those smaller stones under it.  We will roll it out of our way...!” his father said hurriedly struggling to hold it.  The boy obeyed and they both rolled the boulder out of their way..!

“Think out of the box, sonny! You will find the solution within you!” Nick picked up his son in his arms and within no time they were in their tent preparing for camp fire...!