Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I last posted ~I got busy with school and stuff. I'm taking a writing class this year and our first assignment was to write a story. I had so much fun writing this, and I hope you guys have fun reading it! :)
Di’s Quest
I quietly slip out the
door, pausing to ensure that the household is still asleep. The full moon is
the only light over the countryside tonight. Glancing around once more, I
silently run towards the forest.
I still remember the day
my brother left many years ago. Our parents had just died, and we were
starving. He left me at the house of a nobleman, where I would be taken care of,
and then he stowed away on a ship bound for the country of Palladius. He had always
intended to come back for me, but years had gone by without a word from him.
Cringing slightly as I
touch my side, I remember the scene in the kitchen this afternoon. I had just crept
into the kitchen, hoping for a scrap of food. But when the cook saw me, she
yelled, “Get out of the way, Di!”, kicking me roughly aside. I wince at the
memory, gingerly touching my side. Of course, my brother had no idea I
would be so mistreated when he left me here that day so many years ago. But now
that I am grown, I can finally begin the search for my missing brother.
Pulling my pack of
supplies onto my back, I run through both woods and open fields, crossing many
streams as I travel. When I reach the harbor, I quickly scan the line of ships
docked there. Quietly, I slip onto a ship bound for Palladius. I descend into
the hold and hide behind a stack of boxes labeled “SALT”. My eyelids grow heavy as I wait for morning,
and soon I am fast asleep.
At dawn, we set sail. I
hear the sailors shouting above me, and I look around the hold for another
hiding spot. But all I see are more stacks of boxes labeled “SALT”.
On the seventh day at
sea, a great storm comes up from the west. I hear the rain pounding above as
the waves toss the ship from side to side. Suddenly, I feel a sickening crunch,
and the great ship begins to splinter. A massive wave rushes in and knocks me
into the sea. As I struggle to the surface, I watch the boxes from the hold burst
open into the sea. To this day, the ocean is still salty.
I fight my way to shore,
desperately struggling to avoid the sharp rocks. Finally, wet and bedraggled, I
pull myself onto the beach. Exhausted, I fall into a fitful sleep.
The sun is rising when I
wake. A cold wind blows off the ocean as I slowly stand up and try to decide
what to do next. Slowly turning around, I look at my surroundings. The beach
stretches out endlessly in either direction, and a steep cliff looms in front
of me. I know the waves would dash me to pieces at once if I attempted to get
to Palladius by sea. Instinctively, I know that Palladius lies beyond the high
cliff looming in front of me.
The sea has washed away
all my supplies, including my length of rope. I must find a way to the top of
the cliff. Carefully, I begin picking my way over the rocky surface. It’s slow
going, and several times I nearly slip, but I am surefooted, and finally I
reach the top.
I am standing at the
edge of a wide-open, grassy field. Far in the distance, in the direction of
Palladius, is a forest. I shiver in the cold wind and begin making my way
toward it.
The sun is sinking below
the horizon by the time I reach the forest. I pause at the edge, listening,
before warily slipping in. One can never be too careful in a strange forest at
night.
I pad quietly through
the forest, acutely aware of everything around me. Suddenly the sound of a
voice makes me jump behind a tree.
“Wise Owl,” squeaks the
voice, “Tell us how we can be wise like you.” I sneak a glimpse of the speaker
–a bat. Bats are not known for their high intelligence.
The Owl replies, “Obviously,
your brains are not very well developed. I recommend getting better blood
circulation to your heads. Go home and hang upside down in order to get better
circulation in your heads.”
The Bats, who seem to
actually believe the Owl, fly home to their caves to do just that. To this day,
bats still hang upside down in their caves. 1
After the Bats and Owl
leave, I continue through the forest as the daylight slowly fades away. I don't
like being here alone at night, but time is important and I have no choice.
I hear a low growling
sound to my left. As I back away, I hear another growl to the right. Wolves! I
take off as fast as I can, but I know I can never outrun them. Glancing behind
me, I see the wolves are quickly gaining on me. My only hope is to somehow trick
them.
As I dash through the
woods, I notice a particularly large tree straight ahead. Focusing on the great
tree, I put on one final burst of speed. At the last moment, I make a sharp
turn to the right. The wolves realize it a second too late, and the entire
forest shakes with the impact of the wolves crashing into the tree. To this
day, the head of a wolf is still flatter than it once was.
I travel for what must
be weeks. The trees become sparser, and the rolling hills slowly straighten
into a wide-open, rocky land. During the day, the hot sun beats down on my head,
but at sunset, the temperature rapidly drops until I begin to shiver.
On the fifth day in this land, I hear a
rumbling sound in the distance. A cold shiver shoots down my spine as the
strange noise grows nearer. As I draw closer to the rumbling, I notice that pebbles
are shaking on the ground, and the trees are beginning to quiver. I look in the
distance, and my heart sinks with dread at what I see. A massive cloud of dust
is rising on the horizon, growing larger with each passing second. The entire
ground is shaking now. Without waiting to see the cause of this great thing, I tear
off in the opposite direction as fast as my legs will carry me.
Closer and closer the rumbling
approaches. My legs burn, and I am gasping for air, but still I press on,
knowing I would be crushed instantly under the force of this thing.
The thing is almost on
top of me now. I frantically search for a place of safety, anywhere I can escape
this great rumbling thing that threatens to crush me. Then I see it –a tiny
gulley, just large enough for my small body. Swiftly, I leap into the gulley,
just in time to avoid being crushed.
I wait for what seems
like hours as the great rumbling thing passes over my head. Bits of rock rain
down all around me, and I hope desperately that my small gulley doesn’t
collapse under the weight of the massive thing roaring over my head. The noise
is louder than anything I have ever heard in my life, and the entire world
seems to quake. But gradually the noise and quaking begin to subside, until I
am sitting in complete silence. I scramble out of the gulley –and stare in
shocked horror at the world around me.
It is completely unrecognizable.
Where there was once
wide open land is now massive destruction. Rocks and uprooted pine trees are
strewn everywhere. But the most noticeable of all is the vast chasm that
stretches for miles in either direction. I am standing at the very edge of the precipice,
which must be hundreds of feet deep and several miles wide. To this day, the
Grand Canyon still exists.
I wearily travel many
more weeks. Finally, the country of Palladius emerges on the horizon. My heart
quickens as I approach the country. Will I finally be reunited with my brother?
Or will I perish on this final leg of my journey?
I roam the countryside
of Palladius for many days, searching for my brother. Finally, when I have
nearly given up in despair, I see it –the familiar form of my brother dragging
a bale of hay across the field. My heart soars with joy as I race across the
field to join my brother.
After many long months
of hardships and trials, my brother and I have finally been reunited. As we
dash through the field toward the setting sun, we feel like we are puppies
again, instead of full-grown dogs.
I hope y'all enjoyed my story! Thanks for reading! :)
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