Di's Quest

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! :)