Summer of '03 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Lost in the Woods



Its morning and I can barely open my eyes.


"Come on gang! Today's the big day, hiking!", my dad shouts out excitedly.


"UHHHHHH…", I groan loudly. As I slowly lift my head from the pillow, I ask, "What time is it?"


"Well, it's 7:00 AM. I know its late, but we can still make it. We got the whole day to hike!", my dad eagerly replies.


"FINE.", I talk back. "What's for breakfast?"


"Eggs and bacon", this time mom replies, "And I know your so picky on your meat, so Alex picked some wild berries for you."


"Ok", I say.


After a while, I started eating the berries. Eww.






"Dad, I'm ready", I tell him.


"Great! Everyone set to go?", he asks.


We all say yes, and head off into the forest in front of us.


I was extra prepared. It’s the woods, you have to be. I brought along a small backpack with hand sanitizer, some tissues, chap stick, a water bottle, and a watch on my wrist.






It's 8:05 and I'm the caboose of the pack, dad's in front, of course; mom behind, and Alex and I at the back. The rocks were so steep, I hated it. There was a lot of plants and trees in front of us, and I suggest that we take a short break. Obviously dad was hesitant about it.






Hours passed, and we kept on walking and walking. I complained, dad yelled, mom smiled, and Alex was just BORED. The priceless look on his face gave it away. More hours passed, and it was 3:30 PM.






After a while, I couldn't see dad anymore; or mom. Alex was sitting on a rock, and I just couldn't find them. I told Alex to stay there, and I went to look for them. When I came back Alex wasn't there either. 20 minutes pass, and I look and look. I scream and cry. Where did they go? I was so scared. Is this a joke; or, am I seeing things?






I sit there on a rock. I cry and cry like I haven't before. What is going on? I'm lost, aren't I? I'm done. My life is OVER. I can’t find my parents or my brother, and Melanie won't talk to me. Well, if she knew the scenario I was in right now, she would understand. I need to learn how to survive. I need to know what to do in this situation. God, Help Me.










TO BE CONTINUED…

Patriotism Response

To me, Patriotism is extremely important. American heroes gave up their lives so we can live ours peaceful and free. In other words, look at us now; free is what we are; our country is free of a dictator and has utmost freedom! We would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for these heroes who risked their lives for us. We have the ability to express ourselves and say what we wish to without being thrown in jail. Every day we should respect them and show our love for the country. Why? Well, today we have many rights and can go to school without being killed. Back then, nobody had any of that. No rights, no freedom. Think about all the sports events that you see; Baseball games, car races, basketball games. At these games, we always sing the national anthem or say the pledge of allegiance. These are 2 of the very many ways that we can show our veterans that we truly appreciated everything that they did for us to make this country what it is today. Showing patriotism isn’t that hard. You can think of very many ways to do that. For example, as I mentioned before, we can say the pledge or sing the national anthem. Another way? Just take a moment of silence every day. Think about all the things all of us can do to show our veterans that we truly love everything that they did for us. To sum it all up, Patriotism is love, loyalty, and devotion to our country. So, let us show to other people that we love them by taking a minute to recognize our veterans and make this country the best it can be!