Hiking Disaster

Member Story
"Should I go first?" Amanda asked her older brother as she peered at the rushing water in the large creek, hurling sprays of misty water at the two figures on the shore.

"Go ahead," he replied, shoving her forward. Amanda stumbled and caught herself inches away from the deep raging water that could have swept her away.

"ANDREW!"she screeched, purposely falling backwards on her brother, knocking him backwards onto the hard, rocky ground. Andrew yelped in pain as his back was pressed against the sharp pebbles from the weight of his sister. He pushed her off and scooped up a handful of rocks. Amanda flinched.

"Andrew...You wouldn't!" she said nervously.

"Says who?" he taunted, hurling the rocks at Amanda. The pebbles bit her skin and left bruises and scratches. Amanda picked up a big rock and mercilessly bashed it against his shoulder.

"Take that!" she screeched.

"And that!" She kicked him in the side. Andrew moaned. Amanda snorted and placed a foot on a rock in the stream. She moved forward easily, picked certain rocks out and tested them before applying her weight. As she reached the middle of the stream, she glanced around. Instantly, a wave of fear washed onto her. She whimpered as waves battered the boulder she stood on, soaking the the moss that surrounded her. She sat down and clutched her dress.

"Andrew!" she hollered. Silence.

"Andrew!" she repeated.

"Andrew? I'm sorry." Something stirred on the shore.

"Andrew!" she cheered.

"Amanda?" a lady's voice replied. That wasn't Andrew.

"Mom?" Amanda called.

"Amanda, what are you doing out there?" Amanda's mom called.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Is Andrew ok?" Amanda called.

"No, he's not ok! His shoulder has a bruise the size of a softball!" At that, Amanda winced. She took a deep breath and headed back. When she reached shore, she gasped. On Andrew's shoulder was a big black bruise where Amanda had hit him with the rock. Amanda's own body was speckled with bruises and cuts.

"Amanda, what happened to you?" Amanda's mom gasped.

"I cannot believe what happened to you two!" she raved.

"I leave you for a minute and this is what happens?" She threw her hands in the air. 

"What am I to do?" she said clutching her forehead, sitting down on a rotten log. Suddenly, she yelped and grabbed her bottom. She glanced at the log and screamed. For on that log there was a large black spider. Amanda paled. Amanda's mother sagged and whispered, "Am I going to end up looking like you two?" Then she turned and stared at the sky.

"Is this some curse on the woods? Why did we have to get it? Why us?"  Together, the injured crew staggered through the dense woods. Before they had gotten a quarter of the way to camp, Amanda and Andrew, who were holding hands, froze and stared to their right.

"A fawn!" Amanda whispered. Andrew just stared in awe. Suddenly, he leaped up and attempted to tackle the little fawn. Amanda who was still clutching his hand came along for the ride. They ended up in a heap, tangled in a thorn bush, two feet away from the fawn. Startled, it took off, leaving the two behind, scared and hurt. Soon, their mother came crashing through the brush to her children.

"Oh, dear!" She rushed to them and began plucking the thorns from their bodies. She carefully unwound the vine and inspected the children. Amanda, who had already gotten covered in scratches from the pebbles was now oozing blood out of the pebble-shaped scabs. Andrew's shoulder bruise was littered with thorns, all stuck in the tender blue, black skin. Amanda's mom sighed and helped them up.

Soon, they reached their camp.

"Amanda! Stephanie! Andrew! What happened to you?" Amanda and Andrew's dad exclaimed.

"It's a long story," Amanda sighed.

"I can tell!" he said staring at the bloody, bruised crew. He ushered them down on a bench that he had recently made and fumbled about for his phone.

"I wonder what's going to happen," Amanda grumbled. Their father was known to surprise them, even when it seemed like they couldn't be surprised. However, he always managed to make the surprises match the current event perfectly. Unfortunately, he never acknowledged the fact that half of the "surprises"  he gave them were highly dangerous. Both brother and sister watched their father until they were falling asleep. Their father had found his phone and was now engaged in a long boring conversation. Suddenly, Amanda jerked awake and gasped.

"Andrew......Look!" Andrew's head popped up.  Then he almost fell off the bench in shock for their dad was climbing the nearest pine tree, which was a good deal taller then their house!           

They watched as their father pulled himself up, clutching a flag that he carried in his mouth. He continued to climb until he was out of sight. They gasped and hurried to the base of the tree. Their father was already at the top and was sticking the large flag in the top most branch. They watched him climb down, sure-footed and swift. As he was nearing the bottom, he stopped and caught his breath then continued back down. Suddenly, he slipped and, his arms flailing, hit the ground with a thud. Just then, a helicopter came whizzing overhead. The driver saw the flag, then lowered the helicopter into the nearby clearing. Instantly, nineteen men came rushing into their camp, examining everyone, then placing them on stretchers that they wheeled back to the helicopter. Amanda sat up, but the men wheeling her stretcher, pushed her back down. At the helicopter, the driver was frantically making phone calls. By the time the men arrived with Amanda, Andrew and their parents, four ambulances had pulled up. Four men came out of each ambulance, grabbed a stretcher, and wheeled it into the ambulance. Amanda let out a sigh of relief, for she knew she was in good hands now.