Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 11:48:36 -0600 From: Robyn Herrington Organization: University of Calgary Subject: [WRITERS] SUB: CONTEST: HALLOWEEN: Lost Entry number three! Critiques are encouraged. Please send them to me rather than the list. Robyn - rmherrin@ucalgary.ca ----------------------------------------------- LOST It s so dark in these woods. I don t know where I am. I want to go home. I hate being lost out here. I want my mother. I want my father. What s that? Something is moving in the dark. Just a small creature, I hope. I want to go home. Mommy and daddy must be looking for me. Aren t they? Why doesn t somebody come? It was just a Sunday picnic. We had fried chicken and potato salad and carrot cake and orange pop and chocolate chip cookies. The beach was all covered with logs and rocks and what daddy said were tide pools. With little sea creatures running around in them. The sun was shining. Bobby and I built a sand castle. What was that? That s not a small creature. Are there bears in these woods? Maybe it s a deer. Deers don t bite, but they could step on me. I m freezing. I want my mother. I want my father. Even dumb old Bobby would be good. I lost my dolly, so she can t help. What was that? It sounded like a scream. Oh, no. Daddy said that cougars scream. Could it be a cougar? When cougars come to town, all the little kids and pets have to stay inside. Is that cougar going to eat me? Please, please I want to go home. Where am I? I can t even hear the ocean. If I could hear the ocean, I could get back to the beach. Maybe mommy and daddy and Bobby are still there, waiting for me. I need to be very still so the cougar won t hear me. But I can t stop making this funny, puffing noise. Oh, I m so scared. I ll be very still and listen hard. Maybe if I can just get back to the beach, I can find someone to help me. Very, very quiet. Julie. What was that? Somebody said my name. Julie. It s a tiny, little voice. Where are you? Julie. Come to me. Julie. Come to my voice. It s over there I think. Don t bump into anything. It s so dark. Julie, come to me. Ok, Ok, I m coming. Julie, this way. It s moving away from me. Don t, leave me little voice. Julie, follow my voice. I m trying. I m trying. Julie, this way. I want to go home. This way, Julie. Follow my voice. I want my mommy. Julie, follow my voice. There s a light over there. I m not allowed to talk to strangers. What if it s a stranger? Julie, follow my voice. The voice is in the same direction as the light. I guess that s where we are going. What if it s a stranger? I want to go home. JULIE! It s daddy! I m here, daddy. JULIE! I can t make a sound. What can I do? Julie, come with me. The voice is still going to the light. I ll follow it. What can I do to let daddy know I m here. Bang a stick on the tree, Julie. Make a big noise. Something just put a stick in my hand. What is this thing? A ghost? No, ghosts don t give people sticks. Make a big noise, Julie, as big as you can. Ok voice, here goes. Whack, whack, whack, whack. I m over here, daddy. Whack, whack. It s working, here comes the light. Whack, whack. Julie, keep hitting the tree. Whack, whack. Daddy s here. He s hugging me. He s crying. I m crying. Goodbye, Julie. Go home in safety. Don t come back. Goodbye little voice. Thank you. What did you say sweetheart? Little voice? Yes, daddy, the little voice led me to you. And it gave me a stick. Poor child, scared out of her wits. Goodbye little voice. Thank you. Let s go home, sweetheart. Forget about a little voice that gave you a stick. Goodbye little voice. Thank you. -- =====================***********======================= Robyn Herrington rmherrin@ucalgary.ca Editor: New Currents in Teaching and Learning/InfoServe University of Calgary Ph: 220-2561 Leadership lifts a person's vision to higher sites, raises a person's performance to higher standards, and builds a personality beyond its normal limitations - Peter Drucker =====================************======================