Chatterbox: Down to Earth

What did you do over the summer?

Hey, I know I'm curious, and I'm also itching to tell someone! So, write ahead! It could be a short story, a list, you name it! I think it's pretty obvious what you're supposed to do!

My summer

-Writing

-Reading (I discovered Watership Down! So good!)

-Going on the CB

-Camping

-Baseball

-Drama

-Fencing

-Cross-State trip

Here's my first mini-story:

The Fishhook (all names are false)

Once apon a time, my family went with a bunch of other families to Copake Falls, where we have an annual camp we like to call Pebble Camp. It's a nice place; there's a fishing dock and a man-made lake there, and Bash Bish Falls (a hike leads you there) that is really beautiful.

My brother and his friend Kentucky liked to get up, grab their fishing poles, climb down the steep hunting trail, and fish on the dock. Side note: Arnold (my brother) used a little fish decoy thingy like what you use for fly fishing.

Anyways! That day, my friends Willow and Simon and I had just got back from a bit of early wading in a kiddie-pool-like-thing. Arnold and Kentucky (Simon's brother) had apparently just stopped fishing, and we all started back up together.

"Hey, Brittany," said Arnold. "Can you hold my bait? It keeps getting snagged on my clothes, and I have my pole to carry and all."

I agreed. Arnold's bait was a fish with two anchor-like hooks on either end, with three barbed points for each hook.

To get back to the campsite, we had to walk through a small parking lot and up a hill. We were about in the middle of the parking lot when-

"Hey, it's stuck!" I said.

Simon and Willow tried their best to get the hook out of my owl skort, but it wouldn't budge. And then, suddenly, Willow's scream pierced the air.

it took about 1.5 seconds for me to spot the culprit.

Another one of the barbs had snagged Willow's thumb.

A woman and her son were riding their bikes along the parking lot. (wait- I forgot. Kentucky was still there too. Sorry.) Simon and I flagged her down and quickly explained our ailment. She tried to calm Willow down, who did rather quickly (although she was still scared out of her wits, obviously), while Kentucky took a shortcut through the woods to get Willow's mom.

After a long time (or so it seemed) she arrived. Helena told us quickly, "Martin (both my dad and Willow's) is coming down with the car. Just stay put."

Before the woman (whose name happened to be Indigo) left, she and Helena figured out that it would be easier for Willow to move if I took my skort off. So I ended up wearing Helena's shawl.

Soon my father came down with our car, and asked to see Willow's thumb, saying he'd cut the barb off and we'd be done. Unfortunately, the barb was in her thumb, so that option was out. Instead, we all (not including Indigo and Kentucky) piled into the car (that was full of groceries- guess who was cramped between that and the window. I'm not complaining, though. Willow definitely needed space more than me) and drove up to the campsite.

We quickly consulted Bella, who's a nurse (and going to school... again? I'm not really sure). She got the main part of the hook out, but the barb was still stuck tight. So they asked a park ranger where the nearest hospital was.

That night, Simon and I had a sleepover in my tent. We basically refused to go to sleep, reading and talking instead, until finally my mom told us (at past 11) "Willow just got back, and she's asleep now."
"Is she all right?" I asked.

"She's fine. Now go to sleep."

And that's the miraculous story of the fishhook! I hope you enjoyed it.