The Dangers of the Grand Canyon

I wrote this story while my class was on a Grand Canyon field trip (I didn't go) and my sub told us we had to write a story relating to the Grand Canyon. Enjoy!

“Thomas, are we there yet? I’m dying out here in the heat!” screamed Violet from down the cliff.

“No, not yet!” came Thomas’ reply. “And stop going so fast! You’re going to fall!”

But Violet didn’t listen; instead, she continued to go down the cliff at an alarming rate. Thomas rushed behind her to catch up.

There were only three people near the bottom of the Grand Canyon at that time: Violet, Thomas, and James Dixon. The family had wanted to go for a hike this weekend, but in the end, the Dixon parents didn’t want to go, and let their kids go without them.

Violet, at age 15, was the youngest. She had beautiful brown hair with blond highlights. She was pretty and smart, and her father and mother both loved her very much. Violet’s mother named her after her favorite flower, and when Violet grew up, it also became her favorite flower — she always wore one on the left side of her hair.

Thomas was the middle child at age 17. He wore glasses, had light brown hair, and took an interest in nature and engineering, which he took after his dad. He wasn’t very athletic; he didn’t spend much time going out for sports. Instead, he liked to go on hikes and play his guitar at the stroke of midnight, writing or playing his own compositions.

James — who at age 19 was the oldest out of the Dixon kids — was nothing like his brother and sister. He had a strong build and was very tall, which wasn’t surprising to many people since he was so athletic. His long messy blond hair (he was the only kid in his family that had blond hair) was almost always in his eyes, and his eyes would possess a far-away look in them — it only disappeared when he was playing sports.

The family of kids have been walking for about three hours, and their water was slowly dimming in volume. Thomas looked at the map an hour ago, and told everyone that there was a river ahead of them. Everyone decided to hike down the cliff to the river where they would refill their canteen and then go home.

Violet rushed ahead, wanting to find the water that restore her dehydration. Suddenly, the cliff in front of her ended, and she stopped. “I found the river!” she yelled to her brothers.

“Stay where you are Violet!” ordered James. “The water looks really rough and I don’t want you to fall in! Wait for me and Thomas and then we can find a smooth path to hike down!” James and Thomas hurried to Violet.

Violet nodded, but looked over the edge at the river. Suddenly, the rock she was standing on gave away, and Violet fell down the fifty-feet cliff. Thomas and James rushed over to the edge to see their beloved sister get swept away by the river, never to be seen again.

Epilogue: three months later

At the end of a field, two figures appeared. They walked up to a stone and kneeled next to it.

“James,” spoke one of the figures, “Do you think Violet is in a better place?”

“I don’t know, Thomas, I don’t know.”

“Well, I think she is. But I miss her very much.” The boy named Thomas rose and walked off, but James stayed by the stone. He read the inscription again:

Violet Ruth Dixon

Loving sister

1988-2003

We miss you very much.

James looked up to the sky, seeing the clouds clearing over.

“Violet, I need a sign that you’re okay. Please,” he whispered.

Then, a strong gust of wind blew, making James cover his eyes. When he opened them, he gasped at the grave.

There, in the middle, was one violet. It looked like the ones Violet always loved to wear in her hair.

“Thank you.” James got up, brushed off some dirt, and walked down the hill.

Please review! Thank you for reading!

Midnight-Wolfe