The Pieces Of Eight

Chapter One: The Rocks

      

                                                              CHAPTER ONE: THE ROCKS                                            

   "Aspen! Come down and get your oatmeal, and fast, you're gonna be late for school!" Gramma called from our cozy little seaside kitchen downstairs.

                         "But Gramma! there's no school!" I was lying, but I was just way too tired to get out of my bed. I had tried that trick many times, and so far it had never worked.

                                "Oh com-on Aspen, its your favorite! I even put fresh dipping bread on the side, along with sausage, and hot chocolate. Mmmmm, sounds good huh?" She knew I couldn't resist. I mean, she was the best cook in town, and her restaurant, the "High-Tide Buffet" is practically the fertilizer of our little community, it's where everyone meets, talks, and munches on Gramma's famous home grown rice stir frys or her grilled ham Angus sandwich. Anyway, I picked myself up from the bed and headed downstairs to eat breakfast to get ready.

                As I walked up the small hill to the four-classroom school I noticed how eerie it was today. It was still dark outside, and the sky, along with the ground, was blanketed with thick fog. I swear, if I hadn't gone on the same trail to this school all my life, (and i'm in 8th grade) I probably would of fallen off a cliff already.

             I stopped at the door before going inside, Mrs.Hutchinson's voice could be heard through the door, going over our homework. I grit my teeth, rummaging through my backpack to make sure I had it. I had a bad rep for forgetting homework, and I was trying to clear my name. As I zipped my backpack shut, a harsh wind blew from the west, almost blowing me over along with giving me goosebumps. I hated that, It happened all the time. All those damn gusts from the sea. I shuddered and walked inside.

                   Everyone stared at me, which was the worst thing in the world. I mean, I felt like I was being put in an electric chair. I sat down, shifting uncomfortably.  Mrs.Hutchinson turned to me. She was tall, skinny, and old, with blond hair and blue-green eyes, her wrinkled mouth twisted into a smile. She always seems so nice, but that warm feeling instantly diminishes when she looks at you, those  eyes, its insanely creepy. Almost like she was trying to use telepathy to squeeze your guts out, throw them into a volcano, take them out, and eat them. Trust me, those where some horror movie eyes right there. But sometimes it was kind of funny. One moment we'd just be watching her write our assignments on the chalkboard, and the next moment she would turn around and we'd all simotaniously spin away or risk sleeping with a nightlight for the next month.

                       I took out my social sciences book, flipping to the desired page.  At the front of the room, Mrs.Hutchinson wrote on the same earsplitting chalkboard as always. Yup, just a regular, boring school day... So I wont go into too much detail about it.

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                    Because our school was nothing but four classrooms and a parking lot, during lunch, you got to go anywhere in town as long as you came back. And if you diddn't, you where suspended  for a week. (yeah, tough luck)  Anyways, today I went over to Gramma's buffet for a sandwich from heaven, but I ate briskly and left, heading for my favorite place, the library.

         Now, this library is NOT your average library. Besides having all of the books in the universe, there's also an art room, a music room, and a rec. room full of video games and junk. But it's really cool. And I love it. I decided to head over to the history books, picking up the non-fiction novel, The Black Treasure. I loved pirate books, I think it's because I live so close to the ocean. I studied the cover and continued from the start, but I had only gotton through about nine pages when I realized I had to go back to class. I stuck the book in my backpack and headed out.

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                         After school I walked home, listening to the soft crash of the waves, with it's fresh spray and slightly salty smell. Off to my side a drop-off leaded to a rocky beach where many large, pointed rocks stood tall. I remembered when I used to take a shortcut through there, it was fun, but my backpack started becoming too heavy from schoolbooks, and gramma told me to stop. She told me that my backpack would weigh me down and cause me to fall. I argued that I could just take my backpack off, but she didn't agree, saying "But you're just gonna have to go back and get it." After I argued a bit longer, with a few more practical reasons, such as "Why don't I just do it on a leisurely walk then, when I don"t have my backpack?" But it turned out that she just diddn't want me on the rocks anymore. But this time I decided to take the risk for old times sake.

         I stepped to the starting spot, the jagged sandstone hangover stuck out just enough to reach the first rock. I pulled my backpack off of my shoulders and dropped it behind me. It was a pretty long jump, but now that I was older, it was a lot easier. On the first rock I paused, taking a breath. I then leaped to the second rock, then the third, and so on. Once in a while I would stop and look down into the crashing waves.  I was now half way, and I was starting to get dizzy from all of the jumping. The next jump was the biggest, and I braced myself.

         "Aspen, Aspen! What in the devil's triangle are you doing!" I looked up mid jump, it was Gramma.

                   "I, I just-" I was starting to say. But just then my foot hit the edge of the rock and slipped off, I gasped, trying to grab on to something as I spiraled backwards, over the insane waves below me. My arm slammed  into a sharp outcrop and a gash was left in its place. The pain sent an echo through my body. At that moment, I had a feeling that at this moment, this fast, it was all over. I closed my eyes and went blank.