ELEMENTARY

The Creek

In the early 90's, I was a 1st Grader that loves to play all day. Going to school was something I'd wait for the night before. Not because we'd "learn", we go there to go do something stupid after the school day.

We only have morning classes, along with the first and third graders. We usually get along with them very well, cause we all get the chance to hangout together after school. My mom works for the whole day and can only pick me up around 4 P.M., so that gives me a chance to play the other kids. The school isn't very near from where I live, walking from our place to there might take up to an hour or so, and its not very safe for a child to go wander off the place. That's the reason I didn't have any close friend from where i live, nor do i have any at school.

I was a kid who always gets in trouble, I would usually sneak out with a couple of classmates and go to the creek behind the school and play with mud. Usually we go there by teams and do mud wars to keep our territories from the other groups, its a fun tradition that our school had, and all the kids would go there after school.We go there have fun and make the most out of our childhood. We also tried to make paper boats and add some letters and pictures to them to see how far it'll go. The creek was very long and most of us didn't wanna try and find out what's on the other side. Besides the creek there's a thick forest that we don't go that far into... We heard stories about what might be out there.

One day, we tried to form a gang from our classes. This was a big thing from 1st Grade till 3rd Grade. Many tried to pick on us because we're the youngest and smallest one out of them. The third grader are the popular of all and tried to kick us out of our spot from the creek. So we made a challenge on who can go the furthest into the creek, but before that we had a little story telling about the spooky forest. I had a little plan on what we'll do, my dad works at an appliance company so we have a ton of good stuff to use; like flashlights, ropes and cameras. The 3rd grade students heard about it and wasn't very happy about it. So a group of them decided to go early inside, it was morning and they didn't go to school. The teachers noticed that they were gone when their parents called. When the sun was about to set the police were called in. Moments later, three of the boys went back running and in panic. They never got a proper explanation of what happened, but the whole school knew why they went in. Although we didn't know what happened when they went inside the forest. Two of the boys were transferred to another school, and the other kid is very quiet about what happened. The story we got were random and others were saying something that sounded so different, so we never know the truth after...

Although one thing was certain, it was reported that one student was missing from the incident.After hearing that many students started to be concerned on what might be out there in the creek, so less and less student went there to play. The challenge between the classes were cancelled since they got scared, and most kids didn't wanna play anymore. Eventually the school banned kids from going in there, and decided to add a fence around it. Most of us were really sad since its the only thing we'd do after school, especially me. After that I'd have to wait a couple of hours to be picked up by my mom. I didn't have some friends, so I wasn't enjoying those times after school. And my classmates we're picked up early after what had happened. You usually don't hang out with the kids from a higher grade, it should be them that should approach you if they wanted to be friends.

I was 6 at the time so i was very young and naive kid, I was so innocent and clueless so usually believe what I've been told. Very gullible to say the least, but I looking back, I wouldn't blame my past self either. Some girls from third grade and went up to me. They said that they want me to be a part of their group and they wanted me to be their friend. Seems innocent enough, so I was very happy at that moment. They said that I should meet them at lunch tomorrow, so when I wen't home... I was so happy and excited that i finally have some new friends. I packed some things to show em and I couldn't stop telling my parents about it. The day came and I went up to them to show what I brought, they simply laughed and said it was too childish for them and that they're big kids. I was broken from what I heard, since i didn't expect this would happen and I was about to cry. Suddenly they told me if I really wanna be in the group, we should meet at the back of the school after the classes ended. Hesitant but I agreed considering I though this would make me one of them. The time came and we met there they said "Lets go into the creek!". I looked at them with concern, since it was against the rules and it was dangerous. They told me that we should go together like friends do, so I did what they said.