Dear: Who Now?!

Chapter 6

Eleven LONG HOURS and seven minutes later, we've arrived at our - at my mother's destination. I'm minding my own business and sleeping against the side of the door when I'm shaken awake. 

"Ophelia!!! We're here!!!" The voice of my mother squeals. I groan and sit up to look around. Sunlight stabs my tired eyes and I glare at my mother who's got the BIGGEST smile on her face! Before I say what I know I'm about to say, I glance out the windows once more before asking the obvious. 

"Where's here?" My mother continues smiling and then suddenly looking around and the smile kinda drops off her face. 

"Stupid me!" She facepalms herself and proceeds to check the time before nervously giggling. What the hell is wrong with my mom and why is she acting like this?! 

"Soooo I might've made a big oops..." She starts while still doing her dumb nervous giggle thing. I look at her annoyed and hope she continues before I strangle the living shit out of her; Thankfully she does. "I just realized it's ten AM and I haven't had a wink of sleep yet." She giggles a bit more before continuing. I promise this is going to be a summer to remember but I can't function without sleep. So if you don't mind - " She unbuckles her seatbelt, gets out of the car, stretches a bit and then gets back in and continues. "I'm going to have a nap and then we'll get on with the adventure." She gives me a tired smile and I nod in response. She quickly pulls her feet up to her chest and gets comfortable before falling asleep faster than I knew was possible. I sit there and do the math for a quick second.. Let's see.. I live in San Clemente California, we drove to the border of Nevada... Now I have no idea where we are... I got off the bus at 2ish.. It took us eight hours to get to the stateline.. From there it took us eleven hours.. I give up with whatever I'm trying to figure out in my head and come to the conclusion that I've been trapped for a total of twenty one hours with very few breaks in between but plenty of naps. I yawn and decide to go back to sleep. 

When my eyes are forced awake again, I pat around for my phone and grab it. Slowly I bring it to my face and check the time. 5pm on the dot! I sit up and see my mom's just waking up too. We both yawn and she smiles at me. "Good morning Sunshine! Are you ready for an adventure?" Knowing I have no other option, I nod my head and open my door. Standing up, I let a gasp out as pain shoots through my body. Everything is SO stiff!! I walk around a bit and that's when I notice something... Dirt - well sand... And it's EVERYWHERE!!! My eyes widen and I see a railing not too far away, I walk over to it and that's when I let out a full blown gasp of shock! There's - there's- Omg my mind isn't even working right! Coincidentally, that's when my mom appears beside me. 

"You like it?" She asks with a smile on her face.  Stunned I really can't say anything. The facade of the punk rocker I work so hard to put up and keep up at all times has disappeared and I'm left feeling like a small child in a candy store for the first time. I nod my head and take in the sights around me. It's unbelievable! My mom takes my hand and tugs me after her where I stumble a bit. That's when I see the sign: Grand Canyon- South Rim. "Ohmygod! THIS is the Grand Canyon?" I ask in shocked amazement. My mom makes a 'mhm' sound and walks around taking in the sights as I am. Suddenly she jumps up. "O, I'll be right back - stay here!" I nod as she runs back to the car and comes back to me a minute later. "Sooo how would you feel about getting some Canyon dirt?" She asks me suspiciously. I furrow my brows and look at her, slowly nodding my head. "Doesn't it cost money to get in and-" She cuts me off. "Don't worry about any of that right now, come with me!" She starts walking off. I follow a few steps behind, wondering what she could possibly be up to. When I actually look up from the ground I was staring at, I see the railings have disappeared. I look at my mom questioningly. 

"I hope you don't mind getting a little dirty." She says while smiling. Suddenly she sits down and starts scootching herself further down and to the left. I watch her and see she's sitting on a small but thick ledge. I take an audible, deep breath and follow suit. Once I'm next to her, she pulls out a little sandwich bag and hands it to me. "For your Canyon dirt!" She tells me happily. I gingerly take the bag from her and start to such the sand. It's still warm from the days sun. It's softer than I imagined but still granuley like normal sand is. I let it fall through my finger and I watched it drop back to where it was. Entranced by the sand I continue playing with it while my mom talks softly. "Did you know that sometimes the canyon seems to change colors, all due to the sun?" She laughs and continues looking out. I say nothing as I start to slowly put some Canyon sand in my baggie. Suddenly mom is on the move again. I see she's quite a distance below me - How did she move that fast and WHY didn't I hear her?! "Come on O! We're going into the belly of the canyon." She says up to me in a jokingly deep and scary voice while letting out a little laugh at her "joke". I roll my eyes but let a smile appear on my lips as I follow her down. I notice that everything is starting to echo - just a little bit. I stop and listen to small stones fall and bounce against our wall and fall to the bottom. 

I continue the trek to the bottom and make a small jump once I get close enough. I look to my mom for instructions but she's just looking up at the sky with a smile on her face. I look up too and gasp! The top of the ledge seems SO far away! The sky seems even further! I quickly look around and see how tall the canyon goes up and start to feel like an ant! Panic starts to course through me and I lose my ability to hear - Ohmygod! I'm gonna pass out in the Grand Canyon! I start spiralling out of control. Suddenly I feel a tugging on my arm, I look and see my mom with a look of concern on her face. I see her lips moving but I don't hear her. I feel what I know in my mind is wind but all is feels like is heat. I can't control myself or what's happening. And just like that, my vision goes black and I feel myself fall. The last thing I hear is my mom shouting my name - and then I'm gone.