Adventure is Out There

Chapter One

The beginning of summer is the time where adventures start finding people. These are the days when there is isn't school every day, and children play in the warm sunshine. For some, a little imagining can become a journey that never ends. Adventures find you sooner or later. But there are some who don't choose to wait, they create them themselves. Summer is the highlight for opportunity, to explore new lands and to be with friends. As long you try, everything great or small can become an adventure.

Two houses stood neighboring each other. In between there was a great gap like a child's space between their two front teeth. The first was a smaller home; it had a cozy appearance. A red barn stood proudly next to the house. A garden filled with sweets from nature had a fence protecting it from any harm from animals. Next to it was a chicken coop filled with many chickens. Inside were black speckled chickens, brown chickens and an ever so loud rooster, who was an alarm clock in the morning. The meadow behind the coop was ten acres long, every bit of it crawling with adventure. The wood at the back of the meadow was deadly silent, but still full of life.

The other house was farther back from the dirt road and from it came a curvy gravel driveway. The land was much like the other meadow, except a steep hill behind the brick house, was perfect for sledding. In the long weeds and between two bushes was a fort made of grasses and sticks. A large stump made a meeting table which important matters were discussed.

A creek danced in between the wood and the meadow. It didn't have anything living in it except for the occasional crawfish. Train tracks were at the end of the woods, and every night trains rattled on those tracks. It was so loud, that you had to cover your ears. But after hearing day after day, it seemed strange if a train didn't pass.

In the smaller house lived eight children. Yet only four of them are important to this story. Cate was seven years old, short golden hair clung to her face. She was a very tiny girl for her age. She had bright ocean blue eyes that glimmered like a star. She was a very wild child; no one knew what she would do next. Cate spent her days picking raspberries and playing with the kittens. She loved dolphins so much that for her seventh birthday gift, Cate traveled to Mexico to swim with some.

Next came the twins Ann and Andrew. They had very different personalities. Ann had freckles on her nose and below her eyes; her brown hair was always in waves. She often picked flowers and braided them in her hair making herself a fairy child. Ann could be very giggly and make up the strangest games. One of these games was a game about pink gorilla pirates.

Andrew had shaggy brown hair, but no freckles whatsoever. He had eight pocket knives which he put on a large key ring. No one really knew why he needed that many pocket knives, but he did. Andrew loved to build forts. He built them under trees and bushes, in the woods, and in the tall grass. Both Ann and Andrew had large hazel eyes that could outstare anyone except each other.

The oldest of the four was Sarah. Brown hair framed her face and was cut an inch below her ears. She was independent, and usually went barefoot. She was a leader and watched over her younger siblings. Sarah loved to make cookies, mostly for the fact she loved to eat cookie dough.

These children were from the Lankford family. They grew vegetables, and collected eggs from their chickens on their small family farm. They grew raspberries and blackberries which usually resulted in dark stains around their mouths. A dog played and chased its tail in the meadow. While the cats, too many to count, lay lazily in the sun.

In a strong oak tree was tree house made by their father, Mr. Lankford. The ladder could be pulled up and down using a pulley, weights and rope. The wooden door had a circular latch, so you could lock people out. The children, though, knew other ways into the treehouse. Sarah would climb the tree and go right through the window.