Young Adventurers part 1

By Weiran Liu

Don’t try this at home, please. You might get seriously injured or worse. This is just a story I wrote and I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Ask a professional.

Chapter 1: Moving Worries

Ten-year-old Alyssa sat on the striped porch swing on her front porch looking out upon the neighbourhood. She could hardly imagine leaving her pleasant city behind and moving to another one. However, she would be in two weeks, for her father worked as the head of a large company that was moving. Which meant Alyssa, her mother, her older sister and brother, her grandparents, her cousins, and her twin baby siblings were also moving. Alyssa was part of a large family, and her new house would be larger. Much larger. It looked like a mansion and was as big as one. Alyssa, however, didn’t want to leave because she had friends and neighbours who were close to her and also didn’t want her to leave.

“What are you doing, Alyssa?” Her older sister Linda’s words brought her back to reality.

“Oh, nothing…” Alyssa didn’t want her sister to know what she was thinking.

“Well, I know you’re thinking about something, and I promise I won’t laugh, so why can’t you tell me? I promise I won’t tell anyone, so, please tell me! It’s okay,” said Linda.

“Alright, so I just was a bit sad about leaving all my friends and going to this new town. I don’t even know anyone there, and I am naturally shy, so honestly, I’m a bit worried…,” replied Alyssa.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get over it! Now, I have to complete my house of cards,” laughed Linda.

With that, Linda went back inside.

Alyssa just sat there, thinking about what Linda said. Was she right? Was Alyssa just shy? She didn’t know, but one thing was for sure: Linda’s words didn’t make Alyssa feel any better.

That night, Alyssa couldn’t sleep. She was still thinking about moving houses and what Linda said. Linda’s words echoed in her mind. “Don’t worry.” “You’ll get over it.” “It’s okay.” Then, tired and with no idea what to do, Alyssa drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Alyssa woke up still with no clue what she should do. She rode her bike to school thinking about deep thoughts and memories she had in this town. Before she knew it, she was at school. She parked her bike and walked to her class.

On her way, she bumped into Scarlett, her best friend. Scarlett knew she was moving, and the truth was that Scarlett was moving, too. She was moving to another town in another state. Alyssa and Scarlett would soon have to part, and they both tried hard not to think about it.

“I got friendship necklaces for us both,” said Scarlett.

Alyssa tried to smile, but her mind kept telling her not to.

“Thank you,” said Alyssa, putting on a necklace and shaking Scarlett’s hand. “Well, I have to go to class now, so I’ll see you at recess.” They both agreed to meet there.

At recess, Scarlett and Alyssa met together, their legs dangling off the bench.

Alyssa told Scarlett about her worries about moving away.

“I know, I’ve experienced the same thing,” said Scarlett.

Alyssa smiled sadly and tried not to think about moving.

“Don’t worry, my father says that I can still meet online with you,” said Scarlett softly.

“Yeah, me too,” said Alyssa.

“I’m glad that we can stay connected via the internet.”

“Right you are. It’s impossible to separate true friends.”

With that, recess ended.

As she walked, Alyssa could barely think about anything else than moving. Then there was the secondary problem. This day was the second-to-last day of school before the summer break. Alyssa loved being at school and learning new things. She could imagine all her teachers. She tried to relax by telling herself that she would make new friends, but for some reason, it just didn’t help.

When school was finally over for the day, Alyssa rode her bike home, as usual. However, she was different. She now thought about moving as a natural cause that was just decided for her. She wasn’t happy about the change but decided to accept it anyway.

Alyssa rode all the way home without stopping.

She rode past the mall, rounded the corner onto the street, and turned just past the busy intersection downtown. She turned down another street and didn’t stop until she arrived back home. Panting, she parked her bike and ran inside.

“Alyssa!” her mother called. “Come inside.”

Alyssa sat on the couch, waiting.

“We want to tell you something,” said her father. “We’re going to move the day after tomorrow. The “two weeks” was just an error. Sorry, Alyssa.”

Alyssa’s heart sank. She had been counting on the “two weeks” to give her some time to adjust to moving. Now, she felt empty inside.

Alyssa spent another restless night thinking about the same thing as before. By three o’clock, Alyssa was pacing around the room nervously. Nearly only one hour later, she heard strange noises coming from her parents’ room.

Alyssa shivered, not only from the cold but also from fear. Her heart pounded in her chest. She slowly crept to where the noises were and creaked open the door. Alyssa held her breath. Then, very carefully, she opened the door a crack. She peeked inside.

Her mother and father were talking calmly about moving. Then, very suddenly, they rose from their bed and walked outside, fully dressed.

They saw Alyssa.

“Alyssa, dear, aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” said her mother.

Alyssa blushed and slunk to her room.

However, she didn’t fall asleep right away. She pressed her head against the wall, listening to the sounds of them talking. Then, she tiptoed back to her bed and fell asleep.

Alyssa was awoken by the sound of a truck driving by the street. She jumped to her feet, dressed, and ran outside. There, in front of her house, was a colossal moving truck. It wasn’t for her, however.

Suddenly, everything made sense. Her parents came outside because they talked about what things they would be moving. Alyssa had heard them. Plus, Scarlett lived just a block away. The moving truck was for her; she would be moving today.

This news surprised Alyssa, who thought Scarlett would be moving later, and she felt emptier than before.

Then, before anyone could stop her, she burst out of the house, fully dressed. She jumped on her bike and pedalled as fast as she could to Scarlett’s house. Her legs got cramped and tired, and she could hardly see from the branches and leaves fluttering in her face, yet she did not stop. She sped frantically to Scarlett’s house, like a tornado, desperately hoping she would see her before she left, and say a proper goodbye.

She watched Scarlett’s house get nearer and nearer until it towered like a grey mountain above her. She could faintly make out the rectangular silhouette of the moving truck. Then, just as she approached Scarlett’s house, a huge whirl of smoke rose, which made Alyssa cough, and just like that, the moving truck departed. Alyssa slammed on the brakes of her bike, making a screeching noise. Scarlett’s house was almost nothing more without people. It was deserted. As she watched the moving truck disappear into the foggy morning mist, Alyssa stood there, gazing at Scarlett’s empty house. Her emotions and feelings shattered like a glass vase.

Alyssa might’ve fainted if not from the dusty smell of smoke coming from the truck, which made her feel as awake and feeling dry as ever. Her eyes widened and tears of pure sadness flowed out like a river while she trembled and shook slightly due to the morning cold. She almost collapsed but tried hard not to.

“Goodbye, Scarlett. I know we shall see each other in the future,” whispered Alyssa as if Scarlett was right next to her. Then, feeling depressed and dejected, Alyssa sighed deeply and rode back home.

- Total nr. of readings: 455 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.