Exploring the Cave

An award winning story by Sarah Ann

"Help,Katyie! Help!" Melanie cried! "I'm stuck in quicksand!"

" Where are you,Melanie?" Katyie asked.

"I'm in the deep part of the cave," Melanie answered. The deep part of the cave was cold,dark, smelly and humid. Katyie and Melanie had discovered the cave a few days ago.

"Okay!I'm coming!" Katyie said. Katyie tried to pull Melanie out.

" There," Katyie told her breathlessly,"You're out!" Those minutes were filled with tension and relief.

" Thank you very much,Katyie," Melanie said gratefully.

"Do you want to explore the cave some more?" Katyie asked.

" You bet! Even though this cave is menacing,we can still be careful. And watch our step,"

Melanie added.They explored the cave and watched their step, but a worse fix was waiting for them.

" What's this squishy stuff on the wall?" Melanie asked She examined the 'squishy stuff'.

"What is it?" Katyie asked anxiously.

" Quicksand," she replied,"A wall of quicksand. And I'm stuck again" Melanie said calmly.

"Oh,great. Just great," Katyie groaned. "I'll have to get you out again."

A few minutes passed. Both girls were now showing thier frustration.

" I did'nt tell anyone thet I was coming here," added Melanie. " I hope someone finds us and helps." And her wish came true at that moment.

Then they heard clunky footsteps. CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!

" I know thet sound," Katyie whispered to Melanie."It's Lindsay!" Lindsay was Katyie and Melanie's best friend.

"Katyie? Melanie?" Lindsay asked,"Is that you?"

"Yes." replied Katyie,struggling to get her hands free.

" And is that quicksand?" Lindsay added?

"Yes, it's a wall of quicksand," Melanie responded

"This is amazing,incredible,and astonishing predicament you are both in!"

"It is all those things,Lindsay, but will you please help us out of this quicksand?" Katyie begged.

"Well," Lindsay answered."Well,okay. But let me go and get some more help!"

Melanie shouted out,"Please hurry. We don't want to wait a long time."

"Okay. I'll be back in 10 minutes," responded Lindsay. Sure enough, 10 minutes later Lindsay returned with Elizabeth,Lynn,Christi,Angela,Mellissa,Ivy,and Anna.

"Lindsay told us where you were" Angela told them. They all made a chain and pulled as hard as they could

"Hello girls," said a familiar voice. It was Jake. Jake was the very annoying boy next door. Suddenly, out of no where, Jake pushed all the girls who weren't in the wall of quicksand into it, and then ran home.

"Jake!!" Angela screamed at him,"You will pay!!"

"Wait a minute,Angela," Chisti told her." The quicksand is drying."

"You're right,Christi," Melanie exclaimed. " Maybe we could chunk bits of the dried quicksand out to get our hands free."And they did. "It's working!" Lynn exlaimed. In no time, they were free.

When they got home, Katyie and Melanie were just as clean as they were before, though they filled the kitchen sink with dried quicksand.

As for Jake, Katyie and Melanie told his parents what happened and, as punishment, he had to apologized to each of the girls and they got to push him into the wall of quicksand!