The following is the beginning of a story that I am crafting for a student who reads at grade level 2. He is entering high school and is working not just on reading, but on learning how to make appropriate choices in friends.
Lost in the Cave
Chapter 1
Jimmy’s dad has the coolest job ever—his job is to discover
and explore caves. It’s called spelunking. Spelunking can be a dangerous job. Caves are dark and wet. The surface
of cave floors changes quickly. It is
easy to fall and to get lost. But,
Jimmy’s dad is the best at spelunking!
His dad is smart and he knows how to stay safe.
Jimmy had been begging his dad for months to take him
on a spelunking trip.
“Dad, pleeeaaase, let me go with you! I can help carry all of your bags and tools!”
Jimmy would cry.
“Jimmy, you know I never carry a lot. It is not safe to bring heavy bags into a cave. You
don’t need to come with me,” his dad would say.
“But, Dad, I promise not to climb on anything. I promise
to listen. I promise to stick near you,”
Jimmy would say to his dad.
“No, Jimmy.
I’m sorry. It is just too
dangerous. I would worry about you,” his dad said.
Jimmy did not like to hear “no” for an answer. Over and over his father would tell him that
there is so much to learn about spelunking. BUT, he never taught Jimmy about spelunking. Jimmy would have to learn this information
all by himself. Maybe then his father
would take him into the caves.
The next morning, Jimmy jumped out of bed very
early. He ran to the computer and logged
on. Jimmy went onto Google to look up
spelunking; he found a lot of information.
Jimmy learned that most caves are limestone caves.
Limestone caves are formed when rainwater seeps into the ground. The ground water becomes almost like an acid
and eats away at the limestone deep in the soil. Over a long, long time, a cave is formed. When water eats away at rock, scientists call
that erosion.
Jimmy continued reading. He learned that caves are dangerous for many
reasons. Some caves are wide in some
places and then get very narrow. The temperature can be cold and pools of water
can form in the caves. These pools can be as deep as a person’s waist. Some caves have many twists and turns with
many sharp rocks. Some rocks grow out of
the ceilings; others grow out of the ground.
Some caves have edges that drop off.
Caves are very, very dark, so it is hard to see all of these dangerous
things. A person who is spelunking needs
to watch out for danger.
Jimmy read that some caves have bats and other small
animals. He learned never to drink cave
water and always bring 2 flashlights, in case one breaks. He learned that he should never, never go
into a cave alone.
Jimmy thought to himself: I don’t know why Dad makes such a big deal out of spelunking. If you are careful, you will be fine.
All of a sudden, Jimmy had an idea. It was still very early, only 6:30am, and his
dad was still sleeping. Jimmy knew of a
cave that was just a 10 minute bike ride away.
He grabbed his phone and ran into the garage. There were a few things that he was going to
need.
Chapter 2
Once Jimmy was inside the garage, he called his best
friend, Matt. Matt and Jimmy did
everything together. They rode bikes,
went swimming, and played on the same soccer team. They had been friends since first grade.
“Jimmy, why are you calling me so early! I am trying to sleep!” Matt said as he yawned into the phone.
“Matt,
get dressed and grab your bike. Bring
your backpack, some water, and a flashlight,” Jimmy said.
“What are you up to, Jimmy? I just want to sleep. This isn’t one of your crazy plans, is it?”
Matt asked.
“Sure it is.
Just meet me there in 15 minutes.
And bring that stuff with you,” Jimmy said.
“Fine, but you better not get us into trouble. And this better be fun. I am going to be mad if I got out of bed for
something stupid,” Matt said.
“Don’t worry.
This is going to be great!” Jimmy
said.
**********
Matt and Jimmy met at 7-Eleven. Matt brought his backpack, two water bottles,
and an old flashlight. He still looked
sleepy and his hair was a mess.
Before leaving, Jimmy had left his father a
note. In the summertime, his dad did not
mind if Jimmy and Matt went out biking, but he wanted to know where Jimmy was
going. Jimmy had just said:
Dear Dad,
Matt and I got up early. We are going biking near the Bay Front
Caves. We have water, food, and our
phones. Call me if you need to.
Jimmy
Jimmy was sure that his father would not be upset.
“So, Jimmy,”
Matt said, “where are we going?”
“We’re riding to the Bay Front Caves,” Jimmy said.
“But that’s such a boring ride! We have done that trails so many times
now. Let’s go somewhere else!” Matt said.
“But, this time, Matt, we’re going INTO the
caves!” Jimmy said with a smile.
“But…wait…your dad said we could? He always told us NOT to go into the caves,”
Jimmy wondered.
“Um…yeah…I learned a lot about going into caves. He just said not to in too far. That’s why you needed to bring all of that
stuff,” Jimmy said.
“But, why isn’t your dad coming with us?” Matt asked.
“Oh, um…he is coming.
Just later. He wanted us to get a
head start,” Jimmy said.
“That does not sound like your dad at all,” Matt
said. Matt was getting a bad feeling
about this. He knew how dangerous caves
could be. Jimmy’s dad had told Matt all
about the dangers of caves.
Jimmy was getting annoyed. He sighed and said, “Just relax, Matt. Trust me.
This is going to be so much fun.
We’re best friends, right?” said Jimmy.
“Yes, we are.
Ok. Let’s go,” Matt said. This still did not feel right to him. Jimmy sometimes did things that got both of
them into trouble. But Jimmy was always
nice to Matt, so….
The boys got on their bikes and headed up to Bay
Front Caves. The sun had not yet come
up. There were clouds in the sky. Jimmy was smiling. Matt had butterflies in his stomach.
Chapter 3
The boys rode up to the front of the cave. The opening was big and wide, and that made
Matt feel better. It was very, very dark
though.
“Matt, you got that flashlight, right?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah, it’s right here. It’s a bit old,” said Matt.
“Does it work?” Jimmy asked.
“Most of the time.
I checked it before I left, and it was working,” Matt said. “Don’t you have a flashlight?”
“Yes, but it’s always good to have two,” Jimmy said.
“Are you sure your dad is coming?” Matt said. He looked worried.
“Don’t worry so much.
Come on, let’s go in,” Jimmy said.
He grabbed Matt by the arm and pulled him into the mouth of the cave.
Once inside, the temperature got really cold. As they walked farther and farther in, the
cave got darker and darker. The cave was
very quiet.
“Jimmy, it’s creepy in here. Let’s go back,” Matt said.
“Don’t be a wuss. Come on!” Jimmy yelled.
Jimmy’s voice began to echo all through the
cave. Then, the boys heard a noise. It sounded like the flutter of wings.
“What’s that?” Matt asked.
“I bet it’s a bat!
Cool!” Jimmy said.
“Do they bite?” Matt wondered.
“Yes, and they will suck your blood!” Jimmy laughed and slapped Matt on the back.
Matt was angry, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want Jimmy to make fun of him anymore. Matt just continued walking. He took out his flashlight to light the way.
The boys walked for a long time. The cave seemed really boring. They did not see any water or any cool
rocks. There were no bats, no animals. The cave was just cold, dark, and quiet.
“This is boring,” Jimmy said.
“I wish your dad would hurry up. He could show us where the cool places are in
the cave,” Matt said.
“Um…he…he told me where to go!” Jimmy said.
“Look, look up there. We have to
crawl through that small space.”
“What?! That
does not look safe at all,” Matt said.
“No, really, it is safe. My dad crawls through there all the
time. There is this really cool
waterfall behind it,” Jimmy said.
“I don’t hear a waterfall,” Matt said. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Oh, it’s behind there. Trust me,” Jimmy said. “Don’t be a wuss.”
“Fine,” Matt said, angry again. “Show me the way.”
Chapter 4
Jimmy got down on his hands and knees. The rock was
cold, and it seemed to be wet, too. He
crawled into the small, dark space.
“C’mon, Matt, I can hear the waterfall!” Jimmy
yelled.
Matt just stood there. He had a really bad feeling about going in
there. Just then, he heard a scream.
Yelling into the hole, Matt said, “Jimmy, are you okay? Where are you? I don’t see you!”
Matt did not hear an answer. He was worried for his friend, so he quickly
crawled into the small, dark space. He
gripped his flashlight tightly.
Once in the hole, he could see very little. The space was very tight, so he crawled very
slowly. Little by little, the space
began to get wider. Soon, he was able to
stand up again. Still, no Jimmy.
“Jimmy, this isn’t funny! Where are you? Are you hurt?”
Still no answer.
The flashlight Matt held went dead.
Matt slapped it against his hand.
It flickered on for a minute, and
then it died again. Everything
was dark. He could hear strange noises, but
he could not tell if it was the sound of a bat or a snake.
“Jimmy?
Jimmy? Are you out there?” Matt
screamed again and again. His voice was echoing
throughout the cave. Suddenly, he felt
something brush his arm. Then, he heard
a whoosh! Something was very close by. The air got colder.
“BOO!” yelled Jimmy as he popped out from behind a
rock.
Matt screamed and jumped back. As he jumped, he started to fall
backward. Matt grabbed at Jimmy, knocking
Jimmy’s flashlight to the ground. This
part of the cave was very wet, and the surface of the cave was not flat, but bumpy. This was a dangerous part of the cave. Jimmy did not think of this, and now, Matt
had fallen to the ground.
Jimmy was still laughing at the joke when Matt began
to moan. “Jimmy, stop laughing! I’m hurt!
I’m hurt! My ankle!” Matt said.
Jimmy stopped laughing. “Give me the flashlight; I can’t see you,”
Jimmy said.
“I
can’t give it to you. When I fell, it
broke,” Matt said.
“Great. What
are we going to do now? This is all your
fault,” Jimmy said.
Matt was really, really mad. “MY FAULT? My fault?
This was all your idea! You
wanted to come to the caves. You wanted
to crawl into this hole. You played
around. Because I was worried about you,
I came into this hole, and now I’m hurt!
This is NOT my fault. You are a
terrible friend,” Jimmy shouted.
Jimmy felt sick.
Matt was right.
“I bet your dad isn’t really even coming! I bet he doesn’t even know we’re down here,”
Jimmy screamed.
Jimmy didn’t know what to say. Matt was right, and because of Jimmy, both of
them were stuck without a flashlight, and Jimmy was badly hurt….
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