For the past few weeks we have been working on a story. We set a goal for our writing as we progressed and made it longer. My goal was to work on my punctuation. I put all my speech marks in the right place and I used my capital letters and full stops in the right places. An example is in the sentence “I love you” I muttered. I think I did well and basically got there. Next time will work on my paragraphs and when to change to the next one. Here is my story.
A warning siren thudded in my ears, the panicked yells sound from people outside as they sprint to their homes. I ran to my room to find my partner Zoe running towards me.
“ We need to get to the attic” we both said in panicked voices.`
I grabbed what I could from the cupboard which turned out to be a can of expired baked beans and some smashed up oreos. The sirens got louder and louder as we shakily climbed the old borer-eaten ladder. I passed up the food and hoisted myself onto the dusty attic floor. It was not the nicest place to stay but it would have to do. We huddled on the filthy mattress, holding each other’s sweaty hands.
“Hopefully the water doesn’t get too high.” Zoe said quietly.
An hour goes by of talking. I can start to hear the water sloshing around the walls below us. I could feel the cold air coming from the cracks on the floor. If the water rose any further we would probably have to swim to the roof. I wonder when….
“Xanthe” Zoe shook me fiercely.
“Wake up! The waters got dangerously high, we need to get to the roof.” She said panicked.
The mattress was now damp and cold. The water must have got in.
We heaved open the heavy trap door to find muddy, grassy water filling our drenched house. I reached out to hug her, just in case she or I didn’t make it.
“I love you” I muttered. She just hugged me harder. If anything happened down there I would never forgive myself.
I plunged into the ice cold water, I could hardly make out the pictures on the wall and where the doorway was. I heard a splash behind me. I quickly swam to the kitchen doorway. My baggy clothes dragged me down but I kept going. Down the hallway and to the front entrance. I wrenched open the door and was flung into the flowing street, gasping for air. The current tried to pull me towards the main street. The words I love you kept pounding in my head, don’t give up now my brain said. I threw myself onto my roof, shaking from the cold. My weak arms could barely hold me up. I crouched on the edge of the roof, trying desperately not to fall in again. She wasn’t surfacing, please, please be alright.
Tears ran down my wet face, I took a small breath and jumped into the water, through the old doorway but stopped in my tracks. My heart skipped a beat. This could not be happening. She helplessly sank the last few centimeters to the floor. I reached forward to pull her up to the surface, her pale skin resurfaced from the mucky water. I heaved her limp body onto the roof guttering, shuddering from the cold and weak from the weight I hauled myself up making a loud rattling thud.
I hovered over her, my hands reached out to her chest. My mind was saying ‘30 then two breaths ….30 then two breaths’ as my numb hands pushed against her sternum, the rhythm pounded in my ears 1..2..3..4..5 …, like an ongoing drum. My lips touched hers and I forced my breath down her seized up throat. But she just lay there, her cold icey skin glowing in the misty rain. I screamed into the night but I was drowned out by a rumbling clap of thunder. I couldn’t face it, she wasn’t dead, she couldn’t be. Tears poured onto her soggy clothes, creating an ongoing shower.