Heya! This is the first assignment for Camp Elemental 2018 :D ~ The assignment was to: Create a short story based off of this first sentence: "It was an excruciatingly cold day, but the sun shone in the sky, making the freshly fallen snow look like tiny diamonds on the barren trees." ~ My story- It was an excruciatingly cold day, but the sun shone in the sky, making the freshly fallen snow look like tiny diamonds on the barren trees. Gently treading through the thick blanket of snow, a young boy made his way into the forest, arms wrapped tightly around a small, tattered bag. He kept on walking, deeper and deeper into the thick woods, and eventually, satisfied with his position, sat down on a fallen log. It was there that he began unpacking his bag, taking out worn blankets and tins of food. He kept on emptying the bag’s contents until it was all laid out upon the floor in front of him, before finally lying down, using the emptied bag as a pillow. The sunlight trickled through the gaps in the trees, casting golden shadows overhead and melting the ice off of some of the frosted trees. There, the boy slept peacefully, until he was suddenly awoken by a loud noise. Jolting upright, he stared around in panic, desperately trying to find the source of this strange noise. It sounded again, and this time louder. Realisation dawning, he jumped up and began hurriedly packing his bag again. Fingers fumbling over its drawstrings, he quickly closed it and ran. He sprinted as fast as he could, needing to get away before they arrived at his temporary campsite. Momentarily turning round, he saw they’d already made it there, and were noticing the deep footprints in the snow. Looking up, they saw him, and began to chase after him. Struggling to catch his breath and panting heavily after running for so long, he ducked sideways into the overgrown bushes and plants and, on his hands and knees, began to crawl through them. Maybe this way he could lose the others. Eventually, their shouts began to fade, getting quieter and quieter, until he stopped for a rest. He was in an unfamiliar area of the forest now, however he knew that meant he must be far away. Wriggling out from underneath the bush he was under, he began walking slowly, getting to know the area. Just as he sat down on a tree stump, he heard the sound again. He span round and saw them, they’d taken a shortcut and caught up with him. Panic rising, he was cornered and couldn’t do anything. With a gulp, he held his bag close and shut his eyes, wishing for them to disappear. He was interrupted by one of the men speaking. “Come here,” they said. Trembling, he stepped forwards. They were even worse up close, bearing huge guns and weapons. Poachers. “What’re you doing out here?” Another man said. “This isn’t a place for young boys like yourself.” The boy stayed silent. “Well?” “I-I…” he began. “You..?” “I needed to..” Before he finished, he quickly spun around and began to sprint again, before one of the poachers grabbed him by the arm and tugged him back around. “We said,” He snarled, “what are you doing here?” “I got lost.” The boy replied, thinking quickly. “I need to go back home, I know the way.” “We’ll accompany you, then.” “No! Uh, I mean- I should be fine alone, thank you.” The men looked at one another, and eventually one said, “Fine. But if we ever catch you again-“ “You won’t.” The boy interrupted, a bit too confidently. The man nodded, and they all turned to leave. The boy wasted no time in hesitation, and began to run back roughly the way he came. It was an excruciatingly cold day, but the sun shone in the sky, making the freshly fallen snow look like tiny diamonds on the barren trees. The boy sat at his new campsite in the woods, happily nibbling at piece of cooked meat, huddled by the fire. All of a sudden, he was interrupted by a strange noise. The all-too-familiar sound of a gunshot. The poachers. ~ Hope you liked it! (and wow, I'm impressed if you read it all XD) Please let me know any tips for improvement :) ~ -Mxllow ~
