Our car cruised smoothly along the paved road, pausing now and then so that we could take pictures. For once the car was completely quiet. My parents, my sister Mallory, my brother Lucas, and I were all staring in awe at the beautiful scenery at Yellow Canyon National Park. The sky was a tranquil blue, dotted with puffy white clouds here and there, and the mountains stretched for miles, covered with shades of green from light to dark. We drove along the shore of a lake, and the water seemed like a mirror reflecting the breathtaking view.
Soon, we saw a sign indicating a trail, and followed the road until we saw the parking lot. The trail was a tiny path in the midst of a vast forest, and I started to feel a bit anxious. To me forests held so much mystery, and I felt safer being in vast, open areas. “Mom, are you sure this is safe?” I asked.
“Don’t worry honey, there are other people hiking here too!” she replied. I guess she did have a point. There were other cars in the parking lot, so we probably weren’t the only ones here. I shrugged off my fears and reassured myself that everything was going to be fine. So, we set off on our hiking journey.
While we hiked, I admired the beauty of the world around me. The forest had sounds of a variety of wildlife, like birds chirping and crickets whistling. I took a deep breath of air, taking in the fresh, clean smell of leaves. The color of the sky slowly turned from a light orange to a deep, crimson red. There seemed to be an unusual level of moisture in the air, and suddenly tiny raindrops fell from the sky.
One by one I could feel the water droplets gathering on my skin. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. The raindrops started to fall faster and faster, until they merged into a blur. The soft sound of rain falling on leaves was oddly soothing. But that contrasted with the ever-darkening path in the forest, which now seemed more menacing than inviting.
My dad squinted to see the map through the thick sheet of rain. “It’ll be pretty dangerous hiking in the rain. The first thing we should try to do is try to get out of the forest and find a path. I think I remember seeing some people going North earlier,” he stated. He then motioned for us to go forward and said, “We should try to get back when it’s still light and we can see!”
Silence ensued, only broken by the crunch of footsteps on pebbles and the sounds of a curtain of rain. We started to walk quickly through the forest, avoiding looming branches and roots that stuck out of the ground. I started to run to catch up with my parents and Mallory, but was hindered by the rain dragging me down and the sharp, jagged edges of rocks under my feet. My clothes were drenched to the point that I felt like I had a second layer of skin. By then, the sky had faded to a dark purplish-blue.
Suddenly, my mom exclaimed with a worried look on her face, “Wait! Where’s Lucas?”
“I don’t know, he was right here a second ago!” I replied in horror. We looked all around us, but to no avail. Why did Lucas decide to misbehave at a time like this? Now was not the time to be mischievous! “Lucas! Lucas!” We shouted repeatedly into the dark forest.
“I really hope that Lucas is okay,” Mallory said to me. Usually Mallory was always calm and collected, but in a moment like this we were all too panicked to keep our composure.
As we tried to find Lucas I remembered when he was born, five years ago. I was not excited to be the middle sibling, because I thought my parents would like Mallory or the new baby more. I was also mad because I wanted a little sister to play with, rather than a little brother.
But as I spent more time with Lucas, I started to love his chubby, smiling face, and the happiness he radiated. I was amazed at how small his hands were compared to mine and how I heard his bubbly laugh I immediately felt happy.
When Lucas started preschool, I would read picture books to him with different animated voices. One of his favorite characters was Winnie the Pooh, and we gave him a Pooh bear stuffed animal for his 4th birthday. When he went to art class for the first time, I encouraged him to draw even though he hadn’t wanted to. I remembered how during piano recitals, I would look into the crowd and see Lucas, and my fears about performing would evaporate.
All of these memories flowed back to me, and I missed Lucas with all of my heart. I wished that we could find him soon, so that I could hug him and tell him how he important he is in my life. I looked over at Mallory, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing.
The rain thinned out, and we could finally see and hear more clearly. The shouts of Lucas were closer and closer, and I started to feel more and more hopeful. Eventually, we saw a little figure that ran towards us, wailing, “WAHHH,” as he approached. As I saw Lucas’s tear-stained cheeks, I realized that I had started crying too. I felt so relieved that Lucas was back, and a huge weight had been lifted off of my chest. We immediately hugged Lucas and told him everything was going to be okay.
It turns out where we found Lucas wasn’t far from the highway, and we staggered out of the forest, exhausted and weighed down. The neon “Open” sign of a convenience store glared ahead, and we limped inside.
When we stepped in, the cashier looked horrified at our conditions, and quickly came over to help us. “Are y’all okay? You look like you just got attacked by wild animals or sumth’n!” She exclaimed.
“We just got lost in the forest, that’s all,” my dad replied, “Do you happen to sell any blankets? Also, where are we and what time is it?”
“My goodness, it’s quite dangerous to go hiking this late! And in the rain too! It’s currently 8 o’clock and y’all are right outside the trailhead for Bearhawk Creek. Our blankets are in this isle...” and she proceeded to show us where the blankets were and gave us some hot water for free.
After this, we got directions back to the entrance, and drove on our way to the hotel. “Well! We certainly had an adventure today!” My dad said.
That’s for certain. I looked over at Lucas asleep next to me, and hugged him weakly with the energy I had left. “You’re the best little brother ever,” I whispered. I looked over at Mallory, who was also fast asleep, and whispered, “You’re not too bad of a sister either.” With that, I drifted into a deep sleep.