ny115+Original+Story

__** Original Story **__
 * ny115**
 * 10/02/12 **
 * Period:7/8 **

** __1940s Adventure__ **


 * “Why did I agree to this trip?” Claudia groaned inwardly as she and her parents drove towards the picturesque town Woodloch in Pennsylvania. **


 * “ Isn’t it great that we are out of the city and out in the open; it’s all so peaceful!” Claudia’s mother exclaimed, “You know Fred, maybe we should move here after all.” **


 * “You’re kidding, right? I mean, I’ve lived in NYC my whole entire life, all my friends are there, and do I look like I’m the type of girl who rides horses out in the middle of nowhere?” Claudia said. **** After a few moments of letting Claudia get herself calmed down, Claudia’s father spoke up. **


 * “C’mon Claud, you should know that your mother was joking. I know you’re a little crabby after this long and arduous drive, but you need to get a hold of yourself! After we check in to the hotel, let’s walk around and see if we find anything, okay?” Claudia breathed a sigh of relief and sunk back in her seat; she could deal with this trip if it meant not moving to the boring place called Woodloch. **
 * Claudia wiped her forehead as they walked through the cobblestone roads of Woodloch. Finally, she saw something that caught her eye. It was an old book, with leather binding and gold leaf framing the border. In the middle of the book there was a crest that Claudia had seen on the state flag in the middle of the town; the crest of Woodloch. Claudia dragged her parents into the antique store. They all stopped short as they stared around in awe. **
 * Inside, the store was a cluttered mess of all these different and unique antiques. There was everything from a 1950s coffee machine to a jewel-encrusted hairbrush. **


 * “I think we should get out of here. There might be mice!” Claudia’s mom whispered anxiously, looking around nervously. Suddenly a wizened old man appeared out of the shadows and stood in front of them; he was very tall, with skinny arms and legs and leathery skin; the only lively part about him were his eyes, which were electric blue and always had a twinkle of mischief. **


 * “What can I help you with?” the old man asked kindly, smiling down at them. After ushering her parents out of the store, Claudia asked the mysterious man a question that would change her opinion about Woodloch forever. **


 * “May I please see that big book over there?” Claudia asked and pointed at the book. **


 * “You may look inside the book if you promise me one thing; keep whatever you find inside the book confidential.” Claudia nodded, not sure she why she was agreeing to a strange old man. The man led Claudia over to the stand that held the book and cautiously opened it. Suddenly a strong wind blew up, knocking over small objects around the book while the floor started to spin. **


 * “What’s happening to—” Claudia started to say, but then the world went black. **
 * Claudia groaned and rubbed her eyes and awoke to find three anxious faces over her; a pretty woman, a handsome young man, and, of course, the old man. **


 * “Where am I?” Claudia croaked, looking around. **


 * “You are on a cruise ship called S.S. Mermaid that is sailing across Lake Teedyuskung. My name is Mary and this is my husband Harry. If you’re all right, we are going to get back to the party. Toodles!” Mary said, and the two walked away. **


 * "A few things: what year is it, who are those people and why are we here?” Claudia asked the man, sitting upright. **


 * “I’ll explain everything,” the old man said, and the two walked inside. **
 * After the two of them found an empty bedroom, the old man took a deep breath and patted the bed next to him. They both sat down, and that’s when the man started to talk. **


 * “Right now we are in the 1940s, and those two people, Mary Mould and her husband Harry, are the owners of Woodloch Resort, which is where all these people are staying. We are on Lake Teedyuskung, which is what this book was all about. The Lenni Lenape tribes were the very first settlers at the lake. In the early 18th century, the Susquehanna Delaware Native Americans became the most powerful tribe. You okay?” Claudia nodded, still in awe that she traveled back in time. **** “Anyway, Chief Teedyuskung was the spokesman of this tribe, and he fought the white settlers for the land in which he believed belonged to his tribe. Unfortunately, his requests were ignored. In the year 1763, Chief Teedyuskung’s house was mysteriously burned down with a few other tribe members. Captain Bull, the chief’s son, decided to kill all the white settlers with his tribe and name the lake after his father.” **


 * “So you’re telling me that we’re in a book and that we traveled back in time?” Claudia asked. **


 * “Yes, and I hope you listened to my history lesson,” the old man replied, raising one eyebrow. **


 * “History, Schmistory, I really don’t care. All I want to to do is get back home!” Claudia exclaimed. Now she actually missed the cozy town and her parents. Her parents! They must be frantic and searching all over for her! “I have to get home now, Mr.....” Claudia said. **


 * “Call me Steve. I know that and the only way to do that is to go Chief Teedyuskung’s grave and say a chant over it.” Claudia nodded and followed Steve off the boat, where it was docking, even though she thought the whole thing was really bizarre. He had to get back to her parents, and quick! **
 * Steve stooped over and panted heavily. They’ve been walking for about three hours to the sacred land, and that’s a lot for an old man. Claudia wordlessly handed over his water bottle, too tired to speak. After a few moments she finally spoke. **


 * “Are we going to be there soon?” **


 * “We just have to get up that hill and we’ll be there.” **


 * “That’s an awfully big hill.” They both looked up at the hill, which was probably another hour walk. Both of them sighed in unison and started to walk again. Tree branches slapped their faces, and every few minutes they would stumble over roots; it was as if these things popped out of nowhere, almost like a jack-in-the box. There was no sign of human and animal life, which was unsettling. As they got closer to the top of the enormous hill, a feeling of dread came over the two. **
 * Finally, they reached the top of the sacred hill, where a mist had settled over everything. **


 * “Yay,” Claudia said softly, lifting up her arms slightly in a tired cheer. Steve didn’t answer; he just sat on a flat rock and caught his breath, already feeling like he was going to pass out. A few minutes later he got up. **


 * “Look up” he said hoarsely, peering up into the dark. Claudia looked up, and saw an ancient stone arch, and in the middle was a matching tombstone with many carvings on it. They walked slowly up towards the tomb, both excited and nervous of what they were about to find. When they reached the tomb, both of them got the chills; it was like an icy finger had ran down their spines. Suddenly an eerie wind blew across them. **


 * “Wha-” Claudia started to say, but Steve silenced her. Slowly, he pulled out the book that led them to all of this is. He flipped to a page and Claudia read it. It said: **

** Ghost, Ghost ** ** of the mighty tribe ** ** help us ** ** get back, ** ** so that ** ** we may never ** ** disturb you ** ** AGAIN! **
 * Claudia looked up at Steve, and she suddenly knew what to do. She counted off on her fingers, and the both of them plunged into the chant, saying it three times. As the world around them started to spin around, Claudia thought, “Here we go again,” and the world went black. **


 * When Claudia woke up again, she was on Steve’s dusty shop floor. **
 * “What happened?” she asked groggily, slowly sitting up. **


 * “You fainted” replied Steve, his face expressionless; but in his eyes Claudia knew it was all true. **


 * “Oh, my Claudi-boo-boo!” Claudia’s mom sobbed, her face in her husband’s shoulder. Her father gave her a look, and she knew it was time to go; she gave Steve a curt nod, and the three of them walked out of the store. **


 * “I think we’ve had enough action for today,” Claudia’s dad said, unlocking the car to take them to their hotel. **


 * “You have no idea,” Claudia replied, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Then she thought, “Who knows, maybe Woodloch is more interesting than I thought!” **

** The End ** Go back to my index page!!! :D