Bethany won a "Young Author Award" for this story that she wrote.
The
Wreck
Written
by Bethany Connie Richardson
Vandergriff
Elementary
Stokenbury
Dedicated
to my Family:
Alison
and Robert Clawson, and Vernon, Connie, Melissa, Hyrum, Joseph, Rebecca,
Benjamin, Rachel, Matthew, Daniel, David, Mason, and Louis Richardson
December
6th, 8:17 p.m.
“Welcome aboard! This is Flight 761 going from Dallas, Texas to
Auckland, New Zealand.” The flight attendant continued about how long the
flight would be, but I wasn’t paying attention to her. I was paying attention
to the mini television that was connected to the back of the seat in front of
me. It has at least twenty
movies for me to watch.
You
know how some people say that if you’re an only child, you’re spoiled? Well,
that’s not true for me because I’ve never had cable before. And the only reason I’m even going on this
trip is because my mom has a business meeting in New Zealand and she is
practically being paid to go.
Anyway, let me introduce myself. My name is Chloe Carter. My mother is
an accountant at Brigham Young University (BYU) and my dad owns a small
business called “Box it fast, Box it well!” His company wraps everything from
birthday presents to Christmas presents and they pack shipments into boxes for
other companies.
The plane is starting to move. Faster and
faster we move, until we are racing down the runway and past all the gates. A
feeling of energy rushes through my body. The nose of the plane is tilting
upwards, and a few minutes later, we are up in the clouds. By “we” I mean my
mom and I. My dad decided to stay home. Finally, I will be able to watch a
movie. This flight will be about 12 hours long, so I figure that I will be able
to watch about 8 movies, as long as I don’t fall asleep first.
December
7th, 6:32 a.m.
I
ended up falling asleep last night after only one movie. We are about an hour
and a half away from our destination. We’ve only had a little turbulence. I am
still tired, though. I think I’ll close my eyes for just one more minute.
December
7th, 6:52 a.m.
“Chloe. Chloe. Chloe!”
My mother’s voice jolted me awake.
“What? Have we landed?”
I asked.
“No. The captain wants
us to put our life jackets on.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, but put
it on!” my mom commanded.
Nervously, we quickly
snatched our life jackets from under our seats.
When we finally had it situated, a flight attendant walked down the
aisle, heading for the cockpit. My mother stopped her and asked what was going
on. The flight attendant answered that she was not sure and that she was just
going down to the cockpit to find out.
After she left, my
mother and I sat in silence, wondering if this was just a precaution or if
something was really wrong. Our question was answered just a few minutes later.
The flight attendant
came on and said, “Attention passengers, the engine has been acting up a little
bit, so we are just taking a little precaution. If you would please fasten your
seat belts, and at this time put on your oxygen masks.”
As she said that, two
oxygen masks popped out from above. I struggled to put mine on, but as soon as
mom had hers on she helped me. Strange noises came from the cockpit. They
sounded like noises a car engine would make. First, they were really quiet, but
gradually they got louder.
Everyone on the
airplane was quiet. It was so quiet, I was afraid that everyone would hear my
heart pounding. Suddenly, a noise that sounded an awful lot like an explosion
came from the cockpit. “An electric fire,” I heard someone mumble from behind
me.
The plane began to tilt
diagonally downwards. The closer we got the faster my heart raced. The nose of
the plane got about twenty feet away from the water, and I closed my eyes
thinking for sure that we were going to sink to the bottom of the Pacific
Ocean. Then, the nose was pulled up and we landed on the water.
“Attention! Please
listen very carefully. Please unfasten your seat belt, stand up, and walk in an
orderly line to the nearest exit,” the flight attendant requested. My mother
and I ended up last. A couple of attendants opened the exits and cold water
filled the cabin, ankle-deep. When we reached the exit, people were being
loaded into a big, yellow inflated boat was laid in the clear water. In
Australia, the seasons are opposite of the United States, so it was very warm.
“At this time, please
pull the string on your life jacket,” the flight attendant continued
The moment the flight
attendant stopped talking, everyone inflated their jackets. It sounded like a giant balloon with a
hundred mouthpieces that everyone blew into.
Soon, the flight
attendants helped everyone into the yellow boats. My mother and I were the last ones in. There was one attendant on each boat. They
said that everyone had gotten on the rafts safely. We floated for a while, but
soon big waves started to form. The
attendant pulled out an oar – or that is what it looked like. When I looked back, the plane had sunk about
halfway. For awhile, I didn’t know where we were going, but soon I saw what
looked like an island.
December
7th, 7:03 a.m.
We
finally reached the island. The attendant told me that the island is named The
Auckland Islands. The attendants sent
signals, by cell phones, so a helicopter or a boat would come. My mother and I got out of the boat, but it
was so slippery that I slipped and fell, hitting my head on a rock. Blackness filled my eyes.
I woke up in a room that was white. I was under two sheets and I had what looked
like a nightgown on. I figured I was in
a hospital room.
Why am I here?
Where is my Mom! “Mom!” I called out.
A man walked in, said hello to me and then softly
sat on the bed next to me.
“Hi,” I answered so quietly, I don’t even think he
heard me.
“Chloe, do you remember anything?” He asked.
I shook my head.
“You were in a plane crash. When you got to the Auckland Islands, you
slipped and hit your head on a rock.”
Memories flooded through my head.
Quietly I asked, “Can I talk to my mom?”
He nodded, patted my leg and left the room. A few minutes later, my mother walked
in. It was obvious that she had been
crying because she had red blotches under her eyes. I could immediately tell
that she was frightened
She ran towards me and we embraced. “Everything will
be alright. Everything will be alright” was all that she could say. That was
the last thing I remembered before laying my head back, closing my eyes and
listening to the sound of her voice.
THE END
About the Author
Bethany Richardson lives in
Fayetteville, Arkansas with her 8
brothers and 4 sisters. She loves to write, read, play piano and violin,
sing, and act.
