Alexis Van Sickle
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
12 February 2019
Took A Roll
Every year, my family has gone to the same spot for camping over Labor Day weekend. The sun was sneaking peeks from behind the clouds every now and then. There was a soft breeze, just enough to keep you cool with a light jacket on. What seemed far off in the distance, though, dark clouds were rolling in. Was I worried? Nope. This year was no different for me; I still climbed the hill that was across the road. My nieces wanted to come this year, and with no complaint of the companionship, we started up the hill. The climb was difficult, as always, but we continued, slipping and sliding in spots.
Almost at the top, we heard a call, “Hey, it’s time for dinner! You gonna come down?”
“We’ll be down in a bit,” I called in reply. I was going to make it to the top first.
I made it to the top and caught my breath while I waited for Danika and Dakota to catch up to me. The climb had been tough, and I now had some scrapes and bruises, but this was no different than the years before. Before we started down the mountain, I gave the girls some instructions.
“When we are going down, I want you to follow me in my zig-zag pattern. Walking down is probably more difficult and dangerous than coming up. You’re going to want to run down the hill, but don’t, okay?”
“Okay,” they replied together.
As we walked down, I noticed there were more roots sticking out. I pointed this out to the girls and told them to pay attention to where they put their feet.
Little did I know how much I needed to take my own advice. About 1/3 of the way down, my foot slipped and got caught under a root. I started tumbling.
Down, down, down I went, hitting rocks and bushes. Each time I completed a roll, my belly lurched and my head thought of all the ways this could kill me. I could break my neck, crack my head open, or maybe, just maybe, make it out alive.
“What are you crazy; make it out of this? You’re rolling down a hill, at who knows what speed, over rocks and logs, through bushes and branches, and you think you’ll live?” My brain was not giving me any positivity in this situation.
Behind me, I could hear Dakota coming after me, and Danika right behind her.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, I stopped rolling. I lay on my back, sprawled on the ground. My eyelids felt like they were taped shut. I could feel something warm and wet running down my head.
“Lexie, are you okay?” someone questioned.
“Mmmm,” I mumbled.
“Go get Grandma.”
I could feel rumbling in the ground. Someone or something was running toward us now. Silence seemed to eat me, all light faded, and I stood alone in darkness.
When I awoke, the room was dim. Where was I? What had happened?
“Lexie?” The room came into to focus and I remembered it all.
Later that day, I was released from the hospital and got to go home with a concussion and a cut that would scar. That day, I learned to take things one step at a time.
Narrative Reflection Questions
Answer all questions with complete, grammatically correct sentences. Be specific and thoroughly address each question.
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
12 February 2019
Took A Roll
Every year, my family has gone to the same spot for camping over Labor Day weekend. The sun was sneaking peeks from behind the clouds every now and then. There was a soft breeze, just enough to keep you cool with a light jacket on. What seemed far off in the distance, though, dark clouds were rolling in. Was I worried? Nope. This year was no different for me; I still climbed the hill that was across the road. My nieces wanted to come this year, and with no complaint of the companionship, we started up the hill. The climb was difficult, as always, but we continued, slipping and sliding in spots.
Almost at the top, we heard a call, “Hey, it’s time for dinner! You gonna come down?”
“We’ll be down in a bit,” I called in reply. I was going to make it to the top first.
I made it to the top and caught my breath while I waited for Danika and Dakota to catch up to me. The climb had been tough, and I now had some scrapes and bruises, but this was no different than the years before. Before we started down the mountain, I gave the girls some instructions.
“When we are going down, I want you to follow me in my zig-zag pattern. Walking down is probably more difficult and dangerous than coming up. You’re going to want to run down the hill, but don’t, okay?”
“Okay,” they replied together.
As we walked down, I noticed there were more roots sticking out. I pointed this out to the girls and told them to pay attention to where they put their feet.
Little did I know how much I needed to take my own advice. About 1/3 of the way down, my foot slipped and got caught under a root. I started tumbling.
Down, down, down I went, hitting rocks and bushes. Each time I completed a roll, my belly lurched and my head thought of all the ways this could kill me. I could break my neck, crack my head open, or maybe, just maybe, make it out alive.
“What are you crazy; make it out of this? You’re rolling down a hill, at who knows what speed, over rocks and logs, through bushes and branches, and you think you’ll live?” My brain was not giving me any positivity in this situation.
Behind me, I could hear Dakota coming after me, and Danika right behind her.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, I stopped rolling. I lay on my back, sprawled on the ground. My eyelids felt like they were taped shut. I could feel something warm and wet running down my head.
“Lexie, are you okay?” someone questioned.
“Mmmm,” I mumbled.
“Go get Grandma.”
I could feel rumbling in the ground. Someone or something was running toward us now. Silence seemed to eat me, all light faded, and I stood alone in darkness.
When I awoke, the room was dim. Where was I? What had happened?
“Lexie?” The room came into to focus and I remembered it all.
Later that day, I was released from the hospital and got to go home with a concussion and a cut that would scar. That day, I learned to take things one step at a time.
Narrative Reflection Questions
Answer all questions with complete, grammatically correct sentences. Be specific and thoroughly address each question.
- List one thing you've learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will that look like?
I learned that details are important to successfully telling a story. This will help me in future stories to make it exciting and help my readers understand it better. - Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn?
I forgot to add a small detail, this made the story confusing. When i added it, the story made sense again. This tought me to double check for everything. - What are the conventions of a narrative and how did you meet those in this assignment?
The Literary Devices, i used dialoge, discription, and personification. - Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
I believe I had plenty of time to complete this paper. - What is one thing you're proud of in this paper?