Trapped

Joanna Stanley

It was the summer holidays, and my family and I were enjoying the sunshine. We were staying in France at an isolated campsite surrounded by gloomy trees. We had been to the campsite several times except I did not know this would be the last. I loved the pool at the campsite; being only nine I thought it was the most amazing thing in the entire world. As well as the swimming pool every evening we would wonder down to the beautiful river. Across the river were two huge arched bridges, I often would sit down by the rocky beach and attempt to draw the breathtaking view but I never stayed still for more than a minute. Each evening we would be found by the river my siblings and I would be in the water playing with our dingy ,whilst my parents would be constantly watching us in case of an accident. I was always scared because of the powerful current. I was correct; I needed to be worried because tomorrow I would find myself in a dangerous situation.

It was early morning. I could hear the sounds of the birds softly singing as they perched on a branch of a tree. My father stumbled in to come and wake us up for a fun day trip. I had never been canoeing before and was looking forward to the experience. I wore my ragged shabby clothes just In case I fell in the deep green water. I decided I would be in a canoe with my parents because I simply did not trust my brother and sister to steer me in the correct direction. We would start at the very top of the river meaning we needed to catch the local mini bus which transported the tourists to the canoe destination.

We arrived and I was pleased to see that the river was wonderfully calm and peaceful. The strong men placed our canoe in the freezing water, ours was the biggest. It was red, my favourite colour at the time. I have a vivid picture of the canoe in my mind it has stayed in my memory forever. My father was given a spacious white tub to protect our valuables from getting damaged. Next, the men carried out a yellow canoe; this would be my brothers and sisters. We clambered in the canoe. I panicked as the canoe violently swayed from side to side. I did not like this sensation.

I remember it was about ten thirty before we finally set off on our journey. We estimated it would be beyond three o'clock before we arrived back at the bottom of the river beside our campsite. 1 was joyfully singing - "We all live in a yellow submarine" at this moment my brother was making funny faces because of the awful screeching of my childish voice.

We had been canoeing for several hours and were exhausted. It was time for lunch! It was not easy to climb out of the canoe on to land. There were steep hills either side of the wide river. Eventually after more steering we found a small pebbly beach to relax for a while. After my brother jumped onto safe sturdy land he reached for my tiny hand to assist me. Mother had made a delicious picnic. I had a whole baguette to myself filled with various tasty toppings. After my sandwich I helped my self to a large handful of scrumptious sweets. After too many I felt fit to burst. We were already to carry on our journey. Ahead of us were several slippery rocks. The current had turned from bad to worse. The whooshing of the water got faster and faster. My father struggled to control the canoe. My brother shouted- "Slow down, a small dip ahead" Their canoe had completed the course successfully, however being in my dads hands was never going to go smoothly. I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. I was being silly. It was only a tiny slope I had nothing to worry about. What was the worst that could happen? But I was only nine this was a big thing to me. I nibbled my nails, shouted to my brother to warn him. Before I knew it I was under. Under the water...

I gulped as I swallowed a load of grotty murky water and held my breath for as long as I could. I kept my eyes tightly closed and tried to swim for safety. Darkness wrapped around me. My hands touched the canoe. I felt relieved .However; my mother was stuck under the canoe and was kicking her legs wildly. I needed to rescue her from this huge void. By this point my dad was rapidly searching for my mother and I. He bellowed to my brother and sister who were miles ahead; they realised the terrible disaster and turned around to come and help rescue us.

I still was underneath the water. I was fighting to survive. I felt a hand suddenly bash my arm. It was father trying to feel his way around to find me. He tightly clasped my delicate hand. As soon as my head was above the water I had the most amazing feeling. I was safe, and my daddy' had rescued me. But then I looked around, lost and isolated. I couldn't find my mother and of course I wasn't aware that she was still suffering underwater. To all our relief I saw some bubbles appear at the surface of the river. She was here, looking perfectly normal. We sat at the side all together, wrapped up in blankets trying to keep ourselves warm. My father suddenly said: "Where's the valuables box?" It was not until then we figured out that the little white box had floated away into the far distance. We had lost all our possessions- all the pictures of our brilliant holiday in France, all our money, everything.

We had to carry on canoeing we could not just sit there. I did not canoe any more. I just sat there wishing the ride would be over. I promised myself I would never be found in a canoe ever again; and my promise still remains today.