Our first writing project is an original adventure story. I enjoy writing my own essays as my kids are writing. It helps me model the lesson and the focus for the day. This is my adventure story for this year. I kept the ending of my story off of my graphic organizer so it would be a surprise for them.
Back in 2015 there were 2 classmates, Fitz and Leandra. They were in the 5th grade together at Daly Elementary. They both loved adventure and had dreams of being rich!
One day at recess a strangely dressed man appeared on the slide. He passed Leandra a map and walked away. He was definitely a strange dude. Leandra called Fitz over and they looked at it together out of site from their classmates and teacher, Ms. Gracie.
Fitz immediately realized that it was a treasure map and that the treasure was hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. Leandra and Fitz decided to leave school (without permission) and head to Brazil.
Since Fitz and Leandra left home so quickly they realized they weren’t ready for the climate of Brazil. The weather was hot and super muggy. They started to sweat immediately. Leandra was fussing already and they had only been in the country for three and half minutes. Their first stop was an outdoors store where they would buy the correct clothing. They both picked out tan “adventurer” outfits. Leandra picked out a funny looking hat that had a fan built in to it and a net that covered her face to keep the bugs away. Apparently she and bugs don’t get along. Fitz picked out a less dorky version of the same hat.
Now that they are dressed correctly they needed to find a guide. Leandra was good with maps, but Fitz would prefer to just bush whack his way through the jungle with his machete. Leandra asked about finding a guide at the clothing store and they were on their way to meet Cleatus their guide.
When they walked up to Cleatus they were a little shocked. He was 8 feet tall and weighed about 450 pounds. Needless to say, dude was big and was going to really help cutting through the jungle. Plus, he would scare the biggest predators away just by looking at them.
Leandra and Fitz and their new guide Cleatus came up with a plan. They were going to head into the jungle immediately. Since Leandra hates bugs, they didn’t want to stay overnight. They rushed into the jungle after quickly looking at their map. Cleatus led the way. He cleared a trail just by pushing the trees that were in his way to the ground. Fitz came behind him with the machete to clear the smaller branches away from the new trail. Leandra, meanwhile, just walked and looked around and didn’t have to do any work.
Leandra stopped the group because she believed they were getting closer to the “X” on the map. The group looked around and suddenly Leandra noticed a dark spot in the jungle about 200 yards away. Fitz and Leandra knew that it was a cave and also knew that Cleatus needed to go first in case there were any predators around that were hungry for kids from Maryland.
As they approached the cave entrance they started to get really nervous. The cave was very dark and looked wet and slippery from the outside. Cleatus lit a torch made out of palm fronds and led the way. After just a few steps into the cave they knew this was where they were going to become rich!
After about 1 hour of exploring the cave, Leandra found a long narrow passage in the rock. She had to crawl on all fours to get through the passage. She yelled louder than we ever thought she could. Fitz crawled through quickly but poor Cleatus wouldn’t fit in the passage. He sat outside the passage and cried a little.
Once Fitz made it to Leandra he found her standing next to a wooden box that looked like it came from a pirate movie. Maybe it was Jack Sparrow’s box…. I doubt it.
This was the moment that they had risked getting expelled from school for. Leandra unlocked the lock with a pin from her hair and slowly opened the box.
Fitz’s jaw dropped to the floor. Leandra stood there shocked and silently. In front was millions of dollars of Incan gold. They were rich, filthy rich! They swear they heard the stereotypical angel’s “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”.
Now, how do they get their millions home without losing it or losing their lives? It took 3 hours to pass the money through the narrow passage. It was a good thing that Cleatus was a strong dude. He carried most of the gold back through the jungle for Fitz and Leandra.
The goal was to get back safely, but the jungle was a dangerous place. They had seen some shadows that were made by some large predators on their way to the cave. The group came to a stop and the end of a calm river. The river’s surface was covered with lily pads. The lily pads prevented them from being able to see the bottom. They had no idea what was lurking beneath the surface.
Cleatus went first, of course, and made it to the other side of the river. Fitz went second and also made it across the river. So far, most of the gold was still safe.
Fitz and Cleatus turned to watch Leandra cross. She was freaking out big time. She took a couple of worried steps into the river. She was starting to get more comfortable until she saw a swirl of water next to her leg. Suddenly, Leandra was nowhere to be seen.
Fitz and Cleatus stood on the shore stunned. Then they saw that tell tale markings on an Anaconda. They knew that Leandra was gone. And even worse, the gold she was carrying was also gone.
Fitz and Cleatus decided to carry on the mission and return to city where they started. Neither one of them talked while walking back. They were still in shock that Leandra was gone.
Once the guys made it back they counted the treasure. They carried back approximately $47.5 million dollars of gold back to where they started. Because Cleatus carried most of the treasure and did most of the bush whacking, Fitz gave him $5 million in gold. Cleatus was very happy and wouldn’t stop thanking Fitz.
Fitz was ready to return to Daly Elementary to share his story and to let Leandra’s family know about her demise. He also knew that he was going to be in big trouble for skipping school. He boarded the plane sitting on the runway bound for Maryland. He found a seat next to the window so he could look at the jungle one last time.
The plane taxied down the runway and lifted off into the sky. Once the plane was in the air the cabin crew came around to serve drinks. The stewardess asked the passenger behind Fitz what she would like to drink. She asked politely for a Coke. Suddenly Fitz stood up on his chair and turned around. He was amazed to see Leandra sitting behind smiling.
He asked her how she made it out alive. She said that Anacondas are apparently allergic to gold. As soon as she and the gold she was carrying made into the snake’s stomach it threw them up. She was slimy and a little disgusted, but she was alive. She said the snake died immediately and pointed to her shoes. Fitz looked down and noticed that she had on different shoes than the ones she purchased at the store. She said they were made out of Anaconda skin.
They flew home, got suspended for 10 days, grounded for 3 months, and had their passports destroyed. However, they were rich. Of course Fitz divided the gold evenly and they lived happily ever after!
