Down on the Bayou
By: Ashlynn Elliott
Down on the Bayou
Copyright 2014
Part 1
Monday June 9
Hi, I’m Ashley! Well, Ashley Elaine if you want to be specific. If you want to be even more specific, Ashley Amore’ Elaine! Amore’ means “Love” in French. Your middle name can tell a lot about you! Just like my name, “Love,” can show that you are loving and caring, and I am! And if your middle name is Angel, well, it could mean you are a total angel! (Or sometimes the complete opposite!!!!!)
I’m sorry I talk so much. It’s in the family. There’s also a bunch of other stuff that makes me different. Like the fact I’m the new girl. Or the fact that I’m the youngest kid in my junior class. Yep, I’m 16!!! Well, I’m about to turn 16. My birthday and party’s tomorrow.
Have you ever had no friends at all? That sure is my life! Even at my old school, no one would even talk to me! I mean, I’m a nice kid, and only a few people know that! (Or even care to ask…..) Okay, I take it back; I have a few friends…. But only a few! The best (and nicest) one is Emma, the girl that stood up to the bully that was trying to beat me up. We have the opposite initials. She is E.A. I am A.E. Her name is Emma Alice, if you were wondering…..
I have a few other friends. The twins, Candy and Andy, are kind of like friends, but they’re not. Have you ever had a friend that you called a friend, but wasn’t really a, you know…. BFF. It’s kind of like…. Um….. Frenemies.
Did I mention I’m the least popular kid in class? We have over 100 kids. Yeah, I’m that low. Well, I have my birthday party tomorrow, so, um …..Maybe I’ll be more popular after that.
Well, as I mentioned earlier, my party’s tomorrow. Since I don’t have many friends, I invited the only girls that haven’t trashed me in front of the boys. The girls are, Sara Morse, Candy Kaylee, Andy Kaylee Zoe Komi, Tilly Villa, Violet Meno, May San-Fran, Hailey Monroe, Elsa Joe, and of course, Emma.
I didn’t have a party last year. I had the stomach flu. So, Mom said I could have a vacation party this year to make up for last year. Did I mention I live in Lake Charles, Louisiana? Well, I’m going to Toledo Bend, a lake in Louisiana, for my party. We’re going to stay 3 nights. It’s my favorite vacation spot. There’s fishing, swimming, boat riding, and lots of other stuff.
Well, tomorrow I’m leaving to Toledo Bend tomorrow at 5:00 A.M. It’s really early, but I don’t care. My friends know the directions. They’re going to show up at 12:00 noon. We have SOO many decorations and party things to set up. See you tomorrow!!!!!
Tuesday June 10
I think my party’s going to be late. We are stuck in major traffic. Oh, and its 2:00 in the morning. There was a wreck on the interstate and traffic was going to be bad if we didn’t leave then, so Mom insisted that we leave at midnight. I was half asleep, so I said yes, without knowing what was going on.
Next thing I knew, Mom jammed a toothbrush in my mouth, threw some designer jeans and a fancy shirt on me (I don’t know why, so don’t ask), and ran a hairbrush though my hair. I was not very happy. After that, I don’t really remember. I think I fell asleep…. When I woke up, I found myself in my mom’s car. We were about 30 miles from our house. It was one in the morning.
I complained so much, I think Mom took the wrong turn. She took the interstate. I kind of feel bad about it now…… Well, anyways, we’re in a bunch of traffic. And it’s boring. It’s VERY boring. It’s so boring you want to slam your iPod on the ground because you’ve played every single game, texted everyone you know and they didn’t answer, and listened to every song you have at least three times.
It’s so boring, I really don’t have much to talk about. My long, greasy, dirty-blonde hair is getting annoying. I need a haircut. That’s really the only thing I can think about right now. Well, besides the traffic.
I guess I could talk about that. Right now, I’m about fifty miles from home. There’s a sign that says “Exit 33 ahead.” Food: There’s a picture of the McDonald’s sign, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, and Wendy’s, too.
Um….. There’s a red Toyota in front of us. A Blue Ford is in back of us. There’s a Wal-Mart 18-wheeler on the left of us, and a KIA silver van on our right. We haven’t moved in ten minutes.
Ha! Ha!!! HA!!!! Now, there’s something to talk about! Mom is SINGING!!!!!!!! She’s singing, “Goin’ to the bayou, going to the bayou! We’re going to the bayou, Going, Going, and Gone!” To the tune of “Going down the bayou” From the Disney movie, “Princess and the Frog”
To be honest, it’s disturbing. It’s probably embarrassing, too. Well, it’s embarrassing for her. I grabbed my iPod as soon as she started singing, I caught it on camera. I’ve texted it to everyone that was coming to my party. Maybe they’ll want to come more, now that they’ve seen how funny my mom is. Not that they’ll get the text right now. When they wake up they’ll get it.
Well, now it’s time to get scared. There’s a drunk driver on the road. Oooh….. Just hit the KIA. Oh my gosh! It’s flipping!!!!! I’m turning on my iPod, um…. video…….. Why, you ask? ‘Cause if I die, people will know what happened to me!
Wednesday June 11
“SURPISE!!!!” That’s the first word I heard. I was in the Toledo Bend cabin. I was happy. Emma, Candy, Andy, Elsa, and Hailey were standing around me. Mom, Tilly, Violet, May, Zoe, and Sara were behind them. It was the day after my birthday. My actual birthday had been ruined.
After a while, I came to. I found out what had happened yesterday. This guy wasn’t drunk. His brakes had failed. He’s completely innocent. The good thing was my iPod wasn’t damaged from the wreck. The people in the ambulance found it on my lap and looked at what happened.
They brought me to the hospital, and fortunately, nothing was broken. I was fine. I think I woke up a few times, but I don’t really remember it, or it’s at least what Mom said.
I guess Mom took me to the camp. I woke up on the sofa. In the small floral room, there was an ice-cream cake, every flavor of ice-cream there is, and stashes and stashes of presents. There was an ice sculpture of a kitty, my favorite pet. There was also a karaoke set, movies, and fishing rods.
Fishing is popular where I come from. All of the cool kids do it. I love it too. Not because I’m trying to be like them, I’ve just always loved it. I once caught a 30- pound redfish in the Gulf of Mexico. It was awesome!!!
Emma’s running toward me. She just gave me a hug. “Happy Birthday!” She hugs me again. I guess she knows what happened. I hugged her back. Candy grabs a present and tries to balance it on her head. She’s just odd like that. Elsa and Hailey are BFF’s and they’re just talking about clothes. I have no clue why, they just always do that.
Tilly is jamming her head into the cake. I guess we won’t be eating that……. Wait…. Wait….. Mom comes out with a backup cake. She’s always prepared, smart, and good with parties.
Violet, um, is just trying to fit in with the crowd of crazy girls. So is Andy.
“We heard what happened! We’re so glad you’re ok!” Elsa and Hailey jumped up and hugged me at the same time. I guess they weren’t just talking about clothes!
It’s time for karaoke. Hailey and Elsa stink. They’re singing, “Girls just wanna have fun” I mean, they have great voices, they just don’t sound right together. Elsa sings at a high note, and Hailey sings on a low note. It just doesn’t sound right.
Cake time! We’re avoiding the cake that Tilly gnawed on, except her, May, and Zoe. They are the closest (and weirdest) friends that there can be. They eat and drink after each other, even if they are sick.
Andy, Candy, Hailey, Elsa, Mom, Sara, May, and Emma shared the small chocolate cake. Mom got me a three layered strawberry cake.
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br /> This is probably the oddest birthday I’ve ever had!
Still Wednesday but at night
Yes, it’s still Wednesday, everyone else is asleep. Me and Emma are the only ones still up. We decided to go fishing late at night after everyone went to sleep. Emma’s grabbing the rods. I’m in the shed getting the bait. The white perch, my favorite type to eat, come out late at night.
We’re on the pier now. Emma’s boarding the boat. I’m still fastening my life jacket. I hop in the boat, and water comes splashing in. Emma is very mad. She’s saying some not-so-nice words. Use Language! She just started the boat. Chug, chug, chug. The boat rumbles like thunder. It’s honestly very annoying.
Now we’re very far out into the pitch black lake. I switch on a flashlight. I notice that there are about three other boaters out on the lake. One of them is holding a humongous book and seems like it’s looking for something. The second one is following the searching boat, while doing some fishing. The last one is a guy in a canoe and I think he’s catfish fishing.
It’s 11:00 at night. Man, I need some sleep! I hardly noticed when Emma just reeled in a 30-pound gar fish with perch bait. She’s a fishing expert.
Something doesn’t feel right. I hear whispers coming from the trees. They are human whispers, but don’t really sound, you know…. Human. It’s weird. The guy with a flashlight starts yelling, “FAIRIES! WE FOUND THEM!!!!!” This guy is a complete idiot. Fairies are for babies! Now, if I see one later, find out I am one, or even believe in fairies, do me a favor and slap me!
Emma is hollering at the idiot. I don’t blame her. He has likely lost his mind. The whispers stop. The guy in the boat behind the idiot goes and tells the idiot something. He takes his humongous book and throws it into the water.
I think he’s not the only one who has lost his mind. Emma just started the boat and is racing after the book. She’s a nice kid, but really needs some common sense. Let me rephrase that: A LOT of common sense!!!!
She picks up the book and reads the title, “Toledo’s biggest Tales: True or false?: Bayou Fairies” The book is not really that wet. Emma made our tiny boat go so fast, I lost my head band. And there is a big fat bruise on my face.
She flips the pages to the table of contents. The first chapter is called, “Bayou Fairies: Myth or Reality?” We laugh hysterically. Now we see why this guy was so bent out of shape!
Emma reads, “Chapter 2, Bad or Good: they can be a hoax”
“Ooh... So scary!!” I just say sarcastically.
We all just laugh until the morning comes, reading the stupid chapters. We read the entire book, too. Emma and I just keep laughing.
Thursday Night, June 12
Today’s part of the party went pretty good. We went on a nature hike. Unfortunately, Zoe got stung by three bees, so she had to go home, and Tilly just followed behind. Violet just decided to stay in case Zoe’s stings got infected, Zoe got sick, and it was contagious. She’s a total hypochondriac.
Well, it’s night #2 for fishing with Emma. She is obsessed with that dumb old book we found last night. Oh, and I took a six-hour nap today, so, I’ve caught up with my sleep. She actually thinks that there are fairies on this bayou/lake. She is so stupid!!!
I told her that we are not staying up late tonight. We started up the boat, and when I hopped in, Emma cursed again. Man, that girl needs to take a class about not ratting people out for splashing on her tennis shoes that she’s had for three years! Gosh!
So we’re in that same spot where we saw the crazy guy last night. Emma says, “Ok, in the book it says that if we are going to find a fairy, look for the good, not the bad fairies. The bad fairies will trick you into thinking they’re a good fairy by putting a spell on you when you least expect it, so watch out. Don’t be friends with a bad fairy. They are going to curse you.”
I rolled my eyes. She’s really thinking about looking for those stupid fairies. I mean, come on! They’re not real! She’s addicted to that book, too. You know, I wonder if that boat ride we took last night knocked her in the head. Am I right?!
We’re sitting in a small canal with a cabin right by it. I yawned in boredom. She stays alert. The small cabin doors creak open. I really can’t move. I’m too scared. Emma whispers in my ear, “It’s a fairy!” Again, rolling my eyes.
A girl that looks about my age leaps out. We can only see her shadow, though. She is followed by two or three other girls. My mouth hits the ground when the tallest girl takes off her jacket and wings appear. Wings. Yeah, I said it. Big, shiny, blue sparkly WINGS.
Emma and that guy were right. Do me a favor and slap me. NOW. Fine. Don’t do it. I don’t care. The other four girls sprout wings.
The one with the purple wings whispered to the blue-winged girl, “I can’t believe they think we’re dark fairies!”
Our mouths hit the ground. “Oh my glob…..” Emma stares at them. We found them. Fairies.
“What was that?” The one with the orange wings made a light with her hands. She saw us. All the others saw us, too. DANG! Emma needs to also take a class on SHUTTING HER MOUTH.
The night continues with fairies, me, and Emma screaming as loud as we could.
Unfortunately, still Thursday night
I am in complete shock right now. I have to be dreaming. I’m sitting in the cabin, in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I saw fairies. Not just the ones on the bayou. I talked to one. A bad one. Well, at least I think. How? Let me tell you. It is highly disturbing.
When Emma and I got back to the cabin, all of my friends were missing. I heard someone whisper, “Tina”. Candy, Sara, and Hailey came running out. Elsa went whisper in their ear, “We have to keep this fairy secret!”
Emma and I freak. They are fairies. They’re the ones we saw on the bayou! I vomit. Then, Andy notices. “Hey! You guys weren’t here! We have to show you our fairy secret. And EWW!” Liar. She’s a big, fat liar. She just saw us. Five minutes ago. I’m not stupid.
“What?! WE have the fairy secret!! Not YOU!!” I screamed manically.
“Ka-whaaaaaa??????????????????????????” The girls said in confusion.
Turns out, they weren’t fairies at all. They had met one. We walked into the kitchen, and there it was. There was a little yellow fairy trapped in a cup. It must have been a bad one, since this one looked different from the good ones we saw five minutes ago. Wait, what am I saying?! I sound like Emma!!! Well, whatever.
Her name is Tina. I walk up to her. I was going to show this dark fairy what’s what. “Listen, dark fairy. I’m not scared of you. Oh, and put a curse on my friends and I will crush you.” I sassed her up.
“Ka-whaaaaaaa?????” They went again, including Tina.
“Oh, she’s a good fairy!” Elsa giggled. Yeah, right.
So now we’re keeping a dark fairy in my cabin. My mom doesn’t even know. Why is my life so dramatic? Why so fantasy-like either?! My life could be a fantasy book!! Or a Disney movie!!! ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
So anyways, my friends are likely cursed by Tina the evil tiny crazyhead. I’m going to look for those good fairies tomorrow night. Wish me luck because I don’t have any.
I hope I can make friends with them so I can stop Tina from ruling the world. Well, I just hope that won’t happen. My life is crazy. I know. It’s midnight. I need some sleep. Good night!
And so ends part one of this story………………………