Under The Well

• Swathi Bukkapatnam , Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2017

Under the Well

“Argh!”Charlotte screamed. The bucket she was using to collect water from the well had got stuck in a ledge deep inside the well. Charlotte turned to her best friend Casey and asked, “What should we do?” “Cut the rope and go home for a new bucket,”her friend suggested. “Good idea,”said Charlotte; she got out a pair of scissors from her backpack and cut the rope connecting the bucket to the reel. The girls then jogged to Charlotte’s home and found another bucket.Once they were back at the well, Casey tied the bucket to the rope and bent over to lower it down but sprang back instantly. “What is it?”Charlotte was beside her within moments. Seconds later, she gasped. The friends turned to each other and shared a smile.They were both amazed at what they saw. Charlotte looked at the bucket and said, “One of us will fit inside if we squeeze ourselves in. I’ll go first and then you reel the bucket back up to come down.” So Charlotte climbed into the bucket and pushed it to the bottom of the well.She then got out and Casey followed her. Once they were both on the ground, the girls looked around in wonder at the sights that surrounded them. They had found a magical wonderland.There were colossal waterfalls gushing into crystal clear, blue rivers and trees that grew fruits that looked extremely sweet and juicy. The friends decided to pick some fruits and sit down on the grass which was as green as emeralds. As they feasted, the girls thought of all the adventures they could have in the magical world. Suddenly, Casey heard a ticking sound. “What was that?”she whispered to Charlotte. “I don’t know!”her friend replied. Charlotte and Casey got up and took a few weary steps towards where the noise had come from. Casey stopped suddenly. “There it is again, listen,”she said. “I can hear it,”Charlotte replied excitedly. The girls quickened their pace and soon came along a tangle of bushes. Charlotte once again took out her scissors and cut some of the thinner branches to make a path for the pair. What they saw when they reached the end of the trail surprised them.It was like a landfill except nothing in there was old or damaged. All the objects seemed in good condition.They edged forwards looking around at the objects. There were watches, bracelets, stationery, toys, keys etc. Casey went over to a blue timer and laughed, “I think I’ve found what made the ticking noise!” “Look at this Casey, I lost this ages ago!”Charlotte said excitedly ,holding up a light up yo yo. “What do you think this place is?”Casey said in wonder. After a moment her friend replied, “I think this is the land of lost things,”she said. The friends looked at each other, they were delighted that they had found a beautiful wonderland and a land of lost objects in one day.
Their adventures had just begun!