OH MY GOSH I love it!!! Thank you for sharing. I'm so touched! It reminds me a little of my sister and I playing imaginary games in the woods in rural Wisconsin, to go on to travel the world (as much as we can!) as adults.
Here it is. I tried to limit the story to 22 sentences. so called the last sentences a prologue....
There by the bend in the river they made up adventures with only the aid of rocks, branches, water, mud, sand, trees and dirt. As the summer went along Heidi and Helene found that they could be “awoken” from their adventures as dusk fell and the voices from their family yelled for them to come in for supper. So, imaginative and consuming were their playful exploits in such a simple setting that hunger or darkness couldn’t break them from the trance, only the booming voices of the adults who cared for them.
When fall arrived and time by the river was broken by five days of studying and school time, the time by the river was all the more special for that two days a week where they were free to adventure as they pleased. As before it was the call at dusk on Saturday and Sunday that broke them from the trance and pulled them back to the house for supper. Not even the cold or rain and snow of November and December broke Helene and Heidi from their magical place by the river. They played and made up adventures with only the change that it was a polar expedition at stake, or treasure hunt for a lost village in the high peaks of the Himalayas, – Or so they imagined.
With rare exception, as Helene and Heidi “grew up” they went through 7 years of their special adventures at the nearby bend in the river. When they were first old enough to go out in the world on their own they ventured to the southern tip of South America to see penguins and sharp peaks. 10 The games they played and conditions they endured from there magical place by the river equipped them well for summiting treacherous peaks in Torres Del Paine and for crossing crevassed riddled glaciers. It was natural for them to just build on the “made-up adventures” by the river and extend them to the amazing topography of a land they’d only read about in books.
In the years afterward they made trips to India and climbed peaks in the Himalayas. Met locals at small villages and explored ruins and caverns. They traveled to Russia and sledded across huge tracks of frozen tundra. They sailed to Australia and trekked the outback. From there they continued to the Antarctica, where they put their skis on and pulled sleds to the south pole. They existed Antarctica via a route by Cape Town South Africa. There they bought an overland vehicle and made their way up the continent of Africa adventuring in as many wild places as they could pack in. They arrived in Egypt and saw the pyramids and all the wonders of the middle east. They sold their vehicle and purchased touring bikes and spent the following 4 months riding through Greece, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, The Nederlands, and Norway. They made a goal of learning: Please, Thank you, Hello, and the numbers 1 to 10 in every language in which they encountered people.
They took the ferry to England and learned English fluently in just 4 weeks as they made their way to Scotland and Ireland. They so enjoyed the artisan whiskey, scotch, and gin that they settled in there and founded the world famous H&H distillery.
Prologue..
With the profits from their business success they started a school for kids that is taught by a bend in a river, (even boys can attend.) To “graduate” from their school you have to: smile, laugh, treat others with respect, and lead a friend through the forest explaining the adventure and imaginary characters/creatures you’ll meet along the way.
OH MY GOSH I love it!!! Thank you for sharing. I'm so touched! It reminds me a little of my sister and I playing imaginary games in the woods in rural Wisconsin, to go on to travel the world (as much as we can!) as adults.
Here it is. I tried to limit the story to 22 sentences. so called the last sentences a prologue....
There by the bend in the river they made up adventures with only the aid of rocks, branches, water, mud, sand, trees and dirt. As the summer went along Heidi and Helene found that they could be “awoken” from their adventures as dusk fell and the voices from their family yelled for them to come in for supper. So, imaginative and consuming were their playful exploits in such a simple setting that hunger or darkness couldn’t break them from the trance, only the booming voices of the adults who cared for them.
When fall arrived and time by the river was broken by five days of studying and school time, the time by the river was all the more special for that two days a week where they were free to adventure as they pleased. As before it was the call at dusk on Saturday and Sunday that broke them from the trance and pulled them back to the house for supper. Not even the cold or rain and snow of November and December broke Helene and Heidi from their magical place by the river. They played and made up adventures with only the change that it was a polar expedition at stake, or treasure hunt for a lost village in the high peaks of the Himalayas, – Or so they imagined.
With rare exception, as Helene and Heidi “grew up” they went through 7 years of their special adventures at the nearby bend in the river. When they were first old enough to go out in the world on their own they ventured to the southern tip of South America to see penguins and sharp peaks. 10 The games they played and conditions they endured from there magical place by the river equipped them well for summiting treacherous peaks in Torres Del Paine and for crossing crevassed riddled glaciers. It was natural for them to just build on the “made-up adventures” by the river and extend them to the amazing topography of a land they’d only read about in books.
In the years afterward they made trips to India and climbed peaks in the Himalayas. Met locals at small villages and explored ruins and caverns. They traveled to Russia and sledded across huge tracks of frozen tundra. They sailed to Australia and trekked the outback. From there they continued to the Antarctica, where they put their skis on and pulled sleds to the south pole. They existed Antarctica via a route by Cape Town South Africa. There they bought an overland vehicle and made their way up the continent of Africa adventuring in as many wild places as they could pack in. They arrived in Egypt and saw the pyramids and all the wonders of the middle east. They sold their vehicle and purchased touring bikes and spent the following 4 months riding through Greece, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, The Nederlands, and Norway. They made a goal of learning: Please, Thank you, Hello, and the numbers 1 to 10 in every language in which they encountered people.
They took the ferry to England and learned English fluently in just 4 weeks as they made their way to Scotland and Ireland. They so enjoyed the artisan whiskey, scotch, and gin that they settled in there and founded the world famous H&H distillery.
Prologue..
With the profits from their business success they started a school for kids that is taught by a bend in a river, (even boys can attend.) To “graduate” from their school you have to: smile, laugh, treat others with respect, and lead a friend through the forest explaining the adventure and imaginary characters/creatures you’ll meet along the way.
Yay!! Yes, of course! And if you feel like sharing it with me, that would be so awesome <3 (NO PRESSURE!)
Liesbet and I love this one. I will likely share with more than two people. Hope that is OK. Aiming to do this in less than 22 days.