(This was a story I wrote for creative writing)
It was a bright warm, sunny summer day in my old home in Washington state. It was a calm area in the country near the tip of the state near a small town called Springdale located in Stevens County. With only a population of 293 people it was also very quiet. I knew nearly everyone in my old school Mary Walker School District. I, my two sisters, our mom and dad lived in a log home a few miles from Springdale. We owned a total of 42 acres in Washington. Behind the large three story house was a large pine forest covered mountain with large rocks peeking from behind the spiny evergreens above the house. 
    I was around 7-8 years old at this time and quite an energetic child. Playing endlessly under the burning sun without a care in the world. Catching grasshoppers as they tried to jump away, swinging on the small playground in our yard, riding my bike and racing my sisters along the hot dusty, earthen road, getting messy in the sandbox we had on the small hill right next to the house, playing like hunters in the forests with sticks as our swords and making rudimentary shelters with giant sticks, bark or spare bits of cut wood that we found in the forest. But, today had an entirely different adventure for me.
    Before I went outside, just as I was getting my muddy old red van tennis shoes (we called them our “crappy” shoes) that were not tied, my father came downstairs and asked me and my two sisters who were around the same age as me if we wanted to go hiking on the big trail that stretched far behind our house, having been made by both human and animal activity. Of course that got me excited and I immediately said yes and promptly asked my dad to help me tie my shoes. So he tied my shoes for me and I gave him a big hug, which he returned with a hearty laugh. Ah his hugs, so warm. He would wrap his big strong arms around my small body and hold me close, not squeezing too tightly but holding me just right. There in his arms was where I felt safest.
    Getting impatient my sister, Sarina, shouted at me, “Could you hurry up! I wanna go on the trail!” Taking the hint, dad and I released one another and started for outside; dad grabbed a large stick to use as a cane as we walked up the small hill that led to the trail. Looking to the sky I saw the light from the sun filter through the treetops, there appeared to be no clouds in the sky. I smelled the fresh forest musk. The flutter of leaves, feathers and birds chirping filled my ears. The slightly rocky and quite moist soil road crunched below me as I walked with my dad as my two sisters walked a ways in front of us. As I walked, I asked my dad questions regarding my curiosities about the world around me. He gladly answered all my questions to the best of his knowledge. 
    Farther and farther we went, gazing at the endless pastures through any breaks in the large and ancient pine trees as we passed our good friend Renee’s farm called Tin Star Ranch. Climbing up a small hill on the trail I spotted in the sky, darkening and rather scary looking large clouds. I asked dad about it and he remained silent for a moment, lost in his mind. He turned to me with a thoughtful look and told me that we would go a little farther and if it started raining that we would return. So, we continued onward, the clouds drawing ever closer rather rapidly. The wind picked up, the trees rustling and swaying ominously. I looked to my dad nervously and he looked back at me smiling slightly and asked if I still wanted to continue on the trail and I nodded, I enjoyed spending time with him and it was no big deal. My dad told me to stay under a tree and wait for him as he brought my two sisters home. 
I stayed under a nearby tree patiently awaiting my dad’s return. It began to rain as I stood there, the massive angry clouds towered over me like an enraged Thunderbird seeking revenge on the ground below. But I remained where I stood like a sentry, waiting and watching, my small body sometimes getting nudged by the fearsome wind that howled like a pack of ravenous wolves. It began to get hard to see as the clouds obstructed the sun from my view, their ashen color swallowing the light and spitting it out again as blinding bolts of lightning. 
The rain fell harder as the angels in the heavens cried and cried. Now drenched  to my bones, my fear got a hold of me. What was I doing just standing here in the open, having mindlessly obeyed my father? It was obvious he was nowhere near me and it didn’t appear like he was going to look for me. So, I followed my gut instinct and ran. The flash of lightning above me illuminated my path every few seconds, and the deafening thunder crackling as if it were laughing at my attempt of escape. 
My heart pounded in my chest, blood rushing in my ears. My lungs ached, gasping for breath as my legs begged me to stop but I couldn’t. A very bright flash rendered me blind for a moment and the sound of wood splitting filled my ears after I regained my hearing from the initial thunder. The lightning had struck the base of a tree and the tree was falling in front of me. I ran harder, faster, as fast as I could. My life flashed before my eyes as I felt the soaked strands of hair brush the bark of the tree falling above me. I barely managed to dodge the tree but I survived it’s descent to the ground.
The small victory made pride rise in my chest, adrenaline began to flow through my blood. I ran faster, ignoring my legs desperate cries to take a break. A lightning bolt aided my sight for a mere moment and I noticed a slight dip in the land. Recognition flashed in my mind. I had been on this trail with my dad several times before but, of course it never ended up like this. That little dip in the land was a right turn down the hill and straight to my house. My hope rekindled and blazed like an inferno, my destination was close. The wind became furious at my progress and knocked me around like a bowling pin but I held steadfast and continued on. I could now see the lights in my house, running down the gravel hill I tripped on a jagged stone that jut from the ground. My instinct kicked in and I curled up into a ball to protect myself from the many other needle like stones. 
Once I stopped tumbling, I rose from the ground and let the pouring rain clean the debris off me for a moment before I bolted to the concrete of the house and opened the door. Taking a step inside, I noticed my sisters looking at me as if they had seen a ghost. And right they where to have thought that. My small form shook violently as chills shot up and down my spine, drenched from head to toe in forest rain water with bits of twigs and leaves caught in my hair. I called out in a shaking voice to my dad who was upstairs, it took him a few moments to respond as he came down the stairs and saw me as I was.
He hurried over to me and inspected my body, holding onto my shoulders and said, “I thought you followed me home Tina!” 
I shook my head shivering and replied “No, I didn’t. You told me to stay put so I did until it started thundering.” 
He took a look at me and sighed. He took me over to the bathroom to take a bath to warm up. He got me some clothing and dried me off. After that, he let me eat a Gogurt and drink some hot chocolate. That evening as I lay in bed I watched the lightning dance outside my window, I smiled knowing no threat could ever truly hurt me.