The Aspen Coin

Ring!! The last bell finally rang, saying enjoy your summer break. My brother and I are going fishing later in the month, at Aspen Pond. It's called that because of all of the gorgeous Aspen trees that wrap around the pond. Though I have never gone, it was one of the places I really wished to go.

As we rushed out of school, I heard something metal drop. I stopped in the middle of the croud. I studied the ground looking for what made the sound. Everyone was loud, but I could still hear it. I finally found what it was I heard. It was a coin, with an aspen tree on it, instead of an oak tree. I looked at the other side of the coin, to see no picture. Just a blank side. I put it in my khaki shorts pocket to examine later, and got on the last bus of 7th grade.

Weeks went by, and it was time to go fishing. "Are you coming," asked James, my brother.

"I'm getting my shoes on." I stuck my hands in my khaki shorts, and felt something round. It was the coin again!!! I pulled it out, and looked at it. Much like all Aspen trees, this one had two eye shaped designs in his bark, one next to the other. Over each eye were two protruding pieces of bark that looked like eyebrows. I looked at the otherside, expecting blank. But this time it was the same Aspen tree, but the eyebrows were in an angry position. His eyes were half way closed, and his eyebrows were thicker and steeper. I put the coin back in my pocket. I walked out the front door, and headed to the car. James was driving us to Aspen Pond.

We finally arrived at the front gates. They were broken, rusted, and abandoned. James slowed down a little bit, and slowly entered the abandoned forest. It was gorgeous! The whole forest was waking up from the winter. The birds were singing, while the wind made some background. The Chipmunks were scattering, being the instruments. The deer and elk walking made the beat. It was a whole band, an orchestra, and a theatre. About five minutes, and we came to the pond where we would go fishing. We had to walk a couple hundred feet, but we made it. We made it to…...the frozen pond? I dropped everything that was in my arms.

"What's wrong," asked James as he was walking to the plain grasses that were surrounded by trees. He dropped all of his things as well, laying behind me. It was a month in summer, everyone else was awake, why is the pond still frozen? It made no sense!!! Dad suggested this time of year because it's the greatest. Dad and James would always fish here before I was born. At home, we have pictures of James fishing with Dad at this pond when James was two. James just turned sixteen, and I turned fourteen. It was always funny to look at pictures of James holding a rod that's three times the size of him. But the interesting thing about the picture was that it was this time of year, and the pond was water.

We were both speechless. I guess no fishing today. I just stared at the pond, as if when I stared, it would transform into a normal watery pond. I started to head back to the truck, but felt alone. I turned around, and saw James go to the pond.

"What are you doing James!?! It's dangerous! He didn't even look at me. I couldn't help but notice an Aspen tree in front of me. I looked at it, and it looked familiar. It was at the tip of my tongue. Or, the tip of my finger!!! It was the one from the coin! I put the coin next to the tree. The coin tree and real tree were identical.

I flipped the coin around, it was still in the tree. The friendly tree then became identical to the angry tree that was on the coin. I started to shake. I looked at the pond, and to no surprise, James' foot was on the ice. It was hard to tell if I disrupted nature, or if James did. Well, I'm the one that put up the coin, he was on the ice, so it makes sense that he made mother nature angry.

"James, get off the I- '' I said, being interrupted by a mysterious roaring wind. It was as loud as a thousand life sized speakers, and strong enough to push me thousands of feet. I was being pushed further and further away from the forest; and closer and closer to the open, unsafe, slippery pond.

As I dug my heels in the ground trying to stop, I noticed James was going towards the middle of the lake. After digging up dirt, and raking leaves with my heels, I realized I am not turning back, I might as well help James, who was now about ten feet away from the center of the pond. When I ran to help, the boost of wind pushed my feet faster than the rest of my body. When I was on my face, I heard a faint splash in the background of the roaring. I looked at the pond, and James wasn't there; but what was there, were small cracks in the ice, gathering to the center, then a scattered whole in the ice.

"JAMES!!!" I called out. I got up, and onto the ice. I let the strong wind take me the rest of the way. When I was close enough to the whole, I found James out of sight. I then saw a figure frantically swim to the surface. I was very confused. I couldn't figure it out. What was it? As it came closer, I realized it was James!!! I reached his arm up high, and tightly gripped on my ankle. I was sliding slowly, but then stopped; the roaring and crazy winds were over.

I took his wrist, and pulled him up.when his waist was on the corner of the ice, he started to murmur something, but his shivers discussed his true words.

"Dertysvanpoobear," he said.

"What does that mean?" I asked with full curiosity. He shook his head in disapproval.

“There is something down there, now help me up.” I yanked on his arm so hard, it felt like I was going to pull his arm out of his socket. When he was on his feet, we noticed a strange bubbling coming from under the ice. It was almost like boiling water, under the ice. The ice started to surround James. It was a small circle, the thaw was going to break any second now. “Go!” I told James. He didn’t budge. I told him again. There was no response. I looked into his hopeless eyes, that were sad and also scared. Right as the ice broke, I leaped over it, and pushed James away.

The pond wanted someone, so if not James, then…

SPLASH! I suddenly felt chills. I opened my eyes, and saw a flower. It was made of water, and… wait, I’m under the water! That was one concerning thing, but here is another. The flower’s petals are in the shape of fire! I swam up, as hard and as fast as I could, but I hit my head on something. I looked up, and it was cold and white, but as hard as a rock. It’s the ice. I looked down at the flower, and noticed the petals were wrapping around me, tight, tighter. The waters went dark. All I heard was a last gasp.

All that happened after that, was a blur. I couldn’t really remember anything, other than tightness in my chest, and cold, cold skin. I got back to consciousness, but was still in the flower. How is this possible? When I opened my eyes, I saw the flower made of water, but I didn’t see water surrounding me. The flowers must be some kind of vacuum, and sucked the water out, and replaced it with oxygen! I remember studying about it in my science class. Who would’ve thought that work would actually pay off some day. When I was in the flower type thing, we were going at a pretty smoothe place. I don’t know what direction we were going, I just knew it was not up.

The flower was moving around in a weird pattern, making me fall. It went upside-down, and spit me out to the bottom. I felt sand, and once again opened my eyes. I was in normal water, with a few fish. The scene of the water slowly faded into a scene of shore. I still felt like I was in a bubble of water. As my chest pain returned, I gasped for air uncontrollably; to my amazement, I was able to breathe... IN THE WATER!!! I slowly started to walk, and I was back on land. It was like, when I was at the bottom of the pond, the world flipped, so I was back on land. It wasn’t necessarily the underworld, it was like I was just on the other side of the pond. I looked towards the pond for James. He wasn’t there. Had the weird flower devoured him as well? Or maybe he went to go get help. The roaring came back. What do I do??? I can’t go back on the ice, I just can’t! Or else I may be in the plant once again, with no way out.

I panted harder and harder, as I sat up on my bed. What just happened??? Was that a dream?

“Breakfast!” called a familiar voice. Mom? I got up, and ran downstairs. I was in my pajamas, and slippers. I was presented with a glorious dish of french toast, with a side of bacon, eggs, and orange juice.

“Are you excited to go fishing today,” asked James. This confirmed it, that terrifying nightmare, was just a terrifying nightmare, and I will make lots of great memories. I nodded, and started to scarf down my food.

Once I finished, I went upstairs to get dressed. I put on khaki shorts with a brown T-shirt. I reached in my pocket for the coin I had found on the ground outside my house yesterday. It was just like how my dream described it, with the aspen tree on one side, and the blank on the other. I knew my imagination took control last night, but it makes me feel better just to check to make sure.

Good thing I did check, because the coin had a nice aspen tree on one side, and an angry one on the other side. Yesturday, my coin was completely blank on the other side.

I sat down on my room floor to continue getting ready.

“Henry, are you ready to go?” asked James as he knocked on the door.

“I’m putting my shoes on,” I replied. Okay, so that went a bit like my dream did. But on the bright side, there is no such pond called Aspen Pond.

When I went to the truck, James and I were talking about where we were going.

“There is a really pretty pond that just opened up, called Aspen Pond.” My face turned pale.

“Why have I heard that before?” I asked, to make sure it wasn’t a lost memory.

“It was closed because of forces way beyond us. They say people heard roaring, and bubbling under the ice when it was winter. Those that went, never went back out. But, it’s safe now. They put the ‘bad luck’ coin in the museum. It was said that that was the reason this pond had such bad luck.” He said.

“What did the coin look like,” I said sternly.

“The way the owner described it, was an aspen tree instead of an oak tree.”