Short Story

Exposition:

It was a lazy Wednesday, in the middle of the Christmas Holidays, summer, 2004. The scorching sun pounded on the backs of our necks and cracked our lips. Two girls ran across dry paddocks, dodging grazing sheep, jumping over crevices and climbing through fences; the soles of their bare feet thumping on the ground as they raced along. The dried grass swishing past their feet soon turned into crumbling dirt and crackling twigs. Before them was a creek bed, nearly dry this time of year, with just a trickle of water slowly making its way down the well worn path. The girls leaned against towering gums at the edge of the cool, shady sanctuary, chewing contentedly on stalks of gum leaves, and catching their breath.

Rising Action:

They walked nonchalantly along the trunk of a fallen gum, skirting around the radiant patches of light penetrating the cover of the tree’s over head, and down to the water’s edge. Splashing each other with the cool water, and slurping mouthfuls with cupped hands, the girls giggled. Spotting one of their favourite wombat holes, they turned to run up the opposite side of the bank, imagining the cool darkness of the chamber.

Climax:

Halfway up the rocky escarpment, a cry rang out. Standing in the midst of many rocks and twigs stood one of the girls, clutching her foot. Crimson blood dripped off her foot, streaking her hand; flowing trails down the hand and then trickling onto the steamy earth underneath her.

Falling Action:

The other girl, who was near the top by this point, turned at the outcry and carefully made her way back down the hill until she reached the scene of the accident. After tossing the criminally sharp rock protruding from the dirt into the dried clump of bushes nearby, she assisted the injured back down to the water edge. Perched on a boulder over hanging the creek, they carefully washed out the open would and applied pressure onto the cut, staunching the flow of blood for the time being. The lacerated foot was dangled gently in the water while hunting for a suitable bandage began. After a few hilarious failed attempts, the girls were back in good spirits and beginning to forget the pain of the moment.

Resolution:

Finally, the semi-ingenious solution of a collection of large gum leaves, clamped over the wound with a hair elastic from one of the girls heads, provided enough pressure to stop the flow and allow them time to limp back over the dried, yellow paddocks back to the small red and blue farmhouse of their origins, and some more sophisticated medical support.

Note: Conflict= The falling and cutting of the girls foot on the stone. Having no means of medical suppot immeadiatly available and having to use only what could be found in the immeadiate area to solve the problem.