Brenda Swamp

Brenda

Brenda was a happy little girl. She loved to play around the swamp, even though sometimes it was scary. Her parents always told her not to go there because an alligator could swallow her up. Since she had never seen an alligator, she thought that was ridiculous. It smelled funny in the swamp, but she kind of liked it. She sometimes pretended she was a pirate or a swamp creature. She'd make silly growling noises and raise her arms above her head and curl her fingers. She thought she must be the scariest swamp creature that ever lived.

Brenda turned 10 in the summer, and she thought now that her age was in double digits, she was big enough to go to the swamp at night. She still knew that her parents would not be happy about this, so she lied and said she was going to the big hill to look at the stars. She started growling and lurching along, as she usually did. Then, she heard something growl back. First, she was terrified, but then she convinced herself she was just hearing things. But, the convincing wasn't going so well, so she decided it was time to go home.

She began to gather her things, and started to climb out of the smelly swamp. Just as she was reaching up to grab hold of a tree branch for some leverage, she felt something grab her ankle. It was the swamp creature! She didn't have time to even look at what it was, and she let out a single scream before she was pulled down into the swampy waters. Her last memory was of her mom and dad. She should have listened to them.

The swamp was named for her, "Brenda Swamp," and if you ever pass by it at night you might see Brenda. "Her ghost lived in the swamp. It was looking for her parents" (87). Her mom and dad figured out where she died, but they never found her body. So Brenda's spirit will spend eternity searching for them.

This is why you must always listen to your parents and older sister, because we know where the dangers are. And anytime you think you know better, and that you don't have to listen, just remember that poor girl, Brenda. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be stuck in a swamp forever, searching, but never finding your mom and dad?