One City One Story 2016 Writing Contest: “A Vivid Memory”
1st place
Category 2: Grades 6-8
“Lost and Found”
by Kaitlyn Chiu
Grade 7
Oak Avenue Intermediate School
I walk leisurely down the street, taking my time. The vibrant flowers around me catch my attention as if they are calling me over to admire their beauty. I smile and marvel at what a lovely day it is with the sky clear and blue. I kneel down in front of the flowerbeds and take out my phone to focus on a bumble bee sipping nectar from a bubblegum pink camellia. After capturing a few more photos, I suddenly remember that my first day of work starts in fifteen minutes! I groan and shove my phone back into my pocket. Instead of the stress free stroll I was planning on, I have to jog to the Santa Anita Mall a few minutes away from my house.
I’m out of breath when I finally arrive. The back of my shirt is stained with sweat and my cheeks are flushed. I grab my name tag and walk into a room that’s labeled: Employees Only. I remember walking into this same store as a child. Now, here I am working at my first part-time job.
A few hours pass by and I look down at my watch. Twelve more minutes until my break. Just as my shift ends, I notice a little girl who looks about five years old wandering down an aisle. Her eyes are wide and red, and she looks as if she’s about to cry. As I walk up to her, she stares back at me, petrified.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “Are you lost?”
She nods and rubs her eyes as if she’s tired. “Where’s my mommy?” she whimpers.
Taking her hand, I lead her to the front of the store. She reminds me of one of the best (yet scariest) vacations of my life.
In the summer of 2008, my family took a trip to San Francisco, CA. Starting with the six-hour drive; I was stoked to explore new places. As we passed through Southern and Central California, I marveled at the endless hills that seemed to go on into the horizon. When we finally arrived, I couldn’t help but stop to check out everything. Even on the side of the road, I would pause and admire the simplest things. I would bend down and look at the pictures on the newspapers that were stacked on the sidewalk, and then run to catch up with my family. I felt safe knowing that my mom would stay in sight.
The next day, we headed to Muir Woods National Monument, a national forest in San Francisco, CA. Even before we got into the forest, I had already taken many pictures of smiling ants, the traffic lights, and even my own shoes with the small camera I was given. My mom’s siblings’ families joined us that day. All twelve of us happily explored the national forest. The younger kids followed our college-age cousins everywhere while the parents casually strolled a few steps behind. The redwood trees towered over us like a thick canopy. The trees were so dense and tall, that they hardly let any sunlight through. Our hands barely connected when we put our arms out, trying to have a group hug around the trunk.
On our way out of the park, we all stopped by the gift shop to look for some souvenirs. I spent a long time debating which would be the best choice because I wanted it to be special and meaningful. I finally narrowed down my choices to two items. I brought my choices to my mom and asked for her opinion. She told me to decide on one thing I really liked because everyone was almost done. After I had made my decision, I walked around the store to look for my mom. “Mommy?” I mouthed. I stood on the tip of my toes trying to see over the display cases. After searching the whole store, I could not find anyone! I felt my heart sink. In disbelief I thought to myself, They couldn’t have left me here. I wandered around, hoping that they would come back.
I ended up waiting for what seemed like hours before I finally gave up. I started to think of all the things that could go wrong. My eyes watered at the thought of being left alone without my family.
I continued walking around the small gift shop, pretending to be looking for a specific item that I wanted so that no one would question why I was alone. My heart was racing out of my chest. I finally decided to go ask for help from one of the employees. While I was waiting for her to finish with another customer, I stared at the door, praying that my parents would come in looking for me. Just as I felt that I couldn’t hold in my tears any longer, my dad stormed into the shop with my mom and uncle following behind him. My dad scooped me up without a word and held me tight. I started bawling. I couldn’t hold my tears any longer, tears of relief, too. I knew the feeling of being left behind and alone, and I never wanted to experience it again.
The little girl tugs at my shirt as I call for my manager. “Where’s my mommy?” she whispers again in between hiccups.
“We’re going to call her, don’t worry,” I reply.
She nods and looks around the store longingly. I see her eyes widen as she starts running towards the woman approaching our way. Her smile was as if her Christmas wish came true.
Lost, but found.
Be sure to also view Kaitlyn’s award winning artwork by the same title!