Polaris: Origins

Chapter 5

When I woke up, sunlight was blasting through my window. At first I thought I was in my room.

But when I rose up, and looked around, I remembered that I was at grandpa's house.

I got up, brushed my teeth and then headed downstairs where I met grandpa making breakfast and packing stuff into backpacks.

"Good morning" he said cheerily, smiling brightly. The smile not quite reaching all the way to his eyes.

Was something wrong?

"Morning grandpa" I replied as I sat by the table in the kitchen. He moved the backpacks away and brought breakfast and we sat eating and making  plans for the day.

He was taking me hiking and he told me to pack some extra clothes. I grabbed some from my suitcase and packed them neatly into my backpack.

About an hour later, we locked the house and went on our way.

He gave me a pair of binoculars at the house which I had slung around my neck. I picked it up scanning the trees for birds and squirrels.

I didn't see any just yet, but it was just the beginning, we had lots more to explore.

We climbed up a hill and I looked around at the top. I could see for miles. I spotted the chimney of our house.

The lake which was larger than I thought. A mountain on the other side with a waterfall. A miles of trees in every direction.

I picked up the binoculars and looked around as I heard birds chirping and whistling. I spotted maybe two or three.

This was going great so far. Grandpa told me stories about my dad in his childhood.

We laughed and cracked jokes. I was even surprised to hear some of the things my dad did.

We walked for a good while and my grandfather checked his watch.

"We should be there any minute now"

As we walked I heard a distinct roar that was getting louder as we went closer. Then we rounded a clump of trees and what I saw took my breath away.

It was magnificent. Glorious. Beautiful. No words could have described it.

There was a waterfall that fell directly into the sunlight that made it glisten in a spectacular way as it fell into the pool.

The water was sky blue. Which was even more impressive. It washed upon the rocky shore clear as a crystal.

I was definitely entranced.

My grandfather, who was taking in the sight of me, was glowing from top to bottom.

"Close your mouth boy. Before you become a bug's new home"

I instantly closed my mouth and looked at him, laughing.

"Grandpa" I groaned.

He shrugged. He dropped his backpack under a shady grove of trees and started stripping off his clothes.

"Last one in cooks dinner" he laughed.

I quickly dropped my stuff and ripped off my clothing. I sprinted into the blue water and nearly didn't make it.

"I was making dinner anyways" he said chuckling.

I laughed. "You're only saying that because you lost"

"Maybe" he shrugged

I splashed him with water. And he splashed me back. And there our game began.

About half hour later, we came out to eat lunch.

"Chicken, ham or tuna?" he asked holding up bags of sandwiches.

I took one of each and we sat on the carpet of dried leaves eating our sandwiches.

After lunch, we went back for another round of splashing around and then we prepared to go home.

The journey home was much more relaxed and easier as it was mostly downhill.

I even spotted a few more birds and a squirrel running up and down a tree.

I had a great time with my grandfather. I was glad he brought me here.

We came back to the first hill we climbed and the sun was hitting the lake at an angle where it glowed bright gold.

We continued down the hill, heading for home. I once again spotted out chimney in the distance.

As we neared the base of the hill, a familiar sound reached me ears. I looked up and saw the ducks swooping in again to land on the pristine water.

"You know. These ducks always remind me that wherever I go, I should always return home.

Every time I come here, I remember why I brought my family to live here. The environment is beautiful.

Peaceful, healthy and relaxing. The way a home is supposed to be"

I couldn't agree with him more.

We arrived home a few minutes later. We both went to our rooms to clean up for the evening.

I came out of the shower and was changing my clothes when I heard a small knock on my door.

"Yes, grandpa?"

"Nathaniel. We need to talk about something"

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A/N

Well, that was a great day.  I need some adventure in my life. What do you guys think Grandpa's going to tell Nate? Leave a vote and a comment, enjoy your day!

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