The Treasured Summer

Thirteen-year old Laila woke up early, beaming with excitement! 

Now that summer holidays had started, she was finally going on a road trip with her parents which was however no less than a long- five-hour-agonizing-journey. “But it was going to be worth it!” She thought to herself.  After quickly changing, she took her bags downstairs. Climbing down the steps, she noticed Mom was already busy packing food for the long drive. She hugged Mom from behind with a big smile on her face. “I love you Mom! You are always busy making meals for us!” admitted Laila. Mom smiled back which Laila could feel more than see. 

Peeking outside, she noticed Dad as expected was loading the trunk. “Good morning, Dad!” Laila announced excitedly. “Good morning Sunshine! Are you ready for the trip?” He asked. “Oh yes!!” Laila replied in happiness. “Then let's go!” Laila helped her parents pack the rest of the belongings into the car while crunching on an apple for breakfast. It was her favorite thing to do in the morning. Once everyone was ready, they sat in the car and headed off.

“This is going to be the best trip ever!” Laila pronounced for the tenth time since she had gotten into the car. After they had driven for an hour or so,  Laila felt hungry as the apple had been long digested.  “Would you like to eat something?” Mom asked. “We have some fruits and sandwiches. What would you like?” She hoped Mom had made her favorite cold cut sandwiches. “A sandwich please with extra mustard and hot sauce!” After filling her stomach, Laila watched cars pass by as Mom and Dad discussed some global stress problems. It was enough to put her to sleep. After all, she hadn’t slept properly last night considering all the plans her brain was busy making for the holiday. Oh and not to mention the loathing task of packing had tired her bones even though the trip was only for a short time.  But she realized that regardless of the length of time of trip, packing was always a drag and she always would have more belongings than her Mom and Dad’s luggage, combined. Her mother failed to understand why Laila needed to take six outfits for a two day trip, but Laila knew that she could never decide on an outfit, so having all six was essential for the overall well being of her mood in the trip. She did not want to find crappy pictures to look at later in case her outfits mismatched her mood.  This trip’s packing therefore was no different and had exhausted her the night before. She spent the rest of the car ride dozing in and out of sleep.

When Laila woke up, they were nearing the hotel with just half an hour left. She was so eager  to see the hotel, she kept on asking, “Umm.. dad, how much more time left?” “We’re almost there!” Her dad replied. “Yay!”  After many more of “are we there yet,” they finally reached. This was particularly the reason why she was dreading the long car ride.

After parking, Laila and Mom walked into the main lobby. The front desk hotel staff helped Dad with the rest of the baggage.  After checking-in, the receptionist gave Laila’s family their keys to their rooms. Laila was excited to have her own room for the very first time in a hotel! This was going to be a superb event!

“Dad, can we go swimming?” Laila pulled her dad’s elbow eagerly staring with fascination as the elevator jumped higher.  “Sure! We can go after we get some rest,” Her dad replied. Now Laila was too excited. When the family reached their room, Laila’s Dad showed her her room and asked her to relax and freshen up.  After changing into something more comfortable, Laila peeped into her parents room and noticed they were busy napping. “When can I go swimming?” Laila thought to herself impatiently. She crept back into her room and knew she just had to wait for her dad to wake up. She decided to explore the television channels in the mean-time.

When Laila’s dad woke up he told Laila that they could go now. Laila changed quickly. After getting ready, they went downstairs to the pool and Laila immediately wanted to jump in the pool! “POOL! Here I comeeeee!”  “WOW!” Laila shouted. “This is so fun!” Following Laila, Dad also jumped in with a big splash. “Oh! Look, there is a water slide I want to try that!” “Ok, sure! Go ahead. I’ll be right here,” said Dad. Laila discovered that the slides were even more fun than she had expected. She couldn't stop sliding! Mom joined Laila in her trips up and down the slides. Hours of swimming later, “Ok, Laila! Time to go back to our room,” Dad announced. Mom looked tired too.  “Oh no!” Laila moaned. Wrapping their towels properly, they walked up to their rooms. Seeing food in front of her room, Laila was happy that mom had pre-ordered food. After showering, they sat down to eat.

By now it was evening and Laila’s family decided to go for a short walk just in the hotel’s garden right before bed time. When they came back everyone was super tired. Laila got ready for bed and crawled in after kissing Mom and Dad goodnight. She had had a wonderful day so far just because of them.

In the morning, Laila and her family got ready to go down for breakfast. “Mom, what will we eat for breakfast?” Laila asked. “Let’s see! Hopefully the hotel has a good menu at their buffet breakfast. Maybe you can find your favorite cereal or pancakes,” replied Mom. On their way to the breakfast lounge, Dad decided to take a quick walk by the beach. The hotel had a huge private beach on one of its end! “This is refreshing!” Laila’s breathed in. She hadn’t felt this clean air in ages. After a half hour walk, they walked over to the breakfast lounge. All this while, Laila couldn’t help but notice the presence of Police officers around. She wondered what had brought them for a holiday in their uniforms.” Everyone needs a break,” she concluded after all. After breakfast, they went back to their room to get ready for the big pool party. Dad switched on the Television and noticed something strange on the news. He was reading the headlines as the news anchor rambled on and on about some robbery!

“There has been a robbery in one of the hotel rooms just last night!” The news reporter alerted. Laila’s parents were shocked upon hearing this. “Oh my! Robbery?”  Laila asked. “Yes!” Her mother replied. Just then the phone rang. Dad picked up. It was the manager. Dad was on the phone for a good five minutes. After hanging up, traces of worry appeared on Dad’s forehead. “There seems to be a robbery!” Dad blurted out loud. Dad filled Mom in on all the details and from what Laila could make out, things didn’t look too good. “Was her long-awaited-cool-summer-trip going to end like this?” thought Laila to herself. Dad speaking out loud now was referring to Laila. “Laila, Honey, I need you to listen up. The Manager was on the phone with me and he has suggested that we spend the rest of the day in our room as police are searching for the thief from this robbery. It looks like they have sealed all activities for the day anyways, so we won’t be able to enjoy anything anyways.” Laila was bummed! She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her father’s mouth!

Laila spent the day in her room finding something to do. She thought the fun trip had turned into a prison room since the hotel had even barred them from stepping outside into the sun. Her parents had promised to extend their trip by another two days. Laila sulked in her pain as she felt her trip dreams turn into a nightmare. After a quiet dinner in her room with her parents, Laila’s parents kissed her goodnight. They allowed her some reading time before sleeping. Laila, however, was imagining the pool.

After tossing and turning in her bed, Laila realized sleep was no where in sight. Disappointment of the day had overtaken her. Even after a boring long day, she was still not tired. Thinking about something, she quickly changed into her swim wear. “Mom won’t allow me to go swim at this hour, but hey, they are too fast asleep to notice anything! There has to be some good in having my own room this holiday. I will go for a quick swim while the lights are still on at the pool,” thought Laila to herself.

Quietly stepping out, She decided to head straight to the pool. When she reached the pool she couldn’t see any of the hotel staff around. She wondered how many turns could she get on the slide before getting spotted by someone? The excitement and thrill was too much to handle. The first jump in the pool was thrilling! This is what she had been waiting for all day. She climbed up the water slides and slid down. She couldn't believe she was doing this and no one was there to witness it! It must have been her tenth trip down when she hit something soft in pool this time. She felt something soft as sand. “What? How could the floor be soft when I slide down?” She wondered. She dove down to figure out and when she touched the floor, she noticed that some tiles were broken with sand pouring out. She quickly swam back up to catch her breath. She dived again to see what was in that water after all. She moved the sand around  and to her surprise something lay covered in the water. She tried her best to pull it out before she ran out of breath. She came back up to breathe again. After diving in for the final time and grabbing the bag with all her strength, she seemed to be successful. It was heavy for sure! She swam back up and came out of the water. Nobody was around, she noticed. “What is this?” She wondered, catching her breath. The thrill was certainly over as she felt her body get tired now. After unwrapping the bag, she pulled out a metal box which looked to be numbered. “A code? We need a code to open it! Gosh!” After several unsuccessful attempts, she realized there was no way she could break the code.

At this point, getting some help was the right thing to do, she figured. She started walking to the front desk. “I’ll show it to the police,” she thought. As she approached the lobby, she noticed the police officer still there. Seeing a wet Laila, the Police officer gave her a weird look. “Excuse me.” She asked the police officer politely. He was talking to a man, it seemed. “Yes, how can I help you? Aren't you supposed to be in your room right now and not in your swimming clothes, young lady?” he asked. “Sir, I found this in the pool!” “That is my box!!” The man shrieked in disbelief. The police officer was startled to see Laila find the box they had been searching for all day. She gave it to the Police officer who seemed to have a smile on his face now. He asked Laila some questions. “What is your name? Where are your parents?” Laila told the officer her entire story from the minute it began in her house. She did not choose to leave any exciting details out. At this moment, Laila’s parents came rushing from the elevator. “Laila? Where have you been?” Her parents asked. Her parents asked her why she was wet and talking to the police. The police officer explained to Laila’s parents how Laila had saved the day.

“Wow!” Her parents were amazed. Her parents discussed the matter with the police officer and the man, Mr.Lewis. The receptionist had been observing what had happened until now and she had informed the boss. The Police Office assured Laila that she would be getting a prize for her brave findings. Though she was not allowed to go into the pool at this hour especially when it was not allowed, she was still a key player in calling off this search. The manager walked towards Laila’s parents and excitedly announced that they would be having their stay completely free because of their brave daughter. Mr. Lewis thanked Laila uncontrollably and also assured her a prize for helping them find the stolen money. The thief was still on the loose, but at least they had discovered the stolen treasure. Laila’s parents could notice her excitement and fatigue on her face all at once, so her Mom decided to take her up for a goodnight’s rest! Smilingly, Laila agreed. She was exhausted. This was Laila's most treasured day ever!

                              THE END!

Author: Faiza Khan