It was a little after Christmas. We had already opened up all our gifts and we were still finding wrapping paper in our couches. The neighbors the down the street had two kids who were my sister and I’s ages and they both received bow and arrows. At the age of ten this was a huge deal because I had only shot a bow and arrow once for a school field trip. The five of us, my sister Vivian, my friend Kaiya, her brother Braeden, and I all went with their dad into the field at the top of our hill.

The field had a slight layer of frost that afternoon. The field had trees at the side of it. We called these trees The Forest because it was thick with ivy and brambles. Steve, their dad, had already set up a target for us. He had somehow obtained some haystacks and pinned a target to them. The target sat in the middle of the field. We lined up behind Kaiya and took turns shooting at the haystack.

At one point when it was Braeden’s turn, he was busy laughing at something and he released the arrow and it went flying into the forest. It was a definite face-palm moment. After that, we decided to go search the forest. We came to the two paths of the forest. I distinctly remember my words. Maybe if they had listened, this story would have been different.

“You guys, why don’t we check up here?” I said while pointing to the path on the left.
“No let’s check down here,” said Vivian who always has to go against me.
“Kaiya?” I turned to her hoping she’d follow me.
“Sorry Ava, but I’m pretty sure the we will find the arrow down here,” Kaiya replied.

And with that, all of them went down the path on the right, a choice in which they would soon regret. I searched alone. I checked the bushes, and in between the trees. I looked high and low for that bright orange arrow. Eventually, I stumbled upon an old gate.

The field used to be someone’s house. The foundation of the house still remains. Well, I saw this gate and was about to check for the arrow. At this point, my path was close to Viv’s so I could hear them talking.
“I don’t see it anywhere.” I heard Braeden say.

That’s when I heard it. A large crack sound. It’s still unclear who stepped on it. It could have been any of them.
The next few seconds were a blur. I just remember hearing first Kaiya scream, then Braeden yelp, and lastly I saw Vivian standing still screaming and crying while being swarmed around by these little specs. When I came closer I saw they were wasps. Someone had stepped on a wasp nest.

I ran out of the forest and then I looked behind me and saw Steve carrying Vivian out of the woods while flicking off the wasps.

“Come on!” Kaiya called to me from up ahead.
I quickly caught up to her and her brother.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I think one of us stepped on a wasp nest,” Braeden said still in shock.

From behind I heard Steve telling us to go home. As we walked home, we were examining Braeden sting when a bee flew by Kaiya and stung her on her hand. Kaiya looked at her hand dumbfounded. She had already received a sting. Braeden had gotten stung once in the calf.

I walked into their house, and soon Vivian and Steve followed. We, the kids, went to their basement and turned on their TV. Tracy, their mom, came down with ice packs.

Vivian had gotten three stings. One was right under her eye. We watched a couple of shows and ate lunch trying to forget what happened.

“Wait so let me get this straight, you weren’t stung?” Kaiya had asked me while eating her sandwich.
“I wasn’t.” I smiled.
“I should have listened to you.” Kaiya looked at the stings on her arm.
“So did you guys find the arrow?” I asked them.

They all shook their heads. We all accepted that it was gone because there was no way we were going back to that place.

It’s been four years and we still haven’t found that arrow. We all grew out of the bows so even if we found it we wouldn’t have any use for it. We have gone back to the forest but we are cautious. Kaiya and I still make jokes about the arrow and how they should have listened to me.

The moral of this story is watch your step or heed advice. Maybe even listen to me because I’m smart. All I know is that the arrow is still out there, the nest could still be out there, and Braeden can’t be trusted with a bow.