Word Count: 645

The theme of The Surfing Scare is to be grateful for what you have, because there is always someone who has less than you.

Katie the Crab loves to surf, but one day she breaks her leg in a horrible accident. She is in need to learn how to do simple things differently and learns an important life lesson along the way.

Katie was born to a mother and father that loved surfing.  Katie was an early bird when it came to surfing. She started at a very young age.

Although Katie lived in a beautiful house, she called the ocean her home.

She loved to smell salt on her shell, and feel sand between her clippers.

One day after school, Katie was catching up on homework in her shell, when she heard something coming....crack!

The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital. 

 “Katie?” her mom said. 

“Where am I?” she asked.

“You’re in the hospital kiddo. You were stepped on at the beach. You’re going to be alright. It's just a broken leg,” said her mom. Broken leg?  She thought. Will I ever be able to surf again?

The doctor walked in, “Good news Katie! You’re only out for eight weeks. Then you can get right back into the water! How’s that sound?” he asked.

“Eight weeks?” she yelled, “I can’t be out for that long! I have to surf!” Katie always thought of herself as a serious surfer, so being not able to surf for a long time worried her. This made her parents start to weep as well.

When Katie got back home, she realized there were a lot of things that had to be different in her life. 

Katie had to use crutches to move around. She got around as slow as a sloth, and she would fall all the time.

Her classmates called her names and created cliques without her on purpose. They called her “the broken girl” and “crippled.” 

crippled!

But most of all, Katie was upset because she couldn’t surf. 

One day Katie was watching her parents surf from shore, and she began to feel jealous. She wanted nothing more than to join them.

When her parents came to shore, Katie started to cry.

“What is it Katie?” her mom asked.

“I just want to surf, Mom,” Katie replied with tears in her eyes. Katie’s mom hugged her tight. 

“It’s going to be okay,” she said. Katie ripped away from her arms. 

“No! It's not going to be okay!” she yelled, “Eight weeks means my cast will come off after the Junior Olympics is already over! I don’t get to compete!” Her mom started to cry too. 

Katie continued, “My whole life all I’ve wanted to do is surf, and I have been working towards winning the Junior Olympics since I could walk! Surfing is over for me!” Katie stormed off. 

She went to her secret place and ripped her surfing poster off the wall, and tore it. Katie lied down and hibernated in there like a bear.