Chapter #1
¡Gooooal!
“¡Mia, escúchame! ¡Si no me permites ver el juego, me voy a comer a un Chupacabras! ¿Entiendes?”
It’s hard to believe, but that was the start of the biggest adventure of my entire lifetime!…so far.
I don’t know if you speak Spanish but that nasty-sounding thing is what my dad said to me last week, and it’s not good. He was watching the Mexican Football game on TV and so I decided to write an article about it for my blog. I don’t know much about sports, I’m actually a writer…well, at least I will be when I grow up. I’m only eight years old but I’m always writing something in my notebooks and journals. My great grandfather Pablo actually made me a leather journal with his bare hands. I call it…The Journal of Adventure! It’s very important to me and I only write cool stuff in it. Anyway, where was I?…oh yeah, I was bugging my dad while he was watching the game. I call him Papi, by the way.
“Go outside!” Papi said. “In the summer you should be having fun and getting into trouble with the other kids.”
I shrugged, “Okay, I’ll go to Victoria’s house.”
“No,” he said, “go somewhere else.”
“But, Papi…”
“Listen,” he said. “If you go to Victoria’s, you’ll spend the whole day writing and she’ll spend the whole day reading, and you’ll never set one foot outside.”
“But, Papi…”
“I know, I know,” he said. “But before you get upset, I want to introduce you to someone.”
I slouched and groaned as he led me to the window and pointed up at the sky.
“Sun in the sky…” he said, “I would like you to meet my daughter Mia…Mia, this is the Sun, it’s warm and it helps keep us alive, see how nice that is?”
“Sarcasm?” I said. “Hmmm…I think I’ll write an article about that.”
“No!” he roared. “If I read about myself in your school newspaper one more time…”
“Yes?” I said, and pulled out my journal and pen.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Fine, Mia; go to Victoria’s. But I’ve got some news for you, pobrecita. This weekend…you’re going to camp.”
“Camp?!” I said. “But there’s nothing to do there!”
“There’s plenty for you to do, and then I get to watch the game,” he said. “See how that works?”
Mr. Ruiz next door yelled, “Keep it down, I’m watching the game!”
“Sorry,” Papi yelled out the window.
My mom stormed into the room with her her hair in a green bandana and baking flour all over her apron. She flashed Papi the evil eye. “Shame on you!” she said.
“She’s driving me crazy here!” said Papi.
She rolled her eyes and turned to me. “You’re gonna love it, Mia. There’ll be hiking, camping, and you get to explore an ancient pyramid!”
“But, Mommi…”
“Victoria’s going too,” she said.
“I’ll start packing!” I said, and bolted for my room.
Papi pumped his fist in the air and screamed, “GOOOOAL!”
“Who scored?!!” yelled Mr. Ruiz next door.
“Bring an extra pair of glasses, and your floppy hat,” Mommi yelled.
“Floppy hat?!” said Mr. Ruiz next door.
“Aye!” said Mommi, and slammed the window shut.
It’s hard to believe, but that was the start of the biggest adventure of my entire lifetime!…so far.
I don’t know if you speak Spanish but that nasty-sounding thing is what my dad said to me last week, and it’s not good. He was watching the Mexican Football game on TV and so I decided to write an article about it for my blog. I don’t know much about sports, I’m actually a writer…well, at least I will be when I grow up. I’m only eight years old but I’m always writing something in my notebooks and journals. My great grandfather Pablo actually made me a leather journal with his bare hands. I call it…The Journal of Adventure! It’s very important to me and I only write cool stuff in it. Anyway, where was I?…oh yeah, I was bugging my dad while he was watching the game. I call him Papi, by the way.
“Go outside!” Papi said. “In the summer you should be having fun and getting into trouble with the other kids.”
I shrugged, “Okay, I’ll go to Victoria’s house.”
“No,” he said, “go somewhere else.”
“But, Papi…”
“Listen,” he said. “If you go to Victoria’s, you’ll spend the whole day writing and she’ll spend the whole day reading, and you’ll never set one foot outside.”
“But, Papi…”
“I know, I know,” he said. “But before you get upset, I want to introduce you to someone.”
I slouched and groaned as he led me to the window and pointed up at the sky.
“Sun in the sky…” he said, “I would like you to meet my daughter Mia…Mia, this is the Sun, it’s warm and it helps keep us alive, see how nice that is?”
“Sarcasm?” I said. “Hmmm…I think I’ll write an article about that.”
“No!” he roared. “If I read about myself in your school newspaper one more time…”
“Yes?” I said, and pulled out my journal and pen.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Fine, Mia; go to Victoria’s. But I’ve got some news for you, pobrecita. This weekend…you’re going to camp.”
“Camp?!” I said. “But there’s nothing to do there!”
“There’s plenty for you to do, and then I get to watch the game,” he said. “See how that works?”
Mr. Ruiz next door yelled, “Keep it down, I’m watching the game!”
“Sorry,” Papi yelled out the window.
My mom stormed into the room with her her hair in a green bandana and baking flour all over her apron. She flashed Papi the evil eye. “Shame on you!” she said.
“She’s driving me crazy here!” said Papi.
She rolled her eyes and turned to me. “You’re gonna love it, Mia. There’ll be hiking, camping, and you get to explore an ancient pyramid!”
“But, Mommi…”
“Victoria’s going too,” she said.
“I’ll start packing!” I said, and bolted for my room.
Papi pumped his fist in the air and screamed, “GOOOOAL!”
“Who scored?!!” yelled Mr. Ruiz next door.
“Bring an extra pair of glasses, and your floppy hat,” Mommi yelled.
“Floppy hat?!” said Mr. Ruiz next door.
“Aye!” said Mommi, and slammed the window shut.