Example for Grade 8: Narrative – Geocaching - ID: 5288

The Saturday skies are blue and cloudless, and as the sun shines brightly a cool breeze blows past. It is the epitome of a perfect day for geocaching, one that I couldn’t let slip by. I hadn’t been on the official geocaching site for some time, not finding the time nor motivation to hunt for the hidden boxes of treasure.
Logging into my account on www.geocaching.com, I search for locations around me. Bingo! There is a site at Fellisber Park, only a couple of blocks away from my house, so I plan to walk.
Right after lunch, I quickly inform my parents of what I plan to do as I gather my equipment. They know geocaching is a safe activity, having accompanied me during the first few searches, and trust me to keep myself out of trouble.
Phone in hand and drawstring backpack slung over a shoulder, I slip on worn sneakers and make my way down the driveway and towards the park. Around fifteen minutes later, I arrive at Fellisber Park, and am greeted with a chaotic sight. In the grassy area of the park, away from the creek and playground, there seems to be an event going on.
There are numerous tables set up, with foods and drinks, plates and cups, and all kinds of family-friendly games and activities. Kids run and play around, loud and laughing, and parents mill around while talking to each other. It seems to be a class get-together, I conclude when I see a sign reading “Jorgom Kindergarten” in large, colorful bubble letters.
I inwardly sigh, hoping the cache would not lead me near the kindergarteners, and cross the street to enter the park. The playground is the best place to look first, and so I head there first, turning to the right of the tables. There aren’t many kids playing on the structure, climbing the slides and attempting the monkey bars while their parents watch. They mostly ignore me as I scrutinize the area, checking around the small rock wall and under the platforms.
Seeing that the playground had nothing to offer, I turn around and head to the creek and forest, knowing it had many nooks and crannies to hide things in. I remember the last time I had found a cache here, about three months ago, it had been inside of a bush shaped like a heart, and had contained a purple rubber duck. The toy sat next to my other cache prizes on my windowstill, a small but growing collection.
Moving further into the creek after taking cursory looks around the shallow path, I spy the heart-shaped bush. The cache must be stored there, I assume, and jog towards it. However, I hear other footsteps besides mine, and a girl walks towards the bush.
She is taller than me, with dark brown hair in a ponytail and a curious gaze, and I recognize her as a soccer player on another school’s team. I take a step back in surprise, and she smiles at me.
“Hi! Are you geocaching too?” The girl asks excitedly. “What a coincidence!”
“Uh, yeah,” I answer somewhat awkwardly.
“So, how long have you been geocaching? I started really recently, because one of my friends said it was fun. Maybe you can give me some tips?”
“Oh, sure. I’ve been doing this for about a year, but I don’t do it that much. Do you want this cache?” I offer, feeling a bit more at ease after seeing how friendly she was.
“If that would be okay. My name is Lynn, by the way,” she says as she moves towards the bush. I nod and give my own name. I push aside some of the brambles so that Lynn could reach in and retrieve the cache, a simple dark wooden box.
Opening it, a metal token is revealed. It has a foreign insignia, and Lynn smiles as she picks it up and examines it. Then, she unzips her blue fanny pack, placing the token inside and bringing out a pocket watch to replace the treasure. The cache box went back inside the bush.

“This is so cool! The coin reminded me of a game. Daynight of Guilds, do you play it?”
“You play?! None of my friends do. You should add me! I’m level 68, and a freelancer drake-shifter.”
“I’m level 72, and an artist. I’m part of a guild, you should join!”
As we walked back to the central part of Fellisber Park, Lynn and I chatted about Daynight of Guilds and other interests. At the crosswalk where we parted ways, we exchanged usernames and phone numbers, Lynn waving me off with a cheery wave.
I walked back home with a bounce in my step, glad that I had made a new friend, one who played my favorite game. Going geocaching today had yielded better things than just another cache- it also made new connections. Geocaching was more than just a treasure hunt.