5thgrPlotCharaSetting1

At the Water Park

Tessa and Amber stood at the entrance to Plunge
Water Park, shading their eyes in the hot sun. It was ten
o’clock, and Tessa’s mom had just dropped them off. The
girls paid the entrance fee and scanned the park map.

Tessa wasn’t sure where to start, so Amber
suggested they go to the splash pad. Tessa agreed, and
soon they were playing in the cool spray that shot up from
jets in the ground.

“That was just a warm-up,” remarked Tessa. “Let’s
try something more challenging.” She pointed to the
towering water slide across the park.

The girls made their way to the water slide. Once
they stood beside it, Amber realized how enormous it was.
To reach the top, they would have to climb a tall, winding
staircase. The ride down was on a steep, twisting slide.
Some sections went through tunnels.

Amber took a deep breath. She didn’t want to spoil
Tessa’s fun, but she just couldn’t imagine taking that
intimidating ride. She proposed something a little tamer.
“How about the lazy river?” Tessa knew that was a

slow-moving water ride on rafts, and it was not very
thrilling. But when she saw how anxious her friend was,
she went along with Amber’s idea.

The girls enjoyed the leisurely ride. “Thanks for riding
the lazy river with me, Tessa. Maybe next time I’ll feel
braver,” Amber said.

Then the morning was over, and Tessa’s mom picked
them up. In the car, the girls planned their return in a few
weeks.

The next month, Tessa and Amber went back to the
water park. Amber wanted to head straight for the giant
water slide. The two friends smiled at each other. Today
they were b​ oth ready for an adventure.