by Elijah Castleberry - age 7

It was a bright morning in July. The Johnson family lived in New Mexico. There was no water. None of the clothes were getting washed. Ernest and Charles were looking for water.
Back at the house, their sister Joy suddenly stopped moving. There was a big snake. Joy yelled. Benny came running. "Help! Help!" Joy screamed. Just then the big snake turned and slithered away in the tall grass.
By now Ernest and Charles had come back. "What was it?" they said.
"A big snake," replied Joy. The boys had found a little water.
Then the supper bell donged. "Time for supper," Thomas yelled. The boys and Joy went in. It smelled very good. There were ham and mashed potatoes. They all sat down. All the food tasted very good. After supper it began to grow dark. It was time for bed.
The next morning when Benny woke up, his tummy ached, and he had a bad headache. Then his sister Faith came in. "Are you sick?" she asked.
Benny nodded.
"All right," said Faith, "we'll be quiet. Close your eyes and try to sleep." Faith shut the door behind her.
Down in the kitchen, the other boys were eating breakfast. It had rained the night before. There was plenty of water. Everyone started getting clean clothes.
Benny changed into his morning clothes. He still didn't feel very good. Just then Faith came in. "You just lay down," said Faith to Benny. Benny laid back down.
By now it was lunch time. The other boys were already at the table. They were having ham and pork chops for lunch. When lunch was over, Benny started feeling better. It was sunny now, and everything was all right.