~Xiahou Zay
Sunrise:
The rain hit the window from my vacant room. It made a nice tune. The sun had risen about six minutes ago; the clouds were pink on the East and dark on the West. The sunrise was nice on the West coast. I better enjoy it while it lasts; it's probably the last time I'm ever going to see this beautiful sight. I'm leaving my hometown, Ventura, California, today. I couldn't sleep all night, so I stayed up, lifted up all the blinds and just looked up at the stars. I turned off my phone, laptop and lights. It's nights like these that make you appreciate natures beauty. The moon was bright; the stars were glistening like fireflies. Sunrise here was usually around five-thirty and my dad was supposed to pick me up at six. I stand up with my lazy bones and leave everything as they are right now. I turn on my iPhone and leave the room. I walked down the hallway and ended up in my dining room. It was also empty. I just ignored everything and I walked to the glass doors that lead to the backyard.
This is probably the most majestic sight I had ever seen. I looked over my backyard, which pretty much consisted of mountains and hills. It always takes my breath away when I see it. Especially during sunrise when the trees and grass are covered in dew and the fog bank is lifting giving it a peaceful, but eerie feeling. I walk myself to the bench that stands near the edge of the mountain. I sit down and just stare at what I'm leaving. I wish I could just climb it once more. But that was yesterday when I climbed it like for the 1000th time. I just had to take final pictures here, so I run inside and grab my camera and tripod. I ran back outside and set everything up. I set it far away from the bench so I could get a shot of the mountain and the bench. I tried to time it right; just about when the sun hit the top of the mountain. It took a while, but I took about 5 pictures.
"Nice job, Jasper." I jumped after the voice spoke, even though I knew who it was.
"Thanks dad." I said while I unscrewed my camera from the tripod.
"You ready to go?" he asks me.
"Yep." I take the camera and tripod. My dad’s name is Donald Pike, he is a tall guy with hair that's not long nor short, just the right length, but he keeps it "unstyled". He dresses like Rob Thomas, one of his favorite singers. I, for one, like Rob Thomas's music, but I believe he is the bigger Rob Thomas fan.
"You look tired? Did you sleep at all last night?"
"Yeah" I'm not the best liar but I'm getting there.
"Well, you can get some sleep on the way to Los Angeles Airport. We got to leave now if we want to make the flight to Milwaukee." he turned around and walked back inside. I nodded in response.
"And remember to leave the keys on the counter." my dad yelled from inside. I totally forgot about them. They were already on the counter if I remembered correctly but I went to double check just to make sure. I walked back inside and went to the kitchen.
Yeah, they were there. I saw the keys to my room. That one caught my eye move than any other. I had it made with a picture of the local beach during sunset. I took the picture and loved it so much that I had my key personalized with that picture on it. I couldn't just let some stranger get that key. Without hesitation, I took the key from the key chain and stuffed it in my pocket. I heard the front door open.
"Grab your stuff Jasper. Time to go." his voice faded and I hear footsteps leaving the house. I grab my tripod and camera and close the back door. I pack everything up and head to the car. Next stop Los Angeles.
