Emmanuel's visit Day 7

Emmanuel and I woke up in our cozy sleeping bags. We climbed out and put on our hiking clothes. We made ham and cheese muffins for breakfast, and we wolfed them down. "Somehow, things taste better when you made them." Emmanuel put in.

We left soon after we washed the dishes in the creek. We walked for about a mile until we came to the perfect swimming hole. We all took turns jumping off of the rocks into the glassy water.

(Flying Mason Dochterman)

Then we moved on to the next creek crossing. There, we caught a alligator lizard. Emmanuel kept laughing and saying "It tickles," when the lizard ran up his back.

We then headed back to camp. We packed up all of our things and hiked out the way we had come. We got hamburgers and milkshakes at The Burger Barn. The milkshake refreshed us as it cooled our bodies down, and the burgers were phenomenal, but we ate the meal in silence. This would be our last meal with Emmanuel. 

When we got home, we gave Emmanuel a photo album showing all the great times we had together. "Thank you so much for everything" said Emmanuel. Everybody was sad to see Emmanuel go, but happy for all of the things that we had showed him, and that he had showed us. We all understood now that the most important thing in the world isn't money, or power, or making yourself happy. The most important thing is making other people happy, which in turn will give you happiness.

As I watched Emmanuel's plane fly down the runway, a tear trickled down my cheek. Our amazing journey was coming to an end, at the same place it started.

My cheek pressed against the cold, smooth glass. I listened to the light rain pattering on the window as I watched plane disappear into the gray sky. I watched the plane grow smaller and smaller in the distance, and then finally disappear into the sky.