BY CHARLIE-SHANTI WINKEL - 11 YEARS OLD - SINT MAARTEN
Once upon a time the Wilsony family was picnicking at Banana Bay. Ayanah and Justin loved snorkeling to see parrot fish, trumpet fish and rays. After lunch, Mom napped under the palm trees while Dad played with his kids. It was so hot, so they went in the water again.
Later, their friends Tom and Jerry came to play at the beach. Tom had a volleyball and sand toys. Justin wanted to play volleyball first, so they all played. Time passed quickly, and soon it was time for Tom and Jerry to go.
At sunset, Mom and Dad started a fire while Ayanah and Justin set up two small tents. That night, they heard thunder and saw lightning in the sky. The storm arrived suddenly. Ayanah ran under a tree and Justin tried to race for the car.
The tents flew away, and the family knew they had to find shelter fast. Dad remembered a cave that he had played in as a boy, and they ran into it. Mom and Ayanah breathed heavily, and Justin felt scared and excited, all at the same time. Dad hugged everyone.
Suddenly, lightning struck the ground close to the cave. What? Was there something on the walls of the cave? They could see ancient drawings. They all gasped. More lightning fell close to the cave, and they saw drawings of people and animals. The people had bows and arrows!
By morning, the rain stopped and the family could go outside. They collected their belongings from the beach. Boom! A tree fell behind them and scared everyone.
When they got home, Mom called the local museum. They told the researchers about the drawings in the cave. The next day, everyone went to the beach and immediately entered the cave. The researchers said it was a great discovery!
At first, the researchers banned people from the area so they could protect the cave art. After a few months, visitors could come to see the drawings in small groups. Now the cave is known as the Wilsony Cave.