Title: PROTOTYPE COLUMN

Where are we?

The sun blazed like a fiery dragon in the sky, casting long shadows over the small, deserted town of Dustville. The heatwave had turned the once-bustling streets into a ghost town. Cars sat abandoned, their metal surfaces too hot to touch. The air shimmered with heat, making everything look like a mirage.

Twelve-year-old Jake wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood in the middle of Main Street. His friends, Mia and Sam, were beside him, their faces flushed and tired. They had been on their way to the old swimming hole when their bikes broke down. Now, they were stranded with no water and no shade in sight.

"We need to find shelter," Mia said, her voice cracking. "And fast."

Jake nodded, scanning the empty buildings. "Look, there's the old diner. Let's see if we can find something to drink there."

With hope in their hearts, the trio trudged toward the diner, unaware of the surprises waiting inside.

Ordinal Number | Vocabulary | Definition
1 | Heatwave | A prolonged period of excessively hot weather
2 | Scorching | Extremely hot and dry
3 | Mirage | An optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions
4 | Deserted | Empty of people
5 | Shelter | A place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger
6 | Thirst | A feeling of needing or wanting to drink something
7 | Exhaustion | A state of extreme physical or mental fatigue
8 | Shade | A cool and dark area sheltered from the sun
9 | Abandoned | Left without intending to return; forsaken
10 | Survival | The state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an ordeal

Some words to help you work with the survival scenario

Use the new words you learned

Q: Describe the emotions Jake, Mia, and Sam might feel as they approach the old diner and see it for the first time, considering the intense heat and their dire situation.
A: As Jake, Mia, and Sam approach the old diner, they might feel a mix of relief and anxiety. Relief because they potentially have found a respite from the blazing sun and a chance to quench their thirst; anxiety because they don’t know what awaits them inside. The fear of finding it abandoned or without water adds to the intensity of their emotions, making every step toward the diner feel both hopeful and nerve-wracking.

Q: Name three survival strategies Jake and his friends could use to find water in a deserted town like Dustville.
A: Three survival strategies Jake and his friends could use include: 1) Searching abandoned buildings for bottled water, as places like the old diner might still have some supplies. 2) Looking for any nearby natural sources, such as the swimming hole they originally intended to visit, which might still hold some water. 3) Checking for wells or water storage tanks that might have been used by the town's residents before it was deserted.

Q: Describe the possible history of Dustville and how it became a deserted town. Use details from the setting to support your answer.
A: Dustville may have been a thriving town in the past, possibly built around a mining operation or agricultural hub. The extreme heatwave suggests a changing climate, which could have made the town increasingly uninhabitable over time. Economic downturns, coupled with the harsh environment, might have prompted residents to abandon it. The presence of abandoned cars and buildings hints at a rapid evacuation, perhaps due to a severe and sudden environmental crisis, leaving Dustville a ghost town.