A Trip with Strike it Rich Sam - April 2026 Story Prompt

 by Ethan age 13

Jem and Ellie Coulter were sitting around a campfire listening to Strike It Rich Sam tell them a story about a place above a waterfall that he used to pan for gold. He said he got quite a bit of gold there, and would still be there if some bad men had not made him leave. 

“Meaner than Will Sterling?” asked Ellie 

“I reckon so," Strike replied. 

“Was it pretty?” asked Ellie. 

“It was the prettiest place I ever saw,” said Strike, “with a waterfall coming down through the rocks making little rainbows when it hit the water below. I think I'd like to go back there sometime and see the waterfall and see if any gold is left and if the fishing is just as good.”

                “Can I go too?” asked Ellie.

“Roasted rattlesnakes, Ellie,” exclaimed Jem. “You're still too little to be away from Mama for a night”. 

“I am not,” hollered Ellie. Just then Pa came looking for them. 

“Pa,” said Jem, “Strike said he wanted to go see an old place he prospected at a long time ago. Can I go with him?”

 Pa asked Strike about it. After Strike told him and said he was planning to go in three days and that Gem and Nugget could come along, Pa said that he would talk to Mama about it. They went back to their tent and went to bed.

The next day after breakfast Pa told Jem he had talked to Mama and Jem could go with Strike. Jem ran to go tell Strike and he said they would leave in two days.

The next two days felt like they would never end for Jem but finally it was the morning they would leave. Jem was packed and Nugget was racing around like he was excited too. Canary Strike’s donkey was packed too. Ellie was crying because she could not go. 

“If I find any gold I will give you some,” Jem told Ellie.

Mama said “Be careful!” as she hugged him. Then Strike and Jem started walking. 

They walked for so long that Jem thought that Strike had forgotten about lunch. So he asked “Are we going to have lunch soon?”. Strike grinned and said “Just around the next bend there is a nice place.”

After Strike got their lunch out they ate. Strike gave some of his coffee to Nugget, who lapped at it and then went to the creek to get some water.

Strike said “Looks like your dog doesn't like coffee” 

“I don’t like your coffee either, it tastes like sand!” said Jem. 

“So you don’t like coffee either” said Strike with a laugh.

After lunch they walked a long way and then made camp for the night. “How long until we get there?” Jem asked. 

“We will get there by noon tomorrow," replied Strike.

The next day when they got to the waterfall Jem yelled “It’s true it’s true it’s really true!” Strike laughed and said “Didn't I say it was true?” 

They went past the waterfall to set up camp and eat lunch. Jem was so excited he could hardly eat. After lunch, Jem said “ I’m going to start panning for gold right away.” Jem found a sand sized piece of gold but Strike found two small flakes.

“Jem, I’m going fishing,” said Strike. “It is very good fishing and I have caught a lot of big fish here before. Do you want to come?”

“No” said Jem “I want to pan for gold until dinner”.

That night while eating fish, Strike asked, “Did you find any more gold?”

“I did not,” Jem replied. “I wish I had gone fishing with you but maybe tomorrow  we will find more gold.”

After dinner Jem asked Strike, “Will you tell me a story?” Then Strike told a story about a bear that he had shot once. 

“Goodnight Strike” said Jem. After the bear story, he was a little scared that bears might be around. In the middle of the night he felt Nugget move, then he heard the scream of a panther. Strike was up and put sticks and logs on until the fire was blazing.

Jem asked, “Strike why are you putting more wood on the fire?”

“Because most wild animals are scared of fire” said Strike.

Jem hoped he was right. Strike brought Canary closer to the fire but they did not hear the panther any more that night and finally Jem went back to sleep.

The next morning during breakfast Jem asked, “Strike did you see the panther last night?”

“No, but I heard it loud and clear!” answered Strike.

“Let's go pan for gold!” Jem said. After finding a flake of gold and Strike finding three, Strike asked, “Do you want to go fishing today?”

“Yes,” said Jem.

After a lunch of fish that Jem had helped to catch they packed up and started back home. As Jem took one last look back at the waterfall with the rainbow coming out of it he said, “Wait till I tell Ellie!” It took two more days of walking to get home. When they got there, Jem told Ellie all about it and gave her the flake of gold he had gotten.