Hola mi amigos! Chapter 6 update as promised last week! Short chapter but I warn you that this is the calm before the storm :

It's also time to honor my reviewers!

1st Reviewer goes to: epona04 (yay!!)

Most Reviews goes to: bella-loves-edward and NellieGURL (hooray!!)

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Most Flattering goes to: TexMex and kuroxdoragon (yipee!!)

And of course, everyone who's been reviewing this story of mine! I'm not listing everyone up here because I feel it takes away from the pride at having your name mentioned when there's about 20 more other names up there as well.

Thank you and keep up the reviews and support, you all make me very happy!

Ch. 6 Copper Falls

"So this is a kind of picnic?" Scott asked.

"Yes. This little excursion gives my class a chance to learn about Ashland's plant life, the geographical formations, and it's also a nice break from their classes." It was my idea, this field trip. I had overheard Elle, a fellow waitress telling her friend about her weekend camping trip. The way she described the place…it sounded unbelievable.

It was an area farther inland with gorgeous waterfalls, towering red cliffs, and deep gorges. The plant life would be in full bloom now, it was already the last week of June, and the children were bound to enjoy themselves exploring. There was no name for this area, but it was popular among the locals.

"Let's tie our horses down here. We have a bit of a hike ahead of us."

Lisa Baker faltered and glanced at my stomach. "You shouldn't over-exert yourself, Esme. Let's ride farther out." I was six months pregnant now, and I had an obvious baby bump on my stomach.

"I'll be fine. It's only a half hour walk. Elle assured me it was an easy hike." Lisa nodded reluctantly and I called to the others. "We're stopping here!"

The three carriages slowed down and turned into a spot at the side of the road. I stepped out and looked around. Trees were everywhere. Green was everywhere. Myriad sounds of life ― squirrels chattering amongst themselves, soft patters of movement behind the bushes and shrubs, chickadees twittering in the distance ― permeated the atmosphere. Around me, the horses snorted and stamped their hooves, and the children giggled and spoke to each other. Still, our very presence was intrusive to the quiet peace.

"It's so good to be back!" Elle murmured. She had agreed to come as our guide. "And there's the trail!"

Barely visible between the leafy ferns and small white wildflowers was a faint dirt trail. It disappeared into the green wilderness between birch, hemlock, aspen, and white pine trees soaring above our heads.

As we proceeded inwards, the lofty forest shielded us from the brilliant summer sun. The trail wove between immense trees and dense foliage like a thin, brown snake. Our skin glowed softly, bathed in an eerie green light. We all spoke in hushed whispers, afraid to disturb the exquisite beauty. I had the children collect plant life samples like bark, leaves, mosses, and flowers.

Several times, we crossed shallow streams. We filled our canteens with the pristine, ice-cold water gurgling by. It was delicious, the best water I'd ever tasted. Mini cascades poured into pools from level to level. The boys found a glistening black-and-yellow salamander under a mossy rock. Leggy, spider-like water striders glided away from the children across rippling glass. The parents were enjoying themselves as well. I hid a smug grin ― it had taken extensive wheedling to persuade them to come.

We continued the hike.

As we advanced uphill, I began to see some reddish stone peeking out of the ground. The cheerful babbling of the stream gradually swelled to a thundering roar.

"We're almost there!" Elle cried.

Every child and adult alike began to take larger, quicker strides. We could hear the rumbling water, just several yards away, but the trail slithered on relentlessly through emerald walls. Elle pranced away ahead of us, all bouncing auburn curls.

"Wow."

There was no warning. No thinning of trees. No mounting light at the end of the trail. We were jogging eagerly through confining ferns and Wisconsin forest, chasing after Elle, who'd just disappeared around a corner, and then…

Boom.

We stood, blinking, confused, then astonished. A colossal waterfall was raging in front of us. Coppery, frothy water slipped over the edge, and fell down over 100 feet. The river beneath us churned and roiled, the reddish-brown color of the foam matching the rugged cliffs. A few scraggly spruces clung onto the edges desperately. The mothers grabbed their children and steered them away from the edge.

I turned to Elle. "This is amazing! I owe you one, Elle."

She beamed at me. "I told you it was glorious. But I'm just glad to help. Do you want to have lunch up here or down next to the river?"

"Let's eat up here. I don't want to waste all that hiking." I feasted my eyes on the magnificent coppery waters.

They smoothed out several blankets out in the warmth of the sunlight and I gently eased myself down on top with a sigh. We unloaded our packed picnic baskets, revealing sandwiches, cupcakes, fruits, salads, cheeses, and fruit juice. I attacked the food ― getting pregnant makes you hungry ALL the time. After I finished eating my lunch, I took out a bag of chocolates from my purse ― pregnant people also tend to have a fierce craving for chocolate.

Lisa crawled over to me with a basket of her cinnamon rolls. She smiled knowingly as I licked off the remnants of a chocolate truffle from my fingers. "Would you like a cinnamon roll?"

"Thank you, but I'm full. I'm probably gaining ten pounds from the chocolate as I speak." She chuckled.

"How are you holding up so far? Is this starting to scare you at all? You know, she's due in September!"

"I'm just so glad to be able to get out and breathe some fresh air while I can." I laid down on my back into a more comfortable position. "It's unbelievable. Sometimes I just sit down and try to imagine what it's going to be like, trying to take care of a little girl. I'll need to help her bathe, and I could help her on her homework, and pack her lunches ―" I winced and curled up slightly, holding my stomach.

Lisa was frantic. "Esme! Are you alright? Oh, I knew this hike was a bad idea…Someone help me take her to the buggies! Esme's going to have a miscarriage!" she wailed.

I laid back down quickly. "No, no, I'm alright. No need, really. She just kicked a bit, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Thomas asked. Everyone had crowded around me at the sound of Lisa's anxious cry, ready to whisk me off to the hospital.

"Yes. I'm fine." I smiled, waving them off. "Now go on and enjoy the picnic! I'm fine. I'm not having my baby yet." They shook their heads, smiling, as they dispersed.

"My dear, please don't scare me like that again! I almost had a heart attack!" Lisa puffed and fanned herself with her hat.

I laughed. "Don't worry so much. You're as jumpy as a rabbit." I leaned in slyly. "Due to the boxing rounds in my stomach, I'm betting Hope will be a match for Maddie, a natural fighter."

Lisa grinned deviously. "Don't bet on that. My Maddie is as strong as an ox!"

I rolled my eyes. "We'll see, eh?"

"We'll see."

I was getting drowsy. The summer sun doused me in an invitingly warm, golden bath. There were no clouds, only the wide, open expanse of the eternally blue sky. The brilliancy of pure sunlight contrasted sharply with the cool, green wall of trees.

Faintly, I heard her speak again. "Don't get too used to your easy, lazy maternity life, now."

"Uh-huh. Sure." She continued, chuckling.

"I promise you, from the moment your baby comes out into the world, you're going to be busy every minute of the day," she murmured thoughtfully, "Not that it won't be interesting. The years seem to fly by after your first child…"

I MmHmm-ed vaguely.

We settled into a comfortable silence.

I closed my eyes dreamily and tried to sketch a rough picture of what Hope was going to look like. It was difficult. Would she look more like her father or myself? Would she inherit my gray eyes or her father's intense, dark chocolate ones? After a few minutes, I simply gave up and soaked in the sun.

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