Never Trust a Stream by L.L. Weedon
Syd Lee is home from school for his midsummer holidays, and his sister Linny joins him on a planned expedition along the little stream by Huel Vro, the Cornish tin mine their father manages. A thunderstorm rumbles in the distant hills, but their father assures Linny it will pass without touching the lowland, so the two set off with their punt, a tub-like boat, fitted with board seats cut by the mine carpenter. Syd poles the punt upstream so Linny can gather wildflowers from the overhanging banks while he wades and searches for trout under the stones, having told her to leave the fishing to him. As they settle in a beautiful stretch of the river, Syd notices a strange grumbling noise. Linny assumes it is only the thunder dying away, but Syd grows uneasy, seeing no clouds overhead, and orders her to get out and climb the bank. Before they can act, a sudden flood, water rushing down from the hills, sweeps around the bend and swamps the punt, turning the gentle stream into a violent torrent. The boat is flung about and nearly overturned against the granite rocks lining the channel. Syd's pole becomes jammed and is torn from his grip, leaving brother and sister at the mercy of the current as the punt spins and crashes downstream, passing beneath the mine road's bridge. Syd keeps his sister calm, telling her he will swim her ashore if the boat capsizes, while Linny, terrified, worries about the grief it would cause their father. Below, their father, the mine manager, has been roused by the roar of the torrent and rushes to the water's edge with his men. He and the workers, including the carpenter, form a human chain, reaching into the water to catch the oncoming boat. Mr. Lee snatches at the punt, pitching both children into the water inside it, and after a desperate struggle against the current, the men haul the boat and its passengers safely to the bank, all drenched but unharmed. The flood rages through the narrow valley for another hour, scouring away ferns and flowers from the banks. Later, as the waters subside, Linny laments the loss of their punt, swept away in the torrent. The following morning, a fisherman returns the boat, and the little river resumes its clear, gentle flow.
By L.L. Weedon · Genre: Children's Literature, Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction · 2,419 words
First lines
THE thunder had roared up in the hills where the old engine-houses stood ruined and bare against the sky, and the lightning twice over flickered out of the black clouds and seemed to play round the grey granite stones, before down came the rain like a thick mist and blotted everything out.
And all the time down in the lowland toward the sea it was a brilliant summer's day -- "perfect weather," Sydney Lee's father said, "for July."
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Genres
- Children's Literature — The protagonists are child characters, the narrative perspective centers on their experiences and emotions, and the story content and style are appropriate for juvenile readers.
- Adventure Fiction — The narrative is driven by perilous action - the sudden flood, the struggle to survive the torrent, and the dramatic rescue sequence form the central plot.
- Historical Fiction — The story is clearly set in Victorian-era Cornwall with detailed references to tin mining operations, period-appropriate clothing and dialect, and historically specific social structures.
- Nature Writing — The prose features extensive vivid descriptions of natural elements - the stream, wildlife including trout and dippers, wildflowers, ferns, and the surrounding landscape.
Tags
children's adventure · siblings · brother and sister · flood · river · stream · Cornwall · tin mining · danger · nature's power · parental wisdom · rescue
What this Textopian page supports
Never Trust a Stream is listed on Textopian as a short story by L.L. Weedon, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: L.L. Weedon
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nature Writing, Realist Fiction
- Length: 2,419 words
- Structure: 1 section, 61 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Never Trust a Stream by L.L. Weedon
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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