Big, fake Smiles

Mrs Ribbon knocked on her neighbors door and heard a dog barking almost immediately.

"Charlie, go away!" she heard someone call. She heard the slamming of doors and then put on a big, fake smile to hide her concern when Mrs Timothy opened the door.

"Eleanor," she said when she saw Mrs Ribbon, "How are you?"

"I'm quite fine," Mrs Ribbon said, "and yourself?"

"Yes, yes, I'm good," there was something about Mrs Timothy's voice that said she was in a rush so Mrs Ribbon hurried to what she had come over to say. However, just as she was about to speak a voice from inside screamed.

"Mum! Eloise kicked me!"

"I did not!"

Clearly embarrassed Mrs Timothy turned away, signaling with her finger to Mrs Ribbon she would only be a second. She stepped into the hall and saw two of her children fighting on the staircase.

"The two of you!" she said, cross, "Grow up!"

But one of them screamed, "He pushed me into a wall and almost broke that expensive frame!"

"I did not! It was you that hid my pencils in the fridge! She almost blew it up!" the other one fought back. Her eldest daughter then came down the stairs, eating a chocolate bar.

"Hey!" the youngest child whined, "You said I couldn't have a chocolate!" Mrs Timothy sighed.

"Whatever, whatever! I'm trying to talk to Mrs Ribbon, be quiet!" She stepped back out the door and they both put on big, fake smiles to both hide their concern.

The seriousness of the squashed Carrot

My little brother Cody and I ran through Grandma's garden.
"Be careful of the lettuce," she had warned, "Sitting by the fence."
Cody and I lifted our legs high and tiptoed carefully across the path.
"Remember there's potatoes there too," Grandma had told us.
We watched our steps as we walked past the potatoes, only just visible above the soil.
"And the carrots, petals, especially careful with the carrots. They've taken their time to come up!"
"Yes Grandma," we had said in unison. Cody and I stepped past the carrots. I watched his as carefully as mine but his foot slipped on the path and came right down on a carrot. Cody turned to me with alarmed eyes. They watered and I told him it was alright. I pulled up the mangled, squashed carrot.
"What are you doing?" he asked in a panicked voice, "Grandma can't know. We should just get out of the garden and play in the sandpit where she said we didn't have to be careful of squashing anything." I opened the small gate that was old and rusty and Cody followed behind. I heard his footsteps stop when we walked past the sandpit. I turned to face him. He was standing slouched, and visibly upset. He threw his hands up in the air, as if in surrender.
"I'm not having anything to do with this!" he shouted. But it was too late. We were caught red-handed by Grandma who was coming up the path. She was smiling but shaking her head. Like, she did when we told her silly jokes. I was terrified and the expression on Cody's face said he was too. I knew she would be mad. She said to be careful of the carrots. I looked down to her feet where a grey rabbit was passing.
"The rabbit got into the garden, did he?" she asked. I nodded, feeling saved and my heart slowing down.
"It's happened before," she said, "they just trample right over the carrots to get to the lettuce." She clicked her tongue, "Those mishcevious rabbits."
"Are you cross?"Cody asked her.
"Not much we can do about it now, is there?" she said to us as we shook our heads.
"Well, c'mon," she said, waving us over, "You might as well put that bad carrot in the compost. The muffins we baked are ready, so come back to the house." I looked at the squashed carrot in my hand and couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. We followed behind Grandma back to the house. Cody leant over close to me and whispered quietly, "I won't say nuffin' if you don't!"

Magpie 22

Gardening was never my thing, nor my brothers' or my sisters'. I much preferred to write, and my brother would draw and my sister different still, would much prefer to play with her dolls. Outside my mother would work, most the time and on most days. She'd spend countless hours out there harvesting food for our dinners. She had to work much harder after my father left and spent even more time out there. We'd all been unhappy since he'd left and were as broke as ever. I'd sit inside writing, staring out the window. Mother would be in the garden and it would be raining. I would think to help her but push the thoughts aside as it would be much too boring and I didn't feel like getting wet.

One day when I got home I found my mother in her bed. My sister told me she'd fallen sick, most likely from the cold rain.

"But what about our dinner?" my brother asked and my tired mother didn't reply. She sighed long and deeply and that's when I started to cry.

"What about our dinner?" my brother asked a second time.

"Go get your boots on," I told him, although he only crossed his arms across his chest.

"Go get your boots on!" I screamed at my stubborn little brother. I felt the tears run down my face and the fury build inside me. He stormed out of the room, realizing how serious I was. I knelt down by my mother. Her body was cold and her eyes stayed shut even when my warm lips touched her cheek.

"Tell me what to do," I said.

"I don't know," she whispered, "I can't remember what was almost ripe." This time i was the one to sigh.

Just like I had, she sighed too, "Tomatoes," she whispered.

My brother stood by the back door with my sister by his side. I knelt down in front of him and stared right into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said, "for yelling at you. But we all owe apologies to our mother who has worked outside all this time for the benefit of all of us. Now it is time, for us to work for her so she can get well again." We all went out to the garden where stray weeds covered the once brick path that sat outside of our home. I stepped past fruits of green and red and vegetables of all sorts. Most of it would not survive and most of them looked bad. I went to the back where I saw circles of red. There where some sun shun through the trees sat 5 red tomatoes. I carefully pulled them off the stem and knew what I had to do. I would make tomato soup and my mother would be well after some time of rest. I felt horrible for leaving my assistance so long but from that point on my mother would not have to be the only contributer to what we all benefited from. I looked at my brother and sister skipping in the garden. Maybe we would all be happy again aswell.

First Story Posted

Today I've decided I'm going to get right to it and post one of my finished stories. It's a short story and it's called Unfaithful. I actually wrote it quite a while ago and I hope to get some of my newer work up soon. Not that I think anyone has actually seen my blog yet, but I would just like to say I would be so thankful if you have any feedback at all. Also, by getting a follower it can always lead to another. I will also become a 'follower' for you if you do so for me.

Thanks :)

As Morgan Cambridge applied her makeup in her small apartment’s bathroom she stared at herself in the mirror. She heard the door open to her apartment.

“Sweetie,” her boyfriend, Jonah called.

“In the bathroom,” Morgan called back. He walked into the room and gave her a kiss.

“You look gorgeous,” he said, “are you going out?”

“Yeah, Teresa rang before and we’re going to go out with a few of the other girls from uni,” she lied.

“Oh,” he said, his tone filled with disapointment, “will you be back late?”

“Probably,” Morgan replied. Morgan and Jonah walked out to the dining room. It was already dark outside. Through the large windows you could see the whole city. Morgan grabbed her bag and went to give Jonah a kiss.

“Give me a call if you need a lift home,” he said.

“I’m taking my own car,” she said.

“Okay, well have a good time. I love you,” he said. But as Morgan said those three words back she couldn’t look Jonah in the eyes.

She hurried out the door and into her car. Jonah watched from the window as she drove off. Then he turned towards the kitchen as he heard a familiar sound. It was Morgan’s ring tone. She had left her mobile behind as she had hurried out the door. On the screen of the mobile, ONE NEW MESSAGE FROM DAMIAN YORK, appeared. But the message was locked with an unlock code. Jonah phoned Teresa so that she could let Morgan know that she had left her phone behind.

“Hi Jonah,” Teresa said when he called.

“Hi, Morgan just left to meet with you guys but left her mobile behind. Would you just let her know when she gets there,” he said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, Morgan said she was going out with you and a few others tonight,” he said.

“I don’t know why she’d say that. We hadn’t arranged anything. Derek and I are just staying home tonight,” Teresa, said.

“Oh really, maybe she got mixed up or something. I really don’t know,” he said, “Well, if you do hear from her or anything tonight let me know what’s happening, right?”

“Will do,” Teresa, said, “See you.”

“Bye,” he said and he put down the phone.

“How strange,” he said aloud.

That night Jonah waited in the lounge room of the small apartment surfing the television channels. It had gone 2am and then there was a loud knock at the door. He slowly opened the door hoping it was Morgan but instead a tall man in a dark outfit. As he opened it a bit further and some light came out of the apartment and into the corridor he realised it was a police officer.

“Hello Mr Spencer,” he said.

“Hi. What is this about?” Jonah asked.

“I’m Sargent John Courtly and I’m sorry to inform you that Morgan Jollettes has passed away,” he said. Jonah was absolutely speechless. His throat went dry and his heart seemed to slow which was the complete opposite of what would normally happen when he was shocked and start to panic. He felt numb and almost fell to the ground.

“W-what?”

“I’m sorry Mr Spencer. I understand this information is hard for you to take in. She was in an accident earlier tonight but died at the scene of the crash,” The Sargent said.

The Sargent helped Jonah to a chair.

“She was not in the vehicle of her own,” he said. The shock was too much for Jonah. Tears prickled at Jonah’s eyes. He almost fell from the peach, wooden chair that he sat upon.

“There was a male and he was driving. His name was Damian York. He has also died. Do you know this man?” York-Jonah had heard this from somewhere. He knew this name but not this person, the txt message from earlier on Morgan’s phone. That must have been who Morgan had gone to meet.

“She received a m-message from someone by that name but sh-sh-she wasn’t h-here to get it. She left her m-mobile here.” Jonah burst out in tears. He felt as if someone had just ripped his heart out.

A few days later, when Jonah felt the sun had been destroyed and his life was not worth living Morgan’s messages were unlocked and it was thought Jonah had the right to know what they said…

When Jonah looked at them, the ones from Damian York had kisses and hugs and ‘I love yous’ and then it suddenly sunk in that Morgan had not been faithful to him.

The hardest thing for Jonah when losing the one he truly loved. Was finding out he wasn’t loved back.