An Award Winning Entry!

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 11:08 pm

This is the short story that won the 2nd place award in the open reading catagory. We had to read them aloud so picture me reading, "Knock, knock is anyone home," in front of a group of fellow writers.

Emma Kate's Flowers

My neighbor, Emma Kate, is four ears old. She and I share a love of flowers. I have a lot of flowers in my yard and she is very careful when she comes to look at them.
Emma Kate knows she isn't supposed to come into my yard unless someone tells her it is okay. So, she stands at the gate until someone sees her standing there. I think that some days she stand there for a very long tim.
When I see her standing there I walk to the gate and ask her, "What can I do for you today, Emma Kate?" I know what she wants but I wait for her to tell me.
She tells me, "My mama needs a flower."
I take her hand and we go and find one or two flowers for her mama. This takes a little time while she looks at all the flowers and finally chooses which ones. She goes out the gate with a little bounce and a smile.
One day, I told her, "Emma Kate, if I'm not outside you need to knock on my gate."
She got the strangest look on her face and lifted her hand. She looked at her hand and she looked at the gate. She said, "Miss Laura, the gate is wire and there is no where to knock."
"Emma Kate, there is a special way to knock on a wire gate. Do you want me to show you how to do it?"
She nodded. "Yes," she said.
I opened my mouth and shouted, "Knock, knock, is anyone home. " I shouted very loud. I bet you could hear me inside of my house.
Emma Kate looked at me like maybe I was a little bit odd. So, I told her to try it.
She said, "Knock, knock is anyone home" in such a soft voice I could not hear her distinctly and I was standing just on the other side of the gate. We practiced a few times and she got a little louder. After getting a flower for her mama she went home, walking, not bouncing and she wasn't smiling.
Emma Kate hasn't come for a flower in a long while. Not since I showed her how to knock on the gate. Maybe I didn't hear her soft voice calling, "Knock, knock is anyone home." Maybe she decided that I was definitely a bit odd to be knocking on a wire gate with my big mouth.
When I am outside doing yard work I try to remember to pick a flower or two for Emma Kate's mama and if I see Emma Kate outside I'll call to her and hold up the flowers. She comes running.
"Flowers! Oh, thank you! My mama will like these flowers.
If Emma Kate is not outside I deliver the flowers to her back door. Fortunately for me Emma Kate's back door is not made of wire and I don't have to shout, "Knock, knock is anyone home."
We moved to another town and I don't know if someone else planted flowers in the yard but Emma Kate will always love flowers for her mama. Maybe she even learned to shout really loud, "Knock, knock is anyone home."

I'm not sure how award winning it is but the judges thought it was.
dooley

This blog entry has been viewed 776 times

Comments (7) | Leave a Comment

2 members like this blog entry

You're reading one of many blogs on GardenStew.com.
Register for free and start your own blog today.

Comments

wannabe wrote on Thu May 17, 2012 12:53 am:

I thought it was very good and would give it my thumbs up fo an award. wannabe

Frank wrote on Thu May 17, 2012 8:30 am:

Is it fact or fiction Dooley? It was a very nice short story and deserved winner. Congrats!

TheBip wrote on Thu May 17, 2012 1:58 pm:

Hehe cute story :)

Jewell wrote on Fri May 18, 2012 2:03 am:

Throughly enjoyed your story! Have you written others? I hope you will share more if you have.

dooley wrote on Fri May 18, 2012 2:57 am:

The story is fact though Emma Kate will be about 15 now. I wrote the story soon after we moved to another town and didn't see her again after that. Goodness, just thinking about how old she is now makes me feel older, too. She probably grows her own flowers now.