Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Very short story

Bated Breath

By, C. Heidi Drew

January 13, 2011

Laurie looked out the cabin window of her sleep away camp and thought about her friends and family at home. She missed Tabby her cat the most. She pictured Tabby curled up on her bed, waiting for Laurie to come cuddle. Her eyes began to well up with tears. It wasn't her choice to go to summer camp but she knew it meant she was growing up like her older sister, Peggy who went to sleep away camp in her summer after sixth grade. Now, Peggy was a teenager and at home, driving a car with her friends. She even missed her stupid little brother, Michael who was too young for sleep away camp.

A tear overflowed her bottom eyelid. She let it run down her cheek. The wet warmth felt good. It was like the warm water from the spout when Katy and she turned on the outside cabin hose for a drink of water, it was so warm from the sun that they started a water fight. Laurie dried her cheek as she recalled that she and Katy went into a laughing fit over it.

Now, she was supposed to be taking her swimming skills test at the lake but her counselor, Anita, had made her come back and do clean up duty at the cabin just because she left her swimsuit, goggles and bathing cap behind when she went to lunch. This stupid camp and its schedule was too much like school; not what summer is supposed to be.

“I don't know where they are in the cabin,” she told Anita.”

“That's because its such a mess. You can skip swimming then and go do cabin duty,” which Laurie knew meant cleaning up everyone's messes, not just hers.

“Why should I have to clean up after a bunch of kids that don't even like me?” Laurie griped as she slunk back to the cabin. This isn't fair, she thought. Laurie cleaned up her bunk and sure enough her goggles were on it, easy to find. The swim suit and goggles were hanging on a hook in the bathroom, obviously. Why should she have to clean up around the other cabin mates' bunks? She had no idea where to put their things and they might get mad at her for misplacing their stuff.

Then she heard Katy calling her name, coming out of the woods. When she entered the cabin, Laurie saw Katy had whiskers drawn on her cheeks.

“What's with the whiskers?”

I'm changing my name to Kitty,”and she clawed the air. “Mraowwwww.” Laurie burst out laughing. They both dropped back on her bunk and laughed themselves to tears. Katy wiped her tears and got up. “I got to go to archery. Come with me.”

“I've got to finish cleaning up this cabin and I have riding, now. I'll see you at dinner,” Laurie told her.

As she took out the broom off the hook next to the door, Anita came in. “This can wait,” Anita said. It's time for your next period, we can all finish cleaning this evening.” Seeing the remnants of Laurie's tears of laughter on her cheeks, she declared, “Hey, I've got a joke for you. What did the cat do when he swallowed some cheese?”

“Um, he choked?” Laurie offered.

“He waited by the mouse hole with baited breath!”

“Awwww.” They both groaned.

“I've got to put on my riding clothes, now.” Laurie announced.

“See you later.”

*

The requirement of this story was it had to have one character tell a joke and one cry within 600 words

Full page spread from "Oliver Owl" picture book


Tough to get white a true white without losing other colors