Alli!
Because there were so few entries, I just did the old fashioned method of writing names on pieces of paper, tossing them around and pulling one out. Congrats to Alli!
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Susanna Hill sucked me in with yet another fun contest. This time it's a July 4th themed one. Her rules are to write something about the 4th of July in which a secret is revealed or mystery is solved. Max of 400 words. Luckily for me, she's not too strict with her rules!
Because of this special, time-restricted event, I've pushed the "My Favorite Scene" segment back a week, and will present it next Monday.
Here's my entry, clocking in at 397 words:
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Who's Katy?
“Abby, Great Aunt Millie invited us to spend Fourth of July
with her,” Mom announced. “You’ll like her farm in Spenser, Indiana! She has
chickens and goats.”
“Spenser?” thought Abby.
Mom and Dad piled luggage into the car. They drove and drove
for what seemed like days to get from San Francisco to Spencer.
“Where is the ocean? Why is it so flat here?” asked Abby
when they pulled into Great Aunt Millie’s driveway.
“Where are the neighbors? Why is it so quiet here?” asked
Abby after Great Aunt Millie gave her a great, big hug.
The adults laughed, but Abby really wanted to know.
The chickens confused her. They pecked at her shoes, but
squawked and flapped away when she tried to pet them. The goats scared her with
their sideways eyes and blaaaahhh-blaaaahhh bleating.
Mom and Dad were busy helping Great Aunt Millie prepare for
the festivities. Abby was bore with nobody to talk to or play with.
She poked around a clump of oak trees in the front yard,
trying to find something to do.
“CHE-che-che!” A loud maracas sound came from near her.
Abby whipped around, but didn’t see anyone.
“CHE-che-che!”
“What made that noise?” Abby asked Mom and Dad who had just
come out of the house.
“Katydid,” Mom said. “We have to run to the store; be good
for Great Aunt Millie.” They drove off.
“Katy?” Abby thought. “Who is Katy? Does she live close by?
Maybe she’ll be my friend!”
“CHE-che-che!” went the sound again.
Was Katy behind the trees? No. Did Katy climb a tree? Abby
looked up into the leaves. No.
The sound mysteriously vanished, just like Katy.
After a marvelous feast, her parents surprised her with fireworks.
Abby wandered around the yard with the sparklers. Near the
oak trees, she heard “CHE-che-che!” again. Katy was back!
Abby tiptoed around a tree. She saw nothing but a large,
green insect with long, back legs on the trunk. As Abby stared, it called,
“CHE-che-che!”
“So you’re Katy!” said Abby.
“CHE-che-che!”
“What are you doing, Abby?” asked Dad.
“I found Katy,” said Abby, pointing to the big, green bug.
He laughed. “That’s not Katy; that’s a katydid.”
“Oh,” said Abby. She held out a hand and it climbed onto her
finger.
“I think I’ll call you Katy anyway,” she said. “You can be
my friend. Would you like that?”
“CHE-che-che!”
The other exciting thing for me this week, besides entering this contest, is doing Week of Writing: Non-Fiction Picture Books, or WoW: Non-Fic Pic!
WoW: Non-Fic Pic is the brainchild of the brilliant Kristen Fulton. I hope I can keep up and get some great drafts done! I love non-fiction but haven't written too much of it in the past. I invite you to join us...there are some really awesome prizes!!
Happy July to you all, and happy Canada Day to my fellow Canucks!
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams
