Here’s another short writing assignment from a different class that I started. The assignment was to write a scene that takes place at an edge or boundary—the edge of town, the edge of a forest, the boundary between two neighborhoods or two countries. Here’s my take on it:
Lena wished she could see all the way to the lake from her house. It was four blocks down, two blocks over, and then over the hill and down the curvy road. She wondered what it would be like to live there, to see the sparkling blue from her window, to hear the waves lapping on the shore, to run outside and jump in the wet coolness on a hot day. She knew which house she’d want to live in – she’d seen it many times when biking around the lake. It was like a mansion perched on the edge of that circle of water. Her mother had told her that you had to be really rich to have a house on the lake. Lena didn’t know any rich people, but she figured they were stuck up and snobby. She sometimes got off her bike and stood near that house and then she’d close her eyes and imagine that the house was hers. She’d breathe in the lake air and think “That’s MY lake air, now.” She’d look at the graceful sailboats and say, “That little red one is mine and I can go sailing any time I want.”
Ellen had seen the girl before, the one with the red bike. What an odd duck she appeared to be, standing on the outside of their fence with her eyes closed. As Ellen watched from her window, she heard the cleaning lady vacuuming downstairs and wished she weren’t alone. Her parents were both physicians and between their two busy schedules, the time they spent with her wasn’t often. She wasn’t allowed to go wandering on her own, so she spent a lot of time reading. Today, though, she kept her eyes on the girl and wondered what it would be like to be able to get on a bike and go riding anytime she wanted to. Ellen thought if she wasn’t so shy, she’d say something, maybe call out a friendly greeting. Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes, looked up, and saw Ellen staring at her. Their eyes met. Ellen was just beginning to give a tentative smile when the girl frowned, mounted her bike and rode off. And Ellen, who had for a moment felt the nearness of someone, was alone again.
I haven’t written any more about these two girls, but I think they ought to meet, don’t you?
The Lord bless you and keep you, friends.
I’ll probably delete this on the edge of the town in the morning.
Lynniebeemuseoday 