Summer writing challenge (batch 6)
Roasted marshmallows(June 26th)
“Is there anything special you’d like to do today?” Arista offered her guest.
“Can we bake a cake?” Delma replied, looking up from her breakfast.
“Oh yeah, of course. But was there something else you wanted to do? Like, something you can’t do at home?” Arista suggested, only wanting her friend to enjoy her birthday.
Delma had to think for a minute; there weren’t many things she was denied access to.
“I want to try camping.” She decided.
“You’ve never been camping?” Arista was surprised at her request.
“No, and I really want to try marshmallows over a campfire too.”
Tropical kiss(August 19th)
The couple approached a small grove of palm trees; many were bent out over the water.
“Want to climb up there?” she asked her date.
He looked back at her with surprise. “You know how to climb a tree?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t I?” she responded.
The bark was coarse and easy to grip; Wendy had no trouble climbing across the trunk. She swung her legs over the edge to view the sunset. William followed quickly and sat beside her.
“You know, I’m gonna kiss you tonight.”
Wendy blushed a shade of pink that rivaled the colors in front of her.
Broken hydrant(August 21st)
Wendy and William sat on the front steps of his apartment building.
“Hey, you ready to cool down?”
Wendy peered up at her date. “Sure! There’s a pool on my roof, or do you want to walk down to the pier?”
“We can cool down right here.”
William smiled and slowly climbed down the steps while pulling a small wrench out of his back pockets. He bent down next to the fire hydrant and loosened the bolts, causing water to shoot out the fixture in a high arc.
“Come on!” he called back to Wendy, “Let’s swim in the street!”
Underwater tiger(July 22nd)
The girls entered the gates of the city zoo, eager to spend another day with each other.
“This place…it’s like a museum right?”
“You’ve never been to the zoo?”
“No, we don’t have one back home.”
“It’s kind of like a museum; all of the animals are out on display. What do you want to see first?”
Arista stopped and thought for a moment. “I’d like to see a white tiger.”
They were delighted to find that not only did the tiger pen include a rare white one, but there was a glass observation window to see the animals underwater.
Firefly(June 28th)
The sun had already set behind the mountains. Arista and Delma were making their way back into the village as the sky began to glow.
“Oh, look at the fireflies! There are so many out tonight.”
“Fire what?”
“The bugs that light up in the evening. Look, they’re all around us.”
“Oh! You mean the lightening bugs.”
“You call them lightening bugs? How come?”
“Father says they’re bugs that were hit by lightening and never stopped glowing.”
“Huh, we always called them fireflies because they carry fire under their wings like a lantern.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense too.”
Thermometer(August 29th)
“…and speaking of heat wave, the temperature is sure to surpass 100° today. Stay indoors and keep cool unless you absolutely have to go outside. Now onto sports with-”
Wendy pushed the power button on the remote. It was going to be unbearably hot this afternoon, and she was expecting Kelly over at 10. How was she going to entertain her friend if they had to stay in the house all day? It would be too hot to bake cookies, and sitting on the couch watching the television all afternoon could get boring. She hoped Kelly would bring her swimsuit.
Cracked plain(June 20th)
“Wow, I’ve never seen the city look like that before!”
Delma peered out the window of her shared train car. Arista sat in the bunk on the opposite wall. Once the locomotive left the station, it had only taken half an hour to travel far enough out to see the entire city. Delma observed the cracked plains surrounding Rainshire with a heavy heart; the once fertile land had been over farmed and the land could no longer support any plant life. A curtain of dust danced in front of the tall buildings: the debris kept people from leaving the city.
Ice cream truck(August 23rd)
Ding-ding-ring-ring-ding
Ding-ding-ring-ring-ding
Wendy’s snapped to attention at the old-fashioned melody coming from the main road.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“It’s just an ice cream truck. No big deal.”
“Are you kidding me? Let’s go chase it down and get strawberry ice pops!” Wendy hadn’t seen an ice cream truck in years, and was noticeably excited at the thought of catching one.
Kelly took a second to consider her friends proposal. “Ok, but I want a bomb pop instead.”
She grabbed Wendy’s hand as they ran out of the park and down the street towards the whimsical vehicle.
Horse(July 22nd)
“The animals without pools look so hot and tired.” Arista said, with a hint of sadness.
“I’m sure they have cold water to drink, or shelter from the heat.” Delma offered.
“Don’t you think that horse would be happier if it were on the beach?” Arista asked her friends.
“A horse on the beach…” Wendy drifted off. She had spent years at the sea shore, but had never seen a horse in the sand. She wondered if the animal would be able to walk in the surf, or swim in the ocean. She was sure horses preferred barns to sand.
Old-fashioned swimsuit(August 14th)
“How was your trip to the beach? You didn’t wear anything too racy or cause mischief, right.”
“No grandmother, I behaved myself. I always do.” Delma answered back, with a scowl. “What a great way to start the day,” Delma thought to herself, “She ALWAYS accuses me of something!”
“You know Delma, when I was your age I went to the beach quite often. I know what young ladies do there. In fact, a man used to walk around with a tape measure to make sure our swim suits were long enough to be considered decent. “The old lady remembered fondly.
Tire swing(July 16th)
Wendy swam out into the water to retrieve the tire swing. It was on a rope, but after you swung into the water you would have to pull it back to the shore. Since she was the last one to ride it, it was only fair that she bring it back. Delma waited patiently for her turn, as the sun fell below the horizon and left a rosy hue in the sky. Arista sat under a large beach umbrella and rubbed cooling lotion on her shoulders. She was envious of their fun, but also fearful of going into the water.
Row boat(July 1st)
Arista and Delma sat on one side of the small boat while a young man sat in the other end and handled the oars. The captain tried to make small talk with his passengers, and Arista was eager to chat with him. They spoke of her village and what had changed in the past year while she was at the academy. They spoke of the water, and the dangers of crossing after sundown or without proper guidance. Delma kept her head down and her answers short. She didn’t want to arouse suspicion from their captain and risk delaying their trip.
Lobster(July 8th)
Delma and Arista waited on the porch, having just finished cooking a special dinner. A long white car had just pulled up to the main house. Wendy had arrived from the airport and was as excited as her friends were to be back together.
“You’re finally here!” Arista cried out, racing down the steps to greet her friend.
“Yeah! That flight was way too long. What’s the surprise you were talking about?” Wendy asked.
“We’ve cooked you a special dinner to celebrate.” Delma answered, hugging her friend tight.
“Well, Delma cooked them. They kind of freaked me out.” Arista admitted.
Sand(August 19th)
“How long have you been at the academy?”
“About two years now, how about you?”
“This will be my fourth year this fall.”
Wendy shuffled her feet, enjoying the feeling of sand between her toes. She had never been taken on a date before and wasn’t sure what to talk about. She pressed a heart into the sand with her big toe, desperately trying to think of something to say back.
“Want to walk further down the beach? There are some palm trees further down.”
“Those big trees that look like an umbrella?”
The boy nodded and took Wendy’s hand.
Good Morning (Bubbles prologue) (June 23rd)
“You’re back!”
Arista bolted upright in her bed, woken by the loud shouts. “When did you get here?” she shouted back.
She jumped out of bed and leapt across the room to give the visitor a hug. She hadn’t seen Nyssa in almost a year. It didn’t even matter that she was still in her pajamas.
“You’ve gotten so much taller! What are they feeding you at that fancy school?” Nyssa teased.
Delma covered her ears and rolled over, wishing the noise would settle down.
“Hey,” Nyssa tugged at Delma’s shoulders to get a better look, “Who’d you bring back?”
Bubbles(June 23rd)
“What’s in the jar?” Arista asked.
“I mixed up some bubble juice before coming over.” Nyssa said, proudly.
“Excuse me, what’s ‘bubble juice’?” Delma asked in return.
“Haven’t you ever blown a bubble before? You know, with a little wand?” Nyssa made the shape of a wand with her hands, but Delma was still puzzled.
“Delma, you’re going to love it! All you have to do is blow, and bubbles come out. They turn into all the colors of the rainbow, it’s magical!” Arista explained.
“Is…Is it some sort of magic?” Delma asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.