Wednesday, February 18, 2009

My Story for Writer's Groups

Love Story by Frankie Furter Price Feb. 09

(This blog thingy does not make indented places like were in my real copy. You might be able to tell where they are by the big spaces though.) Once upon a time, in a place far away, a little girl sat on her porch steps wishing for a friend. She had used every good luck charm that she knew of. The wishbone from a chicken, the four leaf clover she discovered in her side yard, and of course, that famous first star she watched for every evening. Nothing seemed to work. She had been wishing for a friend for as long as she could remember. She sat alone listening to the sounds of summer fun being had by the kids on the street behind her house. They laughed and squealed and yelled, all things that Alicia simply could not do. Alicia was so painfully shy that she could not bring herself to talk to people, let alone make the joyful noises that other children made. Alicia’s dark curly hair nearly covered her eyes. She liked it that way. It was her way of hiding herself from the people around her. She also wore long sleeves and long skirts or pants, even in the hottest of weather for the same effect. It was the gentle tug on her mint green skirt that caused her to recoil. She had been so busy wishing, that she had not seen or heard the puppy’s approach. A very small, terribly thin, tan and white pup dropped a mouthful of green material, and fell to its side. The fleas and ticks that covered the pitiful animal did not deter the ten year old. She gently lifted the trembling animal into her arms. “My friend needs help.” Alicia’s mother was stunned, as much by the seldom heard voice of her daughter, as she was at the sight of the dog she was holding. The vet bill had been staggering. Her mother didn’t seem to mind though. She kept laughing and crying and telling everyone in the office that she couldn’t believe her daughter had spoken to them at all, let alone giving them all the information and insight into the care needed for the gravely ill dog, which Alicia had named Lucky. Hours later, Alicia and Lucky returned to the front steps. She had not uttered a word since leaving the Vet’s office. The pup, full and free of parasites, lay beside the girl and looked at her with deep affection. They were in physical and mental touch. They were friends. No words were needed. Alicia tried to figure out which talisman had worked. Maybe it didn’t matter.

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