• Nov. 11, 2008
Guess what??????!!!!!!!!!!
My story that I wrote last year for school got PUBLISHED!!!!!!!! I was SO excited!!!!! Here it is if you want to check it out:
Essie’s Watch
Essie opened the mailbox, a mile from her home, and to her excitement she found a small box.
“Oh, how pretty!” Essie exclaimed as she opened the little box that held her new watch. She admired it for only a minute, though, before hopping back on the horse and heading for home. She needed to get home quickly because she still had a few chores to do.
Essie Staten lived on a farm near
Essie loved her home with all her heart, and was very proud of it. Her favorite spot was a little grove of trees right beside the pond. That’s where she spent her free time reading, drawing, and daydreaming about the watch she ordered. She had been selling tins of Cloverine Salve Cure-All from the General Store’s catalogue to earn money for the watch.
She did not have that many fancy things, but when she got one, she treasured it very highly. The watch was very special.
~***~
She ran into the kitchen where her mother had just pulled an apple pie from the oven and was mixing up a cake for the church potluck on Sunday afternoon.
“Look Mama, if finally came in!” she hollered with so much excitement she almost bumped the table over.
“Good heavens child! You have got to be more careful in here! Now let me see the mail.”
Mama took the mail, ignoring the box on purpose, and started looking through the pile.
Essie waited patiently, but her patience was going to run out soon.
Mama saw her anxiety and smiled to herself.
Finally, Mama went back to mixing the cake and Essie tapped her on the arm.
“Oh yes, what was it that you wanted me to look at Essie?” She could not help it any longer; she let out a big laugh!
Essie did not think it was so funny but played along. She put on the watch and showed it to her mother.
“Oh my! That is one fancy watch for such a little girl.”
“Oh Mama, I’m almost fourteen and a lot of the other girls have fancy things!”
“I know! I’m just teasin’ you. But still my little baby girl is growin’ up so fast!”
Essie was the youngest and her mother never let her forget it!
She had two older siblings, George, who was the oldest, and Garnet who Essie always looked up to.
“Just remember, don’t wear it to school. Between the horse and the play yard who knows what would happen to it. Now go gather the eggs, I need to finish this cake.”
Essie went to her room that she shared with Garnet and laid it on top of her dresser with great care.
“How I wish I could wear it to school. I would show it to all the other kids and get a lot of attention and some respect,” she thought to herself.
She went outside to the henhouse.
“This is the worst job there ever could be!” she decided as the chickens started pecking at her legs. But it did not bother her as much as usual because she was thinking about what she would wear with her new watch to church tomorrow.
~***~
The next day, as she was looking in the mirror, Garnet yelled up to her.
“Essie it’s time to go!!!!”
“I’m comin’!!!!!!!!” she yelled back a little agitated.
“Garnet spends just as much time in the mirror as I am now, but then again she got up an hour before me,” she concluded.
“What are you wearing, Essie?” asked Dad as the whole family got into the carriage.
“Didn’t Mama tell you, my watch finally came in.” she answered.
“It’s awfully pretty for a girl your age, but it is the only piece of jewelry that you own so it is okay. But make sure you don’t grow up too fast!” he said with a laugh as he looked at her and then Mama.
~***~
On Monday morning Garnet and Essie were getting dressed for school.
“We better hurry up Essie, or we’ll be late,” cried Garnet.
“Yeah, I know, I’m hurryin’!” she grumbled as she stared at her new watch.
“Oh how I wish I could wear that watch!” she thought. “Okay, I’m just going to wear it today, just to show my friends. Nobody will tell on me and Mama will never find out,” she decided as she was interrupted by her mother.
“Essie, Garnet, you better get going!!!”
“Comin’ Mama!” they both called.
Essie slipped her watch into her pocket and hurried down the stairs with Garnet.
Essie rode her horse a little slower than Garnet and George until she was far enough behind to stop and put on her watch.
“Whoa, Trixie,” she exclaimed.
She slipped the watch on and rode faster to catch back up.
~***~
She hopped off Trixie and ran inside the small red schoolhouse just as the bell was being rung.
“Okay class, as many of you probably know, today we have pictures. So please go see Mr. Hunt to get your instructions. Boys on this side and the girls on the other please,”
Essie lined up with the girls.
“Now girls, you are going to sit at the table and put one hand on top of the other like so. Got it?” Mr. Hunt instructed as he crossed his hands to demonstrate.
“Yes sir,” the girls replied as they checked one another’s hair.
Essie’s friend, Ivy, helped her fix her barrette. She was very happy she did, too. Now she would look nice for her picture. She was also glad she had chosen the hair style she had worn that day.
~***~
A week later Essie rode to the mailbox and found a large envelope addressed to her.
“I wonder what this is,” she pondered as she hastily opened it. The excitement she had soon turned to horror as she saw her school pictures in the envelope and on her wrist was the watch that she had been forbidden to wear to school.
“Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!! I totally forgot that I had the watch on when I had my picture taken! What will Mama say?” she asked herself with dread.
~***~
At home she walked into the dining room to find her mother folding laundry.
“Here’s the mail, Mama,” she replied softly.
“What’s wrong, Essie?” she asked with concern.
“You’ll see when you open the envelope,” she replied. It was too painful to even say what was inside.
Her mother opened the envelope. It took her only a moment to realize what had happened. She put the envelope down on her lap and looked at Essie.
“I’m sorry Mama, I just wanted to show all the school girls my new watch,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I know, but you do know you have to have a talkin’ to by Dad, don’t you?”
“Yes, Mama,” she said with dread.
For Essie a good talkin’ to was worse than a whippin’ any day.
~***~
Mama set Essie’s school picture on the fireplace mantel along with George and Garnet’s. Essie looked at it often and always remembered the time she had disobeyed Mama.
But anywho, nothing else going on. Just school...and more school...and more school. I think High School is finally starting to pile on me. History and science have been my two most time consuming subjects. I've enjoyed my history at least. Science...well not so much. Some if it is interesting, but memorizing all these phylums (I'm taking biology this btw) that I can't even say has been kind of annoying!
Hmm, I'm going hunting this weekend, first time of the season! I'm pretty excited, season started at the beginning of November and ever since I've been wanting to get out there!
Oh and I've been a horrible blogger latly, so I'll have to get better at posting in my blogs more often!
~Lillian
Reader's Thoughts
• Nov. 11, 2008
Untitled Comment
Posted by TnBabyGirl
Hey!
Congratulations! That is so cool!
Great story! :-)
Later! ~ Baby Girl
• Nov. 14, 2008
Untitled Comment
Posted by MrDarci
What kind of published? Should I look for your book in my local bookstore? Are you a multi-millionaire author? Did I miss something? What ever kinda publish we are talking about, good job. I like the story.
• Nov. 17, 2008
:D
Posted by Achaeles
CONGRATS!!!!! Big-ig-ig kudos. Yeah, we're all really wanting to get into it. Any advice on biking?
How am I... I'm perty good, cept for the allergies. How bout y'all?
~Achaeles
• Nov. 17, 2008
Untitled Comment
Posted by EowynDernhelm
WHOA!!! It got published?! That's soooo cool!!!!
I love the story, btw. Very sweet. :)
Sorry it took me so long to get reply to your comments!!! Thank you very much for both of them, especially the one on my story. It's so encouraging to hear that people like your writing!!
So how have you been? I'm pretty good. It's been snowing all day here [YES!!]; but the ground is really wet so the snow isn't sticking. :( *sigh* I suppose there will be other snowfalls. ;)
School's going pretty well too. You're doing biology? So am I. I love it! Then there's Latin, which I adore; although it's challenging. It's the one language I can actually learn!! :D
Anyways, nice hearing from you!! And come visit again, I promise I'll be more prompt with my replies. :P
• Nov. 17, 2008
Well...
Posted by Achaeles
What if you can't egsmactly avoid hills? Then what? ;))))) You get snow?! You're so lucky. Lol. :)
~Achaeles
**Burnin Up For Joe!!**
• Nov. 17, 2008
Aaaaaah
Posted by Achaeles
Wow- you, like, TOTALLY opened my eyes!! I never thought of hills being evil creatures lurking in the murky pool of DEATH just waiting to devour me! Thank you SO SO MUCH Lillian! ;)))
~Achaeles
• Nov. 18, 2008
Yup.
Posted by Achaeles
Yeah we're going up to my aunt's house for Thanksgiving. It is definitely an occasion because EVERYONE in my dad's family *my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins* is coming down for a family portrait. What about you? I suppose that there's a lot of Christmas things here. I haven't really cared about it though. Lol.
~Achaeles
