Join me for Write a While Wednesdays! Set your timer for 15 minutes and just write…about whatever. We’re not after quality here…just a few minutes of fun and free writing time without pressure or pretense. I’ll share mine here. Share yours with a link in a comment below or on social media using #WriteAWhileWednesdays.
Ready? GO!
The chewed up grass stuck to my bare feet as I darted across a corner of Mr. Leonard’s yard. He’d just finished pushing his old rusty mower back and forth in deliberate lines across the lawn and sat fanning himself with his wide-brimmed hat.
“Hi, Mr. Leonard!” I looked back over my shoulder just enough to see him offer a dismissive wave and a faint smile under his scrunched up nose. Everyone said he didn’t like children, but I knew better.
I ran as fast as my eight year old legs could carry me until I reached the base of the old, thick tree in Sam’s backyard. My legs felt wobbly as I steadied my hands on my knees, breathing heavy to catch my breath. I felt the weight shift in my knapsack, reminding me of my mission. My eyes shifted up the trunk, past the seven uneven plank steps, and to the open ledge of the tree house high above. Above it hung a cardboard sign with five words written in bright red. It reminded me of the lipstick my mom wore when she and dad dressed up for our annual Christmas party.
“KEEP OUT: NO ENTRY WITHOUT PASS”
I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out the pass I’d found taped to the outside of my window that morning. I recognized it as a page torn from our composition books, but it had “PASS” written at the top before my instructions, so to me it was official enough. It had gotten crumbled a bit on the run over, but I’m sure that wouldn’t matter when they saw what I’d brought them.
“Well, you coming or not?”
I heard boards creak as something shifted overhead. I smiled and stood up a little straighter, a little taller, a little older than I was just moments ago.
Teresa Tysinger, Author 