A little girl

    A new virus had emerged, the Corona Virus. My family was a victim to the "money scarcity". I'm just fifteen but I thought I should help with the money issues. 

 I was a brainbox as I graduated from high school at thirteen, nevertheless, I wasn't yet at University. My siblings were still in school so I was determined to help.

  I can say that I am an average writer so I decided to try using my talent to earn some money. I searched for some ongoing writing competitions. I saw one, Reedsy. "Nice name" I thought.

  They had really interesting weekly prompts and I really needed the "fifty dollar" prize for my family. To add, that should be a lot of money in my country's currency.

  I chose a prompt “write a story about strangers becoming friends, or friends becoming strangers” I sat down at my study table to write. My essay: “This story happened in the little town of Maizeroots. Strangers were welcomed but very few people visited it. Well, soon it made the inhabitants poor as the federal government termed them “infertile” and “unproductive” and cared less about the peoples welfare.

Soon, runaway children and outlaws found refuge at the scattered lands at Maizeroots. Till a mayor gave an order for its evacuation.

There lived a boy. Liam loved playing with his dog, Jack. They played in the garden, around the park and under the bridge. Mrs. Kate Geoffrey, was Liam's mother and she cared little about where her son goes because she knew almost everyone who lived in their small town. Liam was alone with Jack and nature. 

    One day, Liam was playing in the garden when a little girl, could be six year old, threw a stone at Jack. Jack began barking at her and the little girl began to run. Liam was sure he hadn’t seen the girl around their town. “Why she’s a little troublemaker!” Liam said.  Liam stopped Jack from barking but couldn’t stop Jack from chasing the girl. The girl kept running till she came in the midst of some older boys. 

   Jack felt belittled and ran back to Liam, who had been chasing him behind. Soon afterwards, it became a habit for the little girl to throw stones at Jack. She would then run to the older boys when Jack chased her. Liam tried telling his mom but his mother was too busy to hear of it so it went on till one day Jack had a head bump. 

  Liam was furious. "That's enough" he screamed and the little girl began to run again. Jack couldn't chase her now, it was in pain. Liam stomped all the way towards the girl and the older boys. He explained to them that the girl had now injured his dog and he would like them to help him take his dog to a vet. 

   The boys ignored him and began to leave. The youngest of the boys told Liam to beg on the streets for help. The little girl just left with the boys. Liam was so sad, he began to cry. He was just ten. By evening, his mother was home so she took Jack to a vet. She also instructed Liam not to play farther than their garden to avoid such occurrences as she wasn’t sure how such danger could possibly be seen in their town.

“I definitely wouldn’t want to meet her again ever. She’s bad news” and Liam grumbled all the way home.

  Liam was sad. He loved being with nature. But he also loved his dog so he obeyed. “Don’t worry, we’ll stay away from that strange girl, okay?” he patted Jack. Within a week, Jack bounced back to his natural alertness but there was no park to play around so Liam's father, who was a Real Estate Manager, took them out to see a land evacuation process.

  The land was very vast and it seemed like lost boys and girls stayed there. It looked like a refuse dump. Liam saw some tractors and he wondered if the tractors would smash the kids too. His father, Mr. Geoffrey explained to Liam that those kids were instructed to vacate the land as the owner had need of it but they had refused. 

  At that point, Liam saw the little girl throwing stones at the tractors drivers. "That naughty girl. I pray the tractors smash her" said Liam scornfully. At the end, along with some policemen, Mr. Geoffrey rounded up the remaining children and was about to send them to an orphanage when someone cried out. 

   "Please, don't send me there. They would beat me up again". It was the little girl. She explained that she was an orphan and after her parents died, her father's ex-girlfriend also bullied her for she own the Orphanage. The other kids were sent to the Orphanage but Mr. Geoffrey didn't know what to do with the girl. 

   "Let's adopt her" announced Liam. “We always wanted another child since mom had the surgery. Though we don’t know her much, she needs a family and we have a room to spare”.

Mr. Geoffrey was surprised. He was thinking that too but he didn't know how he's son and wife would feel. "Really?" asked Mr. Geoffrey still doubting what he had heard.

 "Yes, though she is naughty and she gave Jack a head bump but she is good at running and would make a good sister and friend " Liam said. Mr. Geoffrey was perplexed.

  Soon, the strange girl was adopted after Mrs. Kate Geoffrey said she didn't mind. The little girl was named 'Lara Geoffrey' for she was now a member of the family. It still felt strange to Jack how the once “strange and naughty” girl became his sister. “Well, everything is subject to change” he would say. They would be best of friends in time to come. Lara felt bad for hurting Jack and apologized, it turned out Lara wasn’t strange like Liam had thought. They made good friends.”

 After, I was done with my essay, I reread it thrice before tapping the "Submit story". As it sent, I made a short prayer.