Short Stories From Prompts

Leaves

A/N: This isn't based off of a memory of mine :) It's an original story. Also, I realize that this is very different from my other short stories, but I felt like writing a feel-good story.

Mom and Dad worked in the yard all day on my birthday, October 11th. They raked leaves, pulled weeds, watered plants, and power washed. I put on my favorite pink and brown dress with the tulle on the bottom. Then I pulled on my white tights, cowgirl boots, and cowgirl hat. Mom had put my hair in curlers all day and now they were in beautiful ringlets.

I ran outside to the backyard as Dad finished power washing the treehouse. "Hey, baby." He went to give me a hug but I shied away.

"Shower first, daddy!" I cried as I ran away from him, hiding behind the big tree. He came after me, growling like a monster. I screamed and ran around the yard as he took big, slow footsteps behind me.

Mom came back into the yard, having just showered, changed clothes, and done her hair and makeup. "Lewis. The party is starting soon. You might want to go freshen up." Mom came over to me with a tube of rouge. "Wanna try some, baby?" I nodded excitedly and puckered my lips. The color was bright red, and it ended up getting around my mouth, but mom, ever prepared, fixed it with a Kleenex.

I walked around in my cowgirl boots and dress and lipstick and thought that I was just the coolest, most mature girl on the whole planet. I didn't like this feeling because I thought it would make me popular, I liked it because I liked it.

Daddy came back out about an hour later, clean, shaven, and dressed in a nice shirt and pants. I had been helping Mom set up plates and put out the food that didn't need refrigerating on the table on the screened in porch. Daddy told me that we should choose some games to play at the party. I told him Hide 'n Seek and Tag.

"But baby those games are so normal! Don't you wanna play something different?" Daddy seemed insistent on making this party anything but normal.

"Hmm..." I tapped my chin. "How about princess ponies fight alien zombies?" The boys would obviously be the alien zombies, and the girls would be the princess ponies.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Daddy picked me up and spun me around, the tulle on my dress flowing around, and I screamed, afraid anyone around could see my panties. But then I remembered that it was just me and Mom and Dad and the leaves and the bugs.

When Dad put me down, I ran around the yard some more, deciding where the princess pony base would be and where the zombie alien base would be. I decided that the princess pony base would be the treehouse, because that was my team and my team got the better base because I was the birthday girl. Then I decided that the zombie aliens would get the area where the piles of raked leaves were, because I wanted them to also have a cool base even though the princess ponies were obviously superior.

'Hmm.' I thought. 'Maybe I'll just test their base for them.' So I took a running start, and jumped into the biggest pile of leaves. I squealed as the leaves and occasional twigs engulfed me. I lay there for a while until I heard Mom yelling that my first guest had arrived. I sat up, tried to get as many leaves out of my dress and boots and hair as possible, and ran up to the porch.