Aunt Anne had spent the prize money many times over before she even entered the contest. Mother was worried about her.
“She’s always been like this,” Mother said over breakfast. “The cart before the horse.”
“Hmm hmm,” said father. He had his face in the paper, clearly not listening.
Dottie knitted her brows. “What’s that mean, Mommy? The horse car?”
“It means counting your chickens before they’re hatched,” said Eileen. She was a year older and liked to lord over her sister whenever possible.
“What if she doesn’t win?” I asked, genuinely curious. Aunt Anne, to my knowledge, had never done much of anything. In fact, other than church, she never left the house.
I think she might win. The entire family is so vivid and authentic, it rises off the page. And love the turn of phrase “had spent the prize money many times over before she even entered the contest”.
I love how the characters just seem to leap off the page, and into the reader’s mind. He convey so well in so few words, very well done :-)
Nice story. One thing is for sure….Anne is certainly optimistic! “It doesn’t hurt to be optimistic. You can always cry later.”
So much conveyed in so few words!
You manage a lot of detail and information with very few sentences, but I do wish you had included what the prize was, or what the contest consisted of. I feel a tad cheated no knowing.
It’s some kind of sculpture contest. The prize can be whatever you want it to be. A cruise around the world? A washer dryer?
Loved so clear a caricature of so many participants in so few words!!! Well done!!!
haha I liked that. Mind you, who doesn’t spend the prize money before they have entered the competition ;-)