I Did It For You ~ Part 1

Hey everyone! I placed second in the Writers Unite Writing Contest; soooo excited!!!! I could attempt to write exactly how excited I am, but chances are there will be lots of caps, italics, and exclamation marks and you won't be able to make head or tail of what I'm trying to say. So I'll skip that part ;) And besides, the real purpose of this post is to share the story I wrote for the contest with you! 

I'm not sure if I should give a background sort of thing for this story. I'm going to attempt it, but be warned, it might be lengthy and boring. So, if you would rather just read the story, feel free to do so! Just skip past all this italic stuff! :D

I'm the kind of gal who gets random ideas for random stories at very random times. From past experience, I've learned to always have a notebook or some paper handy so that I can write down any ideas that I get. Not that I write ALL of them down; I'd be drowning in notebooks if I did :P Anyway, one Sunday during service, our pastor was talking about how we should count it all joy when we fall into various trials (James). For one brief moment, I got this idea about a boy and a girl (it was more specific than that, but trying not to give away any spoilers here ;)) and scribbled it down on my bulletin. Then I forgot completely about it amidst the flurry of final exams, essays, and all that end-of-school stuff. However, after all my exams had been finished, I sat down to discover that there was a ton of free time on my hands. I found the bulletin with my notes scribbled on a corner and wondered if I could turn it into something. And then it crossed my mind that Faith had mentioned a writing contest several weeks ago. I instantly hopped onto her blog and found the information on the contest. The theme for the contest was different than the one I had originally had in mind when I first got the idea, but it was easily switched. My main problem was the deadline. It was due on May 16th. And it was already the 7th. "Just write lots, and really fast," I decided. (Tiger Lily thought I was crazy, partly because it was a little late to begin, and partly because she doesn't understand why anyone would want to write anything when they don't have to :P) But I did it anyway. At day I wrote, at night I planned out the plot. My schedule (yes, I made a schedule so I wouldn't fall behind ;)) called for 1000 words every day. I hadn't written for a very long time before this, and yes, I had a lot of writer's block. There were days when I only reached 6-800, but I made up for it by writing extra the next day. And guess what? I did it! Of course, a BIG MASSIVE thank you is in order to my critiques and editors, Olivia and Tiffany for helping me at moment's notice!!! :D Seriously, they were awesome, and they really helped me with the plot and especially during the editing process! 

So yep, that's about it! I'll leave you to meet Derek and Aileen now :) 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Snow-covered trees flashed by the window. Derek leaned outside, letting the freezing wind blow into his face. 

“Derek, honey, please roll up the window. It’s getting very cold in here!” 

He pulled his head back in. “Sorry, Mom.” He readjusted himself on the hard seat. “Are we almost there? You’ve been driving on this road for an awful long time.” 

“I think so,” Mrs. Miller pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’m not too familiar with these parts. It’s been 9 years since I’ve been here. Now all this snow’s got me mixed up.” 

“Where are we going, anyway?” 

“There’s this place around here I know of, so I decided we could take a mini break from all that craziness in the city and have a nice vacation. Just the two of us.” 

“That’s great!” Derek exclaimed. “Thanks, Mom!” 

His mom smiled in answer. Silence followed for awhile. Then she said suddenly, “It’s our old home, Derek.” 

“What?” he looked up quickly. “You mean the place where - where Dad- ” he paused and swallowed hard. 

“Yes,” she said softly. “The same place.” A small tear rolled down her cheek. “It was your Dad’s favourite place, Derek. We were so happy living there. After his accident, I avoided coming here, just because of all the - the memories it brought back. But I think it’s time to face up to it now.”

“But if the memories still hurt you-” Derek started .

“I think it’s those memories that will help me,” she said, wiping away the tear. “Some of them hurt, but most of them are happy ones. I want to relive being with your dad. Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean I should try to forget him. I’ve been struggling with this for so long! But God held me up with his great mercy and love and I know that even if your dad’s not here with us on earth, I’ll still see him again. In heaven.” 

“Thanks for sharing this with me, Mom,” Derek put a hand on her shoulder. “I- ”

His sentence was cut short as he was thrown against his side. There was a pause and then his world pitched forward in a wild rush.

“Mom!”

Derek’s scream was lost amid the crash of metal against wood. Lights flashed before his eyes. Then there was silence. 

“Mom!” he cried out again. He could see her at the front, clutching the wheel. She was so still… he moved forward to see her - and felt himself falling in mid-air. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

All her life, Aileen had pursued a music career. Her dream? To write songs that people loved and to perform them. As far as she could remember, she had been singing. True, it hadn’t always been on-tune, but recently even her parents had told her that she had potential. Potential. She shivered in delight. What a nice word! Her brown, weather-beaten journal lay open on the pillow beside her. Flipping to the first page, she read the big blocky letters scrawled on the now grimy, slightly yellowed paper. It read: 

FEBRURY 12 

WHN I GRO UP I AM GOIN TO BE A CONTRY SINGR 

She smiled at the words. The dream had never died. As she lay cuddled up in her warm blankets, she let her mind wander away and began to build castles in the air. One day her big chance would come, and she would take it, and never let go! Then people would hear her songs. One day there would be a stage and she would be the one on it. She would become the country star she had always dreamed of becoming. One day - 

“Ally!” Her brother’s holler came from the kitchen. “It’s breakfast time!”

Aileen sighed and rolled over. “Okay, I’m coming,” she called back down. 

The 17 year old pulled on a plaid shirt and jeans and grabbed her brown Stetson from the hook where it had been hanging. She ran downstairs and slid into her seat just as the last family member got settled. 

“We all here?”  Mr. Forrest looked around at his family. 

“Yes sir!” the eager chorus rang out from the rest of the group. 

“Alright then, let’s pray,” Mr. Forrest bowed his head and everyone followed his lead. 

“Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for another new day. Help us to be good examples of your love. Let us be witnesses to your word. Bring safety and peace to our family as we go about our everyday habits. Thank you for this food that you have provided and my wife has prepared. Bless it to our bodies. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

Just as he finished, Mrs. Forrest gave a sudden gasp. Glancing up quickly, Aileen saw her younger brother, Jack, shove something down his overalls. He grinned guiltily. 

“Jackson Avery Forrest,” her mother’s voice sounded calm, but Aileen knew she was biting down hard on her panic. “What have I said about bringing reptiles into our house?”

“You said not to bring them in,” Jack said. “But it’s not a reptile, honest Mom!”

“Then what is it, son?” Mr. Forrest asked curiously. 

“A - a mouse.” 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

That's it for today! What do you think of it so far? I'll be spreading out the story throughout this week and next week. There IS a reason for that... but I'll explain another time ;) 

Hope you all have a fantastic week!