Contemporary Fiction
1 min
My favorites
Lawn Decorations
Evelyn Nakamura
A kind lady named Mrs. Shrumpskin always had two or three (okay maybe ten) lawn decorations and right now she was putting up her eleventh one.
One day Mrs. Shrumpskins's neighbor moved away and a tall-looking lady moved in.
The problem with the neighbor was she hated Mrs. Shrumpskin's lawn decorations.
"Must get rid of lawn decorations," she always said as she drove or walked by.
One day Mrs. Shrumpskin and her neighbor had a guest over. Mrs. Shrumpskin was excited for her guest to see her lawn. On the other hand her neighbor was trying to get all the cute lawn decorations as far away as possible.
"I'll bring inside my favorite lawn decoration to show you!" Mrs. Shrumpskin said to her guest.
Mrs. Shrumpskin stepped outside and saw her neighbor was scooping away her lawn decorations: the penguin, then the dino, then the peacock! Mrs. Shrumpskin had enough.
"Miss. Garfield Granger!" (Yes, her neighbor's name is Miss. Garfield Granger.) "You, You. Give me my babies" Mrs. Shrumpskin plunged into Miss. Garfield Granger's arms to get her lawn decor.
"You and those little ‘BABIES.' I hate them!" Miss. Garfield Granger said and she took one.
"YOU drop that," Mrs. Shrumpskin said.
"Fine, I will!" Miss. Garfield Granger replied.
she dropped the glass gnome and it shattered on the concrete sidewalk.
"What's your favorite thing?" Mrs. Shrumpskin asked
"Well, all my friends and family," Miss. Garfield Granger said.
"What if they don't show up?" Mrs. Shrumpskin asked.
"Well, I would be heartbroken," Miss. Garfield Granger said
"Exactly that's how I feel," Mrs. Shrumpskin said
"Maybe we can compromise," Miss. Garfield Granger asked. "How about you keep them but move them to the backyard?" Miss. Garfield Granger asked.
"Certainly! Anything for a neighbor!" Mrs. Shrumpskin said.
Then they lived happily ever after.
The end!
This work was an entry to the San Jose Public Library's Fall into Fiction 2022 short story contest.
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