This was a writing assignment for three of our children. I gave each a copy of the photo you see in the title of this page and told them to write a story about the family. Here are the results:
The Friendship
The Friendship
By Dylan--Age 5
There once was a family who loved to spend time with each other. One time they all went outside and they all went camping. And all of a sudden a policeman pulled them over. Then right before the policeman took them into his car, they ran out. And then the policeman was following them for hours. And then they went home. The police officer went to their house and got them and threw them into jail. They escaped! And then they all got old and died.
The End
The picture above shows the Swine family--Gwendy (left), Ryan (upper right), and Melvin(lower right).
Gwendy was very odd. She believed that she had authority over Ryan and Melvin. Ryan had a lot of money, but he had a strange habit of bouncing his left foot here and there rapidly, no matter what he was doing. Melvin had some strange hobbies such as wrestling birds, smashing flashlights, speeding, and messing with the TV until the volume had to stay at one love level. They all three loved to play tricks on each other. Melvin would gather all of the flashlights and break them on trees. Then at night he would cut the wires and listen at the windows to Ryan and Gwendy tripping and running into things. Ryan would put on tap shoes early in the morning and stand next to Melvin and Gwendy's beds to wake them up. Wendy got on everyone's nerves, so Melvin and Ryan shoved her in a box and shipped her to Scandinavia. Ryan got sick and lost his voice and had to quit his job and moved to Indiana to make a living being a mime. Melvin moved to Guam and lived in a hut and decided that telephones, computers, and sending mail were against his religion and lived a totally isolated life.The End
The Walters Family
By Lacey--Age 15
There was once a fine gentleman by the name of Walters--Alexander Walters. Being a kind man, and one of good humor, those about him simply could not understand how he came to choose Annabella Richards for his wife. The personna of stout, rather unattractive Annabella seemed the opposite of that of her jovial husband. In this story we find the Walters in their eleventh year of marriage. Alexander, owning the only bank in the rather modest town of Bridgeport, has finally reached a height of social status which keeps his wife contented. They have one child, 3 year old Preston, who, to the consternation of Annabella, is already showing signs of taking after his father in disposition.
Having told you some about the characters, allow me to set before you the scene of this tale...
The Walters' large, rather extravagantly decorated home is located in the most prestigious area of town. ("Tacky" is the word which the women of Bridgeport use to describe the showy taste of Mrs. Walters, but the opinion of these "women of lesser means" matters little to Annabella, who believes that they're all really just painfully envious of her wealth and style.) The parlor is an overcoming sight of mahogany furnishings, plush red velvet cushions, a large, overbearing crystal chandelier, and ivory drapes accented with gold tassels. Now, let's begin our story...
"Annie, I'm home!" shouted Alexander as he rushed through the front door, tossed his coat and hat at the rack (missing it entirely, as usual), and reached for Preston, who ran to him excitedly.
"Please," Annabella implored, an annoyed look crossing her face, "don't use that ridiculous nickname! If I wished to be called by any name other than the one which I was christened, I would have told you so."
"Yes, Dear," Alexander said distractedly as he toyed with Preston over the candy the young boy knew was in one of his father's closed hands.
Annabella stooped to pick up the damp hat and coat from the plushly carpeted floor. "And why can you never hang your things properly? Honestly, I have an easier time of it with Preston than you!"
As she shook the wrinkles out of the coat, a small piece of paper fluttered out of the left breast pocket. Alexander nearly dropped his son as he leaped to grab the scrap before Annabella could. He nervously stuffed it in his trouser pocket, gave the penny candy to a delighted Preston, and walked to the kitchen mumbling absently about "rustling up some grub". Annabella brushed aside the temptation to go into an annoyed lecture about the town banker using slang phrases as she followed Alexander to the kitchen, determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on that he would dare to keep from her.
"Just exactly what is on that scrap of paper, that you would be so anxious to keep it from me?" she demanded forthrightly, being a firm believer in getting straight to the point and despising those who "beat around the bush".
Mr. Walters' face turned bright red, and he lifted his arm to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead as he nervously rifled through the cupboards in search of nothing in particular. "Wha--What do you mean, Dearest? I was only trying to keep you from having to stoop over. You can't accuse me of not being gentlemanly," he said with a forced smile. "I've been to the doctor this afternoon, and it's just a prescription for some silly medication."
"There's something afoot," Annabella said accusingly, her suspicion plainly showing, "and I want the whole story immediately! I don't believe for one second that you would act so oddly over a prescription. I've never known you to lie, and you'd better not start now."
Alexander let the cupboard door close and turned, defeated, to his wife. His usually youthful face seemed to age ten years before her eyes.
"What is it? What has happened? Did the bank go under? Have we lost our money? Tell me! I can't bear it!" The greedy woman wrung her hands in panic, sure that her worst nightmare was coming true, and she would soon be reduced to pauperdom.
"No," Mr. Walters said slowly, incredulously. "Is that the worst thing you can think of to befall us?"
"Certainly! Now, don't start one of your sermons on 'money is the root of all evil' or any of that rot! Without it, we wouldn't be happy at all, and you're a fool if you don't realize that!"
"In that case," he said sadly, "You should be happy to know that I have been made aware of circumstances which will lead to you having more money than you ever dared dream of. I'm dying. You and Preston will be financially cared for very richly when I'm gone. I'm sure that you will be much happier than I have ever made you, try as I have. People have always wondered why I married you, and I'll tell you now that it's because I saw goodness hidden deep down in you. I saw a gentle, loving spirit. And I was sure that if I could only make you happy enough, I would find the key to unlock that part of you. The only thing that made you happy was money. So I sacrificed my happiness to get you where you wanted to be. But I now see that it was all an illusion. You are nothing but a greedy, selfish woman. That's all you ever were, and it's all you'll ever be."
With that, he rushed out of the house, and they never saw him again. Months later, Annabella began receiving large sums of money. She was very wealthy until her death. But she was never happy. Her last request was one that made her grown son, Preston, cry. With her last breath, she whispered, "Have them put 'Annie' on my grave stone."
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