Watercolour

• Freya McGrath, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2007

Eleanor ran to a flight of stairs and raced down them. She opened a door and ran across the lawn. She reached a tree house, climbed in and took in her surroundings. Before her lay her paint set, several canvases, a stool and a beautiful painting of a daffodil. Daffodils were her favorite flower and she recalled that they were her grandmother’s favorite as well.
Her grandmother had died recently. She’d willed her paint set and her fortune to Eleanor. This outraged Eleanor’s mother, who had been left out of the will completely. Eleanor loved her grandmother greatly. She was the only person who cared about Eleanor. She came every Easter and taught how to paint. Her father was too busy to talk to any of his family. Her mother was always making Eleanor do chores. Her brother was an attention seeker and would bully Eleanor when their parents weren’t looking
Just then, Eleanor heard a voice calling her name. It was her mother. With a sigh, she climbed out and down the ladder and towards the house.
The next day was Sunday so they were up early readying for church. On the way Eleanor picked up a newspaper from the ground and suddenly something caught her eye. It was a small paragraph with the heading Art Competition. She read;
“The Fitzwilliam Museum of North Hampshire is holding an art competition. On Monday 17th August we will allow people of all ages to come and enjoy our great art and find out who has won our competition. MEN ONLY”.
Why was it always men only? Why were woman treated as second class citizens? Suddenly she realized that she was alone outside the church. She raced in and slithered into a seat behind her mother (who obviously had not noticed her absence). The priest began to speak but Eleanor was not listening. She thought how her grandmother would have been so very proud to see Eleanor’s work in a Museum. However it was MEN ONLY contest, there was no way she could enter … or was there?
The next day Eleanor ate her breakfast hurriedly and began her chores. She had devised a cunning plan. She was going to pretend to be a boy and enter her work. She had everything ready - except a painting!
But, what would she paint? When she was very young her grandmother had taken her to her home. There was a creek nearby that was so peaceful, with soft bird calls and the gentle sound of water tumbling in stream. So she would paint this scene. She set up her canvas and watercolors and began. As the tip of her brush touched the canvas, it seemed as though her hands were guiding her. She stroked the canvas with colors that seemed to flow directly from her heart, putting the bristles of the brush down only to pick up new colors.
Today Eleanor would put her plan into action. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She pulled out a paint brush put red dots all over her face. When she entered the breakfast room her mother gave out a cry of disgust
“Good heavens child what is the matter with you”.
“I feel unwell and with your permission would like to stay home while you have tea with the Colonel”
“Of course you shall stay home I shall not have the Colonel see you in such a state” replied her mother.
When she finished breakfast she waved them goodbye and raced to the tree house. After she was ready she put her painting into a satchel, and raced over to the stables. She climbed on to a horse. She then rode of into the countryside. Finally she reached the Museum, which was very large. She stepped inside and was amazed to see all the people. If one person noticed her or did not believe her disguise.
Suddenly a man came up to her.
“Are you here to enter your art?”
“Y-yes I am” she in a trembling voice.
“Come with me” he replied.
He showed her down a flight of stairs to a large room. Then he took her art work.
She didn’t dare make eye contact in room. After nearly an hour she was taken to a small dimly-lit room and told where to stand. Suddenly curtains were opening and light entered. She was standing on a stage in front of at least a hundred people. They were all clapping.
She had won! She felt like crying. She looked out into the crowd and for a fleeting second she thought she saw her grandmother in the crowd a smile on her face and a tear running down her cheek. Then she took her final bow.