Natures Beauty

• Ellyia Carter, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2013

All Stacey’s life she had been locked indoors. Her Mother and Father believed it was much too dangerous for a small child like Stacey to be running a muck. Stacey was 8; she had large brown eyes that glimmered in the light and soft, straight, brown hair that always had a bow tied in it. Stacey’s Mother, Father and her lived in a large, two storey house which was by the river which had a large backyard. Sadly, Stacey had never seen the beauty of the outside world.

“Mother, could I please go outside today?” Stacey asked very politely.
“No Stacey, outside is much too dangerous for a delicate girl such as you.” Stacey’s Mother replied.
“Why have you never let me outside to play Mother?” Stacey whined.
“You know why sweetie. You are my only child and I love you,” her mother answered “Scary things happen out there, I just don’t want you getting hurt!”
“Okay Mother, I’ll do as you say,” Stacey said sadly.

Stacey went up to her bedroom to play with her dolls house, looking out her dark tinted windows to a gloomy view. She made her dolls a land of color and play grounds, making it look like what she had dreamt about at night time. She played and played for hours on end.

“Mother, I’m tired,” Stacey said as she yawned.
“Okay darling, let’s go up to your room and I’ll read you a bed time story,” her mother responded. They went up to Stacey’s room and her Mother read her Pinocchio. Half way through the story, Stacey fell asleep.

The next day Stacey’s Mother went out shopping,
“Keep an eye on Stacey John,” Stacey’s Mother told Stacey’s Father.
“Sure thing Melissa,” Stacey’s Father had answered. Little did Stacey’s Father know Stacey had escaped out the front door! As Stacey stood terrified out in the open, all alone, she was unsure of what to do next. She slowly crept around outside until she saw a group of older boys playing a rough game of rugby.
“Ahhh, they’re going to hurt me!” Stacey yelled as she ran away. Stacey ran and hid behind a big oak tree, not knowing she was standing on an ants nest! Ants started crawling all up her legs.
“Get off!” Stacey screamed.
“I want to go home to my Father,” whined Stacey softly to herself.

Stacey went back to the front door of her house, but it was locked, no way of getting in. Stacey softly started to cry. She walked down to the river and sat on the river bank. She felt very down. She heard some birds chirping a lovely tune. Stacey lifted her head up and saw butterflies and dragonfly’s flaying all around in the glimmer sun. She got up and pranced around. What was her Mother afraid of, Stacey wondered? The real world was absolutely beautiful!

Mother came home and as she pulled up in the car she saw Stacey prancing around. Her Mother went straight over there to see what was going wrong.
“Stacey, what were you thinking?” Stacey’s Mother said angrily, “You could of got hurt!”
“But Mother!” Stacey said “The outside world is beautiful!” Stacey explained to her Mother how much she loves playing outside and that it had been the best day of her life!

Stacey is now allowed to play outside whenever she asks. Although Stacey is allowed outside, she still liked to play with her dolls inside the house. And that is how Stacey found the beauty of nature!