A Big Change To A Little Town

• Chloe See, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2019

The day was cold and drab with rain pouring gently onto the newly painted asphalt floor. It dragged on slowly and Jeanne was desperate to jump out of her seat and run out of the classroom all the way home. Although she really wanted to do that she knew that she would get expelled from her school. She definitely did not want that to happen because she went to a very posh only girls private school and if her parents found out, they would certainly change her to their local public school. She could not let that happen because her best friends would think that they were too good for a normal public school girl. After that, Jeanne started daydreaming.

Bring!! The bell rung and she was off running into the rain to her dad's new BMW car. She could relax now as there was no more school for the day. As they were driving down the bumpy gravel, Jeanne noticed a man in rags sitting along the side of an old tattered building. A hundred thoughts erupted into her mind. What was the man doing there? Why wasn't he at home with the rest of his family? All these thoughts were then interrupted by her dad telling her that they have arrived home. Still after a nice hot shower and some delicious spaghetti meatballs for dinner, the thought of the man on the streets were still causing trouble in the back of her mind. Jeanne's mum, Lisa, saw the worried expression on Jeanne's face so she decided that she would talk about it at bedtime.

When Lisa went to kiss Jeanne goodnight, she asked what was bothering her so much. Jeanne let out a huge sigh and told her mother what was going on. Her mother luckily understood and told her daughter that maybe the man was homeless. Jeanne was shocked. She wondered why the poor man would live on the streets on such a small but rich town. She was just about to ask her mother more when she realised it was past her usual bedtime. Lisa promised that they would have a discussion tomorrow as it was going to be a Saturday. That night, she dreamt about opening a large house for homeless people.

Ten years later, when Jeanne was twenty two, her mother died. She was extremely sad as Lisa was the one and only person that helped and went through with her throughout the past years to teach her how to help homeless people. Now, she was going to make her mother proud. Coincidentally, right before her eyes was a three storey mansion with several rooms. She bought it straight away and opened it to become a home to all. In fact, not only homeless, but not homeless as well. Surprisingly, even the man Jeanne saw ten years ago when her father was driving her home from school was there too. Now when you look outside the big building you will have never noticed it was for the people who were unfortunate because they are now all normal now just like you. After sixty five years of coaching the poor, Jeanne died of old age and lives in heaven with her mother. Sure enough, her mother was proud.