One Good Turn Deserves Another

• Sammy Gallomarino, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2022

The rowdy sound of footsteps thundered across the bustling town square, no-one taking notice of the old grandma sitting in the corner. The poor lady was homeless and starving.

Grandma tried begging for money, but, as always, the passersby treated her as if she was invisible. Being ignored by everyone fueled her anger, but there wasn’t a thing she could do except remain adamant. Otherwise, she was going to go penniless for another day.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, bringing the promise of rain.
“Oh no!” Grandma shouted frantically. Everyone hurried back to their homes, leaving Grandma in the bucketing rain. The howling wind rustled through the trees, pushing back her grey hair. Running to the cover of a tall beech tree, she wracked her brain of how to get proper shelter.
After some thought, it dawned on her.


Knock! Knock! Knock! Grandma waited hopefully on the house’s doorstep.
“Excuse m-me, p-please can I sh-shelter here until the rain st-st-stops?” shivered Grandma, the cold air chilling her lungs.
“Get lost, old hag!” the house-owner roared, slamming the door in her face.
Grandma limped on to the next house, keeping hope. She kept trying for a long time, but to no avail. Why does everyone have to be so mean?

At long last, the rain eased, and a streak of sunlight was visible through the clouds. Grandma, chilled to the bone, staggered to the village mall.

Grandma’s tummy rumbled. I should beg for some food.
But, like before, everyone ignored her. She tried for a while longer, becoming more desperate by the second. She just was about to give up, when a friendly-looking man approached her.
“Come with me to the cafe and you can order whatever you want,” said the man.
Finally, someone caring!

After gulping down a large sandwich, Grandma thanked the kind man. “That was the first proper meal I’ve had for ages. Come with me, I’ve got something to show you.”
Grandma led the friendly man to a mysterious cottage outside the village. Opening the front door, Grandma beckoned the man inside. “Come in. Get ready for a surprise!”

The man gaped, awestruck, at the artefacts sparkling with magic surrounding him. “Why did we come here?” asked the man, taken aback.
Grandma smiled, and in the blink of an eye, she was no longer a poor old lady.

Instead, she was full of life and buzzing with magic, golden wings sprouting from her back. Whizzing around the room majestically, Grandma congratulated the man. “I am not actually a grandma, but a fairy-godmother! I was testing people’s kindness, and only you succeeded.”

His jaw dropped to the floor. “No way!” he uttered, frozen in amazement.
“Yes way! And you will be rewarded for your kindness,” exclaimed the fairy-godmother. “You'll be rich for the rest of your life!”
“Th-thank you!” the man gushed.
“It was all your doing - that’s what you get when you are kind,” she beamed. “After all, one good turn deserves another.”