Radiance And Grace

• Elizabeth McDermid, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2008

Chapter One, The Beginning of Something New.
It was in the middle of autumn. The trees had turned a lovely reddy-orange colour, and romance was everywhere. Young couples walked hand in hand along the tree lined avenue. I strolled alone, along the leaf littered pavement. As I did so I passed a young woman in her early twenties, accompanied by a male of around the same age. They were embracing tightly and kissing. I sighed and flicked the end of my woollen scarf over my shoulder. Would I ever find my perfect man? I shifted my gaze skywards. The sun peeked out from behind a cloud. To see it reminded me of my mother’s beaming smile. To see her smile filled me with happiness and warmth. Her laugh was so beautiful and pure; it always used to give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. I remember when she used to sing to me. She would always sing the same song, My Angel. It was a song she composed when she was a little girl. A picture of her younger self appeared in my mind. She was so beautiful and flawless. Her long, red, curly hair flowed around her like an ocean of fire. She never wore makeup, but she didn’t need it. She looked as radiant as any model would. She always wore a golden locket. I never saw her without it. My hand wandered up to my neck. There, bouncing on its thin little chain was the locket. She had given it to me on her death bed. Her last words were,
“Don’t open the locket until you are married.” I never knew why she said this, but I still didn’t open the locket.
I was now in the heart of the parkland, where the trees grew thick and tall. It was windy, and little freckles of light danced around on the gravel path. The grass was a very deep shade of green, and each individual blade was perfect. I sat down on a wooden park bench and bathed in the beauty of the park. This was a big part of my weekend routine. I’d come down here and stay for hours. The sun brightened for a moment and then became dull. I slowly got to my feet and began my usual slow wanderings through the park. A man to my left smiled as he played razzle with his dog. Hey, I thought. That looks incredibly like Sandy. Sandy was my mother’s dog. She would always sleep with mum to keep her company, since dad had passed away five years previously. I turned to face the brown haired man. He was exceedingly handsome. He was of medium build and he was very muscular. I used my fingers to pull the end of my light brown, fuzzy jumper down over my wrists until they came up to my knuckles. My arms were folded across my lower stomach and my shoulders were raised to cradle my neck and jaw. The handsome man looked across at me with a beaming smile on his face. His eyes met mine and for a moment we stared at each other. My trainers suddenly became immensely interesting. He straightened up and turned to properly face me. I looked up and saw that he was walking towards me. In seconds he was close enough to start a conversation.
“Hi.” He said in a deep voice. A feeling of panic filled me for a moment and I was suddenly at a loss for words.
“Er, hi.” I said in a shaky voice. “I was just admiring your beautiful dog.” I reached down and stroked the dog. It licked my hand with its long, pink tongue. The man chuckled and gave his dog a brief scratch on its head.
“You mean Ben? Yeah he is gorgeous isn’t he?”
“Uh, yeah.” I said. I straightened up and waited for the man to speak.
“I don’t think we’ve properly met. Anyway, I’m Robert McKenzie; feel free to call me Rob. And, you are?” he asked.
“Um, Juliet Somers.” I replied, shaking hands with Rob. I could now see that his eyes were blue in colour. Very dreamy looking. I thought.
“So, Juliet, how’s life?” Rob asked. I could now see that this was now a regular conversation between friends and I became less tense.
“Not bad. You?” I asked.
“Alright.” He replied, shrugging. A slight breeze blew from the east. My long, blonde hair flew a little bit and then settled again. A broad grin spread across his face and he looked more handsome than ever. My heart beat faster and I felt suddenly sleepy. This meant only one thing, I had fallen in love.