Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Susanna Leonard Hill's The 5th Annual Holiday Contest!!!!

I'm at it again, trying to write a short story for Susanna Leonard Hill's 5th Annual Holiday Contest. The rules this time are 350 words max and the story must begin with a line in the vein of, "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop." Without further adieu, I present for your consideration, "Last Minute at the Mall"

 Gregory E Bray

 Last Minute at the Mall (133 words)


Walking around the mall
at five thirty
on a chilly Christmas Eve.


Looking for the perfect gift
For my mommy
On a budget of three.


The store shelves are bare
Items strewn everywhere
I fear mommy will get no gift from me.


But what do I see
The perfect gift for her from me
And exactly three.


I go up to pay
The cashier says, “That’ll be three twenty three”
A feeling of dread comes over me.


I forgot about tax.
My perfect gift gone in a flash,
As I stand slackjawed feeling glumly.


“Your tax is on me.”
The clerk said with much glee
And handed the gift to a smiling me.


As I turned to walk away
The cashier and I said in harmony,
“Merry Christmas to you and your family!”
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24 comments:

  1. Shari SchwarzDecember 9, 2015 at 9:13 AM

    Aw...so sweet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gregory E BrayDecember 9, 2015 at 9:55 AM

      Thanks. This was harder to do than I expected. =)

      Delete
  2. Christie AllredDecember 9, 2015 at 3:29 PM

    What a kind clerk :) Merry Christmas, and good luck!

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    Replies
    1. Gregory E BrayDecember 9, 2015 at 3:49 PM

      Thank you Christie. Good luck to you as well. Great Elf on the Shelf story. =)

      Delete
  3. AnonymousDecember 9, 2015 at 4:11 PM

    How sweet. Cute story

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  4. Cynthia DiFilippo ElomaaDecember 10, 2015 at 5:57 AM

    Perfectly sweet!

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    Replies
    1. Gregory E BrayDecember 10, 2015 at 8:08 AM

      Thank you Cynthia. I've been catching up with all the other submissions and am blown away by them. Everyone has done an amazing job. Lot's of creativity.

      Delete
  5. lisaDecember 10, 2015 at 12:06 PM

    Sweet story! I love when someone steps in to help with small change at the checkout.

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    Replies
    1. Gregory E BrayDecember 10, 2015 at 12:51 PM

      Thank you Lisa. I had a guy pay for all our groceries as the stores credit card machines were down and I had no cash. I think he felt bad for me holding my then year old son who wouldn't stay still. =)

      Delete
  6. GabiDecember 11, 2015 at 8:18 AM

    I love the expression of the Christmas spirit in your story. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Janet,December 11, 2015 at 12:29 PM

    Hi Gregory,sweet ending. And a very Merry Christmas to you, too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. JEN GarrettDecember 11, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    A sweet gesture. I love this time of year! Brings out the best in us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. WendyDecember 12, 2015 at 1:39 PM

    This brought back memories of working the jewelry counter on Christmas Eve. It's nice to be at home, but nice to help everyone find the perfect gift, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gregory E BrayDecember 14, 2015 at 8:35 AM

      I worked at Toys R Us. So it was loosely based on my experience there.

      Delete
  10. Tracey M. CoxDecember 12, 2015 at 3:10 PM

    Sweet story, filled with Christmas spirit and cheer!

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  11. Susanna Leonard HillDecember 14, 2015 at 10:40 AM

    How sweet, Gregory! Isn't it nice how people embrace the holiday spirit and do nice things for each other? I'm glad the perfect present worked out! Happy Holidays and thanks so much for joining in the contest fun!

    ReplyDelete
  12. michelle koganDecember 14, 2015 at 2:07 PM

    I'm smiling, great ditty of a story!!! Cheers and Happy Holidays!

    ReplyDelete

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