In your Garden

Question

Write about a time when a small animal came and did something to your garden. If you don't grow a garden or aren't visited by small animals, you can make it up or use some other garden and animals. Make it the same mood it was when it happened, but no matter what really happened, write as though you're looking through a window. 250 words, and I'll take a look on August 5th.

Answer 1

I've never really had trouble sleeping before.

Although, I suppose, it wasn't sleeping I was having problems with: it was the staying asleep that I could no longer manage.

I let out a heavy sigh as I rolled on to my back and glanced towards the time projected by the red laser of my alarm clock.  03:47. Perfect.

I sighed once more and turned to stare at the door – hidden in the pitch black of winter – in the hope that  I could somehow trick my brain into believing that this temporary darkness was really the back of my eyelids, the canvas for a dream-filled sleep.  Maybe then it would stop waking me up.

A soft yellow light suddenly shone through the window behind me.  Dawn already? It couldn’t be.

Pushing the covers off my legs, I stood to look out at the rising sun.  No, not the sun, just the garden light: something had set the sensor off.  At first, I couldn’t see any cause – I convinced myself it had been the breeze in the bushes, when I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye: a badger, creeping down the edge of the grass.

A few seconds later and two cubs popped out from under the laurel hedge.  As they started to forage for worms in the deserted suburban jungle, I grinned and watched them disappear from sight behind my breath, fogging the glass. 

Maybe being awake at night wasn’t so bad after all. 

Comments

You're really good! I love this style. You know what I mean? Like not complete sentences that ask yourself a question. Great!

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Nice, Froggie! I can see you becoming quite a popular member here. ;) You do such a fantastic job of all your responses!

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aha thanks WON ;) I can't promise I'll post regularly once the workload builds up again but it's very enjoyable while I can and the atmosphere on this site is fantastic :)

@Lemon thankyou!

Answer 2

I finish washing my face at the bathroom sink and put on my glasses.  Just on a whim I lean over and stare down into my driveway, my eyes catching movement.  Two of the fatest little chipmunks I've ever seen come waddling through my fence and hop right into my fledgling vegetable garden.  I watch in horror as those portly little bastards chew the heads off of all my bean sprouts.  I pound on the window like some sort of lunatic yelling obsenities at them.  They continue on their munching quest, but my neighbor does look up and give me a nasty look.  Um sorry Bob, wasn't talking to you, uh yeah, yelling at chipmunks. No really I was, chipmunks, No I wasn't calling your wife a fat cow.  No matter how I played that conversation in my head it wasn't going to be good.

This is the third time that I've replanted those stupid beans, each time I go out in the morning after they have pushed their little selves to the surface and find them decapitated.    I envision myself catching those furry locusts and putting their little adorable heads on spikes along my garden as a warning to others.  And eye for an eye you know.  Yes I know I would never actually do that, a little to middle ages for today's actions, but the thought does make me feel better.  I'm just going to give up and not grow beans.  However my tomatoes seem to be coming in great, they must like chipmunk spit.

Comments

haha, loved it! So funny. =D

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thanks!  the great part about writing this is, little imagination required, this is a fully true story from spring.

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This is great! Was it the same two chipmunks all the time?  I gave this challenge just because it happened to me. Do you think I should respond to my own challenge to tell my story?

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why not?  Isn't the purpose of these excercises to flex our writing muscles?  Flex away, even if it is your own gym!

Answer 3

A couple years ago I was picking vegtables from my mothers garden. It was a nice sunny day. There were bright white clouds in the sky and birds were chirping. After I had picked my share of vegetables, I lay on the grass beside it, staring up at the sky. Suddenly, I felt something on my foot. I immediatly looked at my foot. And screamed. There was a snake ON my foot. It was about 1 foot long. I shook the snake off my foot and quickly ran into the house. "Oh my gosh!" I breathed.

Comments

Uh, good story, but did you forget to put the window part in? And was the snake like doing something to the garden?

Answer 4

The Visitor

It was a bright, cool morning and I was sat indoors with a coffee. Through the wide patio windows I was contemplating the garden and what needed doing. There was a movement in the hedge; a few leaves shook gently. I returned to my own thoughts as the hedge was always full of small birds. The movement became more violent and a branch dipped. The cat was asleep in a pool of warm sunlight on the carpet, so it was not her.

            Whatever it was was moving quickly along the hedge. Two small eyes appeared, a scurry of fur rushed out, followed a large bushy tail. It darted along and landed neatly on the bird table. Carefully selecting a peanut from the bird food, the squirrel sat with that so distinctive silhouette. What a joy to see it sat on its hind legs, tail curved in that distinctive gently arch, its paws holding the nut. What a joy to watch it from the comfort of the house.

            The next thing I knew, it was down on the wire peanut feeder below the table, pulled it off, watched it drop to the ground and nimbly followed it. Almost unbelievably it took the wire that had so recently held it security to the bird table in his teeth and started dragging it away; and having started quickly built up speed and rushed out of sight back into the hedge, its prize held in its teeth, never to be seen again!

Comments

Nicely detailed, though there's a few typos throughout.

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Oops, sorted!