Creative Writing Competition 2024: Upper Division, 2nd Place

The summer heat was searing and it was all that Emma Carter could do to keep every single fan on in the house. The sun rose early, illuminating Emma’s room as early as dusk. She tossed and turned uncomfortably as the humid air filled her room and sweat trickled down her face. Eventually, she surrendered to the terrible heat, resolving to go to the nearby pond for a morning dip. I wish it weren’t so hot here. If only I still lived in Helena. At this, a surge of memories crept into her mind, like ink filling a blank canvas. She recalled that moment when Annie, her older sister, had bid them farewell. Emma knew that those last few weeks with her before she started college would forever be imprinted in her mind. How she wished Annie were here, and that she had never had to move from Helena, Montana to this tiny town in Georgia.

Emma got up silently, dressed in her bathing suit, and threw on an old, raggedy t-shirt and jean shorts. She filled two, large water bottles to the brim, grabbed a soft, fluffy towel, and put her flip-flops on. Before she left, she ran to her parent's room to let them know she’d be gone.
“I’ll be heading to the pond, so I’ll see you,” she told her mom.
“Mhm,” her mom said, barely paying attention, as she was still half asleep.

As soon as Emma reached the pond, she removed her clothes and dived in, eager for relief. The icy water enveloped her and she pushed to the bottom running her fingers along the murky floor. Tiny fish swam by and tickled her all over. She held her breath until she felt as though she were going to explode, and then pushed upward till she broke the surface. Gasping and choking for air she waded to the shallow zone to relax. That’s when she noticed that she wasn’t alone.
“Hi, I’m Kelly! What’s your name?” a young girl seated on the nearby rocks declared excitedly.

“Emma,” Emma responded awkwardly.
“Oh, well nice to meet you. Must be new to this town, huh? Well, my dad’s a mailman so I have this project where I paint mailboxes every morning. I’m into community improvement, especially since our town needs it. But, I always take a dip in the pond first,” Kelly said.
“Nice,” Emma replied, perking up.
Kelly dived head-first into the pond, coming up a few seconds later with strands of dark, green seaweed tangled in her strawberry, blonde hair.
“That was refreshing. Hey, I forgot to ask earlier. Would you be interested in joining my project?” Kelly asked enthusiastically.
Emma was searching for some polite way to decline, as she wasn’t so sure she wanted to hang out with Kelly. She found none and her next words surprised her.
“Okay. I’ll join,” she said casually.
“Great! We start today, at eight am. See you in an hour, ” Kelly declared excitedly.

Emma grabbed her towel, wiped down, and biked home. She showered and gobbled a quick breakfast of cold, lumpy cereal and a chewy chocolate granola bar. As she went through her morning routine robotically she wondered, what have I got myself into?
“So, mom, one of our neighbors named Kelly has this project. Painting mailboxes for community improvement. She asked if I could join, and I didn’t want to decline so I said yes. I’ll be getting going at eight am,” Emma said.
“Oh, this is great! Yes. Her dad is a mailman and he had stopped by to welcome us yesterday,” her mom responded.

At seven fifty-five, five minutes early, Emma pulled out her bike and rode to the place Kelly had told her to meet up at. As Emma rode, she noticed the numerous cracks and uneven pavement. The grass had shriveled up and it seemed as though the world had fallen into a deep slumber.
“Hey, Emma!” Kelly declared from a few blocks away.
“Ok, let’s get started,” Emma said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could.
Kelly pulled out a large paint set and a pack of number two pencils and put them in the little basket she had attached to her rusty, purple bike. The two of them started riding. As they rode, they talked. Emma learned that Kelly also had an older sibling, a brother named Rick. He had also just left for college, and Kelly missed him deeply. They rode for a while before Kelly pulled up in front of a large, gray, old-fashioned house.

“Mr. Hancock’s house?” Emma asked.
“Yup. I know he can be a little bit intimidating at times. But, I talked to him the other day and it turns out that he loves surfing. There’s a lot more to him than on the surface,” Kelly declared.
Emma shrugged but followed her. Kelly rang the doorbell, and a couple of seconds later, Mr. Hancock opened up. At first, he looked grouchy, but his face lit up at the sight of them.
“Good morning girls,” he said, taking in the fact that Emma was there as well.
“Good morning, Mr. Hancock. We were wondering if you were interested in getting your mailbox painted. Maybe an azure blue with waves, since you love surfing,” Kelly declared.
“Oh, that would be beautiful!” Mr. Hancock said. At that moment, Emma understood what Kelly meant. There was so much more to him.
“How much would it cost?” Mr. Hancock asked, excitedly.
“Customer satisfaction, and nothing more,” Kelly responded.
“Is this a community project?” Mr. Hancock asked.
“Mmh. It’s our way of paying back to the community. ” Kelly said, putting her arm around Emma.

Suddenly, Emma felt happiness bubbling up inside of her. A chance to improve the community and a new friend! She and Kelly got working immediately. The duo worked hard all morning and then headed to Kelly’s house where they got lemonade.
“Great first day!” Kelly said high-fiving Emma.
“Thanks for everything!” Emma said, unable to hide her excitement.

The next month passed in a blur of acrylic paint, mailboxes, and chilled lemonades. Every morning, Kelly and Emma would meet up at the pond and discuss their project. They kept track, and by the end of the month, they had painted fifty-three mailboxes. The two also had met up multiple times, sometimes for ice creams at Emma’s house, lemonades at Kelly’s, a museum trip, and even fireworks. School would start by the first week of September, and there were only two weeks left of summer vacation. Emma, however, was thrilled by the progress they’d made and the tremendous impact they’d had. They’d helped their community out and the satisfaction of that was truly the greatest payment of all.

Unfortunately, one day, Emma arrived at Kelly’s house early to find a large number of cardboard boxes stacked on her porch. Kelly’s parents were arguing about how to move the dining chairs.
“Hey, Kelly,” Emma said, trying to sound casual, even though she figured something was up.
“Um, Emma, there's something I need to tell you,” Kelly said, biting her nails.
Emma braced herself for whatever was to come next, knowing it wouldn’t be something she’d want to hear.
“Emma, my dad got laid off. We’re moving,” Kelly said, her eyes watering.
At that moment, Emma felt as if the ground beneath her feet had been uprooted. She choked on her tears but tried to act calm and composed.
“Okay,” was all she could say. Okay, seriously, your best friend is moving and all you can say is okay?
“I guess we’ll just be pen pals,” Kelly added, twiddling her thumbs without making eye contact.
“When are you moving?” At this, Emma’s voice cracked.
“In a week. I’ll start school one week late since we need a week to get settled,” Kelly responded.

The two stood in silence for a few seconds and then Emma reached out and the two shared a long, somber embrace. Emma would always be grateful for the special moments she had shared with Kelly. Lemonades on hot days and paint mailboxes together. She would ensure that Kelly’s spirit lived on in her commitment to community service.

The next week was quiet and it sometimes seemed as though the grayness of summer days had returned. The day Kelly left, Emma stayed locked up in her room for hour after hour staring at a photo of them together. She felt an intense longing to be with Kelly, but she knew that she would carry on her work and continue to pay back to the community. She would continue to show gratitude for the friendship she had made, and the amazing experiences she had had. So, the very next day, Emma got back to painting mailboxes and improving the community.