Gumboots Girl – By June Perkins
OBJECTIVE: Develop a story about the adventures of a little girl in pink gumboots.
This is the story about the girl in the pink gumboots…
(c) June Perkins, Prompt
So Clara finds herself at the edge of the banana fields wondering how many snakes and spiders and scary animals are peering back. For a moment she hesitates… then yells, “I’m not scared of you, silly animals!” The little girl looks defiant, determined, and proud, ready to take on the world and it seems she will, instead Clara stands quietly, continuing to look towards the banana fields.
(Mick Bromage)
A sticky silence comes back at her on the sweet, dessert-scented air. Clara lifts an eyebrow suspciously. She breathes in, digging the toes of her beautiful new boots against the soft earth, edging deeper by beetle and caterpillar steps into the plantation, when suddenly… “We’re not silly!” A shrill, nasaly voice screams thinly at her from a behind a splay of leaves off to her right. “Yeah,” comes another voice further ahead, this one pitched so high Clara fights the compulsion to plug her ears. Silly boys, she thinks, rolling her eyes and stomping forward heavily.
“Leave me alone!” she hollars, sending her voice through the arches, marching recklessly through the lines of plants, pressing determinedly forward. She hears snickering, and a crack of branches behind her. “Ouch!” David grumbles. “Stupid bananas,” he says. He was always complaining about the bananas. She doesn’t look back. Probably he’s cut his leg on one of the green shoots, or stood on something sharp – he’s such a sissy, she thinks, and he always wears those useless, comic hero flip flops. Clara glances proudly down at her beautiful boots, fuschia and silver in the sunlight. Now those are good boots for an adventure, she thinks, smiling and lifting her chin up into the valley before her.
(Anne Clarke)
Clara feels brave in her gumboots. A feeling she could take on anything – even the biggest spider. As she moves on through the banana plants a passing cloud begins to cover the sun, a dense raincloud – the air feels heavy, a drop of rain lands on her bare shoulder – quickly followed by another and another … the heavens open and she runs. Instantly she is wet and cold not knowing where to run for shelter but her gumboots seem to know. She feels them lifting her feet making her run fast skimming the grass – she’s hovering above the ground – she’s not in control. Her gumboots are taking her away…
(Diane Finlay)
She is on her way over the banana fields, over the cane. The cane has tiny birds, flying in
and out of the fluffy white tops.
She is heading for an adventure and looking behind her to see if David is coming too.
Will he see her. Will he put on his boots? Does he believe enough or is he too grown up now?
(June Perkins)
Clara couldn’t see David following her. Would he be worried about her? She called out his name as loud as she could. She tried to spot him by peering harder through the banana leaves. Her voice startled the tiny birds and they flew away from her, deeper into the cane they had been playing in. She would have liked to have their feathers, she felt cold suddenly, flying high above the bananas and cane. She should be warmer she thought, she was closer to the sun.
As she looked down at the banana fields and cane she glanced at her beautiful new boots, they had sugarcane fluff on them. She blinked. The fluff was moving, little arms and legs seemed to be emerging. These arms and legs held the fluff to her boots. As the fluff held on, it slowly moved, climbing higher and higher up her legs. It kept climbing… she wasn’t scared. The fluff was kind of tickley nice. It was warm too.
(Jacque Duffy)
She is on her way over the banana fields, over the cane. The cane has tiny birds, flying in
and out of the fluffy white tops.
She is heading for an adventure and looking behind her to see if David is coming too.
Will he see her. Will he put on his boots? Does he believe enough or is he too grown up now?
(June Perkins)
Clara feels brave in her gumboots. A feeling she could take on anything – even the biggest spider. As she moves on through the banana plants a passing cloud begins to cover the sun, a dense raincloud – the air feels heavy, a drop of rain lands on her bare shoulder – quickly followed by another and another … the heavens open and she runs. Instantly she is wet and cold not knowing where to run for shelter but her gumboots seem to know. She feels them lifting her feet making her run fast skimming the grass – she’s hovering above the ground – she’s not in control. Her gumboots are taking her away…
(Diane Finlay)
A sticky silence comes back at her on the sweet, dessert-scented air. Clara lifts an eyebrow suspciously. She breathes in, digging the toes of her beautiful new boots against the soft earth, edging deeper by beetle and caterpillar steps into the plantation, when suddenly… “We’re not silly!” A shrill, nasaly voice screams thinly at her from a behind a splay of leaves off to her right. “Yeah,” comes another voice further ahead, this one pitched so high Clara fights the compulsion to plug her ears. Silly boys, she thinks, rolling her eyes and stomping forward heavily.
“Leave me alone!” she hollars, sending her voice through the arches, marching recklessly through the lines of plants, pressing determinedly forward. She hears snickering, and a crack of branches behind her. “Ouch!” David grumbles. “Stupid bananas,” he says. He was always complaining about the bananas. She doesn’t look back. Probably he’s cut his leg on one of the green shoots, or stood on something sharp – he’s such a sissy, she thinks, and he always wears those useless, comic hero flip flops. Clara glances proudly down at her beautiful boots, fuschia and silver in the sunlight. Now those are good boots for an adventure, she thinks, smiling and lifting her chin up into the valley before her.
(Anne Clarke)
So Clara finds herself at the edge of the banana fields wondering how many snakes and spiders and scary animals are peering back. For a moment she hesitates… then yells, “I’m not scared of you, silly animals!” The little girl looks defiant, determined, and proud, ready to take on the world and it seems she will, instead Clara stands quietly, continuing to look towards the banana fields.
(Mick Bromage)
Tropical Writing Game 
So Clara finds herself at the edge of the banana fields wondering how many snakes and spiders and scary animals are peering back. For a moment she hesitates… then yells, “I’m not scared of you, silly animals!” The little girl looks defiant, determined, and proud, ready to take on the world and it seems she will, instead Clara stands quietly, continuing to look towards the banana fields.
(COMPOSED BY MICK BROMAGE)
A sticky silence comes back at her on the sweet, dessert-scented air. Clara lifts an eyebrow suspciously. She breathes in, digging the toes of her beautiful new boots against the soft earth, edging deeper by beetle and caterpillar steps into the plantation, when suddenly… “We’re not silly!” A shrill, nasaly voice screams thinly at her from a behind a splay of leaves off to her right. “Yeah,” comes another voice further ahead, this one pitched so high Clara fights the compulsion to plug her ears. Silly boys, she thinks, rolling her eyes and stomping forward heavily.
“Leave me alone!” she hollars, sending her voice through the arches, marching recklessly through the lines of plants, pressing determinedly forward. She hears snickering, and a crack of branches behind her. “Ouch!” David grumbles. “Stupid bananas,” he says. He was always complaining about the bananas. She doesn’t look back. Probably he’s cut his leg on one of the green shoots, or stood on something sharp – he’s such a sissy, she thinks, and he always wears those useless, comic hero flip flops. Clara glances proudly down at her beautiful boots, fuschia and silver in the sunlight. Now those are good boots for an adventure, she thinks, smiling and lifting her chin up into the valley before her.
Clara feels brave in her gumboots. A feeling she could take on anything – even the biggest spider. As she moves on through the banana plants a passing cloud begins to cover the sun, a dense raincloud – the air feels heavy, a drop of rain lands on her bare shoulder – quickly followed by another and another … the heavens open and she runs. Instantly she is wet and cold not knowing where to run for shelter but her gumboots seem to know. She feels them lifting her feet making her run fast skimming the grass – she’s hovering above the ground – she’s not in control. Her gumboots are taking her away…
She is on her way over the banana fields, over the cane. The cane has tiny birds, flying in
and out of the fluffy white tops.
She is heading for an adventure and looking behind her to see if David is coming too.
Will he see her. Will he put on his boots? Does he believe enough or is he too grown up now?
(June Perkins)
Pingback: More Prompts 2: CLARA AND TROPICAL PLANTS |
Clara couldn’t see David following her. Would he be worried about her? She called out his name as loud as she could. She tried to spot him by peering harder through the banana leaves. Her voice startled the tiny birds and they flew away from her, deeper into the cane they had been playing in. She would have liked to have their feathers, she felt cold suddenly, flying high above the bananas and cane. She should be warmer she thought, she was closer to the sun.
As she looked down at the banana fields and cane she glanced at her beautiful new boots, they had sugarcane fluff on them. She blinked. The fluff was moving, little arms and legs seemed to be emerging. These arms and legs held the fluff to her boots. As the fluff held on, it slowly moved, climbing higher and higher up her legs. It kept climbing… she wasn’t scared. The fluff was kind of tickley nice. It was warm too.
Reblogged this on Pearlz Dreaming and commented:
In 2010 I helped curate an online Tropical Writing Game for the Tropical Writers Festival. This was one of the results of that game. The Festival is on again soon, and I will share some news about it in an upcoming blog. Missing those wonderful writers and collaborators from the North,