It's Time For The Valentiny Contest.

Kudos to the lovely and talented Susanna Leonard Hill and her most excellent contests for writers. This week she is hosting the Valentiny Contest where each participant has been instructed to write a valentine story for children under the age of twelve in 214 words or less.

And believe it or not, my word count came out to 214 exactly! So as instructed, here is my entry for the contest. I hope you all enjoy.

Grumpy’s Secret Valentine

Grumpy Bear hammered ferociously and stepped back to look at his progress. He didn’t smile, but he did look satisfied with the sign he had just nailed to his fence. It read__ KEEP OUT!

Grumpy Bear, whose real name was Harold, hadn’t always been grumpy.  At one time he had been cheerful. That was, until his true love Genevieve moved away. Her father had been offered a job beyond the mountain and that was the last Harold ever saw her.

As days passed, he became grumpier and grumpier. He became so grumpy that even the mail man tried to avoid him, which wasn’t difficult since he never received any mail.

But one day that changed. The mailman stared in amazement at a pretty pink envelope smelling of roses. It was addressed to Harold. The astounded mailman slowly walked to the gate and held it out.

Harold was equally surprised. Gently, he pulled out a heart shaped Valentine. It was signed__Your Secret Admirer. Harold blinked and looked around. Just then he saw Genevieve walking down the street.

She told him she was the new teacher and would be living just around the corner. Harold’s face lit up with a smile that went from ear to ear. After that, no one ever called him Grumpy again.