Mary

 Dominique ====I am only 12, my mom does not let me go outside very much It makes me very sad most of the time. Inside, I stay, painting all day long I like it though. There is not much color around here like a black and white movie that you never want to see. Cleveland in the big cities is good pretty and what I had expected or hoped for but hidden not too far behind is me where I live. Many people call it the pit of Cleveland. I don’t go outside to play, I go to school and sometimes the store, always very fast. We live right off Gibb street, me, my dad and my mom. It is not a very pretty place. One day I was sitting alone painting when I heard a lady scream not too far off. Then quiet, yelling and last sirens accompanied by more yelling It scares me sometimes. They went right past our building. Probably a robber or a purse snatcher with a weapon. Back in France life was so good, I had friends, played outside my mom and dad were happy too. One day they came to me and said “were moving to Cleveland! Great right?” First I was happy a new place, then we got here. It was not all I had hoped for! One afternoon my mom and dad said to me that they would be gone for an hour or so. They had both been wearing old worn o ut clothes and they were carrying gardening tools I had never seen them like this and it confused me. This went on for two or three weeks at least. They would come back smiling, dirty, but very happy. One day I followed them I like to be sneaky it is fun. We came to a beautiful garden, they walked in to a small patch of carrots and poured water on them. People said hi to them and they said hi back. This is terrible! I thought, why did they not want me to see this? Then I decided I would sneak out and destroy it tonight! In my head I made my plans, but when I started to walk away my head kept turning back. That garden sure was pretty. then it hit me!! I could paint the garden! The Gibb Street garden!====

====The next day when I came back it was still great. Right in the front were huge red tomatoes, it said "Lateesha's Tomatoes". Big corn came up a little behind it. I went to take a closer look at the tomatoes. Suddenly a man jumped out at me! "Don't touch the tomatoes!!!" Some man or high schooler had been hiding behind the corn to jump out at me and make me jump out of my shoes. "I'm so sorry! I was not gonna take them, I just wanted to paint them, the whole garden actually! and uhm.....who are you anyway?" "me, I am Royce. Curtis pays me to protect his tomatoes." He said to me. "why do you need to look so closely at those tomatoes?" "I need to paint them so looking will just help" I answered. "you should grow some then, Wendell would surely help you out!" he encouraged. "Okay, I will find Wendell, thank you Royce" I said.====

===="Those rude French" the girl muttered that hurt me like always. I kept looking ignoring their comments and I found Wendell. He almost said no because I was French, but he decided he would help me. It was hard work! Making the soil soft and trash-less, planting the seeds, and watering them. But when it was finished the garden looked complete. My piece of the giant puzzle was in, and I could paint it all, tomatoes too!!====

By Mary Catherine M.

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