My mother is infinitely quotable. Recently she was describing Lapsang Souchong tea to her fella. “It’s got a nice, smoky taste,” she said, “but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.”
Earlier this week I wanted to give my Ohlone students a new writing assignment and was looking for a story that would show them what I wanted them to do. After a couple of hours of searching on the Internet, I gave up and wrote it myself. Here t’is. My assignment was to write a story that reveals a person’s character only by “showing” what they did.
Trash Day by little Ninna Allison
I could always count on my father to take good care of me. One day, he and I drove to the local dump to throw out our trash for the week. We grabbed the stinking sacks of garbage from the car and hauled them down the rough hill toward the trash heap. Dad couldn’t walk very well because of a bad leg, so I was in the lead. As we got close, we saw a big yellow dog standing on top of the mountain of trash. It glared at us as it watched us approach. Suddenly it charged at me, growling and with fangs bared. I didn’t have time to be scared. I saw a blur of motion and heard a loud roar. It was my father, running at the dog in a fast limp, waving his arms and yelling. The terrified animal was smart enough to run away, yelping. I was already 30 years old, but to Dad I was still his little girl and he wasn’t going to let anything hurt me.
I love that story. Never tire of hearing it. I think you “told not showed” a *little* in there, but it was mostly quite show-y.
Showy panicles of upright flowers.
I also love my dear silly grandmother, and her tea.
I told-not-showed only in the topic sentence and conclusion. They will do the same.