Susanna Leonard Hill, Children’s Author is hosting Oh, Guilty Heart! – The 4th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest!

. The rules are: write a 214-word Valentine story appropriate for children in which someone feels guilty. Here is my 212-word entry:

MIMI’S MIXED-UP VALENTINE

“Leave the cards alone, Charles!” Mimi roared at her brother.

Charles mixed up Mimi’s Valentine’s Day cards on the kitchen table and hid some in his pocket.

“Mine!” laughed Charles.

“Charles, you are T-R-O-U-B-L-E!” huffed Mimi ripping a card out of his hand.

“Mimi is my favorite.”

She kept signing cards not looking up and Charles crumpled more cards.

 

Her brother poked at everything on the table.

“Mom! Charles won’t stop!”

“Honey, you know Charles just wants to be with you. Be kind.”

Mimi whispered to her mom, “He’s just out-of-control all the time. Annoying, really.”

Mimi gathered all the cards and slammed the door when she left for school.

“What a start to Valentine’s day! Ugh!”

 

Later that day, Mimi put a card in her classmates’ decorated boxes.

“One for you. And one for you.”

When she looked through all the cards she received, she saw a crooked mixed-up Valentine.

“What’s this?”

 

The card was crumpled and scribbled in black marker.

“I love Mimi. Love, Charles.”

Mimi’s heart sank low.

“I didn’t make a card for Charles!”

After school, Mimi ran into the house and wrapped her arms around Charles.

“I love you everything about you, little bro. Thanks for the card!”

“Mimi is my favorite Valentine!”

“And you’re mine!”