The bus stopped abruptly, throwing us into the backs of the seats in front of us. Once again, the new bus driver had almost forgotten my stop. I had the worst luck at the moment, he’d already driven past my house twice this week. Today must be my lucky day, I thought to myself, for once he’d actually remembered. I got off the noisy old bus and waved goodbye to my friends as it drove away.
It was a cloudy, rainy day. It was so cold I'd been forced to bundle up in a multitude of layers. I walked toward my house and stopped to admire the puddles on the footpath ahead of me. The bus stop was about two blocks away from my house, although I didn’t have to walk far in the rain, I managed to get completely soaked anyway. I opened the gate, kicked it back into place with my heel and then quickly turned around to grab the mail out of our letterbox. As I held the letters, I searched my pocket for my key, unsuccessfully. Turns out I’d lost it, again.
I walked up the front steps quickly, before I could get more drenched than I already was, if that were possible. I pushed the welcome mat out of my way and picked up the spare key, dropping the mail and a couple of books in the process. I picked up my things and finally managed the daunting task of opening the front door. I leaned against the door and it flew open. It was nice to be somewhere warm after the freezing cold bus trip. I threw my bag on the ground and kicked off my shoes. I pulled my thick purple jacket off and hung it on a hook in the entryway.
It was good to be home, I was having a terrible week. I shuffled into the living room, sliding on my socks on the polished wooden floor. I flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. I looked down and realised I was still holding the mail. I decided to look through it, I could have a letter.
There was a bill, another bill, a bank statement…hey, wait a second, what was that? I flipped backwards through a couple of letters until I saw the purple envelope I’d skipped past. I looked at it curiously, flipping it over in my hands. There was no stamp, our address wasn’t even written on it. This struck me as odd, there was just my name written in careful letters on the front, the writing curled around in fancy spirals. I tore the letter open eagerly.
A black card with gold and metallic purple writing on it fell to the floor. I picked it up and studied it.
You have been invited to the biggest party of the year!
You have won a free family pass* to Infinity Park!
For our 32nd Annual Halloween Party
Join us on the 31st of October!
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Some of your favourite bands will be there!
Including: Wrought Iron Paws and Smudgy’s Turtle Band.
Come in your favourite costume, there are prizes to be won!
See you there! (Scare you later!)
* Family Pass includes entry for two adults (18 and over) and two children (18 and under).
I couldn’t believe I’d just won something. What an incredible feeling. My luck had finally changed! I’d never won anything before, it felt amazing! I couldn’t believe it, the first thing I’d ever won was a pass to an amusement park and my favourite band was going to be there! I looked down at my Wrought Iron Paws t-shirt with glee. This was a dream come true, in fact, it seemed way too good to be true.
I looked at the ticket again, hoping that it wouldn’t disappear in a puff of smoke. I pinched my arm, just in case it was all a dream. I looked at the card again, was it a practical joke? It couldn’t be, it looked too professional. Nobody would go to all this effort just to prank me.
Oh no! Suddenly I realised something, my parents would force me to take my little brother. I wouldn’t be able to take my best friend. This ruined the whole thing! I didn’t want to go with my stupid dork of a brother. This was officially the best day of my life, apart from the fact I’d have to take him to the theme park with me.
I had some homework to do, so I went up to my room and got started. My mother would be home in about an hour, hopefully with dinner. I’d just finished my homework when I heard the front door open. I quickly slammed my books shut and made my way back down the stairs. I saw mum come in carrying a bag and a pizza. A pizza!
My brother came running in after her, he slammed the door loudly, and then dropped his backpack by the coat stand. He quickly waved at me then ran up the stairs leaving muddy footprints all over the carpet.
I ran into the kitchen. “Hey mum, guess what!?” I said.
“What?” She asked as she opened up the pizza box. The pleasant smell of cheese and dough filled the room. She handed me a slice. It was warm on my hands, which was nice on such a cold day.
“I won something!”
She seemed slightly shocked at hearing this and nearly dropped the bag she’d been carrying. She caught it quickly and set it down in between the coat stand and the door.
I handed her the purple envelope. She opened it, a curious expression on her face and looked at the little black card.
“You never told me you entered a competition.”
Actually, I didn’t remember entering it. I don’t mention this, it was beside the point anyway. I’d finally won something! I didn’t want to think about not entering the competition, this thing was too good to pass up. I stood there in silence waiting for her to say something else.
“Well, I’m sure you and your brother will have a good time.”
No! I knew it! I’d have to go with my brother. Way to ruin my prize! I won it, I should get to choose who goes with me.
“Wait, what? Why do I have to go with Anthony?” I asked unhappily.
“It says family pass, sweetie,” she leaned down with a smile on her face, “you’re family.” She pointed to the word ‘family’ on the card. I snatched the card out of her hand, and stomped up the stairs to my room. My mother was officially uninvited.
“Don’t you want some more pizza, Elsie?” mum yelled from the kitchen.
I stomped back down the stairs, she knew me too well.
