What You Win: Stories for the Whole Family
By
D Rae Price
Copyright © 2021 by Donna Rae Price. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Book Cover Design by ebooklaunch.com Illustrations made in WordArt.com Library of Congress Control Number: 2021925878 ISBN 979-8-9852043-0-8 (paperback) ISBN 979-8-9852043-1-5 (e-book) First Edition January 2022 Published by: DRaePriceBooks.com, Concord CA, USA Contact: DRaePriceBooks@gmail.com
Table of Contents What You Win....................................................... 1 World Music .......................................................... 7 PFFs Save Monday ............................................ 23 Take Me to Your Leader ..................................... 31 A New Culture .................................................... 39 Slimed for Science.............................................. 46 The Adventure Kids ............................................ 50 Walking Day ....................................................... 59 Answers .............................................................. 64 The Maize Maze ................................................. 71 Pretzel Puppy ..................................................... 79 Back from the Brink ............................................ 82 The Birthday List................................................. 89 Wishes ................................................................ 97
The Perfect World ............................................ 101 The Princess and the People ........................... 109 Acknowledgments ............................................ 119 About the Author .............................................. 122
What You Win
Mica held her science project very carefully as she walked into the multiuse room. The rocks for her project were barely sticking on the cardboard display she had made. “Now that it’s done, aren’t you glad you worked so 1
hard?” her dad was asking. But Mica didn’t answer. She had just noticed the other displays. “They’re so good,” she said in dismay. “They have real printed signs.” “They do look professional,” her mom commented quietly. “That one even has lights!” Mica complained. “Well, that’s the fifth-grade table,” her dad said, trying to steer her toward the third-grade table. Mica didn’t budge. “It’s not fair! Parents weren’t supposed to help!” “Shhhh!” Her parents both whispered, leaning over to talk to Mica. “I did mine by myself. How can I ever win? And don’t tell me it’s not about winning!” “We have to trust the judges to look past the help,” her mom said. “They won’t!” Mica insisted. “How can a kid have a fair chance in a cheating world?” “Well, do you wish you had cheated?” Her dad 2
asked. “No,” Mica admitted. The third-grade table was no better. “They’re all so fancy,” Mica grumbled. “A robot?” her mom asked. “Oh, that’s Neal’s. He did build that himself. He took apart their vacuum cleaner for the parts.” “Here’s a spot,” Mica’s mom said, still looking at the robot. Mica held her display closed, staring at the floor. Maybe she could talk her parents into leaving, or if she knocked the cardboard hard enough, maybe all the rocks would fall off. Mica turned to go. Too late. Her teacher, Mrs. Yoshimura, was standing right behind her. “Hello, Mica! Let’s see your project.” Mica hesitated, but Mrs. Yoshimura had encouraged her and helped her all year. Mica didn’t want to disappoint her. Slowly, Mica opened the display. “Oh, it’s beautiful!” Mrs. Yoshimura put up the 3
display and admired it. “Aren’t you happy with it?” she asked. “Well, I was,” Mica said. “Tell me about it,” Mrs. Yoshimura said firmly. Mica explained all about the pretty rocks and what gave them their special colors. By the time she was done, there was a little crowd of kids asking questions. Mica felt better. She liked the rocks and she had learned a lot. And she got a hug from her favorite teacher. “Look Grandpa!” came an excited voice. “She has such a pretty malachite.” A younger girl was tugging on an older man wearing a cowboy hat. “It’s so nice. Malachite green is my favorite color. Do you want to see my project?” the girl asked Mica. “Sure,” Mica answered politely, following them to the first-grade table. “See, I have rocks too!” She bounced on her toes with excitement. “I got them all at my grandpa’s ranch.” Mica smiled in relief. The girl’s display was filled 4
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