Well folks, I did it.
I forced (yes, forced) myself to finish another work of fiction, this one an allegory crafted alongside my fifth graders. I may have complained, I may have whined, I may have procrastinated, and tried just about every form of resistance just short of kicking and screaming.
But I did it. And I’m proud of the work I did, proud of the way my students supported me along the way.
So for the next few Tuesdays, I’ll publish my story in installments. Here’s the first one.
Clearing the Air by Mrs. Levin
Once upon a time, there lived a village of Floofs. The Floofs were lovely creatures who stood about a foot high and were covered head to toe with shaggy blue fur. If you looked straight at their shaggy blue faces, you would see two twinkling green eyes and a sparkling smile. The Floofs were friendly creatures, and they spent their days playing hide-and-seek, Red Rover, and freeze tag. They were a happy bunch, and life was fun.
Until the Naysayers came to town.
The Naysayers were beautiful: tall and sleek, with a smooth, glossy, silver coat of hair, with crystal blue eyes and toothy grins.
The Floofs saw the newcomers. The shaggiest, bluest one of all stepped forward and announced, “Welcome! Welcome to our village! My name is Frida, and I’m the leader of the Floof community. We are so glad you’re here. We love company.”
The Naysayers studied the Floofs up and down (it wasn’t a far trip). Nix, the leader of the Naysayers, raised an eyebrow, elbowed her buddy, and said with a sneer, “Oh, how about this? Looks like someone dropped a bunch of mops.”
Frida giggled and said, “Mops? That’s funny. No, we’re Floofs.”
Nix rolled her eyes and nudged the assistant standing next to her. “Nero, do you believe these mops? Not only are they ugly, but they’re stupid.” The two of them laughed, but it wasn’t a kind, gentle chuckle like Frida’s. This was a low, sinister cackle – which echoed across the crowd of Naysayers.
None of the Floofs knew what an insult was, let alone heard one before. A silence fell among the Floofs, followed by a new, uneasy feeling like rocks in the belly. Nobody knew what this sensation was, and they didn’t know how to name it. They just knew it was a feeling that made them shrink into themselves.
Fred, Frida’s second-in-command, spoke for the rest of the group, who stood dumbstruck behind him. “W-what did you just say?”
“She said,” Nero repeated spitefully, “that you were dumb and ugly. Or is something wrong with your ears, too?”
Fred said, “Nothing’s wrong with our ears, but we don’t know what you’re talking about. Your words make us feel small, and that’s never happened to any of us before.”
Nix stared directly into Fred’s green eyes with her piercing blue ones, pointed a finger at his chest and said, “Well, you’d better get used to it, because we’re here to stay.” She turned to the group of Naysayers behind her. “Come on,” she said, “let’s leave these mops here and explore this dump.”
“Yeah,” added Nero. “Let’s go.” The rest of the Naysayers followed their leaders as they walked around the village, a faint wisp of odor trailing behind them.
Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for weekly Slice of Life. Check ‘em out!
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 
What a great start to your story. The tension and conflict are set in place. I can think of so many ways this can go. I look forward to see where you take it.
I’m holding my breath waiting for more……
Oh, Lainie, I have been gone for quite a few weeks, and I didn’t know about this short story. I had to come back and read from the beginning. You are holding my attention so far. I love that Naysayers left an odor in their wake.
Thanks, Denise! I’m glad you went back to catch up on the story. As for the odor, yes. It’s part of the allegory piece – a physical manifestation of the problem itself.