Greener Pastures

by | Oct 12, 2012 | Flash Fiction, helium.com | 0 comments

Molly looked out of her window and spotted her neighbour Peggy out cleaning her windows that she had cleaned only yesterday. Well, it had rained overnight, so they must need cleaning again of course. Peggy was a perfectionist. Mrs Perfect she was called by all the other neighbours.  Nothing was ever out of place in her house. Her garden was immaculate too. All her flowers grew up straight and tall, they dare not do anything else. Her lawn was smooth as a bowling green, and she mowed it twice at least a week to keep it that way.

Molly really envied Mrs Peggy Perfect. She tried to keep up, but whatever she did, it never really turned out quite right. ‘Weed’n’feed’ on her lawn seemed to make the weed population grow stronger, and the grass less lush than ever. She’d water her plants religiously every night, but they never flourished like Peggy’s.  It wasn’t fair.

Peggy was always buying something new. It was a new washing machine last week, a new car the week before. Molly looked wistfully at her old banger parked outside wondering if she could afford to buy a new car soon. But she had to save her money to buy presents for all her family’s birthdays. It wouldn’t be a new one like Peggy’s of course, but if she waited a while and bought a two year old car, it wouldn’t really be that much older than Peggy’s, would it?

Molly sighed and turned away from the window to get on with preparing a salad ready for her friends who were coming around for a barbecue at her house that afternoon.  She had invited Peggy to join them because Peggy was lonely, but was dreading what she would think of her scruffy back garden. Try as she may, she couldn’t get her back lawn to grow well. It got so trampled when her grandchildren visited. They’d run around on it and kick balls into her plants, breaking some of her prize blooms. Molly never minded though, she liked to watch her grandchildren having fun.

Peggy didn’t have grandchildren to trample her garden. Nor did she have two cats and a dog digging around in her borders. In fact, Peggy didn’t really have any friends, except for Molly. Suddenly Molly felt better. The pastures over the road weren’t really greener, were they?

 

A Helium.com assignment

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