The Art Contest

Clara had an exceptional talent. She could draw horses that looked so lifelike that it seemed that the horses would jump out of the paper. Clara looked at the drawing she had just made of a horse. She had captured the exact curve of its body, the flowing mane and tail, the black, lively eyes. Her friend, Annabelle, walked up and said, "How pretty! Could I have it?"

Clara reluctantly handed the picture to Annabelle. She loved drawing horses, but the problem was that once she finished a picture someone usually came up to her and asked to have it. The one who got the most pictures was her little sister, Martha. It was hard to keep pictures from her. Martha had become an expert at knowing where the pictures were. Once, she had stolen a bunch of pictures. That made Clara really mad. However, Martha always made up for it, like making sandwiches for her when Clara was hungry.

Art was over, so they all lined up. Their teacher, Ms. Arrow, came to pick them up. In the hallway, Clara noticed a poster. "Art Contest!" it screamed in bold, flashy letters. "Enter your picture and maybe win a prize! Artwork must be original. The winner will get big prizes. Pictures must be submitted by November 1, 2009. The winner will be announced on November 15, 2009."

"I'm going to enter," Clara thought, " and I'm going to win."

At home, Clara started drawing a picture of a herd of horses galloping. She drew lightly so there wouldn't be a lot of unneeded marks. She corrected and corrected. Finally she was done.

Then she painted it. Now it was truly beautiful. Her family marveled at it. At last, she submitted it. And then she waited. And waited. And waited. At last, on November 15, the principal's voice came over the intercom. "I'm proud to announce that we have a winner! Congratulations to Clara in Ms. Arrow's class! Please come to her office to pick up your prizes."

The class erupted into cheers. Clara smiled happily. She had won.