Alice and Diana(Wizzard with a Pen) "The Purple Rose", by Wizzard with a Pen, Age 13
Copyright © 2001
Posted by Alesha, Age 12, from the UK



The cold, salty mist of the Atlantic Ocean was blowing on to the red sands of Prince Edwards Island. A young girl, named Diana, was waiting at the shoreline for her friend, Alice. As Diana waited for Alice, it started to storm. Diana waited till her strawberry-blond hair was wet with rain and her green eyes were reddened from the mist of the sea. She guessed that Alice had not returned from her trip to America. Diana walked to her seaside home feeling like she was going to cry. Alice was always there for Diana's birthday, but this was the year that Alice was not going to make it.

When Diana returned to her house her mother(who was complaining that Diana needed to learn that she would get sick if her clothes were always wet) told her to change. She rushed upstairs.

Diana was coming down the stairs in a happier frame of mind. Then she saw them, Alice's parents. She frantically searched for Alice, but she wasn't there. "Where is she?" Diana asked. The two adults looked at each other. Alice's mother replied, "When we were in America…" she paused and looked like she would cry, "Alice went too far into the ocean and she was unable to swim with the waves crashing over her head. That was the last time we saw Alice. She drowned the first day of vacation."

Diana was struck by sadness. She felt as though she was going to drop to her knees and die. She remembered the last day she and Alice spent together. They took a walk along the beaches that dreary day that Alice left. Alice was so excited, but she had a kind of fake smile. She was really going to miss Diana.

Diana bid Alice's parents good-bye. She gave a truly sincere attempt to smile. As Alice's parents left, Diana heard the mother sobbing and the father trying to comfort her. Diana slammed the door so hard it shook the whole house. She ran upstairs to her room.

When she entered her room, tears ran down her once happy face. Her green eyes were now flooded with tears. The thought of Alice's last smile kept running through her mind. Diana collapsed on her bed. She felt as though she could stay in her room forever. So many memories were alive in this room. It was like Alice was right by her side.

Around 8:00 p.m. Diana had cried herself to sleep. Her mother came up to see what was happening because there was a lot of racket coming from Diana's room. Diana was shaking and screaming. Her mother woke her up. "Diana, Diana! It's just a dream, honey. Calm down," she said. "Sorry, Mom. I was just having a dream about Alice. I pictured her face, the way she smiled, how she laughed, even how she looked when she was crying. Even though she was Down Syndrome, it never held her back. She probably never even thought about it. Anyway, I pictured the waves crashing against her. She didn't deserve to die the way she died. Mom, I miss her so much. Is there anything that I can do to remember her by? Kind of like a final goodbye?" Diana asked earnestly. "That's a perfect idea, Diana," her mom exclaimed, "tomorrow, meet me down by the ocean at 3:00 sharp."

The next day Diana walked down to the ocean. The whole town was there. Every single person was holding a white rose. Diana was given a purple rose. Purple was Alice's favorite color, and she tried to get her neat little hands on anything purple. Everyone threw their rose in to the blue-green sea. Diana was the last one to throw the rose into the sea. When the purple rose was thrown in, a wave washed all the roses far into the horizon. Miraculously, something spectacular happened. The purple rose was lifted up into the sky. A soft heavenly glow surrounded it as it disappeared. Diana knew that that was Alice's final good-bye. She was at peace. Even after life, Alice was happy. Then another thought popped into Diana's mind. Was this the beginning of a new life for Alice? Yes, yes it was.

---