Short story entitled "Raindrops and Roses"

Patti was a beautiful child except for one flaw. Unlike her friends, she hated to go for walks and did her best to escape from playing any kind of outdoor games. Instead she preferred to stay indoors with her dolls and her stuffed toys. No amount of scolding by her mother could get Patti to play in the warm sunshine. “Pooh!,” she thought, “why should I ever want to play outside? The sun is too hot, the garden is teeming with horrid stinging insects, the playground is too dusty and the roads are too muddy !”

In spite of her flaw however, Patti did have one talent to her credit. She excelled at embroidery. In fact she had just completed embroidering a beautiful silk scarf for her grandmother’s birthday today. Patti loved grandma more than anyone else in the world. She smiled as she admired her handiwork. It was the perfect gift. Grandma would be so pleased. Patti scampered off to her room to fetch some ribbons and decorative paper with which to wrap her gift. But in her excitement, she left the scarf behind.

Suddenly the kitchen door opened with a crash. There in the entrance stood Patti’s little brother, a naughty boy with flaming red hair. A thousand mischievous thoughts passed through his impish mind as he spied the quaint silk scarf on the table.

When Patti returned , the distress she felt at the mysterious disappearance of the scarf was replaced by the horror of glancing out of the window to see her little brother wave the scarf about as he romped about in the garden. Then, to add to her misery, a sudden gust of wind tore the scarf from the boy’s hand and carried it along in the direction of the woods. “You silly little carrot top! Now look what you’ve done,” cried Patti as she rushed to rescue the scarf.

Poor Patti! She huffed and puffed after the scarf until completely exhausted she was compelled to rest by the foot of a large tree in the middle of the woods. Suddenly Patti began to feel very peaceful. For the first time in her life she realized how soothing nature could be and began to appreciate the beauty around her. She glanced up as heard the overhanging leaves rustle in the cool breeze. A bird suddenly broke into song. Patti thought it was the most beautiful music on earth. She watched a scampering red squirrel scurry up a tree and settle on a branch to munch an acorn. “Oh! What a darling little creature!” exclaimed Patti. She kept quite still as she noticed a little rabbit twitch his nose and whiskers as it watched her with curiosity. Then with a shake of its ears it disappeared into its cosy warren. Patti was delighted.

But in spite of her excitement, Patti could not help feeling disappointed as she realized that she had no present to give to grandma. Suddenly it began to rain. It was the gentlest of showers, with raindrops as fine as the dew which falls at dawn. Then, A flash of red caught Patti’s attention. She realized that it was cluster of wild roses and quickly gathered some into a bouquet before heading in the direction of Grandma’s cottage.
Grandma listened as Patti narrated the day’s events Grandma smiled and looked with silent admiration at the beauty of the roses on which a spray of tiny raindrops sparkled like diamonds on rich red velvet. Tears of joy rose in her eyes as she said, “Oh Patti! I could not have wished for a better present. Always remember that the most exquisite things are often the simplest. Ah! Raindrops and Roses – they truly are the most beautiful gifts of the skies and of the earth!”