Fiction writing for my Creative Writing Final

We had 2 fiction parts to our final. They both had the same small prompt sort of thing. But for this one we had to make the insecurity and suspense go away. We had to use the same beginning and ending phrase. Enjoy!


Across the valley from us were beautiful mountains. They seemed to blush in the pink light from the setting sun. The valley below had homes that looked well tended and garden plots with sprouts coming in. As I evaluated our new home, I noticed children. They came running around the side of one of the houses. They were laughing as they chased each other around a wood pile. There were eight children total.

Joseph, my six year old, tugged at my skirt. “Can I play, Mama? With them?” He pointed his chubby finger at the children below us.

“Yes! Can we hurry?” Lucy, my oldest at nine years old, was the most impatient of my children.

I smiled at them and looked behind us. The rest of the families were coming around the little grove of trees that my children had made me hurry though. “Wait just a moment,” I told them. “Let’s go down with the rest.”

It didn’t take long for the group to gather; everyone was impatient to finally arrive at our new home. There was a lot of excitement as everyone looked down into the valley. The people below us must have noticed our group on the hill, because they started to come out of their homes and barns. There were probably about twelve adults, and more children were showing up.

“Alright, children,” I said, smiling. “Let’s go.”

With smiles full of anticipation and relief of finally arriving, our group of wagons, oxen, and about thirty people moved down into the valley.