The Girl in the Lace Dress | Teen Ink

The Girl in the Lace Dress

September 29, 2009
By dazeyl93 BRONZE, West Grove, Pennsylvania
dazeyl93 BRONZE, West Grove, Pennsylvania
2 articles 3 photos 0 comments

I was walking home from school one day. It was a Wednesday, so I was hurrying home to do my homework. There was so much to do, it felt like all my teachers had gotten together and decided to attack me with homework. I was walking with my head down, following my footsteps with my eyes. The sound of laughter caught my attention and my head snapped up.

Standing there, in the middle of the field, was a girl, no older then 8. She was wearing this beautiful lace dress, the kind that you would wear to an Easter Brunch. She laughed again, and I looked around for the kid’s parents, but no one was around except for her and me.

“Where are your parents, sweetie,” I asked, walking towards the girl. She just laughed and took off running. Alarmed that she would hurt herself, I ran after her. She ran into the woods across the street from my house. I followed her, which was hard. All the textbooks in my bag weren’t helping me run any faster.

“Sweetie, stop running. I’m here to help you. We need to get you back to your parents. I’m sure they’re really worried.” She refused to listen, though, and kept running. Branches smacked my face and body, and I could feel multiple scratches bleeding. But, something about this girl made me want to follow her, I wanted to protect her, keep her safe.

She continued to run, and I continued to follow her, the green scenery of the woods flashing by. Every once and a while she would turn around to make sure I was still there. It’s like we were playing a game. It reminded me of when I used to play flashlight tag with my neighbors in the summer. Of course that was a long time ago, all I did during the summer now was my AP work and my job.

Three years ago, when I became a freshman in high school, it was like my future flashed before my eyes. There were so many things I had to accomplish and excel at. I was no longer a child in middle school, I was an adult. Just like that I had gone from being a child to being an adult, and it felt good. Now following this girl endlessly through the woods, it gave me a nostalgic feeling, like I was child again.

When I did start high school, I never wanted to be a child again. Children were immature, and naïve. They couldn’t do anything for themselves, someone always had to help them. It was like they were dependent on another life for their life. I wanted to be dependent on my own life, not someone else’s. I never thought I would like feeling like a child again, but running through the woods like there was no tomorrow, made me wish I were in middle school again.

We came to a clearing in the woods. In the center was a big oak tree, and carved into the tree were the initials LH. My name. I remembered when I was ten we had my dad come out to carve them into the tree. It all came rushing back then.

When we moved here, there were no other houses around. Nothing except woods. One day while I was outside playing with my toys, I found a path, and blindly followed it. It lead to this clearing. I remember I spent the whole day there, and didn’t come home until the police found me and brought me back to my very worried parents. I had been missing for eight hours, it was like I was in my own world.

I gently rubbed my initials on the tree. The girl laughed, she had stopped running, and was standing in a patch of sunlight giggling.

“Hey, you stopped running,” I said, and started to walk over to her. “Now, let’s get you back to your parents.” I walked towards her and watched as she faded into the sun, and then disappeared. Her laughter hang in the air several seconds after she left.

I smiled. I sat down in the crook in the big oak tree, and started to do my homework.


The author's comments:
I wrote this when my junior year started because I felt so stressed. There were too many things I had to do, too many people who had expectations of me. Sometimes you just have to slow down, and be a child again.

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This article has 25 comments.


on Oct. 29 2012 at 11:35 am
xBaByGiRrL22x PLATINUM, Pearl River, New York
22 articles 0 photos 280 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The goal isn't to live forever, but create something that will."
"If you wanna go, baby let's go; if you wanna rock, I'm ready to roll.''
"No one ever said it'd be easy. They just said it'd be worth it." <3

This made me smile. It's so sweet and very relatable. I think everyone wants to grow up during their entire childhood, but there comes a certain age where all you want to do is turn back time. Amazing job :)

GotSoccer19 said...
on May. 6 2012 at 3:09 pm
GotSoccer19, Dallas, Texas
0 articles 0 photos 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A real athlete knows that there's no off-season."

That was AHMAZING! I've never read something so... intriguing. Especially by a teenager. Great job!

on Apr. 19 2012 at 11:55 am
little-bird-girl GOLD, Flemington, New Jersey
13 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
"For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone."

This is lovely! I know I wish I could be a little girl again. We don't realize how lucky we are until we grow up. Wonderful job.

NightFury said...
on Feb. 8 2012 at 8:14 pm
NightFury, Innocence, California
0 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everyday's a gift and not a given right."

This is really good. I think everyone in high school wishes to be a kid again. I know I do. Great job and keep up the good work!

on Sep. 29 2011 at 1:59 pm
amandaleigh2014 BRONZE, Greene, Maine
2 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Monsters are real. Ghosts are real, too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win." -Stephen King

This was wonderful :) It reminded me of when I first carved my initials into a tree. It seems as if this little girl who was running was really the narrator when she was a young child and it was bringing this girl back to remember that there's still a bit of child in everyone. Amazing writing, you're great!

Fizza SILVER said...
on Jul. 25 2011 at 5:47 am
Fizza SILVER, Raipur, Other
7 articles 2 photos 177 comments
saari umr ham mar-mar ke jee liye..ek pal to ab hame jeene do... :)

on Jul. 3 2011 at 1:34 am
LiveForLove BRONZE, Uvalde, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
When life hands you lemons, make grape juice, just to confuse people :)

Live like you're dying, Dream as if you'll live forever :)

Peace, Love, Music, Happiness. That's all you need. :)

I loved this! :) It made me want to run away from the stress of high school :p I wish.

on Jan. 8 2011 at 10:52 pm
BrightBurningCampeador PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
42 articles 11 photos 333 comments
That was great! It seemed almost poetic. You might try condensing some of the stuff that the narrator's thinking, but I think it's awesome how it is too. I can't wait to check out your other stuff!

irtfaz said...
on Nov. 25 2010 at 12:28 pm
irtfaz, Brentwood, Tennessee
0 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything in this room, everything you see is eatable. Even I myself am eatable, but that, children, is called cannibalism, and is frowned upon in most societies."

Nice. I felt like it was a snapshot of an emotion more than an actual story, though. And the speaker went super in depth about being a kid while sprinting through a forest, which struck me as a bit unrealistic (or maybe that's just me). Also, the speaker didn't leave much room for ambiguity through the talks of childhood, which I would have preferred to simply being told 'I feel like a child. Yay!' over and over.

Sorry if that sounded too harsh! I didn't mean for it to be. Really good job, and good descriptions of the forest 'flashing by' and the dress like the one you'd wear to 'Easter brunch'. Keep writing!


TheJust ELITE said...
on Sep. 20 2010 at 4:42 pm
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they’re told."-Skandar Keynes

"When it’

I liked it! The concept was really good. It kinda seems like you spend more time on how she feels than the actual story. It kind of seems like there isn't much of a story at the end. That's just my opinion. But I still liked it! Really good! :)

on Aug. 7 2010 at 2:03 pm
Future_author SILVER, Baltimore, Maryland
9 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
Some secrets can hurt, but sometimes they keep you safe, but all secrets are found out sooner or later.

That's weird. But cool. You have a great imagination.

Elaina BRONZE said...
on Mar. 24 2010 at 10:02 am
Elaina BRONZE, Leominster, Massachusetts
1 article 4 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
The only things in life you regret, are the risks that you didn\'t take....

loved it!! absolutely brilliant!!

on Feb. 12 2010 at 1:23 pm
welshkidjosh BRONZE, Cwmbran, Other
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin

i loved your story and imagination :D

on Jan. 1 2010 at 12:06 pm
XxCrazyGurlXx SILVER, Whiteville, North Carolina
6 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Besides my fashion sense? I play a mean harmonica." -Fang (Maximum Ride)
"I never wanted a part like this in my life." -Demi Lovato on Camp Rock
"Pink isn't just a race or color, its an attitude." -Myself

That was amazing! I loved it!!!

evie428 BRONZE said...
on Nov. 16 2009 at 10:25 pm
evie428 BRONZE, Ontario, Other
4 articles 1 photo 88 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Writing a novel is not merely going on a shopping expedition across the border to an unreal land: it is hours and years spent in the factories, the streets, the cathedrals of the imagination."

I Love it! Really cool! Keep writing!

I love your discription of the forest 'flashing by'! :)

larawayt said...
on Oct. 29 2009 at 10:20 pm
This piece was very well written. In the story, you said, “Branches smacked my face and body, and I could feel multiple scratches bleeding. But, something about this girl made me want to follow her, I wanted to protect her, keep her safe.” When I was reading this I was asking myself why you would want to keep chasing her. You did a great job at describing the way she ran after the little girl. The story said, “Standing there, in the middle of the field, was a girl, no older then 8. She was wearing this beautiful lace dress, the kind that you would wear to an Easter Brunch.” It reminded me of when I was about three and I would always wear dresses. This line in the story helped me paint a vivid mental picture of what the small girl looked like. This piece was original and I enjoyed reading it.

on Oct. 25 2009 at 12:19 pm
fearlessalways13 SILVER, N/A, New Hampshire
7 articles 6 photos 46 comments
Very original. The ending was my favorite!

on Oct. 21 2009 at 7:23 am
very_literary SILVER, Ballwin, Missouri
7 articles 0 photos 46 comments
I loved this story, it just helps to remind us all that we really need to take a moment and relax and just be children for a moment.

Lostinbooks said...
on Oct. 18 2009 at 10:47 pm
Lostinbooks, Arcadia, California
0 articles 0 photos 63 comments
This is so cool...I can completely relate. Good reminder to not forget the past, and to take a break from all this growing up! I like it...

Kelly_123_x said...
on Oct. 16 2009 at 12:43 pm
Great story! If it had been mine, I would have made it so the little girl was the main character - it was her memory of when she hid there all day or went with her dad.

Good idea??

Great story though - LOVED it! x