A Change In Her Life

Ava gazed out at the stormy, rowdy sea. "Oh dear, I hope father returns safely.", She thought, worried. Clutching a red plastic star, she headed home. Ava was from a very poverty-stricken family, and except for a home, which was rented, and a small, tattered doll, Ava had nothing. She had her mother, and her father was out on the sea in a tiny canoe. She thought how her pa had sacrificed so many things for her. As she headed home, she looked out again at the enormous waves streaked with a shade of blue. Then she stepped inside the cottage, got out the mattress, and instantly fell asleep. 

The next morning, her ma woke her up at dawn. "Ava! Wake up, dear! Wake up, I say." Her mother shook her and yelled in her ear. Ava glanced up and spotting her mother, she immediately yawned. "Mother! You didn`t have to yell!" "Sorry, dear. Your father is coming home today. Wake up now, have a wash, and brush your teeth and hair. Come down for breakfast. Then, go to Mrs. Robbin and complete your job. She told me you polished her floor very well yesterday. So she wishes to increase your payment. Isn`t that amazing! Oh, and Mr. Jeremy will come tomorrow for it's the end of the month and he wants the rent money." Ava asked, "Mother, will father surely come by today? The landlord demands money, and father has the notes and coins." "Yes, dear. Don`t you worry.", her mother assured her soothingly. Ava continued eating her cereal, then went to Mrs. Robbin`s.

A piece of disastrous news came in the evening, that the canoe had been wrecked by some pirates. They had, however, spared her father and his companion, in the icy waters. Ava sobbed and wept, for she had great love for her father. She couldn`t forget this, and the next morning, went swimming, intending to drown herself. While swimming, she wandered here and there. Suddenly, a barrier came. She could feel a kind of sharp blade, rather like a knife`s. She pulled and pulled and pulled, and it was yanked out of the seabed. She dried it with a corner of her tattered dress, for it was very wet. Of course, it had been in the waters for a long time, so she wasn`t very surprised. When she examined it, she understood at once that it was an ancient knife! It had pearls, emeralds, opals, rubies, and even sparkling diamonds adorning it. It glinted and glimmered in the sun. 

Ava was now wondering whether it would be precious or not. She decided she needed to tell her mother and seek her guidance. She swam to the shore and showed her mother, who was laying the clothes to dry. "Look, ma, what a pretty knife! Why don`t we sell it. We could use the money to hire a search team for pa." Her mother kissed her and said, "Honey, let`s use it for rent and your fees. Your father will arrive soon." That was exactly what they did, and would you believe it – her pa returned that day in a miracle, and was immediately met with greetings, hugs and kisses. Ava liked sketching, and was a god-gifted painter, so she started a business in which she created portraits for people, and people paid her good money for them. This business funded some of her fees, and her ma started working at a salon, and her pa started working at a food factory, so both made some money which managed their needs. After some years, after she had completed her college, she started working as a bank officer, and earned loads of money. Now, Ava is very old and even has grand-children. She tells whoever she meets, "A small knife changed my life." I hope you enjoyed this tale. It`s indeed a pleasure writing.