The Old Man and the Tree

Prompt: I'm hiding in the tree tonight, and when they come back to finish it, I'll make them pay.

The old man watched the teenagers disappear down the street. The sun was beginning to lower over the horizon. He turned the sign resting against the front door to "Closed" and began cleaning his shop.

He scowled as he furiously scrubbed down the counter.

Those kids had messed with his shop, he just knew it. They'd been coming by every other day for the past two weeks, acting a little too rambunctious.

Like they were hiding something.

He hadn't thought anything about it at first, but when he noticed it appear for the first time outside his store, he raised high alert to catch the culprit. And every time those kids came by, it would grow larger and larger.

He had his suspicions that they were the cause.

He walked out of the back, turning off the lights and closing up the shop. He began to make his way to his car when he looked at it on the back wall of his shop. He stopped, staring at it.

If only he could catch those kids in the act…

He froze. That's it. He has to catch them in the act!

He looked over at a large tree that bordered the corner of his store. He could easily climb it and hide in the branches. Then when the kids came by, he could jump down and finally catch them once and for all.

"I'm hiding in the tree tonight," he muttered to himself, making his way over to the tree. "And when they come back to finish it, I'll make them pay."

Using the strength of a much younger man, the old man climbed the tree and hid in the lower branches. There he waited for a few hours.

He had been nodding off to sleep when he heard the quiet patter of footsteps. Night had fallen and only a single light post lit the back of the shop.

Just as he suspected, the teenagers approached his shop and began working on it. They pulled out spray cans and paintbrushes, adding more to their graffiti art.

The old man was beside himself with glee. He'll finally make those kids pay.

He jumped down from the tree. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" he yelled.

The teenagers screamed and looked him. They froze in place.

"I knew it was you kids painting on the back of my shop! I've been trying to catch you for the past two weeks. And now that I've got you right where I want you, I'm going to make you pay."

The kids were about to book it when the old man pulled money out of his pocket. He offered the cash to the kids. They stared at him in confusion.

"Huh?" one boy uttered, scratching his head.

"I'm going to make you pay for better spray cans and paint," he said, smiling. "I like the art you kids are doing. It's very beautiful. But I want all my customers to see such a beautiful masterpiece, and such a piece as this deserves higher quality paint."

The kids stared at each other in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" a girl asked, crossing her arms.

He nodded. "Yes. Just come by during the day and you can paint whatever you want. Just no gang symbols or graphic language or images."

The kids smiled at each other and took the money.

"Want some coffee and desserts? I have some leftover cheesecake in the fridge," the old man offered.

The kids nodded and followed the old man inside. The rest of the night flew past pleasantly, especially for the old man.

He was going to have a beautiful painting on the back of his shop.

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This was another fun piece to write. I wanted to create a twist at the end of the story; the reader expects the old man to be angry at the kids, but instead he is actually happy about the art they are creating on the back of his shop. It was fun to create this elder shopkeeper and show his thoughts about and interactions with the teenagers. Hope you all enjoyed!