Granny Scolds Girl for Odd Drawings until Famous Cartoonist Appears at Their Doorstep – Story of the Day

Bonnie raises her granddaughter alone after the girl's parents die. Bonnie hates her granddaughter's art and wants her to stop drawing. But everything goes wrong when a famous cartoonist appears at her doorstep.

Bonnie called out to Amy as she took the chicken parmesan tray out of the oven. "Dinner is ready, honey! Come soon!" But Amy didn't answer.

Bonnie finished setting the table and served them dinner, but she still didn't hear from Amy.

"Amy? Honey, your dinner is getting cold! Are you coming?" she asked her 10-year-old granddaughter again.

When Amy didn't respond, Bonnie climbed the stairs to the young girl's room and pushed the door open.

Amy sat at her desk, her headphones on. At first, Bonnie thought Amy was studying, but then…she noticed the drawing sheet on the table in front of Amy. Bonnie's brows furrowed in anger.

"Amy!" she screamed, and the girl spun around and removed her headphones.

"Granny? I...I was just..." she stammered.

Bonnie stormed up to Amy's desk, and the little girl tried to cover the drawing, but it was too late.

"Are you doing those strange doodlings again?" Bonnie yelled.

"Please, Granny, leave me alone! I'll be down for dinner right now!" Amy said as she rose to her feet.

But Bonnie was enraged. "Did you finish your math homework, little girl? Mrs. Warren called me today, Amy! And she told me you've been ignoring her assignments!" she said sternly.

"I—I finished them, Granny," Amy replied nervously, but her gaze darted to the floor as she said it, and Bonnie knew she was lying.

"Well then, show me!" Bonnie told her and crossed her arms. "I want to see your assignment!"

Amy hung her head as she reached for her school bag and took out her math textbook. "Granny, I…I really did the sums."

"Let me see it, young lady!" Bonnie snatched the textbook from Amy's hands, and when she checked it, her suspicions were confirmed. Amy was lying.

"Why are the sheets blank, Amy? You haven't solved a single sum in here!"

"I...I was planning on doing it once I finished the sketch I was working on, Granny. I'm sorry…I lied."

"Dear God! I'm sick and tired of that silly hobby of yours, Amy! You're no longer doing those drawings! Do you hear me loud and clear?" Bonnie said stiffly, and Amy's shoulders slumped. She hung her head, knowing Bonnie wouldn't stop until she scolded her to her heart's content.

"Those odd things you draw are not going to help you in the future! You finish your dinner, and then you'll be doing your homework. And yes, you are grounded, young lady!" Bonnie went on. "You're not leaving the house to play with your friends until I speak to Mrs. Warren, and she tells me that you've been doing well in math class. Am I clear?"

"I—I'll finish the homework," Amy said quietly. "But I—I want to see my friends...Please."

"Well, then, you'll have to earn my permission by being a good girl and doing well in school! Now come down for dinner!" Bonnie replied angrily and stormed out of Amy's room.

Minutes later, Amy walked into the kitchen and quietly sat at the table. They began eating dinner in silence. Bonnie was already in a terrible mood, so she didn't ask about Amy's day like she usually did. Suddenly, the doorbell distracted them.

"I'll go see who it is. Finish your meal!" Bonnie said as she marched up to the front door.

"I'm coming! Stop ringing the bell!"

Bonnie answered the door to see a sharply dressed man in his early 40s standing on the threshold.

"Yes?" she asked, confused. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh my god, I know you! Mr. Henderson?" Amy yelled from inside, and Bonnie spun around to see Amy hurrying to the front door. The young girl raced ahead of Bonnie and shook his hand.

"You are my favorite cartoonist! Wow! Hello, sir!" she squealed in delight.

"I am so glad to know that. Your name is Amy...Am I right?"

"Yes!"

"Nice to meet you, Amy. How are you?"

"I'm sorry, but what is this about?" A wave of dread swept over Bonnie as she saw Mr. Henderson and Amy talking. Mr. Henderson was a famous New York-based cartoonist known for his contemporary caricature. He worked for an art magazine. And now, his arrival…Bonnie knew this was bad news.

"Can I please come in?" Mr. Henderson asked politely, snapping Bonnie out of her thoughts. "There's something you both need to know, especially you, Amy."

Bonnie nodded and reluctantly brought him inside. As they all sat in the living room, she served him some tea.

"I received a letter with some samples of your artwork, Amy. And I must say I was so impressed by your talent," Mr. Henderson informed Amy and Bonnie as they sat across from him.

"In fact, I wrote you letters, but I never got a response. Again, I apologize for interrupting your dinner, ma'am," Mr. Henderson continued as he looked at Bonnie. "If I hadn't visited you today, Amy might have missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"You sent me letters?" Amy wondered aloud. Amy noticed Bonnie shifting uneasily in her seat, and she realized why the letters had never reached her. Her grandmother kept them hidden from her.

"I did, Amy," Mr. Henderson replied with a nod. "I have to say that when I was going through your work, I couldn't have imagined it was done by a 10-year-old. Ma'am, your granddaughter has a knack for caricatures, and as a member of my magazine's art committee, I'm here with an offer for Amy," he continued.

"We are accepting applications for our arts training program this summer. I would personally teach the students the art of caricatures and everything related. For that, Amy needs to pass a test, and then she'll have to spend her summer in New York learning under me. If everything goes well, she will be able to enroll at my academy later and pursue her passion for art."

"Really?" Amy was excited. "Yay! Granny, I want to do it! Please! Please!"

But Bonnie refused. "I'm sorry, sir, but that won't be possible," she snapped as she sprang to her feet. "You may leave. Amy is not going anywhere!"

"But Granny…" Amy's eyes welled up. "I want to do this…"

"I said no! Didn't you hear me?" Bonnie said irritably. "You are wasting our time, sir. Please leave."

"But, Ma'am, this can really shape your granddaughter's career," Mr. Henderson said as he got to his feet. "And yes, if you're concerned about the finances, please don't be. The committee will cover all the expenses, including the travel and stay. A gifted child like Amy can tremendously benefit from the program."

"Please, Granny! I really want to go!" Amy interrupted them again, but Bonnie was having none of it.

"Did you forget your manners, little girl? You are not allowed to speak between elders!" she glared at Amy. "And you can kindly leave my house," she continued, turning to face Mr. Henderson.

Mr. Henderson sighed and pulled out a file from his briefcase. "This is for you, Amy," he said as he approached the little girl and gave it to her.

"It's a test assignment. I know your Granny is against it, kid. But if you manage to finish it and hand it over to me by 10 a.m. the day after tomorrow, I can take it to my manager. I have a flight to New York at 11 a.m. I'll see you that day. All the best. I know things are tough, but I hope you'll be able to do it. I'll be here to pick up your piece," he added as he gave her an encouraging smile and left the house.

That night, Amy sat in bed, staring at the file. She wanted to start working on Mr. Henderson's test, but she was scared Bonnie would scold her if she saw her drawing again. Amy also had school the next day. As it was late, she tucked the file under her pillow and dozed off.

The next day, Amy rushed home after lessons to start working on Mr. Henderson's test. But as she neared her desk, her face fell. Her drawing sheets, sketching pencils, paints—everything was gone. She checked her drawers frantically and even looked through her cupboard, but her art supplies were nowhere to be seen.

"My art material…where is it?" The little girl even looked under the bed, but she couldn't find them anywhere. Amy's cheeks turned red, and tears welled up in her eyes as she suspected what had happened. She stormed into the kitchen, where Bonnie was preparing lunch.

"Granny, I can't find my colors!" she shouted angrily. "And I can't find my drawing sheets or pencils, either. Where are my drawing materials? I need them!"

"Well, I sold them off," Bonnie said casually, barely looking at a heartbroken Amy. "Because the drawings were stupid, no one would buy them, and I had to hide them. But the pens, easel, and everything else...they fetched me some good bucks. I'm sorry, darling, but it's for your own good. Don't be sad."

"I want my art materials back, Granny!" Amy exploded.

"Oh, that's not happening, dear," Bonnie paused cooking and looked her in the eye. "And don't think I kept the money I got from selling off all those colors and paints for myself. I'll add it to your college fund," Bonnie added with a smile. "How was your day at school, by the way? Did you enjoy Mrs. Warren's class today?"

Amy now understood the missing art material was all Bonnie's doing. She was so heartbroken and angry that she couldn't help but yell at her grandmother. "I hate you, Granny!" she yelled through her tears. "I hate you so much!"

Amy then spun around and stormed out of her house. She could hear Bonnie calling after her, but she didn't stop.

Amy ran down the street and stopped by a pawn shop. She wiped her tear-stained cheeks and removed the gold bracelet she was wearing.

"I'm so sorry, Mommy and Daddy," Amy sniffled as she looked at it again. "Please don't be mad at me."

Amy's late parents had given her the bracelet as a birthday present, and she always wore it since it reminded her of them. In fact, she loved her parents too much to give up that tiny piece of jewelry on her wrist. But Amy desperately needed money now, and she knew there was no other way out.

A bell on the shop's entrance chimed as she walked inside and looked around. Then, she marched over to the counter. The pawnbroker smiled as he looked down at her.

"Hello, mister! Can you please keep this and give me money?" she innocently asked as she stood on her toes to set the bracelet on the counter.

The man exchanged a worried glance with his co-worker and smiled nervously. "Uh, well, I'm sorry, kid. But you're not allowed to sell stuff like that. I would need a receipt or something. Besides, why are you here alone?"

"I…I need money. It's urgent," Amy stammered. "How much can I get for the bracelet?"

The man was confused and didn't know how to tell Amy to leave. He also noticed the bracelet looked like it was made of solid gold. He finally examined it, and it was genuine 22-carat yellow gold.

"It can get you good money, kid," he told Amy. "But you know…I can't really take it like that. If you want to sell it, you should come with an elder next time, OK?"

He returned the bracelet to Amy, and her face fell. She hung her head sadly. But she needed the money, so she tried convincing him again. "You can keep half the money from its sale, mister," she said. "Only give me half. Can you do that?"

The offer was lucrative. The man thought for a while, then he agreed. "Fine," he said. "I'll take it, kid!"

Amy couldn't stop smiling as she exited the pawnshop. She ran to the nearby stationery store where her parents often bought her art supplies. She approached the cashier with her new brushes, paints, and everything she needed for Mr. Henderson's test work.

"Can you please pack them for me?" she told the cashier. "I want to buy them!"

Amy went home happy with the purchase. But as she arrived, she looked around for Bonnie before tiptoeing to her room. When Amy was sure the living room was empty and her grandmother was not around, the little girl dashed to her room and hid the art supplies under her bed. She didn't want Bonnie to know she had bought new art materials after selling her jewelry.

Then, at night, Amy waited for Bonnie to fall asleep. When she peeked inside her grandma's bedroom and saw the older woman was snoring, Amy returned to her room, collected her painting supplies, and marched to the basement.

Amy knew that Bonnie sometimes awoke in the middle of the night. If she saw the lights in Amy's room were still on, she would get mad, and Amy wouldn't be able to finish her drawing. Since Amy needed good lighting to complete Mr. Henderson's test, the basement was the only option.

Amy flicked on the light switch in the old room and sat on the cold floor, surrounded by her art supplies. She spread a drawing sheet in front of her and began drawing. The little girl drew and redrew, but it was hard to think of an idea.

As a result, Amy stayed up all night, trying to make her art perfect, and in the end, she did have a drawing she really liked. But she was so tired after staying up all night that she dozed off on the basement floor.

The next morning, the sunlight pouring in through the basement's only window awoke Amy. Crushed drawing sheets were lying around her, and her art supplies were strewn on the floor. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and realized she was still in the basement.

Amy gathered all her art supplies and climbed the stairs to the door, but when she tried the knob, she couldn't open the door.

Amy turned the knob again and banged on the door, but it appeared that the door was locked from the outside.

"Granny, open the door! Let me out! Help me!" Amy cried, but it was pointless. She eventually understood her grandmother had locked her in the basement in order to stop her from submitting her drawing to Mr. Henderson.

Amy didn't even know what time it was. All she could see through the window was daylight. She dashed down the basement stairs and tried to look out the window, but it was too high for her.

Amy was scared and looked around the room, trying to figure out how to get out. Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a chair in the corner. She set down her art supplies and dragged the chair to the window. When she climbed on it, the window was finally within reach.

The old glass pane squealed as she flung it open. Amy tossed all her art supplies out the window before climbing out. The window was a little higher, and she landed with a thump in the backyard.

"Ahh! That hurt!" she exclaimed as she brushed herself off and stood up. She hugged her art supplies and entered the house through the back door.

"Where are you coming from?" Bonnie was shocked to see a tired Amy in soiled clothes in the house.

"You had me locked in, Granny!" Amy yelled at her. "You didn't want me to get out of the basement!"

"Oh, no, I don't think so, dear," Bonnie responded calmly. "Your room was empty last night, so I thought you had slept over at your friend's house. I locked the basement door to keep the rats out. How did you get out?"

Amy could tell her Granny was lying to her by the look on her face. "I jumped out the window!" she barked.

"All right. By the way, Mr. Henderson dropped by when you were...well when you were in the basement," Bonnie continued as she set the breakfast table. "He left because I told him you were at your friend's house. He was disappointed that you weren't here. He asked if you had finished the test assignment… and I told him you probably weren't very interested in the proposal since you went to spend the night at your friend's house."

"Granny!" Amy's heart sank. "But I…I wanted to do it! You lied to him!"

"Well, it's your fault for running away," Bonnie grumbled as she sat at the table. "Change your clothes, and then let's have breakfast."

"NO!" Amy screamed. "You did it because you hate my drawings, Granny! You don't want me to draw! You don't want me to become like Mr. Henderson! You locked me in the basement!"

"That's not what happened, Amy!" Bonnie said stiffly. "And lower your voice! You are talking to your grandmother!"

"I HATE YOU!" Amy yelled in tears.

Amy was so distraught that she ran to her room and locked herself. She didn't talk to Bonnie the entire day. Amy didn't even step out of her room for breakfast or lunch. But that day, while she was sitting in her room alone, an idea struck her.

Amy decided to run away from home and travel to New York alone to meet Mr. Henderson.

Amy packed some clothes and her art material and kept her backpack ready. While Bonnie was preparing dinner that evening, Amy crept into the older lady's room and went through her drawers.

Amy knew Bonnie kept all the letters and mail there. While going through the things inside her Granny's drawer, Amy found Mr. Henderson's letters!

Amy looked around to make sure Bonnie wasn't nearby, then she wrote down Mr. Henderson's address on a scrap of paper and left Bonnie's room. But Amy immediately realized she needed money, too, if she wanted to reach New York.

So she crept back into Bonnie's room and searched her grandmother's closet drawers for money. Amy was aware her grandmother kept her money under the clothes instead of in her purse. Amy found $300 while going through the stash. She stole the cash and hurried back to her room.

Throughout dinner, Amy pretended to act normal so her grandmother wouldn't suspect anything. When the house stood still that evening, Amy's room door screeched open, and she tiptoed down the stairs.

With her backpack hung on her shoulders, she checked Bonnie's room to make sure the older woman was asleep. Then, in the quiet of the evening, Amy unlocked the backyard door and set out to the bus terminal.

As she approached the ticket window at the bus station, Amy squeezed herself through the crowd.

"Excuse me, sir," she said in a squeaky voice, raising her hand. "Can I get a ticket to New York? Here's the money!" She pushed a couple of crumpled dollar bills and sticky coins toward the man, and the man stood up from his chair to look at her.

Amy was confused and didn't understand why the man laughed at her. "What are you doing here alone, child?" he asked with a chuckle. "Where are your parents?"

At that point, Amy was stuck. She didn't know what to say. She had no idea she'd be asked about her parents. Her gaze went to the floor, and she hung her head, unable to think of a response. The man called the patrol officer after noticing her perplexed expression.

"Hey, Mikey!" he beckoned to the neighboring cop. When Amy saw the cop walking in her direction, she was scared she would be caught in her own lie and sent back home.

So she quickly took her money from the counter and stepped away. "Oh! That's my mommy! I found her!" she exclaimed as she hurried away from the window, pointing to a random woman walking by.

The crowd swallowed her, so the counter-guy couldn't spot her and didn't come after her. Amy heaved a sigh of relief, but she buried her chin in her palms as she sat outside on a bench, swinging her legs. Plan A did not work. She needed a plan B. But she had no idea how she would get to New York. How would she show her drawing to Mr. Henderson?

While Amy sat there feeling dejected and lost, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a man at the corner of the bus stop. He stood among a group of homeless men. But Amy saw he was dressed in a nice shirt and trousers. He was no beggar! Then she noticed he was holding a banner that stated... Amy tilted her head to read it properly.

"I WAS ROBBED. PLEASE HELP ME GET TO NEW YORK. I HAVE NO CASH ON ME!"

Amy's face lit up in a bright smile. The man needed money, and she needed a companion! She dashed to the man and tugged at his shirt.

"Hello, mister! I can help you!" she exclaimed happily.

The man looked down and smiled at her. "Who are you, kid?" he asked, crouching to face her. "Where are your parents?"

Amy thought and quickly came up with a lie. "Umm…I need to get home to my parents. Can you help me by becoming my fake Daddy and taking me there? I can pay for your tickets. My old Granny gave me some money. She is sick, and she couldn't come with me."

"Well, kiddo, it's not safe for a kid like you to travel alone or trust a stranger," he explained. "Why don't you ask the police to help you?"

"They won't let me go home, and they will ask me to wait. I miss Mommy and Daddy," Amy said sadly. "My Daddy is in New York, and I have his address. Can you please take me there? Here," she said and opened her backpack. "The money."

Amy noticed the man hesitated, but he eventually agreed. "OK! Deal, kid. But you'll have to promise me that once we arrive in New York, you will go to a cop and let them help you, alright? I have urgent business once I get there, so I won't be there to help you any further."

"OK! Thank you!" Amy smiled. The man assisted her in getting the bus ticket to New York, and they boarded the bus. Amy sat in a window seat, her head leaning against the glass window, praying that the journey would be over soon. And after what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at the Big Apple.

"Thank you for helping me out!" Amy grinned as they exited the bus.

"No worries, kid. Have a safe trip back home, and ask someone to help you!" he said.

"Oh no, I know the way," Amy said, smiling. "Bye-bye!"

Amy headed to the bus terminal's exit, where a police officer stood. "Hello, sir!" she said to him. "Could you please take me to my Daddy? I'm lost."

"He lives here," Amy said and handed him the note on which she had scribbled Mr. Henderson's address. "That is my Daddy's home address. Can you get me home?"

The cop studied the note and nodded. "OK. But how did you get to the bus station? You must've come with someone, right?"

"I…I came here alone, and now I'm lost," Amy lied and lowered her head.

"You shouldn't do something like that, kid! Do you know how dangerous that can be? But let's get you home!" the policeman smiled. "Come with me."

The cop and his partner drove Amy to Mr. Henderson's home. As she marched to the front door, the cops followed her because they sensed something was off.

As the door opened, Mr. Henderson was shocked to see Amy in the doorway. "Amy?"

"Daddy!" Amy chirped and threw herself into Mr. Henderson's arms.

The two cops exchanged a glance. "Excuse me, is she really your daughter, sir?" one of them asked.

Mr. Henderson hesitated. "Well, yes, yes, she is. My dear Amy!" he faked a smile, scooping her in his arms. "Is there a problem, officers?"

"Well, how could you be reckless and let her go to the bus station?" he asked. "She was all alone!"

"Oh, I'm…uh, sorry, officer," Mr. Henderson said. "I was worried. Thank you for getting her home."

"Be careful next time!" The cops warned him as they walked away.

Amy then hurriedly pulled out her test drawing from her backpack and gave it to Mr. Henderson. "Here," she chirped. "I completed the test task!"

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