Okay folks, here is pretty much little more than an opening teaser for a new story. I probably won't finish it really soon. I need to force myself to rest. But I plan to pick up this tale eventually, and another called Sheena Greene Gets Mean. Take care!

On the surface of things, Lila Sawyer was a modest girl. Her clothes were prim and proper. Her words demure. But these were graceful poses she had learned. The definition of femininity for the country girl. Beneath that soft exterior in her deepest heart, there was a darker side!

Lila Sawyer was adversarial. She loved, no just had to be the best! Secretly, she loved to be the center of a crowd. She loved to harvest the compliments the boys gave her as she told jokes. Usually, the more demure she acted the more she got. But there was another way. Her proudest way. In a sense, Lila shared a whole lot with her 'Big Sis' Olga Pataki because she had an awards display on her wall and a desire, nay obsession, to win contests. Especially sewing contests.

Lila Sawyer opened the curtains to her little room in the city house where she and her father had come to live a year and a half ago The sunlight beamed onto a blue ribbon Lila had won for horsemanship, then a long row of slender ribbons she had framed up like a painting. Lila admired these slender ribbons, a deep sigh of happiness leaving her breath. She counted them once, then twice. Five whole ribbons! Lila had won every single annual quilting Bee she had entered since she was five. Then she had a whole handful of crafts fair awards, usually a paper certificate, and these were also plastered on her walls.

Not unlike how Helga worshiped her Arnold Shrine in the morning, Lila knelt onto a pillow to open a scrapbook and admire the pictures of herself winning awards within! Then, hugging the album to her heart, Lila placed it back on her shelf. She looked at the awards display on her wall again with a gentle sigh, then removed a sheet of paper from beneath her pillow. Then she elegantly walked down to the breakfast table.

"Hello, Daddy!" Lila said in an enthusiastic mood and gave her father in the sweatsuit a quick, fond hug. Then Lila sat down at the breakfast table.

"You're in a good mood today, pumpkin!" her father ambled out to Lila. The girl placed the piece of her paper in her hand down on the table top, then smoothed it out reverently.

"I'm going to enter a sewing contest!" said Lila proudly. "I'm sure it will ever be so fun!"

"And I'm sure you'll win, pumpkin!" said her father patting her hand supportively. Lila beamed, vainly.

"Yes, I'm ever so certain that I shall!"

The classroom was mostly full when Lila Sawyer walked into it. She had paused outside in the hall for fifteen minutes to tell jokes to the boys who admired her. Helga G. Pataki was seated behind Arnold to the far left and as usual, giving her a warning stare to not so much as look too long at the boy. The jealous waves almost rolled off Helga like a force field, all while Arnold naively read a little book.

But Lila wasn't the least bit interested in Arnold. At least, not these days. Instead, Lila lowered herself onto her chair seat slowly and gracefully, ever so carefully to make sure her skirt would not crease in an odd way. Lila waited with mounting anxiety for their teacher, Mr. Simmons to walk in.

"Hello, class!" said the man with a hand held high over his head in salute. "Welcome back for another bright and new, beautiful day! I must remind you class, that all entrance forms for our district's sewing contest must be handed in today!" Lila stood up from her chair, the required form held pressed against her chest. Lila walked up to Mr. Simmons and lay the paper down on his desk. The teacher smiled at her.

"So, Lila, you'll be entering this year's contest?" said Mr. Simmons picking up the page and glancing over it to make sure it had been filled out correctly. Lila gave a modest chuckle and a curtsey. "Why, yes, I'm ever so certain I'm so very excited! I adore sewing competitions so much! Just ever so much!"

"Well, such enthusiasm," said Mr. Simmons placing Lila's entry form back down on the desk, "is welcome! We want all the participation from P.S. 118!" Mr. Simmons said swing his fist. "Who knows, maybe someone from our school will win the district contest and make us all proud!"

"Oh" said Lila making a tsking sound. "I think so!" For Lila was ever so certain she would win!

Lila stepped aside for Eugene Horowitz to turn his form in. Rhonda Lloyd was entering, too, which was predictable for she loved fashion more than anything else. Phoebe Heyerdahl and Sheena Greene were a little less expected participants. They must have been entering not to in, but just participate for the fun of it, because neither were very interested in clothes or fashion. As Lila continued to scope out her competition there came a very unexpected entry. Helga Pataki stood up from her desk and left her place as guard to Arnold for a few moments to turn an entry form in. Lila blinked.

"Helga? You…" said Lila utterly shocked, for as far as she knew Helga could hardly sew at at. At least if the costume she made for the Romeo and Juliet play was any proof! Helga turned her head slightly at the gawking girl.

"Oh, hi Lila," she said mildly, slapping down her entry from on Mr. Simmon's desk then leaning on the edge of the desk by one arm, her ankle crossed as she posed with a domineering smile. "How's tricks?"

"Well, gosh, Helga!" said Lila laughing nervously. "I never knew you liked sewing!"

"Are you kidding!" Helga said pointing to the application form. "Did you read the prize list?! I've just got to enter! A two hundred dollar gift certificate to the Nancy Spumoni catalog! I've just got to win it! Just got to win!" said Helga with glee. Nancy Spumoni was her all-time favorite clothing brand. She rattled on.

"There's this new kind of swimming suit my Dad won't spring for, lace up with embossed steel rivets, flared skirt waist line on shorts! I've just gotta have it! Just got to have it!" said Helga with joy and greed. Lila almost back away.

"Well that's great, Helga!" Lila said. "Ever so great!" And it didn't matter, she thought. Because there was no way Helga could sew. Was there? But much to Lila's horror, she would soon find out she could!

TO BE CONTINUED.