21 February 2026, Freewriters Community Daily Writing Prompt Day 3021: velvet curtain

“OK, so, I think that when we do this one-on-one, we oughta upgrade the fashion for it – coming off the porch into a chute to get onto the field is so last season – they've been doing it since the prehistory of basketball and we need to upgrade!”

“Tell me something, son,” Mrs. Gladys Jubilee Trent said to her son, Sgt. Vincent Trent about their little neighbor, eight-year-old Edwina Ludlow. “Is little Miss Warrior Princess ever calm?”

“It was good when we had our gardens up at the Veteran's Lodge; Edwina would work in her grandmother's garden and then come over and work in Velma's garden and just be contented all day, but since we moved and didn't expect to be here long, none of us have invested in gardening.”

“OK, so, Edwina is one of those who literally needs grounding every day,” Mrs. Jubilee Trent said. “Hey, Tom!”

“Yes, Gladys?” Mr. Thomas Stepforth, Sgt. Trent's father-in-law said.

“You're the landlord here – you got a problem with us doing a garden?”

“No, especially since with the Bayard Heights washout so near y'all's houses up at the Veteran's Lodge means you're going to be here at least six more months before the literal dust settles. Big Velma and little Velma are already planning their winter garden – suppose I will remember today to let the Lees and the Ludlows know, too!”

“Yeah, so we can get some peace around here,” Mrs. Jubilee Trent said. “That little offshoot of Hilda Lee over there and that big voice of hers needs something else to do than making war with the fashion of the prehistory of basketball!”

“Oh well, there's a faster way to do that and he is coming out of the house right now,” Mr. Stepforth said with a smile as Capt. R.E. Ludlow came off his back porch.

“Edwina!”

“Yes, sir!”

“At ease!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Stop giving my opponent all the business about my entrance to the basketball court. Remember that the element of surprise is an advantage.”

“Oh, right – well, yeah, but they ain't gonna be ready for the setup anyhow!”

“Never underestimate your opponents, Edwina, by giving them time and information they don't need to have.”

“Oh, OK, that makes sense.”

“I'm going to be ready for warmups and nine-man shoot around in a little bit – Grandma says you'll want to come in and get some water before then.”

“OK, I'm coming!”

“Both of them just have an immense voice,” Mrs. Jubilee Trent said, “and the size of her voice at that age makes sense when you hear the size of his voice, period.”

“Lil' Robert is like that, too,” Sgt. Trent said, “but he's back in bed for his warm-milk-with-drops-of-coffee nap so it will be a little while before he is telling the world 'next week, though!'”

Then, the sergeant flinched.

“Not that we don't have voices of our own over here to be concerned with.”

“Duh-duh-doo-duh-duh-doobeedoobeedoobeedoobeedoo!”

Eight-year-old Gracie Trent and her anthem of attention sounded in the morning air, and Sgt. Trent and Mr. Stepforth almost tripped over themselves, running before Gracie's latest morning coffee manifested like a fresh hot cup of coffee made from God's own water … out of the house's downspout.

Meanwhile, inside the Ludlow house …

“So, Papa, I was thinking we would order a velvet curtain like they have at the old theaters, except ours would be spiritual purple, and then set that up across the porch, and you should come out looking like the singing star you are!”

“One problem, Edwina. Would be a shame to be playing ball in and sweating out a tuxedo.”

“Oh, no – never mind – back to the drawing board!” Edwina said.