VT WRITER ' S PRIZE
SPONSORED BY GREEN MOUNTAIN POWER
2024
WINNERS
FARM BOY by Thea Lewis ( Prose Winner )
Graham was finishing a plate of eggs , his brain full of the piano variation he ’ d been composing during his shower , when his wife , Alyssa , sprung the news that their neighbor , Clara Laflamme , had broken her ankle tripping over the family dog .
It took a moment to give her his full attention , and to realize her attack on the onion she was chopping meant she was annoyed . With him .
“ When did it happen ?” he asked .
“ Day before yesterday . They ’ re going to need some help .”
He took a few sips of coffee , before speaking . “ The Larsens ’ ll give them a hand , I bet .” He added optimistically , “ And , maybe the Thompsons ?”
Alyssa shot him the look he deserved . Eric and Julie Thompson , with two preschoolers and a newborn , lived across from the LaFlamme farm . Eric drove a plow for the state and Julie worked at home . Recalling their sleep deprived faces when he saw them at the store the week before , Graham knew there was a snowball ’ s chance in hell they ’ d pitch in .
He watched his wife lift the cutting board to sweep vegetables into their slow cooker . “ They ’ re our neighbors , Graham . We should offer .”
He put his plate in the dishwasher and closed it . It wouldn ’ t latch . He remembered it needed looking after . He ’ d even made a note .
22 VERMONT MAGAZINE
“ I should , you mean .” He poured a second cup of coffee .
“ No . I mean , we . But , I know zilch about animals , and their goats are apparently having babies left and right .” She covered the pot and set the timer . Shrugging into her coat she said , “ I ’ m taking a stew over after work . Would you at least check on them this afternoon ? And , text me if they need anything ?
Graham sighed . “ Sure .” Alyssa came close , taking his face in her hands . “ Be nice . Okay ?”
“ I ’ m always nice ,” Graham muttered , knowing it wasn ’ t true .
“ If you have time later , maybe you could look at that light fixture I told you about ?”
She grabbed her keys from their hook . “ It ’ s still making a buzzing noise .”
She pecked his cheek and was gone . He watched through the window as she scooted past the tangle of bittersweet at the end of their driveway . He was overwhelmed by crabbiness .
Clara and John LaFlamme lived down the hill . Their farm , with its big , green , barn rising behind the house wasn ’ t just the place he drove by to get to town , he ’ d grown up there , until he was fifteen , anyway . Some of his first memories were of feeding chickens and gathering eggs , milking cows and tending sheep . He ’ d helped with the mowing and during sugaring season he ran sap lines alongside his parents and their hired man .
The town hadn ’ t had a high school , so he ’ d taken a bone-rattling bus ride to one a few towns over , where well-to-do classmates made fun of his muddy boots , calling him , “ Farm Boy ”. It stung , but there were worse things to be called . They might have nicer clothes and cars of their own , but they ’ d probably never held a newborn lamb in their arms .
He bought a guitar with his chore money and taught himself to play , winning the Christmas talent show , and their higher opinion of him . Life felt fine .
Then , the following spring his father died of a heart attack . A “ widow maker ,” he overheard in their kitchen after the funeral . He was thrown into a web of despair , a tangle made worse when his mother , facing the harsh realities of running the farm alone , accepted an offer to sell from their current hand , Roy Laflamme and his brother , John . Graham begged her not to , but she said it was for the best . He was furious — with her , with Roy , and even with John , whom he ’ d never met .
After the sale went through they moved to a city by the lake . He resolved to forget about the farm ; The animals , the work , times happy or troubled , were tossed away like his old barn boots .
He made friends at his new school , and took up the piano . His first year in college he started a band . They lasted through graduation and a wild year out West before breaking up , thanks to petty squabbles and their drummer caring more about getting high than he did his Hi-hat .