Jane wanted to make a special box for her friend Pam. She had an old, dusty wooden box on her shelf. It was grey and dull, and she wanted to repaint it with bright green and blue. But first, she had to find her art kit. She dragged her big, heavy art bag out from under her bed. Jane had to unzip the side pocket to find her key. She dug deep down past her crayons and white paper.
At last, her fingers hit the cold metal key. She took it out and went to the wooden box. The lock was old and stiff. She tried to unlock the box, but the key would not move. Jane felt a bit unhappy as she worked with the rusty lock. "Please turn," she whispered. She gave it one big turn, and the lock clicked. She could undo the latch and open the lid.
Jane had to unpack the box, which was full of old ribbon and rags. Some of the ribbon was in a big, messy bunch. Jane had to untie three tight bands just to clear the space. As she worked, she felt a bit unwell because of the thick dust. She sighed and sat back to rest. She saw her paint jars. They were really dry. She would have to refill them with fresh water from the sink to get the paint wet again.
Jane carried her jars to the kitchen. Her small table was a bit shaky and unsafe for painting, so she moved to the big kitchen table instead. She got the water to refill her jars. She also found an old art book. Jane had to reread the steps on how to paint on old wood so she would not make a mistake. She did not want to be unkind and give Pam a sloppy box.
Jane took her brush and began to paint. But she went too fast. The blue paint ran into the green paint and made a big, muddy spot. "Oh no," Jane said. She knew she had to redo the top section. She took a damp cloth to wipe the wet paint away. She had to reset her plan and paint much more slowly this time.
With careful strokes, Jane painted a beautiful green field with blue flowers. She let it dry under the warm sunlight by the window. When she was done, she had to return the brushes and jars to her art bag. She felt very proud of her work. The box was no longer unfit to give. She could not wait to see Pam smile when she saw it.
