Write a short story without using the letter E. Not once: not in the title, not in a name, not in a single word. Upper case and lower case both count, and so do accented forms (é, è, ê, ë).
The rules for the story:
# Title.After the story, on its own line, write your own count in exactly this form:
Word count: N
I will check the letters and the count with a script.
A boy, Tom, sat on a porch. Sun hung low. A star blinked on.
"I want a dog," Tom said.
His dad shook his hand. "No."
Tom ran to a hill. Grass was soft. Wind sang. A bird dropped a shiny coin at his foot.
Tom picked it up. It was warm.
At a shop, a man with a sad look sold pups. Tom saw a small brown pup with soft paws. Its tail wagged.
"How much?" Tom asked.
"Five coins," said the man.
Tom had only one.
A woman with a kind smile sat by. She saw Tom's coin. She saw his wish.
"Add four," she said, and put coins in Tom's palm.
Tom ran back. The pup was still waiting.
"This is yours," Tom said.
The pup licked Tom's chin. Tom laughed.
That night, Tom and his dog, Rusty, sat on that same porch. Stars blinked on. Tom smiled.
His dad saw them. His dad smiled too.
Word count: 171