Literary Device Short Story

New York Becomes Reality

It was a cold fall Monday in October. As Harper rode her bike home from school through a sea of orange and red trees, she could hear the leaves crunching beneath the wheels. On the way, she decided to stop and get a scoop of ice cream from the local ice cream shop. Harper usually went to get ice cream on Friday nights with her friends, but she felt like she needed something to refresh her before going home and doing a million pages of homework.

Harper walked into the freezing cold, brightly colored ice cream shop and the man behind the counter smiled and cheerfully said “Hello, what can I get for you today?”

“I’ll have a single scoop of mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone please,” she replied.

As the man scooped her ice cream, Harper walked over to the bulletin board in the back to see if there were any upcoming events or any interesting advertisements. One specific sign seemed to be calling her name. It said “New York City” in bold black letters on the top. She kept reading and realized that if she called a certain number, she could be chosen to win a free plane ticket to New York, and a free ticket to see a broadway show.

New York had always seemed like such a fun and exciting place to Harper, so she decided to dial the number on her phone. She knew that there would be thousands of others doing the same thing, but it was worth a shot.

Once the worker had finished scooping her ice cream, he called out from behind the counter, “One scoop of mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone!”

Harper walked over and took the ice cream cone that was as big as her face. She thanked him, paid, and then quickly went outside so she could call the number from the poster. As soon as she finished her ice cream, Harper sat on a bright pink bench and got out her phone.

It rang three times, and on the fourth ring, to Harper’s surprise, someone picked up!

“Hello! You are the lucky winner of one free plane ticket to New York this Friday!” exclaimed the woman on the other side of the line.

Harper was ecstatic as she heard the words. She gave the woman her email, and was told that the tickets would be sent directly to her in the next hour. Harper was a bird in flight as she rode her bike home. She couldn’t wait to tell her parents the news.

When Harper arrived home, she immediately ran to her computer. Sure enough, within 45 minutes, Harper received an email with the ticket information.

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At 7 o’clock on Friday, Harper boarded her plane. She could not hold in all of her excitement as the plane took off that night. She stared out the window as she left Chicago, and landed in New York almost three hours later.

In the cab on the way to Manhattan, Harper looked up at the sparkling skyscrapers towering above her. She smiled as the cab driver drove through Times Square. The colorful lights surrounded her, and Harper could feel the magic of the city. She couldn’t believe that just out of the blue, she saw an advertisement for a free plane ticket. Never in her whole life would she have thought that she could be the one lucky winner, but her thoughts were all wrong. Harper’s dreams of being in New York City really did come true.

Literary Device #1: This is a hyperbole because when Harper says that she has a million pages of homework, she is over exaggerating. Sure, she may have a lot of homework, but she definitely does not have a million pages. This enhances the story because it gives a reason behind the fact that Harper is treating herself to a scoop of ice cream.  

Literary Device #2: This is a personification because the sign is getting human characteristics by saying that it was calling her name. Obviously, a sign can’t actually call out someone’s name, so that is why it’s a personification. This enhances the story because it brings attention to the importance of the sign that Harper sees.

Literary Device #3: This is a simile because it is comparing the size of an ice cream cone to the size of Harper’s face while using the word “as”. The ice cream cone seemed so big, that Harper believed that it was as big as her whole face. This enhances the story because it shows how big the ice cream really is, and why Harper loves that ice cream shop so much.

Literary Device #4: This is a metaphor because it is comparing Harper to a bird in flight without using

the words “like” or “as”. Harper was riding so fast on her bike, that she was a bird in flight. This

enhances the story because it shows how excited Harper was to get home and tell her family the news

that she had received.