“They were the it girls.”

And Mollie Smith Waters, a second grader at the time, was, well, an outsider. But for at least one day she was also a Brownie.

That day, and the events leading up to it, served as the inspiration for Waters’ short story “Brownie for a Day,” which is set to be published later this month by Southern Women’s Review – an online literary journal.

“It’s creative nonfiction,” Waters said of her story. “It’s a true story with a little liberty taken. It’s basically about the one day that I got to be a Brownie and how I masterminded a plot to get invited to the Brownie’s Easter outing. I guess it’s kind of about being an outsider. I think everyone has felt like that before, and that’s what I was trying to share with this story. I think it’s a pretty funny story, but then again, I think I’m pretty funny.”

For Waters, an English teacher at LBW Community College, “Brownie for a Day” marks the second work she will have published. The Greenville High School graduate also had a poem published in a collection of poems.

“I’m really excited about it,” Waters said. “For me, I think this is a bigger deal than the poem. I’m not a poet, so this is more my style.”

And Waters style is truly southern.

“I’m southern, and I write about what I know,” she said.

That’s what seemed to make Southern Women’s Review the perfect fit to publish Waters’ story.

“I figured I’m a true southerner, and if I’m going to try and get published I might as well start regionally,” she said.

Waters, who set a New Year’s resolution to walk 1,000 miles in 2011 and wore out five pairs of running shoes in reaching her goal, hopes to one day publish a book of short stories.

“That would be my dream,” Waters said. “I don’t think I’ll ever make it big like Kathryn Tucker Windham, but it would be fun if I did. (Publishing a collection of short stories) is a goal of mine, and I believe that anyone can accomplish their goals if they are dedicated enough to work at them.”

If Waters’ five pairs of worn out running shoes are any indication, it’s only a matter of time before that book hits the shelves.