Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Memento

I wrote a flash over the weekend (or on Monday, actually) for Christian Flash Weekly #10. The prompt goes live on Friday and closes Monday evening. This week we had between 400 and 600 words (I used 599), and the verse:

Proverbs 3:3 (WEB)

Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you.
Bind them around your neck.
Write them on the tablet of your heart.


Without further ado, here's my story:


Memento



“No! No! Don’t go away!” Claire cried in dismay as the charms on her necklace toddled off across her bed. “I didn’t mean it. And really, I just wanted to get a better look at you.”

“You insulted us.” Kindness said as she climbed over a particularly large wrinkle in the pink and white striped sheet.

“Well, I didn’t mean to…” Claire bit her lip in consternation.

“Yes you did!” Truth folded his tiny arms across his body, shuffled a few more steps away, and started to climb a different large fold in the bedsheet.

“I thought when my mother said not to let you leave me, she was speaking symbolically. Not that you’d actually try to run off if I didn’t keep you fastened around my neck!” Claire sat down hard on her bed, sending them bouncing and screaming.

“Please watch what you’re doing!” Kindness said, out of breath.

Claire continued, oblivious, “I mean, I just wasn’t expecting you to be so…cute,” she said with a grimace, “with your childish little shape bodies and your dangly arms and legs… I have no idea why mom would’ve thought I’d wear you, you know, out anywhere…”

“Well, at least that’s the truth,” Truth muttered and stopped walking away.

Kindness huffed, “Truth or not, that’s no way to speak to someone – telling them you’d rather not be seen with them! It’s just…” She flung her arms wide and toppled off the top of the fold head-over-heels, screeching as she fell. She landed deep in a fold and disappeared for a few moments before climbing out and brushing herself off. She took a deep breath and continued, “It’s just unkind, is what it is, and I’ll not stand for it.” She turned and continued her trek across my bed.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake! I’m not going to sit here and get a lecture from my jewelry.” Claire reached down and tried to grab Kindness, but she dashed out of the way. “How did you do that?”

“You can’t just snatch kindness when it’s convenient for you.” She continued walking away.

Claire reached for Truth instead, but he darted away so quickly that Claire flinched in surprise. “Not you too?”

“Truth isn’t something you grab, it’s something you embrace,” he said cryptically.

Claire rolled her eyes and sighed. “Then I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I was kind to my mom by telling her I loved her present, but you got mad at me for not being truthful.” She said, exasperated, to Truth. She turned to Kindness, “But you got mad when I told you my honest feelings because they’re unkind. How can I do both?”

Kindness and Truth stopped and turned toward her. “Do you really want to know?” Kindness asked.

“Yes!” Claire shouted.

“No need to yell,” Kindness said as she made her way back toward Claire. “Kindness is all about relationship. Do you want to know why my body is round?”

Claire raised her eyebrows, skeptical. Kindness stopped. “The kind answer is yes.”

Claire considered. “Then yes,” she sighed.

“I’m round because kindness is like a hug to another person – it is always personal and always beneficial.” She replied and started walking toward Claire again.

Claire turned to Truth, “What about you? Why are you a square?”

Truth smiled, “Because I’m right and perfect.”

Claire half-chuckled and placed her hand, palm up, on the bed. Truth and Kindness climbed on.

“You need both of us to speak love – speak life – to people.” Kindness added.

Claire placed them both back on the chain and clasped it around her neck. 





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