Radiating confidence
of teen-girl rebel
rattled by mother
rummaging her things,
defiantly stares
the young ‘un.
Eyes bulge, carefree,
dripping blueness
all over
father’s shoulder.
Against pink shirt
cotton bud cheeks
plump up
as lazy lashes
wink,
in slow motion
incessant
as instant replay.
Dribbles
liquid stardust
pixie magic
spayed on words
babbles baby.
There it was—like a non-judgemental mother musing at her teenage daughter growing up too fast to comprehend, a ring sat in his empty tea cup. Unassuming, almost hidden in the shadow of the dark tea, it had nestled, snuggling in the assurance of warmth.
Daniel felt lost.
It was a nice—a simple frill-free band of silver with no ugly engraving or dents. It was the perfect multi-purpose ring, with just enough ambiguity to serve both as an accessory and a testament to a sacred commitment.
Who put it there though?
It seemed silly. To place a ring in a cup of tea. It was the kind of thing non-drinking, overly health conscious, hopeful hippies would do. He smiled. Whoever did this knew him well. Enough to know how much he dreaded jewellery and the spotlight that came with it.
His curiosity was piqued. He hadn’t told many people about his parents pressuring him to find a partner. So whoever did this was close to him.
Except he couldn’t quite tell who.
He looked around for a clue.
Time stood still. Behind the till, Augusta, her face screwed in concentration, held a twenty dollar bill in her right hand and a pile of miscellaneous notes in the other. She was an economics student at the university working casual hours, trying to make some extra cash on the side. She hated math, Daniel recalled her bold declaration in one of their small talks. It couldn’t have been Augusta. She was too involved with her life, and he in math.
Barista Jason’s hand was frozen in midair too, hovering over the milk nozzle, ready to caress its smooth curves. Not him for sure. He was way out of league for Daniel—in every aspect, except perhaps money.
Cafe chatter he’d gotten used to over the last five years had ceased in mid-conversations, vowels hanging, modifiers dangling, and fragments awaiting completion. Beyond the tainted glass, cars were a blur, as if caught red-handed by amateur photographers, whizzing passed red lights.
He looked back at the ring. And almost instantly, the world went back into motion. Annoying giggles started up from the table nearby and impatient honking from the street waltzed in through the door as someone walked in.
Sigh.
It felt wrong to take the ring without knowing who it came from.
What the hell.
Pocketing the shiny silver, Daniel walked out the cafe, waving at Augusta and Jason on his way out. It was a good day.
The door clinked behind him.
Not two seconds after, a purple-haired man in the cafe wailed, “Oh, my goodness! They gave you the wrong cup!”
“Run!”
He had. From India to Singapore to Australia, cowering, wading through muddy slush and sea sickness.
Darkness returned when eyebrows knotted, students passed by swearing.
Mother echoed: “Run!”
This is my entry for the 29-word short story challenge run by the Australian Writers’ Centre. If you’re into creative writing and interested in pushing your writing boundaries, check it out and subscribe to their newsletter. It’s quite fun.
Sandy sunscreen
straw hat of dust
a coat of gravel
covering all
wanders woman
uphill.
Face to the sky
defying weariness
denying defeat
digs feet down
desperate
for peak.
Mean rebel
uncontrolled
know-it-all
unmarried still
questionably so
treks solo.
Runs away
plain after plain
to send back
pain after pain
as parental hopes
finds noose.
Beams wide
atop mountain
brighter than light
from within
comes peace
with freedom.
“My goodness, it hasn’t changed at all!” Lisa’s eyes bulge in surprise as she looks around the neighbourhood. An old Victorian mansion peers at us from the top of the small hill. Paved and untrodden paths lead down into town where we’d stopped for panini and coffee not long ago.
Mourning the lack of life around them, trees stood bare, rarely moving in the cold winter morning. The house itself vibrates of ancient history, stories forgotten, failed to be passed on. As an over-ripe banana, patches of spots, black, white, and forty shades of brown cling throughout the peeling walls of the house, its russet picket fence the only reminder of good old times.
Lisa brought me to our childhood home. She said it’d help me recover. But as I watch her reliving her teenage—I imagine golden days of scratched knees with tears streaming down mud-covered cheeks and screams encoring through the hill, I suspect her intentions. Beaming with joy, brimming with nostalgia she turns to me, eyes expectant as a child tugging at her mother’s apron while the ice-cream truck passes by. And I look back at her. Nothing.
They said she’s my sister. She said this was our home. I remember nothing.
