A jigsaw piece waits behind the dented teapot, jacketed in a blue, white, cream scrap of cloud. I spot it as I enter the kitchen, just as Mum clambers onto a stool.
“Mum! Let me.”
She rolls her eyes; instructs me to retrieve a tin.
The fruitcake inside exudes cinnamon and zest.
“I baked it last November,” she says. “Should be perfect now. Not everything weakens with age.”
I cut a slab for each of us while the kettle boils.
My sister believes we must do more, but I’ve yet to learn how to help someone who insists they’re fine.
I spoon in Lapsang Souchong leaves; inhale damp woodland evenings.
At the teal-painted table, Mum puzzles on.
I retrieve the cumulus corner and place it beside her cup of tea.
Smile-lines deepen. “Ahh, that’s exactly what I was missing.”
Saturday 18 June 2022
'After Dad Goes into Care' by Judy Darley
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Congratulations to our 2023 Pushcart Prize Nominees!
We are delighted to nominate the following FlashFlood stories to the 2023 Pushcart Prize: ' The Doll House ' by Nathan Alling Long &...
-
CHICKEN +50 Buttermilk fried, the apogee of chicken, its chickeniest chickenness, rich gold with bite and crunch and tendern...
-
In case you missed any of the pieces we appeared during the 2023 FlashFlood, here's an index to everything. Happy Reading! ' They...
-
A shaft of sunlight fell across the worn herringbone floor, drawing his gaze upwards to the flawless blue sky beyond the row of windows, ...
No comments:
Post a Comment