Hark! The rhythm

Hark! The rhythm. The pellet drum rattles. The dance begins. The creation, the annihilation, the fleeing in-betweens, and beyond these appar...

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Edith gets a gift


Chubby cheeks, dimple chin, Rosy lips, teeth within,
Curly hair, very fair, Eyes are blue, lovely too.
Daddy’s pet, is that you?
“Yes, yes, yes!”

Edith longed to hear these words in person. Her father spoke these to her whenever they had their together time. She was waiting at their regular rendezvous, holding her mother’s gift – a white and red teddy bear.

But where was he?

He should have come by now - now when it was almost twilight; when it was late for her to be wandering outside; when she was bored of watching the birds returning to their nests; when she was tired of waiting for him.

“Where was he?”

Tears welled up and flowed down her cheeks.

Mother will be angry for having stayed out so long.” Should she run back to her mother? Should she wait? She looked behind her. The lonely calf had moved further away, trying to find a speck of grass for itself. Soon it would nestle safely in the lap of its mother. Edith started walking back gloomily.


Where were you, honey”?
Went to the fence. Wanted to meet daddy. Show him my teddy.”
“So what did he say?” “He never came!”

The ladle fell from her mother’s hand and landed with a thud. The soup spilled messing up the kitchen table. “What do you mean by “never came”?” She seemed more scared than shocked. Even though they did not stay together now, there were threads that held them close.

“That he never came. I waited and waited but he never came.”

Mother rang up his mobile almost immediately. He picked up on the third ring. “Can I come over to your place today? I will explain everything.”Sure”.

And when he came over, a white and red teddy in his hand did all the explaining. Atleast to Edith. “Daddy, now I have two of them” as she showed him her treasure.

The similarity of the gift was not lost on either of her parents.

26 comments:

  1. I love the idea of a little girl who gets to meet her father by the fence. I couldn't quite figure out why Daddy was late, but I got a kick out of her divorced parents getting her exactly the same bear.

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    1. Thank you Jessie. I am glad the two ideas - girl meeting her dad by the fence and parents buying the same gift - click well. I should have gone into the details of his being late too but I could not fit it in well. So, I left it obscure. I did add the idea that Edith believed he got late shopping the gift for her. "And when he came over, a white and red teddy in his hand did all the explaining. Atleast to Edith."

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  2. Another interesting take on the picture. I do enjoy reading these and this was very interesting and I was half afraid to find out what happened to daddy.

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    1. I am glad that you liked this version of the picture. I would not have hurt father at any cost. It took a little thinking as to how to mold the story into relief.

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    1. Thank you, Michele. I am glad that you enjoyed it.

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  4. Nice writing from a little one's perspective.

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    1. Thank you once again, Michele. Getting a compliment for the second time on the same story from a gifted writer like you is a big thing in itself. Thank you so much.

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  5. Aww precious story. And so true now a days with broken families... but they still "thought" alike as evidence of the little bear. Also, I noticed it did not take much to make things right with Edith, a lesson most grown ups should learn. I loved it as always. Hugs!

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    1. Thank you. Yes, the broken families are common and I personally believe it affects the children more than anybody else. I am so glad to have your support and appreciation in my writing journey.

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  6. This is precious. I like how even though they are separated, they still each know their baby the same. Great idea!

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  7. Great story...interesting about the bear! I would like to hear more about these people! (I signed up as a Follower!)

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    1. Thank you Libby. I will see if I can develop the story further and will share it across.
      Thank you so much for the follow. I really appreciate it. It is the best encouragement one can get.

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  8. This was a beautiful, memorable story. (Perfect for Father's Day, by the way!)

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    1. Thank you, Janna. And yes, it did come out to be well-timed for the occasion. Thanks for this observation too :)

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  9. Whew! I thought that Daddy turned into the cow at first! But my stories always tend to have a darker side...

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    1. Oh that would have been very creative. I do hope to see your take on this one. With imagination this strong, I am sure your entry will definitely surprise us.

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  10. Thank you so much for linking up to Trifextra this weekend. The challenge this weekend will be judged by the community. So please come back to the Trifecta home page and click the stars next to the three posts you most enjoyed. You only have until Monday at 8 am EST, so hurry!

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  11. Wonderful story and touching photograph.

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  12. I'm very glad the father was able to make up for his lateness. So many never do.

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    1. Thank you Cathy. It is heartening to know that you liked the story.

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Since every thought is a seed, I am looking forward to a delicious harvest.