 | Genre: Wee story | Word count: 175 |
The Grey Garden
Maureen stood at the kitchen sink and pondered the garden under a sullen sky. Even if it hadn’t been the middle of winter, it would still have looked bare. Nothing much had grown there since a British soldier’s bullet had punctured Danny’s heart.
She felt a tug on her pinny and looked down to see Katie’s upturned face. “Can I go outside and play, please?”
“It’s far too cold, love. Why don’t you wait until Mammy’s finished washing up and we’ll do some colouring in?”
Katie scuttled off to fetch the crayons and drawing paper.
They sat at the table and Maureen sketched a host of flowers that Katie, with intense concentration, filled in with her brightest crayons. When she finished she drew a stick man.
“That’s Daddy.”
Maureen added a watering can to the figure and Katie drew some sprinkles. Then Maureen Blu-Tacked the picture to the wall next to Katie’s other drawings.
Returning to the sink, she picked up a tea towel to dry the pots. Outside, the garden appeared greyer than ever.
Comments: I like to think this is one of my better stories.
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