Skip to main content

Six Sentence Story: Mailbox

If you have seen the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you will remember the father, who frequently challenges someone to "Give me a word, any word, and I show you that the root of that word is Greek." Sometimes I feel like when Denise gives us the prompt for the Six Sentence Story, I might as well be saying, "Give me a word, any word, and I will tell you a story from my family that has to do with that word."

 This week's prompt: "Mailbox."

 The mailbox looms above his small stature. He reaches up, tugging hard to open the stubborn door. 

 Moving had sounded like so much fun; the anticipation of being able to sneak down to the creek and play for hours had distracted him from the reality that his best friend now lived hours away. The U-Haul moving van was returned on Saturday, Mommy said the mailman doesn't come on Sundays, but today is Monday, and surely a letter will come.

 His small hand plunges inside the mailbox, but his fingers feel only the cool bumpy metal. Has Emily forgotten him?


Comments

  1. Tired TeacherAugust 23, 2018 at 8:40 AM

    Few things are as sad as an empty mailbox.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiAugust 26, 2018 at 8:35 PM

      When a child's concept of time is added to the equation, it is especially difficult.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousAugust 23, 2018 at 9:31 AM

    What an excellent Six Sentence story! Such a simple story to carry such feelings, feelings that surely no one among us readers can escape.

    ReplyDelete
  3. messymimiAugust 23, 2018 at 11:46 AM

    Awww! Hope he hears from her soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiAugust 26, 2018 at 8:37 PM

      He was certainly a dedicated mailbox-checker there for a while.

      Delete
  4. Pat BAugust 23, 2018 at 1:24 PM

    It only took the second sentence for me to know which family. LOL

    I'll bet when that letter came, he was one excited little boy! Meanwhile that wonderful creek held much to explore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiAugust 26, 2018 at 8:38 PM

      Time heals all wounds. . . and a creek to explore doesn't hurt, either!

      Delete
  5. GirlieOnTheEdgeAugust 23, 2018 at 8:04 PM

    Gosh. I daresay Clark could have written my comment lol
    Nicely done Kristi. So simple and yet, who, of a certain age can't identify with the little boy's anticipation, his wanting to find a letter in the mailbox.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiAugust 26, 2018 at 8:40 PM

      Thanks. I think wanting something that isn't there now is a feeling everyone identifies with at one time or another.

      Delete
  6. D. AveryAugust 25, 2018 at 2:55 PM

    Aw, that's sweet and great kid perspective. Well done.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...
3 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: I Should Blog More Often

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...
3 comments
Read more