Melissa Bowersock is the Readers’ Choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. The winning entry is decided by the popular vote and rewarded with a special feature here today. (In the case of a tie, the writer who submitted an entry first is the winner per our rules.)
Without further ado, here’s the winning story:
Golden
by Melissa Bowersock
Lisa began to think giving Andrew the snow globe was not a good idea. Her three-year-old carried it everywhere, and she was constantly on edge, afraid he’d drop it and she’d have glass and water all over the floor. But he loved the little trees inside, the two little golden deer, the snow. He babbled to the globe, or to her, or to anyone who would listen. Yes, it certainly kept him entertained. Was that a good thing, or a bad one? She wasn’t sure.
On Christmas Eve, he insisted on taking the darn thing to bed with him. He made a nest for it in his pillow and laid his head right up next to it. He prattled endlessly about the deer, the tiny deer.
“Yes, I see the deer,” she told him.
“Gold deer,” he said.
“Yes, gold deer. Now it’s time to go to sleep so Santa will come. Can you do that? Go to sleep?”
She worried about the globe there. He could knock it out of bed, turn suddenly and bash his little button nose on it. She waited a few moments as his eyes began to close. Slowly, slowly, they drifted shut. His breathing deepened.
She slipped the globe from his grasp and glanced inside as she set it on the nightstand. And did a double-take.
There were not two deer; there were three. And the tiny golden fawn was frolicking in the snow.
Congratulations. Nice story.
Congrats, Melissa! Pinned & shared.
Happy New Year! 🙂
Congrats! Lovely story <3
Now that’s the magic of Christmas. A very worthy winner, congratulations! 🙂