Friday Fictioneers: Girl’s Best Friend
by Eena
The child leans over my display. With cracked teeth, her smile is almost comical as her eyes devour the shiny stones.
The gray gems, she doesn’t like them, too smoky, she says. And not the silver links, I can scratch myself with those, don’t I know?
Butterfly charms? Flimsy. Besides, pink reminds her of cotton candy, no thank-you.
But the amber beads, ah, just the right clarity, texture, and weight. Nine bucks is a bit pricey, but she loves caramel.
Amber beads clamped between teeth, the child walks away. From behind my counter, I hear the unmistakable crunch of teeth breaking like porcelain.
*****
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HER SANTOSHA 
Yikes! The last line has me cringing. Nicely done.
Thanks, Ben! I just had to share that jarring feeling.
Dear Eena,
That was certainly a unique take on the prompt. Someone needs to take this child to a therapist while she still has some teeth
Shalom,
Rochelle
Hi Rochelle. That little part of me might be too stubborn to listen to a therapist!
Thank you for reading and for creating this space. Peace!
Dear Eena,
Ouch. That’s a painful lesson learned. good story. Outside of the box and imaginative.
Aloha,
Doug
I sure do like them shiny, colorful trinkets. the lesson was painful but tasty.
many thanks for reading and commenting, Doug! 🙂
sounds like someone has a bad case of PICA 🙂
No kidding! I practically drooled the last time I passed one DIY bead shop..
I loved the line, ‘I hear the unmistakable crunch of teeth breaking like porcelain.’ Well done 🙂
hi Helen, thanks for the compliment. I literally heard my teeth crumble in a dream.
Great story – clever ending!
thank you, gabriela! it just fell into place.