24 January, 2014

"The Attempted Comforting" A (tiny) short story

One of the things I have always loved to do is write short stories. They help me explore my imagination and throw around some ideas without having the commitment of a novel. So, without further adieu, I present to you a very, very short story! I hope you like it!



"But why?" My friend wailed with her head in her hands.
    I sighed, sitting at the foot of the bed, "I have no idea," I replied, "Because for some twisted reason that's how life can be sometimes, and we just have to move on, and deal." I added the last bit tentatively.
    This earned an exasperated sound from the opposite end of the bed. "I just don't understand!" She paused and sniffed, before taking a deep breath and starting again. "I did everything they wanted me to, I was never late, I turned everything in on time and I always tried to be pleasant, but they still fired me! I just don't understand!"
"You'll find another one don't worry. You're not a bad worker, I know you, you're a fun person to be around. They're missing out." I knew I was terrible at this. The act of comforting people had never been my forte. I was never the helpful friend, I just didn't know what to say. I wracked my brain for something good to say as I watched her try to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out onto her cheeks. She sat cross-legged with the blanket wrapped around her legs. Her long hair curled down around her shoulders and was currently being pushed out of her face by one of her pale hands. Her shoulders shook a little bit as she tried to suppress the persistent tears. Then, with a grimace she threw herself back onto the pillows, bringing the comforter with her and tossing it over her face in an attempt to hide her sadness from me, even though she knew I had already noticed.
    I was still unsure of what to say. What I had said was true, about her being a good worker. She had always been one of the best that I had known, she just wasn't the best at picking very stable jobs, that's all. She always chose the ones that happened to get hit hard by the current economy, it was just bad luck.
    And then I remembered something.
"You know," I started, "I heard something the other day that might cheer you up."
"Oh yea?" She didn't believe me. "And what would that be?" She asked, her voice muffled from underneath the blanket.
"You're a star!"
".....Sorry?"
I chuckled. "Now, I'm not one hundred percent sure if I have all my facts right or not but I sure hope I do. Everyone is made of star dust! Literally. From an exploding star a long, long time ago. Everything that you are made of formed many years ago in the heart of a star."
    I looked up to the sound of the blanket moving to see her tear stained face peeking out from underneath. "Wait, really?" She asked in a hopeful tone.
"Really." I replied.
She smiled.




(c) 2014 The Logic of a Student All Rights Reserved

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