At The Corner Of Sycamore And Main...A Short Story

The Weekly Wednesday Blog Hop

This story required I do a little editing. The first draft was almost 600 words. I had to do some cutting. It's been a while since I had to do that, but it was fun. Here are the rules:

1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story
2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.
3) You have until next Tuesday to link up your post.
4) Link up your story at these sites: Nicole, or Carrie. 

5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow.

 Here are the (randomly generated) mandatory words:

Wagon

Shark

Navel

Bulb

Banana

Enjoy!

At The Corner Of Sycamore And Main

"And so, unless there is any further business to come before the council, I move to adjourn this meeting." The city councilman looked at the previous meeting's notes as he raised the gavel expecting to hear the inevitable "Second" from another bored council member. Instead only silence filled the half-empty hall.

"Bill," another councilman said. "A citizen appears to have a question, or concern." Bill looked up and saw the small hand elevated above the sparse crowd.

"Ma'am? Do you have something to add before we conclude this meeting and go home?" All heads turned to see a diminutive woman slowly stand.

"Excuse me, sirs." She cleared her throat. "I would like to comment on Item #15 on tonight's agenda."

"Number 15? I believe we we addressed that earlier."

"Yes," the woman said with a hardness to her voice it previously lacked. "But you only spent a total of thirty seconds discussing that item."

Bill exhaled and hoped the Advil he dry swallowed ten minutes earlier would kick in soon. "Let's see...Item 15, what was Item 15 anyway?"

"Um..." a fellow councilman said as he searched the agenda sheet. "It was that one issue about..."

"I'll tell you what Item 15 is," the woman interrupted, this time her anger evident. "It's about that statue of the two children who died when that drunk driver ran that red light and killed them."

Slowly everyone in the room realized the woman's identity. Bill recognized her, too. The woman standing defiant in their presence was Lori Parker, the mother of the two children who died on that fateful day twelve years earlier. The terrible accident left the young couple childless, a nightmare that proved too painful for her husband who committed suicide the following year. 

"Mrs. Parker," Bill said, his embarrassment showing. "I'm sorry, but as you can see, the time has passed for this meeting. We can table this item for next month's..."

"Bill Stewart!" Lori yelled from the middle row of metal folding chairs. "It took me years to get that item on the agenda. I'm not waiting another minute. You're going to vote on this issue tonight."

"Fine," Bill said. "We will now hear public comments on Item 15: Building a monument at the corner of Sycamore and Main in honor of Steve and Mary Parker."

"I would like to read this," Lori said as she opened a folded piece of paper. 

 
To my brother, Steve. I love you like a shark loves the ocean, like a wagon loves its wheels, like an orange loves its navel, like light loves a bulb, like a banana loves its peel.  I will always love my big brother.

Lori folded the paper and said, "My daughter Mary wrote this to her big brother the day before they died. That's all I have to say." She sat down and everyone in the room knew the intersection of Sycamore and Main would soon look a lot different.

Word Count: 499