Prompt: Wishbone | Word Count: 300 words exactly | Genre: flash fiction
April 14, 2020
Clarice was getting to the end of the roast chicken. It lasted quite a bit longer when it only served one. Well, with a bit here and there to the cat, Bisou. The cat was quarantined as well, since Clarice no longer let him out to roam the night, fearful of the unseen menace he might bring home. So, she reasoned, a bit of chicken now and then was deserved.
As she stared at the bones, she missed her little grandson, Charlie. Normally, when they reached the chicken’s bones, she and Charlie would save out the wishbone for an after dinner wish. But they hadn’t seen each other in over a month. She usually watched him on Wednesdays and Fridays after school. Of course, they’d FaceTimed so knew he was doing well, his chipper demeanor intact as he waved at the camera, “Bonjour Meme!”. Too bad you couldn’t zoom a wishbone!
They had a whole routine for those wishbones. First, they’d stand a few feet apart. Then they’d bow ceremoniously toward each other, initiating their ritual. They’d each grasp a flat end of the springy bone. Solemnly she’d announce, “May the victor’s wish be granted,” they’d bow their heads, make their wishes, and then lock their gazes, counting aloud, “one, two, three” and give a mighty yank to the small bone until it snapped in two. Charlie would laugh and laugh as he held the larger piece. His excitement contagious as he announced what he wished for, always the same. “I wished for ice cream dessert, Meme! So now we get to have some!”
Clarice knew her wish today. Too bad it was so hard to train a cat. Bisou would gobble that wishbone, not even pausing to make a wish. Silly cat. Life is so much better with wishes.
cecekay 