Thirteen Years too Late—and a Writing Challenge

Today, I participated in Monday’s Minute Challenge—started by Tessa Emily Hall over at Christ is Write. She’s planning to post a writing prompt every Monday this year, and it’s open for all to join in!

This week, she started with three prompts (you only have to use one of them):

• Write a letter to yourself that you will read in December. If you could ask yourself anything, what would it be?
• If you could tell yourself anything this time last year, what would it be?
• Finish this: I never imagined this would be the way my new year would begin.

I thought about doing the second one, but after thinking all afternoon about it I finally decided to do the last one. And it got a bit…intense. I cried while writing the letter.

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Thirteen Years too Late

I never imagined this would be the way my new year would begin. The little slip of paper. Written in a childish hand. The date—January 1st, 1993. Exactly thirteen years to the day since it had been written.

“I’m sitting in the corner. Confused. Ready to scream. Oh Daddy, where are you? Where were you when I cried for you last night? When all hope drained out of me as I saw Mummy fight for her last breath? When I saw her close her eyes for the last time? When her chalky face turned cold and unmoving—forever? Oh, Daddy, what happened? Why didn’t you come? Don’t you know? Am I still your child? Do you even care? Do you even remember that you stumbled out of here, drunk, as the clock struck midnight? The bottles still lay on the filthy floor where you left them. Oh Daddy, Daddy, will you ever remember that I’m still here—waiting, waiting, with nowhere to go and nothing to keep me alive? Daddy, Daddy, come home! Remember, let your mind wake up, and come home!    Charlene.”

I crumple the paper, and it patters to the floor. Exactly thirteen years too late. Thirteen years too late. The chant seems to repeat itself over and over as I pace the small room. My fists clench against the terrible horror. Heartache. Memories. Thirteen years too late. Thirteen years too late.

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As you can probably tell, it got my brain working at full-tilt. :)

So now…do you want to join in the challenge? I think you’d enjoy it, like I did! Check out the original post here.

Along another line—what have you been up to lately? We’ve been working at the new house quite a bit, and also trying to knock back the weeds in the garden.

Just the last few days I’ve been trying to get through the twelve books I have checked out of the library—all of them historical fiction. Bliss. :) I’ve finished three so far, and now I’m trying to decide which one I should read next. They all look so interesting! :) Maybe a cup of chai or mint tea would help me decide….

~Esther