Bookmark
by JM Prescott
Some books are like old friends and when you read them, you no longer feel alone.
My friend was killed in a head on collision five winters ago and I inherited his collection of paperback science-fiction novels.
As I was reading my fourth of fifth book from his collection, I found a 50$ tax rebate between the pages, dated four months before he died. That check would have bought better Christmas gifts for his family; dinner when he just had water while the rest of us ate; gas for his car.
None of that mattered anymore, so I made plans to mail the check to his family and looked again at the pages where it had been, thinking: Could this have been the last thing he ever read?
Some books are like old friends and when you read them, you no longer feel alone.
My friend was killed in a head on collision five winters ago and I inherited his collection of paperback science-fiction novels.
As I was reading my fourth of fifth book from his collection, I found a 50$ tax rebate between the pages, dated four months before he died. That check would have bought better Christmas gifts for his family; dinner when he just had water while the rest of us ate; gas for his car.
None of that mattered anymore, so I made plans to mail the check to his family and looked again at the pages where it had been, thinking: Could this have been the last thing he ever read?
Some books are like old friends and when you read them, you no longer feel alone.
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Author's Note
One of those poignant and connecting moments, that seem to transcend the ether. Well captured -Karen
"poignant" is probably the best word i can find. i've always had a fondness for any sort of artifact, anything that connects me to something that has passed. this was a personal, bittersweet conveyance of that. enjoyed. - Jared
A flash in six sentences.
Other stories by JM Prescott
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Yes, quite poignant. Well done! I had a friend pass away last year and I have those moments when I come across something that once belonged to him or was given as a gift.
Did you submit this to Six Sentences? You should. Or better yet, Opium magazine is having a contest for seven sentence stories. I think you could squeeze another line in this story, yea? Cash prize involved.
Poignant and powerful. Well done!
Think a typo: fourth or fifth... not of
Very strong piece! I first saw this at Like Birds Lit and it left a lasting impression…
I love pieces like this. Such a seemingly insignificant event - like using a rebate as a bookmark - has such a significant event on someone else....