Choice Cuts

Bloom

The Child groaned and grumbled, little fists and little legs hitting the ground in angry cries and sorrowful sobs. The ground shook and trembled in return, not knowing what to do.

The ground hummed in desperation and tried to make something else again, hoping this one would placate the Child. Soil rushed, pebbles rained, rubble rumbled, and stones creaked; crashing, thundering, mixing, and melting into each other.

The Child opened their eyes and sniffled. The Child reached up a grubby hand to wipe their face, leaving a dirt stripe on the reddened cheek. The ground huffed in soft concern, but cut itself short at the Child’s silence.

Little brown eyes stared at the giant flower in front of them. The ground hummed in hopeful anticipation.

The Child sniffled some more and burst into a bubble of laughter. The ground sighed, relieved, and made the flower sway in gentle satisfaction.

The Child reached out a tiny hand and the flower bent forward. Tiny fingers grabbed onto a smooth, earthy petal in a light hold. The Child chuckled with delight. The ground hummed, pleased with itself.

The ground began to relax again until little sniffles trickled up in the air. The ground panicked and made another flower, this time with more petals. The sniffles got louder. The ground shook and another beautiful flower grew, one with elaborate designs crawling all over the flower’s petals, stem, and leaves. A pair of brown, watery eyes scrunched-up tight, and angry wails stung the air.

The ground trembled in defeat and helplessness. The Child punched, shoved, grabbed, and pulled on the petal they were holding on to, ripping small pieces from it. The Child paused and looked down at their hands. The ground waited…

Little grubby hands uncurled around bits of earth. The Child stared at the crumbled soil on their palms. Tears dripped down and splashed on them. The Child blinked.

Tiny fingers rolled the soil into a little misshapen ball. The Child giggled and smiled. The ground hummed.

The Child let go of the ball and watched it roll on the ground. The Child clapped, excited laughter tickling the wind as they reached for the petal again to make another.

|Originally written: January 11, 2022