The map had been tucked inside the cover of an old Beano annual and still smelt faintly of coffee.
The kids, well they thought it was real and suddenly her borders were on the lawn and the geraniums were roots over leaves with the dog chipping in to help with the carnage.
All for the sake of plastic lunchbox.
‘But mum! X marks the spot!’
She couldn’t argue. Not when she’d been the one twenty years beforehand, digging up the same borders and tossing out plants without a care for what her mother would say.
The photo though… she must have forgotten she buried it. Strange that.
‘Who’s that?’
He’d hated photographs. Never wanted to stand still with the rest of them.
‘Mum, look.’
For this one he’d been sandwiched in place. Her on one side, her mother on the other. Bookends to stop him toppling over and out of the frame.
‘There’s another one. Hey, it’s Granny. Mum! Granny’s photo is in the buried treasure.’
He was smiling. She’d forgotten how he could smile, like the sun coming out.
‘Mum, why are you crying?’
She’d almost forgotten what he’d even looked like.
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Published by Carol J Forrester
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
I like this one too. The open ended question, did she bury the lunchbox to forget his leaving via death or another woman.