Friday, July 10, 2009

Entry #37

Intimacy
by Precie


“It was an accident, nothing to worry about,” said the host as he tried to staunch the spill, a fine Beaujolais seeping through the crevices and seams of the worn hardwood floor. “Just a little accident. Not to worry—we have plenty more glasses.”

The guests laughed obligingly and resumed their chatter as he collected the shards of crystal, wrapped them in a stained napkin, and went to dispose of the refuse.

No one there could have known that the sand of that wine glass--that exquisitely cut, carefully handcrafted crystal—that sand had one lain along the edge of a Babylonian garden. The grains had once wafted through a Chinese palace, been caught by a typhoon off the coast of Japan, danced among the palm trees of uncharted islands.

No one there knew the unholy heat the sand suffered as it liquefied, only to be trapped, frozen in time and space, as it cooled. Naked and imprisoned, all it could do was submit. Submit to the heating and cooling, more burning and freezing, stretching and twisting, the insinuating touch of the craftsman, the relentless grinding of the beveler.

“Nothing to worry about,” the owner said. “Eat, drink, and be merry.”

No one knew the truth, but the wine. In their brief minutes together, they had shared a lifetime of secrets.

As the young vintage raced to escape the greedy napkins, it whispered what it could remember of the crystal’s history, staining the ancient wood with its fleeting knowledge.

33 comments:

JR's Thumbprints said...

Very poetic. To take a small detail and weave such a story shows your creativity, your writing skill. Loved it.

Katherine Napier said...

This is a well written reminder that all has always been here.

Merry Monteleone said...

Precie!!!

Nicely done. I love the way you write - it's like poetry in prose.

Laurel said...

Lovely! Cool use of the POV. This is really pretty.

wrath999 said...

There is life in everything and it has a history. Great job

alex

Aniket Thakkar said...

I am awed by this idea.
Extremely well crafted piece.

It puts across a question to all "What would be your contribution to the history? How would history remember you?"

Very well done.

Catherine Vibert said...

Really enjoyed this. Original idea, to follow back the sand that made the glass. I think about things like that a lot, so its great to find a like mind! Well done!

Chris Eldin said...

Oh, this gave me goosebumps!! So, so creative!!! I remember teaching my children about how glass is made from sand, but that was too many years ago.
I love the almost primal feel of this piece.
Very, very well done!

Unknown said...

The originality of this piece was superbly unexpected. Very nicely done!

laughingwolf said...

superb piece, precie :)

Kunjal said...

must say a very new approach :)good work:)

Precie said...

Thanks very much, everyone!

I'm so glad that awareness of the life in all things communicated effectively. :)

One of the things I love most about these CoN contests is how they inspire me to look for new and unexpected perspectives in the images.

Thanks again!

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

Awwwww, Precie - that was simply beautiful and genius. Who thinks of such details? That was really lovely.

Unknown said...

Exquisitely done, Precie!

The Preacherman said...

This is special. Very.

Four Dinners

Bebo said...

Excellent. Well done!

Mona said...

Precie, I like this tale. It is original and the personification is great!

BernardL said...

Excellent!

PJD said...

Once again, Ello has written my comment before I even arrived.

This is not only a clever response to the prompt, but it's full of mysticism and philosophy. The life in all things was, um, crystal clear. Even better, though, was the ever-changing and temporal nature of the universe and of existence, and the fact that our little dinner parties are so insignificant in comparison. Too bad you didn't have 350 words. I'd have liked to hear the conversation between the wine and the drops of blood let loose when the host swept up the shards of glass...

Hoodie said...

A tricky thing, to write from this perspective, but you pulled it off beautifully.

JR's Thumbprints said...

Me again. I shared your story with my class (a room full of convicts). One student, doing time for murder, made an interesting observation and I thought I'd share it with you. He liked your story because: "...it wasn't the people who were intimate, it was the objects." I found his statement very profound. Overall, my class liked your story. Two thumbs up!

Precie said...

Thanks, again, very very much! All your comments are deeply (and I mean DEEPLY) appreciated.

JR--YES! Exactly the reason I chose the title. And may I say 1) I'm honored and touched that you considered the story classroom-worthy and 2) okay, who put you up to this? Was it Aerin? ;)

moonrat said...

very nice :)

JR's Thumbprints said...

I did it on my own. It's an extension of my own personal habits. I often workshop my own stories in front of murders, rapists, and drug dealers. I've found their brutal honesty to be very helpful.

Precie said...

:)

JR--My question was definitely facetious--an extension of writer's insecurity. But like you, I appreciate brutal honesty. And I really am honored that you used my story.

illyria taylor said...

all I can say is that you were my #1 choice for the reader's choice award.

Dottie Camptown said...

Very original and well written. A pleasure to read.

Sarah Laurenson said...

That is really cool. And I have way too many favorites. *sigh*

JaneyV said...

Precie I'm sure I left a comment here yesterday or the day before and it's not here. Another comment I did appears to have disappeared too.

Well I spoke about how I loved the intimacy of passing on memories and experience just through touch. I love your prose and the imaginative take on the prompt. This is a very beautiful piece. Love it!

Jade L Blackwater said...

I really like your take on the theme - I love how you attend to the history of the glass and its passing kiss of wine. Etheric.

Precie said...

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting. The wonderfully supportive community of writers here thrills my soul. It's really remarkable. And I'm lucky to be a part of it.

illryia--Thank you very, very much.

Honestly, this was the hardest Reader's Choice for me so far...sooooooo many jaw-droppingly excellent entries.

Thank you all again!

McKoala said...

That's a beautiful story, Precie!

Anonymous said...

I love the sensient objects! I tend to personify things too. Very original. High marks for pacing and entertainment.