Monday, December 7, 2020

THE MAGIC BOX

 Lillian challenges us to write prosery today, which must include a line from Louise Gluck's "Faithful and Virtuous Night"  The line is "Having read what I have just written, I now believe ..."   My prosery is flash fiction, submitted to dVerse December 7, 2020.   

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A hand-carved box my grandfather gave me when I was a boy contained magic, he told me, but I must never open it.  When in trouble, all I needed was wait until I saw the first star of night, rub the magic box saying “I believe” three times. Through the years the magic seemed to hold true.  Sheepishly I admit to performing the ritual on the night before my bar exam.  Reading what I have just written, I now believe in its magic, just as I always have. My son is 5 years old, and I’m giving him the magic box.  But, before I pass it on, I’m compelled to see  inside.  Cautiously, I lift the latch and raise the lid.  … to find the box empty!   How wise my grandfather was.  He knew the secret of achieving is believing you can.  Smiling, I re-latched the box and headed for my son’s room.


18 comments:

  1. ..the secret of achieving is believing you can....WONDERFUL!
    Love this take on the prompt!

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  2. I do love this... and I think it makes... sense, maybe the real pandora's box is when people don't believe in themselves but are coaxed to submission by a nefarious leader.

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  3. What a precious story.
    Happy Monday Bev

    Much❤love

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  4. Beverly I got goosebumps at the end. Benevolent caretakers and teachers are humanity's blessing. I loved this story.

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    1. Thank you so much. I had embroidered it a bit more, but had to cut it down to size. I appreciate your input.

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  5. I love this prosery chock full of wonderfully wise wisdom.

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  6. A beautiful story Beverly! Well done!

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  7. "the secret of achieving is believing you can" wise and wonderful

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  8. I love this magical prosery, Bev. I hope I can weave that kind of spell for my grandson. I love that it needed the ‘first star of night’ to work, and it had to be rubbed like Aladdin’s lamp! So what if the box was empty – you can’t always see or touch magic!

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  9. This is true magic: such a great message, and a lovely story. I admit, I would have found it hard not to look in the box...

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  10. Believing is in itself magic. Well told.

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  11. I absolutely love this, Bev! Yes, believing in ourselves is half the magic 💝💝💝

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  12. Replies
    1. Most assuredly not if grandfather had cast the magic spell!

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  13. I love this and there is magic in believing!

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