“It’s Here!”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “It’s here!”

“It’s finally here!” Trisha squeals as the doorbell dies down. “I’ll get it!”

“No, I’ll get it!” I shout, pushing past down and stomping down the stairs. I hear Trisha racing after me, but my longer legs give me an advantage.

I skid to a stop in front of the door and waste no time in flinging it open. My heart pounds.

It sits on the porch, pure perfection. The box has absolutely no markings, the tape sits flat and straight over the flaps. It’s literally the most perfect thing I’ve seen in my life.

“Let me see!” Trisha shouts, shoving me aside.

Time slows. The only thing that seems to be moving at normal speed is my heart, which has plummeted. I can already tell that Trisha has no way of stopping at the front door.

I jump toward her to grab her, but my fingers just graze the back of her shirt. Her eyes are wide as her foot catches on the doormat. Luckily, with her eyes open like that, she’s able to get one good look at the perfect box on the front porch before she crashes down on top of it.

Only when the box has been fully crushed does time seem to start working properly again. But it’s obviously too late; the box–along with everything inside–is ruined.

Final Comments: I had a really hard time trying to think of what to write for this one.

Overall Rating: 😖