Blue Diamonds

         This item was written for the "15 for 15 Contest --- Starts June 6"  contest where participants are given a photograph and can write about it for 15 minutes only.

         Today's picture showed a broken pane of glass.  To see the picture, visit the contest forum linked above.  Look for "Past Image Prompts" beneath the current prompt photo, and click on "June 2" - Glass.

         "Mommy!  I found blue diamonds," Katie cried, rushing into the kitchen with a plump handful of sparkling blue pellets.

         Katie's mother put a finger to her lips and pointed to the phone by her ear.  "Yes, sir," she said into the receiver.  "Yes, sir, I understand.  I'll be here."

         "Mommy," Katie began again as soon as the phone clicked into the cradle.

         "What is it, sweetie?"  Molly asked her 6 year old daughter.

         "Blue diamonds," Katie repeated, holding her handful of treasure out for her mother to see.

         "Sweetie, where did you get that?"

         "Out in the street where the car is usually parked, but the car is gone and there are blue diamonds everywhere."  She gleefully sent the pellets cascading from one hand to the other, smiling as they reflected the light like a glittery waterfall.

         Molly looked at her daughter and took a few of the pellets from her hand.  "They are pretty," she said, trying to look at them from her daughter's perspective.

         "They're beautiful, Mommy.  Can I go and get the rest?"

         "Let's wait a little while," Molly suggested.  "The police will be here any minute."

         "The police?" the little girl asked, frightened.  "Did I do something wrong?"

         "No, no!" Molly reassured her with a tight hug.

         "Did you do something wrong?" Katie persisted, tears welling up in her eyes.

         "Of course not."  Molly pointed at Katie's 'blue diamonds' and explained, "Those aren't blue diamonds.  They're bits of broken glass from the car window.  Someone broke the window out and stole my car last night."

         "Oh, Mommy.  I'm sorry.  Do the blue diamonds make you sad to think about your car?  I can collect all of them and glue the window back together for you."

         "I'm afraid the window can't be fixed like that," Molly began.  "The police are going to try to find our car, and if they do, it will need a new window."

         Katie looked at the glass pellets.  "Can I keep the blue diamonds, then?"

         "I don't see why not," her mother allowed.

         "They won't cut me, will they?  Remember when I broke a glass and got a cut on my finger?"  Katie looked at the scar on her finger and winced, remembering the pain.

         "No.  They won't cut because car glass is different from the glass you broke.  It is special because it doesn't shatter into sharp pieces.  It breaks into these pellets so that if you're in a car accident there is less chance of getting hurt by the broken glass."

         "Wow!  Someone was really smart.  When the glass breaks you don't get hurt and it turns into blue diamonds."  She rolled a piece of glass between her thumb and forefinger, watching the light bounce off its smooth surfaces.

         "Come with me," Molly said to her daughter.  "I have something special for you."

         Molly went into her bedroom and opened the top dresser drawer.  She pulled out a small velvet bag and handed it to Katie.  "This will be a perfect place to keep your blue diamonds," she said.

         Katie hugged her mother and ran toward the kitchen door as the doorbell announced the arrival of the police.