Gum

He was trying to get it off the carpet; first with his shoe, then a fingernail, followed by a pencil. He knew that his mom would be angry if she saw what he had done to her favorite carpet, but the gum just wouldn’t let go of its grasp. He was scared. She would come in the door at any time. Being a cleanliness freak, she did not permit him to keep any pets or to play inside this room.

It was an accident. He’d come running from school, opened the door, and stumbled onto a parcel that the postman must have dropped in there. Out came the gum. It fell right onto the carpet, seemingly on purpose, as if to tease him. He looked at it with contempt and all the hate his little heart could hold.

Suddenly, he remembered something. A few days back, he had seen an advertisement about a detergent that could clean up every little speck of dust or mustard. There he went, out the door, like a storm, to the market. He went up to the counter and paid with all his pocket money. He ran home, a big grin splashed across his face. He had found a way to defeat that minuscule piece of gum and show that he was more powerful. He opened the door and marched ahead with triumph.

Only then did he notice his mother looking angrily at him, pointing her finger at the piece of gum stuck to the carpet. He bowed his head in shame, close to tears at the thought of being punished. She noticed the bundle in his hand and slowly took it from him. Carefully glancing at its contents, she put it onto the floor. She held his face in her hands and brought it closer to her own. Looking into those deep blue eyes, she saw fear lurking in them. Wiping away the tears that had fallen onto his cheeks, she held him close and wrapped her arms around him.







Fellow author Valeera gave me the title in a word game, inspired me to write a story on it and also helped me improve it. Many thanks to her!