The Red Teacup

A single red cup was missing off the shelf in the kitchen. It left a jarring hole in the bright collection that had been a Christmas present from her husband. She remembered the whispers that a man only gives his wife a set of teacups when he had his eye on other things.

Where could that cup be? She looked around the kitchen floor and saw nothing. Each cup and saucer was a different colour. How excited she had been to open the box for the first time. The teacup rainbow really brightened up the kitchen. Now the red cup was gone.

Where was that cup? She looked around again hoping that it had magically reappeared. No, the table and kitchen counter were empty as always. How could it be possible for a bright red teacup to disappear?

She tried to remember when last she had used it. She didn’t drink her coffee out of it. The red cup was her husband’s favorite. The red reminded her of blood. She preferred the pretty blue one that looked like the ocean on a summer day.

A splash of colour caught her eye. Almost hidden under the corner of the tablecloth on the kitchen floor was the runaway teacup. It must have fallen off the table, the handle was broken, the rim was chipped and the saucer lay in tiny pieces on the ground. She picked up the pieces one by one and dropped them in a garbage bag. While her husband’s body lay silently beside her.

She picked up a crumpled blood covered piece of paper and glanced at it before throwing it away. No need to keep the ugly little note. Her husband is not ever going to leave her.

It was such a pity that he had dropped the red teacup.

Word Count 300

The End