VHS Tape

Katie finds hers and Jake's wedding tape!

Brief: 300 words max
Prompt: Use, "You'll never guess what I found." In your piece
Final Count: 220 words
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VHS Tape

"You'll never guess what I found," Katie called into the empty kitchen. She grabbed mugs from the cupboard and poured two cups. Alfie, a small tuxedo cat whose fur had long since turned an ashen gray, made figure-eights between her legs.

Mugs in hand, she walked to the living room. On the coffee table was a small pile of VHS Tapes. At the top: “Wedding 1963 | Katrina & Jacob”. She set the mugs down on either side of the loveseat, grabbed the tape and slid it into the VCR. It clicked and whirred, gears awakening from a long slumber.

No audio survived the storage, or maybe it had and it was too faint for her hearing aids. Either way, she didn’t mind. The screen filled with a youthful closeup of Katie getting ready - she pushed the camcorder out of her face with a grin.

She fast-forwarded a bit. Past the reception, past the walk, searching. Alfie jumped into the worn spot beside her.

She stopped, waited, then pressed play.

On screen, young Jake took young Katie’s hands for their first dance. He leaned close, mouthing something. Even through the tracking lines, she could read his lips: “I love you.”

She reached for his mug and took a sip. The coffee had gone cold, she drank it anyway.

“I love you too.”