A drabble is a short work of fiction of precisely one hundred words in length. The purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author’s ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in a confined space. Writing a drabble requires precise editing skills—refining the story by taking out what is not essential and leaving only the most important bits.
The challenge in my writing group last Saturday was to write a drabble and I did. “My Child” is a flash fiction piece of precisely 100 words (not counting the title). The prompt for this challenge was a photo with scribbles on a contrasting background.
My Child
Light. Illumination. Meaning from chaos. He drew scribbles. My child said they told a story only he knew. I wondered. How many stories lurked inside his head. Waiting for the ability to use the written word. Waiting for someone to hear. “See,” he said. “This line goes around and around. My story goes around and around. Light and darkness.”
“I see,” I murmured. But I didn’t. See. He’s an old soul, I thought. His knowledge comes from afar. He is mine—but isn’t. We created him, my mate and I. But we didn’t. He sees. Knows. What I can’t comprehend.
* * * * *
My life is a drabble. I think of all the individuals that my Heavenly Father created and placed on this earth. I realize I am insignificant. My influence is small. Relatively speaking, the individuals who know who I am are small in number. But my responsibility is not to compare myself to others. It is to refine myself—take out unimportant thoughts, actions, motivations and keep what is essential. It is my purpose to become a refined individual. As I live out my story, I know that the Lord simply wants me to be the best that I can be.
(And the previous paragraph is also a drabble—exactly 100 words.)
Nice.
Great job as always, Rose