I love coming across objects that tell a story.Two days ago, Elizabeth and I were exercising Teddy and Memphis. Danny and Mikey were at home and had been told not to let the dogs follow us. We went about three mils and as we came up over the hill to the driveway, two happy black dogs came bounding up onto the dirt road from the farm's entrance. "How did they get out?" we both said, and then we noticed the long blue baling twine each dog had attached to her collar, and laughed.
Danny and Mikey had been in the house with the dogs when the dogs started to bark and howl and whine to go outside. Danny became afraid that Molly (Elizabeth's dog) wanted to pee, but he wanted also to follow directions and keep her at home. So he found some blue plastic baling twine and tied it to the back door and to Molly's collar. Then Shadow wanted to go out too, so Danny tied him out beside Molly. And of course they both broke free and were running around dragging their blue strings behind them when we came home.
I had to laugh, thinking of how the string carried its story to me. Danny's earnest fingers had left a sheen of meaning around that string.
This got me thinking of other things that tell vivid stories. A wet towel on the floor. Lipstick on a glass of wine in somebody else's house. Jars of applesauce in the freezer. Stitches on a hand-made quilt.
What are your favorite things that tell stories?
This is a great topic. I think like this all the time. There are these threads of ideas that string out from an object or activity that happens. I love starting stories this way. I have one story I want to write about a muddy puddle. That's my next assignment.
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you've written it. I'd love to read it.
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