The fall Flash Fiction contest, with the theme “Frogs” was held on September 28. Over the next few weeks, this paper will run the winning entries. Below is a submission that tied for second place, “Dear Burglar” by Alina Nazareth.
To read all the winners, go to: fremontculturalartscouncil.org.
Dear Burglar
Dear Burglar,
You emptied my house of the memorabilia that took me four decades to build. I am so angry, but I was raised Catholic and I never swear. So I’ll rely on a different F word to get me through this letter. I hope you read it someday, somewhere.
FROG. You took the ring designed by the grandfather-I-never-met. The gold is inferior but someone will pay a lot for a ring that symbolizes three generations of family*.
FROG. My engagement ring! The one that my best friend* gave me when he asked me to marry him. It was a quiet night spent in each other’s arms. It’s the ring with the smallest diamond that made the biggest promise.
FROG. My pink diamond! The one my parents splurged on to commemorate our first international trip together. Now that I am a parent*, I know the pink was really a deep red love*.
You know, my daughter* stood by me as I entered that pitch-dark home. Her eyes widened with panic at the missing motion sensors and her tiny body bruised when I pushed her out of our home* to safety. She listened quietly while I dialed 911—a number she just learned in preschool!
You must have thought of her as a liability but the next time you come this close, you will feel how strong she has made me.
I tell myself that harder criminals than you will deliver karmic justice when you land in prison. But the truth is you don’t matter. You couldn’t even get me to swear. So, keep my scrap metal, dear burglar, but you will never have the beautiful memories that turn them to gold.
p.s. *Family, friend, parent, love, daughter, and home hold immense universal value far beyond material things.
