"Doodlebug" by Elizabeth Stuckey-French #53

The husband had just gotten home, and tried to hug his wife who was kneeling in the middle of the kitchen floor when she said, "I hate them." She was talking about their two daughters, Jessie and Magda. He knew that she didn’t mean it, but from her tears it was clear that she was terribly shaken. In her hands were three silver beads, all that remained of a necklace. After a few moments she begins to calm down, but the day has already been too much for her, and asks her husband to keep them out of her hair for the rest of the day. That wasn’t the husband’s plan for the evening, but agrees to help out. After dinner, he preoccupies the girls by playing Cowboys and Indians.

If you’re anything like me, you played Cowboys and Indians as a child, and one of the best ways to connect with a reader is by reminding them of their childhood. This story is as much about the husband’s time with his girls, as it is about the parents thinking about singular moments of importance in their younger years. As such, it can be enjoyed both as a story of playing a game, as well as a small prompt for the reader to remember their childhood. You can read it in The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa: Stories.

Content Advisory: None

Elizabeth Stuckey-French Website

About these ads