Some time back I wrote this short piece and forgot about it. It was an introduction to a short story that I did go further into but haven’t finished.
Digging around for ideas for the next collection of short stories I re-read this and keep thinking it is an interesting introduction.
Tools were scattered across the tabletop like discarded debris. Scraps of paper with scribbled dimensions and sketches of creations lay about as well. Some crumpled, some flattened, some were under tools, others over. One well worn and yellowed sheet was tacked on the board behind the main table. It depicted both a finished product and intermediate steps to complete in a gradual progression. The well-worn page had been revised with erasures and overwrites as well as new scribbles in the margins.
The main workspace was so cluttered there was only a small space available for work, but that was exactly what was going on. Another toy was being created in the alcoved space for creation. “So you see how easy they are to compile?”
“But Dad, they’re so close to these other ones.” With a wave of his hand the Son indicated the workshop bench to the right. It was just as cluttered but contained stacks of completed toys. They were hunched over and fuzzier than the one just completed as if they could not stand up as straight.
The Father frowned, “That will confuse them later on, but no, they aren’t the same.”
Picking up the new toy He tested its weight. “They’ll get heavier later on, but for now this is what they need. Did you see the Garden I made for them to hang out in? It’s the best.”
Silently the Son took the toy from his Father’s hands. Hefting it himself he held it up to the light, “They’re perfect.”
“Not perfect,” said the Father, “but they are to die for.”