Sea Nails

He sent a registered letter:a statement saying that we are not a family any more.

I tore the letter into pieces and scattered them all over the city and the roads leading to all the major cities, so I would know how to find my way back.I was afraid that the evil spirits might blow away my way.

I went down to the sea shore and took some sea nails. It was quite a chore nailing all These paper crumbs to the ground. Tired I glued some with the starchy water of my eyes.

" The house" I said frantically, "where is that piece of paper which says "house"?

If I don't find it the house is gone and I'll never have a place to sleep at, again".

My children and my grandchildren came running. "Search" I said, "search for the house " The little one could not read so I showed him the picture of the house.

They kept searching. They found only a few pieces. "let's call it a night" said my daughter-in-law.

"we can't" I said. "we can't. It is our life blood. It is ours. We can't let him do it to us .Find the word! The word. All beginnings are made with the word. We will build a house of words. The words will obliterate the letter he sent. They are stronger than him and his lawyer.

I could see my son's face getting red. I was afraid he would lose his temper just as his uncle who exiled us, did.

"Words are meaningless," said my clever lovely daughter. She held a sea nail between her lips.

"careful, " I said, "Careful, you might get hurt."

"I found it", cried my eldest grandson." I found it". He caressed the word gently, lovingly and placed it on the shoulder of the road.

 "Nail it, nail it' I cried "or it will blow away".

"Stop whining" said my son-in-law.

My now husband started carrying-on. "you never stop, do you?"

I knelt next to the letters: H O U S E. I kissed them, one by one.

There was a noise and the letters rattled and they neared each other and a letter approached and touched another letter, and they rose re-creating the house I lived in before he exiled me.

Sunnyvale, May 2013