Exercise 1: The Pebble
Hidden away on the inside of the jacket…
… lies an unassuming pebble.
“Lenox, I need you to take your hands out of your pockets now so that you can safely get onto the ride.”
The boy doesn’t look up.
“Lenox.” There’s a gentle tug on the jacket near the elbow.
The boy shakes his head.
The adult sighs and pulls away, running a hand through their hair before leaning back in.
“You don’t have to go too, but your friends are all going.”
The boy spares a quick glance to the seats, rocking in the shallow water. The world spins. He tightens his grip on the pebble. Staring back at the ground, the world slowly steadies.
“I guess they’ll be safe on the ride…” The adult looks around, clenching their hands together.
The adult exchanges a glance with the ride operator.
The ride operator yawns. “Are they good to go now?” the ride operator asks.
The adult looks down at the boy and then to the giggling children swaying on the rocking ride.
The adult pulls the boy closer to the side. They raise their chin. “Yes.”
The ride operator scratches their arm, then pulls the lever.
The ride clanks. The boy jerks. The other children get pulled away. The boy grasps for the pebble he’d just lost to the depths of his pocket.
They wait. The ride operator starts on a stick of gum. After a moment, the ride operator’s brow crinkles and they look at the boy. “You want one?”
The boy glances up. The boy shakes his head “no.” There’s a squeeze on his shoulder and the boy glances up at the adult who smiles and nods.
The boy glances back at the ride operator and nods. The ride operator grins and tosses one over. The boy jerks.
He looks down at the stick near his feet.
The adult sighs. “Seriously, why can’t you take your hands out of your pockets.”
The adult kneels down and unwraps the gum, helping the boy get it into his mouth.
The adult’s eyes go to the clenched hand in the pocket. “Do you have something in there?”
The boy turns his face away.
The adult looks over their shoulder at the ride operator, who doesn’t yawn. “What you got in there buddy?”
The boy tries to take a step back, but the adult’s got a grip on his jacket now. He shakes his head no.
“It’s alright; you don’t have to let go of it. If you take it out to show us, you can still hold onto it, but your hands will be out of your pockets! Wouldn’t that be fun?”
The boy shakes his head harder.
The ride operator leans closer.
“Come on.” The adult eases the boy’s arm out, pulling hard on the jacket.
The boy wrenches away with his whole might. “No. It’s my momma’s.”
The adult’s eyes widen and they stand up quickly.
“She said to hold onto it til she gets back.”
Tears fill the adult’s eyes. The ride operator looks between the two. The giggling children return. The ride lurches to a stop. The boy stares at the ground, clutching the pebble in his pocket.
thoughtswords 