Some More of God’s Greatest Mistakes

The paint chips Jonathon was breaking off the rowboat hurt his fingers, but he kept on picking at them anyway. Pick, pick, ow, suck on fingers. They weren’t bleeding yet so sucking on them only tasted bitter and left his mouth feeling powder dry and tingling. He kept on picking. He couldn’t stop until he reached the end of one of the big patches of flaking paint or until his fingers started showing specks of red between the white paint flecks. That was his habit, and habit for Jonathon was everything.

No rule said he couldn’t wash his mouth to stop the dry feeling or the tingle, though, so with his right hand still picking paint chips he reached down his left inside the boat and grasped around for the lid of the chest he’d stuck his water bottle in to. His hand found the points of a hacksaw someone had abandoned on the bottom of the rowboat first, and then the rusty metal fastener that kept the chest’s lid closed. He opened it by feel and pried the lid back with the cracking sound of old wood resisting new intrusions.

The water bottle was still cold and prickly with condensation when he put his hand around it. He pulled it out and saw a drop of blood begin to run down the side, comingling with the water. Jonathon stopped picking paint chips for a moment in confusion. He always stopped when he saw blood, but this blood was coming out of the wrong finger. It was from the hand that held the water bottle which was brilliant, glistening and glittery as every drop of water reflected sunlight differently.

He’d cut his finger on the hacksaw before he’d found the chest’s lid. Now he had to race to the end of the patch of peeling paint before the blood dropped off the bottom of the bottle. The new rule came all at once, from everywhere and nowhere, and Jonathon became frantic in his efforts as he tried to meet it. Pick, pick, pickpickpickpick, pick. His other hand was bleeding too now. Good. That balanced it.

this is from my latest workshop.  i’ve finished a first draft of a new story also, but right now i hate it and not at all sure it’s salvageable.  starting a new thing though, which is fun and hopefully i’ll like it better.  thanks for the support, everyone