The Princess and the Pearl: A Cautionary Haibun

 The Princess and the Pearl: A Cautionary Haibun
 
Lily’s father took her to the Oyster House every Saturday. They sat at the small tables, on wobbly chairs, and ordered oysters and buttermilk. Lily liked hers with hot sauce and vinegar. She liked her buttermilk with three shakes of black pepper. Vintage photos of Miss America contestants lined the wall behind them. Boozy old men sat at the bar drinking beer and shots of whiskey.
 
     funnel clouds on the horizon spinning shades of gray
                            
 
One Saturday, Lily had a feeling that something extraordinary was going to happen.
“Perhaps this will be the day that I find my pearl,” she thought.
When the waiter brought the oysters to the table, Lily couldn’t decide which one to choose. So, she closed her eyes, made a wish, and picked the fat one on the right. She sank her teeth into the vinegar-laced breading. As it melted on her tongue, she felt something hard scrape against her tooth. Holding her breath and being very careful not to swallow, she extracted a rather large oddly-shaped yellow pearl.
“I found it! I found my pearl!” Lily squealed.
 
      free fall she steps into her red high heels
 
Lily’s father let out a loud laugh and the boozy old men turned and stared. The Miss Americas stared back. The bartender came out from behind the bar, drying his hands on his dingy white apron. He looked at the pearl and held it up to inspect it.
“I’ve never seen a pearl quite this color before,” he announced, as he buffed it with his dish rag. “And it’s so large and bumpy. I’m sure there’s not another one like it! You must have it made into a ring!”
 
                              the wizard behind the curtain smoke and mirrors
                                                                                                                                               
Suddenly the bar came alive. There were oohs and ahs from the old men. The bartender puffed out his chest. And everyone was talking about Lily and her pearl. She felt like a Princess. The Miss Americas continued to stare from the back wall. They knew what it was like to be a princess, to find your pearl and to lose it. But Lily was too young and too excited to notice them. She was too busy thinking about that ring and how she was going to find her Prince.
                             
                               still searching somewhere along the yellow brick road
 
  

by Susan Beth Furst
The Fredericksburg Literary & Art Review Spring & Summer 2018

How is your Sunday? I hope you are taking time to rest and relax. When God created the world he set aside a day to rest, not because he needed it, but for us. It is a tough world out there so I hope you will take this time to rest and enjoy your family and the day. 

A scripture of hope should you need some;

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
​in my own words....