the key

There were beautiful broken pieces of colored glass everywhere. Paired with stray ceramic pieces that once belonged to something - somewhere. The liquid words were spilled out everywhere for her to mop up - or not. As she sat amidst the messiness, she smiled. The light was pouring through the window in a neatly compacted ray of warm golden light. It reminded her of "Kitsugi"; The process of filling in the cracks of broken pottery with gold. The Japanese have an approach to mending broken things. "They believe that when something's suffered damage or has a history it becomes more beautiful." Beauty from brokenness was the result. That which was seemingly damaged and useless to some, could be rendered useful and beautiful to another. Was she broken and in need of mending? Was she beautiful and useful to someone - somewhere? She sure hoped so! Maybe they'd come back for her ... or maybe they'd call soon. She answered the little ringing telephone that rang loudly, even though it wasn't connected to a line. She listened to the giggling rising from the receiver as she held it cautiously up to her ear. She opted out of saying 'hello' but rather chose to listen in breathless silence. The giggling was persistent and pink. She waited. And then nothing. The line went dead, but was dead to begin with, so it was no wonder. She dropped the receiver back into its' cradle and stood to brush her self off. As she stood, she bumped her head. Realizing that either she had grown while in that room, or the room was getting smaller. Either way, she needed to get outside to the porch, to rescue her new friends in their now snow-dampened packages. Then there was a knock at the door. The knock came from about a third of the way up the door. The knocking didn't stop even though she sat silently waiting for it to. "Come in?" she whispered as a curious question. She sat wide eyed and nervous. Nothing. The knocking continued. "Come in I said!" Again, nothing but knocking. She grabbed a handful of broken pottery and heaved it at the inside of the door she sat facing. "I said COME IN!" The knocking stopped. Then she heard his voice. "There's a lock on the door out here. Do you have a key? I can't get in without it."