"There are two themes that run through Maya's story children," said the old woman. "Who can tell me what they are? One's a word, and one's a picture. Which comes first?"
"Serendipity!" shouted the little girl.
"Which is?" prompted the woman.
"The word! The one that comes first!"
"It's true it is the word, but they actually..."
"Come at the same time." finished the boy, as if it was obvious.
"Yes they do, so can you tell me what the picture is?"
"A rock."
"A rock what?"
"Falling into water and making ripples."
"Why? Why is that important?"
"Because that's what her granny told her. Everything that ever happens is the rock, and it makes things happen, which are the ripples." said the girl.
"Well done! Now, who wants to hear the actual story?"
"Oh me! Me! I do!"
"Yeah, me too." said the boy, eager in spite of his efforts to look disinterested.
_________________________________________________________________________________
As Maya stood on the bridge, she was entranced by the water. She reached into her pocket, pulled out one of the pebbles she had collected earlier that morning, and dropped it into the water, fascinated by the ripples it created in the otherwise perfectly still surface.
Once those had disappeared, she chose another, and repeated the process, which is how the boy, dragged there by his mother, and let loose, as long as he 'stayed where I can see you!' found her. An odd little creature dropping rocks into the wateer.
"Why are you doing that?" he asked, making her jump.
"My granny told me that the rock is everything that ever happens, and everything that ever happens makes things happen, which are the ripples. My granny's so clever!"
"Oh, can I see?"
"Um maybe, but if you want to drop a rock, you'll have to find your own. Because these are MY rocks."
"Ok, if I want to drop a rock, I'll find one. But I don't know why you can't share!"
"Because I don't want to!"
"My mummy says that it's mean not to share."
"Yeah well I don't care! No one EVER likes sharing!"
"It's true, I don't like sharing. Especially not my Spiderman."
Plop. Another rock dropped into the water.
"What happens if they splash?" he asked.
"I don't know... When my granny comes back I'll ask her. She knows EVERYTHING!"
"Wow. That's a lot of things to know!" he said, awestruck.
"You know what, let's go find her! She's setting up our picnic."
"You're having a picnic!?"
"Yeah!"
They ran off, Maya's pebbles clinking in her pocket.
"Granny! Granny!" she shouted.
"Yes Maya?"
"Granny you know the ripples?"
"Yes," she said.
"What happens when the rocks splash?"
"Well... which rocks splash when you drop them in?"
YOU ARE READING
Serendipity (ON HOLD)
HumorShe's not just making ripples, she's making waves. Maya Pearson was always close to her grandmother, but when she passes away, her death leads her to cling to the only part of her she has left - her philosophies on life. Living in London, it's hard...
