Shattered Glass | Teen Ink

Shattered Glass MAG

February 19, 2009
By DarkenedStarlight BRONZE, St. Louis, Missouri
DarkenedStarlight BRONZE, St. Louis, Missouri
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

He slowly turns the pliers in his hand, curling the wire around itself. With one last squeeze, the next piece of his beach glass mobile is complete. It sparkles as he holds it up to the sun and translucent brown, blue, and green dance across weathered skin.

The soft sound of clinking glass echoes through the workshop. The small room is furnished with a table and a folding chair. Older mobiles hang from the ceiling, moving slightly from side to side. A 25-year-old fan sits in the corner, blowing softly, ruffling the pages of the book emblazoned with a cross that sits on the corner of the table. One framed photograph stands next to the book. It is of a younger man – brown bottle in hand, arms around a smiling woman – grinning into the camera on a picturesque beach. The photograph isn’t there for happy nostalgia. It is a reminder of what he has lost and what he still has to gain.

He pushes his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose and settles into the worn folding chair. He sifts carefully through the round-edged beach glass, looking for the right piece to attach next.

The browns and greens shine back into his eyes. He can still identify the color of glass that each beer brand used for their bottles. This green is for Hefeweizen, this brown for Budweiser. He wonders, as he always does, if these well-washed shards are from bottles he himself carelessly threw into the ocean.

The mobile is for his granddaughter, Andi. Her brother, Gordon, has a similar one – well, he does if Melissa hasn’t thrown it out. He wouldn’t blame his daughter if she had. She has every right to still hate him. She has every right to ignore his existence.

In his daydreams, the lovingly crafted mobiles hang over the cribs. Melissa and her husband might hate them but decide that the children need something of their only living grandparent. Melissa might use them as a lesson: never touch glass bottles; the stuff inside is pure poison.

Another piece is firmly attached, and he checks his watch. His meeting is in an hour. They are going to play cards. His wife loved cards. Every time they play at a meeting, he is reminded of how she had begged him to go to a meeting, to talk to someone, to call his brother, to play chess with Melissa, to take Max hunting for shells, to walk the dog on the beach, to feed the cat, to do anything but drown himself in a brown glass bottle.

He finds another piece of beach glass and carefully inserts a wire in the small hole, threading his past and tying it in a mobile to hang over his granddaughter’s bed, so she might know some day that he never meant to hurt anyone.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 154 comments.


on Jul. 18 2011 at 2:23 am
Anerio_Deorma BRONZE, NULL, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
NULL

Impressive. Simply.

I am not poetic enough to realize the deepest levels of meaning in this story, however I get the gist of what your saying. That is a good mark.


on Jul. 17 2011 at 11:44 am
Tongue_Blep PLATINUM, ????, Ohio
40 articles 1 photo 769 comments
I loved the story! and was impressed! Great job! It's so touching! (Sorry for the advertizing!) If any of u coulld read my two stories called the beast and nightstalker, that would be great! Also please post comments saying if u liked it or not. Thanks! And keep writing! :D

on Jun. 26 2011 at 6:08 pm
DontWorryBeHappy123987 SILVER, Weston, Florida
5 articles 3 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it&#039;s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life&#039;s realities. <br /> Dr. Seuss

This work touched me. It was trurly inspirational and carries a lot of meaning behind it. It is also very emotional too. I would look forward to reading more of this.

on Jun. 4 2011 at 6:41 pm
thedancingwriter, Atlanta, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments
this was chilling and beautiful! i loved it!

on Jun. 4 2011 at 4:49 pm
is ends the story in an amazing way, kinda like a cliffhanger, but kinda not. I love it :)

on Jun. 4 2011 at 8:31 am
That. Was. Amazing! for once it wasnt just another love story!good idea and excellent description!

on May. 13 2011 at 11:45 am
AGirlWithAStoryToTell BRONZE, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
Success is to be measured not to much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.<br /> -Booker Taliaferro Washington

Couldn't* (lol)

on May. 13 2011 at 11:44 am
AGirlWithAStoryToTell BRONZE, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
Success is to be measured not to much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.<br /> -Booker Taliaferro Washington

Amazing! Simiply amazing, I love it and continued stop reading!

 

Please come and read my novel The True Freedom and give me your insight!


on Apr. 21 2011 at 7:51 pm
perpetuallydancing GOLD, Prairie Village, Kansas
13 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you don&#039;t have any shadows, you&#039;re not standing in the light.&quot;<br /> - Lady Gaga

beautiful. i love realistic fiction, and this made it a whole lot better. thank you.

kailea said...
on Apr. 21 2011 at 7:37 pm
hahahaha xD

on Apr. 21 2011 at 4:59 pm
CanNeverHoldMeBack GOLD, Manhattan, Kansas
10 articles 0 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
friendships are like glass. sometimes it&#039;s better to leave them broken then hurt yourself trying to put them back together again.

Drowning in a bottle, a moments peace another addiction. i'm so sorry.

i loved it! Deep meanignt hat touches deep down, the core. Truely art! 


on Mar. 30 2011 at 9:23 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

beautiful :) keep up the good workk!

riteren BRONZE said...
on Mar. 8 2011 at 9:40 pm
riteren BRONZE, Oak Park, Michigan
3 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% your reaction to it&quot;

Ohhh, and you just did a perfect example of SHow, don't tell! I love love love love love it! Without saying anything, you just said everything. It is perfect! Wow! A++++ and then some! This is a piece of literary art, and I sure hope you write many more!

skeet skeet said...
on Mar. 8 2011 at 2:27 pm
ur mom is a piece of art lol;)

Angel1234 said...
on Feb. 28 2011 at 12:48 pm
Angel1234, Millwaukee, Wisconsin
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Peace,love,harmony,would i suceed or fail,strong,weak,broken,I am no longer a drug, you cant take a person and use them, love hate, and trust, im a beautiful melody, conquer, horror beauty, I am no antique, Magic surrounds you, your aura is great&quot;

WOW. Nice job that was well written, this is a peicee of art.

KairiL SILVER said...
on Feb. 19 2011 at 10:21 pm
KairiL SILVER, Milpitas, California
8 articles 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine. and for one; just once, understand.&quot;-Anonymous

I like how you kept the emphasis on the morals. It was very well written.

on Feb. 14 2011 at 11:07 pm
Elizabeth_Day SILVER, Battle Ground, Washington
9 articles 0 photos 34 comments
I really like this.  It had great imagery and a deep theme.  Just remember to vary your sentence openers.  There were lots of sentences that started with the subject-verb format.  Try mixing it up with some dependent clauses or prepositional phrases.  Anyways, congrats on making TI's "front page" and keep it up!

on Jan. 26 2011 at 10:02 pm
MaysileeDonner BRONZE, Milpitas, California
3 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Too close, I thought. There was nothing wrong with fire... as long as you didn&#039;t stand too close.&quot;

WoW, the whole time i was reading i kept wanting more and more. your vague style added a great atmosphere to the story and it was sad and beautiful at the same time

 


on Jan. 23 2011 at 3:01 pm
HidingBoy SILVER, Hartsdale, New York
9 articles 11 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
The lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. -Ashrei

amazing piece, good job

RozaB SILVER said...
on Jan. 23 2011 at 10:07 am
RozaB SILVER, Milpitas, California
8 articles 0 photos 39 comments
Beautiful. Best piece I've read on teen ink so far.