Living in the Heart (1st Place)

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.” Jerry kissed her on the cheek and pulled out a bouquet of white roses hidden behind him.

“Oh, they’re beautiful,” Sandra replied.

Bowser, Sandra’s pet bulldog, wriggled his way in between them.

“Bowser, stop that now. You get enough attention,” She scolded. “Now, let’s go put these in some water.” Sandra disappeared into the kitchen, then re-entered the room with the flowers in a vase. She placed them in the center of her round dining room table. Jerry grinned and nodded at the nice choice.

“Let’s go for a ride, Mom. We can see the locust blossoms.”

“All right. That sounds wonderful.”

They drove until Jerry pulled into an old train station. He held two tickets in front of his mother’s eyes. She chuckled. “Oh, this is getting better by the minute, Jerry! I’m already on cloud nine!” She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

The bright sun lit up the old time locomotive. The sweet smell of locust blossoms lingered in the air. The smile on Sandra’s face was full and genuine. A sudden burst of steam came popping out of the engine. Startled, Sandra placed her hand over her heart. “Oh! Granddaddy took me on so many rides as a child. He was an engineer you know.”

Jerry nodded. He handed the tickets over and they stepped onto the old rail car.

“Now, for your final surprise.” Jerry held out his hand and pointed to the back of the rail car.

“Oh, my. Jenny! All the way from Singapore!” Sandra and Jenny hugged tightly.


That image etched in his heart, Jerry stared at his mother’s tombstone. He lay a dozen white roses there. Her last mother’s day was the happiest he’d ever seen her.

“Come on, Bowser. Let’s go home.”



299 Words
Flash Story Must contain: Bulldog, Train, Cloud