Frozen
They were frozen in fear. They knew that as soon as they were taken from their home, the end would be near. There was some comfort in being one of many, but their numbers, unfortunately, did not garner strength. The chilly environment was too much for most of the inhabitants (the birds, for example), but for them it meant protection, solidarity, life. But that solidarity would too rapidly melt away, and once they were all gone, they would soon be replaced. A new vessel, filled to the brim, would come in and await the same fate.
The door would open, at times, and they would wait in anticipation. Others would be taken, but not them; not this time. Then, without warning, light floods the cavern and one by one they are plucked out and tossed into the amber liquid that will, of course, assist in bringing about the end of their short lives.
It is cool at first, but not enough. They can float there for a while in what will assuredly be their glass coffin, but as the liquid is drained, so are their spirits. They are left at the bottom to melt away in a pool of their own essence. The heat, the dreaded warmth of the sun beats down through the glass, mercifully expediting the inevitable end.
Laura finished the last of her iced tea and continued to work in her flower garden. The ice in her glass melted quickly in the summer heat.
Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich
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