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Toast, my drawing challenge

Welcome to my drawing challenge with Toast.

I’m so very happy that so many people could come toast something this week.

We artists, writers, friends and strangers are: Katrin, Barbara, Marian, Kristen, Roberto, Renee, Nadine, Patrice, Lucia, Anneke, Eric, Joke, Linda, Sabine, Tammie, Mano, Stefanie, Carole, Renilde, Susan, Kelly, Dawn, Becca, Jennifer, Melodye, and Catherine and Dot 

I hope everyone can manage to swing by the blogs, FB pages etc. Such wonderful people as we are should really all know each other.

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When I was five years old my father put his cup of coffee down on the breakfast table, reached into his pocket and handed me a small test tube full of fossilised sea shells. I shook it like a rattle.
“Gently”, he said, “these have been dead a long time. Little things, little things are fragile.” He said.
“Remember”, he said, “time kills everything”, he said, “time kills everything.”
Those were the last words I remember him saying.
From time to time, I spill the seashells into my palm and count them. There are 146 sea shells in that test tube spiralling perfectly in simple geometry, according to the golden mean, by the law of nature.
I tip them from one hand to the other listening to them click against each other. They leave traces of prehistoric sand in my palms.
I close my eyes and I see the test tube on the breakfast table, I see my father’s tired eyes. I hear him speak.
Time kills everything, he said that day at the breakfast table while I sat beside him holding the test tube in my hand.
And the dead world inside the test tube remains exactly as before.
And he said nothing more and looked at the sky through the open window. On the table, an uneaten slice of toast, a half empty bowl of cereal, a cold cup of coffee, crumbs.

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A little story, half fiction, half real

A little collage half fiction, half real: a page made from various bits of pages, on an old ledger, directions for a swift chess win (not quite fool’s mate), a bit of music, a bit of a toast recipe, charcoal, a stamp, gold crumbs.

The page and the little story were inspired by this little test tube of prehistoric sea shells. It used to belong to my birth father and he gave it to me when I was very little. It’s about the only thing I remember of him.

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Comments: 25

  • January 16, 2015
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    Listening to the shells. I wonder what they talk about inside their test tube?
    Thanks for the fun challenge Veronica.

  • January 16, 2015
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    Dear Veronica, I love your Story. For me the Story is sad and magical. I can picture such a Moment. Thank you for this, for your Collage and especially for this drawing challenge. Lucia

  • January 17, 2015
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    Wonderful story, I can feel that moment of the time you remember, and he was wrong, even that moment in time has never died, and now we too will keep it alive, and in passing on will remain so…

  • Catherine Llewellyn

    January 17, 2015
    reply

    hey – what about my entry?? 🙁 XX

      • Catherine Llewellyn

        January 18, 2015
        reply

        yay! thanks 🙂 XX

  • January 17, 2015
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    Hi, V! Thanks for inviting me to participate! It was a lot of fun and pushed me to do something new and creative.

    Just posted my “toast” over on my blog. Come see:
    http://rebeccabarray.com/2015/01/toast-veronicas-drawing-challenge/

    Becca 😉

  • January 17, 2015
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    oh veronica, it’s a wonderful little story, a bit sad, but you have these beautiful seashells in memory of your father. your collage is really great, I like it very much!
    🙂 mano

  • January 17, 2015
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    That’s a beautiful memory. The words he said to you… You remembered it well and also have a special gift from your birthfather. I think about my mother. When she died we liked to give our sons a gift from her. They chosed it themselves. Both wanted that limonadeglass. They could choose a lot of different things, but they wanted that glass.

  • January 17, 2015
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    Beautiful story! Beautiful image!

  • January 17, 2015
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    from the sea to the land, from the land…… in a test tube by a hand, from his hand to yours, to this touching post.
    that’s transformation at it’s best!
    the golden crumbs…like bits and pieces of a memory, glowing somewhere in our brain.
    such a wonderful mix of fiction and reality.

    thanks for being our host Veronica, i did have fun.

  • January 17, 2015
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    A lovely story, emotionally sad, yet full of color and the shells from long, long ago!
    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/?s=The+Adventures+of+Fuzzy+and+Boomer&submit=Search
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

  • January 17, 2015
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    lovely, evocative and poignant….the uneaten breakfast and the shells in the tube…the last words.
    A beautiful and thoughtful piece of writing….

  • January 17, 2015
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    that is a wonderful story
    have real and half made up
    i have a small vial full of miniature shells as well
    you make me want to share it with my grandsons when they are old enough
    to count each one, i have no idea as to how many there are
    thank you for being our lovely host!

  • January 17, 2015
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    beautiful but sad story…..

    those old sea shells
    your drawing
    the golden bread crumbs
    a memory to cherish

    xx
    Patrice A.

  • January 17, 2015
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    perfect poetry, a little fiction, a little real… life! and a circle, if one. the symbolism doesn’t go amiss. and how lovely , your intro on how we {should} connect while we last; your collage illustrating it all. powerful, veronica…. n?

  • January 18, 2015
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    Your wonderful childhood memory spoke to me. Love your collage. Thanks for hosting. – eric

  • January 18, 2015
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    such a beautiful andt touching story, dear Veronica, life is fragile
    thank you x Stefanie

  • January 18, 2015
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    Wow! what a story Veronica- beautifully written as well- and your piece is wonderful too- the little flecks of gold- so delicate and mysterious- I had such a feeling of warmth and wonder …I’m going to have to look at it agin- thanks for the fun theme- everyone has had such great responses!

  • January 19, 2015
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    Hi Veronica, phew I’m late.
    I like your story in sounds at the same time magical, tender and sad – all what a good story needs.
    Your collage with the different papers and little sprinkle of gold fits perfect to theme story and shells.

  • daryledelstein

    January 19, 2015
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    beautiful and touching .. and image/imagination provoking xo

  • January 20, 2015
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    Holy cow you had me going there. This story grabbed me and if it were a book I’d be pages and pages into it by now. You have a writing talent, never mind your wonderful art. This collage beginning promises. It feels vital. What a great launch for a drawing challenge Veronica! Now I must push off and go see others’ toasts. *smiles* Norma

  • January 23, 2015
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    Hi. Veronica. I come to ask your apology. because I said I would participate in your DC. and finally, all this week passed and I could not do my “Toast” , This week I had a lot of work. and I had not a minute to think something with your proposal! I´m so sorry! 🙁

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