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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: CLUMSY (04/11/19)
Mirror, Mirror, Off the Wall

Minnie jogged up the steps to the second floor, taking care to avoid the loose board on the second step from the top. She walked quickly into her boss’ office, where she saw a young lady examining the large mirror on the wall.

“Are you Lily?” Minnie asked.

“Yes,” Lily replied. “Who are you?”

“I’m Minnie. Mrs. Graham sent me to help you take the mirror downstairs.”

“Finally. I asked Aunt Mabel to get me some help 30 minutes ago.”

“Well, stop grousing. You’ve got help now.”

Minnie walked over to Lily.

“Grousing?” Lily mimicked Minnie.

“Complaining,” Minnie retorted.

“Whoa, I know what it means,” Lily answered. “Not many people use it.”

Uncomfortable silence hung momentarily.

“Anyway, thanks. Let’s sort this out.” Lily motioned toward the mirror. “It’s pretty heavy so I think we need to stabilize it from the bottom and lift it off the hanger.”

Minnie rubbed her chin and examined the mirror. “Agreed.”

The young ladies lifted the mirror off its hanger, ensured they had it balanced, and started toward the doorway.

“Minerva,” Mrs. Graham called from downstairs, “is everything okay up there?”

“Yes, Mrs. Graham,” Minnie replied. “We’ve got it.”

“Oh, good. Make sure you girls are careful.”

“We will, Aunt Mabel,” Lily confirmed.

“Good girl, Lily.”

Clearly perturbed, Minnie leaned toward Lily and whispered, “And, my name’s not Minerva.”

Lily gave a soft chuckle. “And I’m not a girl anymore.”

Minnie rolled her eyes as if to say, “Whatever.”

They maneuvered the mirror through the doorway. Making sure they had it balanced, they headed toward the steps.

Minnie’s response had piqued Lily’s curiosity. Minnie seemed almost insulted that Aunt Mabel had called her Minerva. Much more upset than Lily was at Aunt Mabel’s calling Lily a girl.

“So what is it, Minnie?” Lily inquired cautiously.

“What’s what?” Minnie asked.

“Your name. What is it if it’s not Minerva?” Lily clarified.

Minnie stopped and put her end of the mirror on the floor. Lily did the same. Minnie looked at Lily and tried to size her up. Explaining her name was usually an interesting endeavor for Minnie.

Minnie started to speak and stopped. She bit her lip. “It’s Minnehaha,” she said after a brief pause.

Lily thought a moment and tilted her head toward Minnie. “You’re Native American?”

Minnie shook her head. “My parents were looking for a unique name for me. My mother did her thesis on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. So Minnehaha.”

“Hmmm, I see” alluding to Hiawatha, Lily asked, “should you be grateful you weren’t a boy?”

“That’s actually funny, more so than most people’s responses.”

Minnie bent down to pick up her end of the mirror again.

“Wait a minute,” Lily said.

“What?” Minnie asked.

“Didn’t Minnehaha die?” asked Lily.

“Yeah,” Minnie confirmed, exasperated. “I don’t know what they were thinking.”

“It sounds like they were thinking they didn’t like you,” Lily kidded.

Minnie shook her head and grinned. “That is kind of funny,” she thought.

They picked up the mirror and got it balanced again.

They started down the steps, Lily first. She stepped onto the first step and then the second, the one with the loose board. The step shifted and Lily lost her balance. She dropped her end of the mirror to brace herself.

Of course, Minnie couldn’t hold the mirror by herself and it went tumbling – end over end – down the steps.

Lily and Minnie looked in horror at the broken carcass of the mirror at the bottom of the steps.

Lily cleared her throat. “Would it be too crass to say that the mirror has gone the way of Minnehaha?”

Minnie, digging her tongue into her cheek, glared at Lily.

Lily looked at Minnie.

Minnie’s face softened. They looked at each other and giggled.

“That was almost clever,” Minnie acknowledged.

They stood in silence for a moment.

“I actually didn’t like that mirror,” Lily remarked, breaking the silence.

“Me either,” Minnehaha said.
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This article has been read 277 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Linda Lawrence
04/18/19
This story had my attention all the way through. Very creative. But I felt the last two sentences, the ending, was a let-down. I be you could come up with something better. You are obviously clever. enough to do so.
Tracy Nunes 
04/19/19
What a great surprise about Minihaha! The characters were unique. Very clever. Well done!
Rachel Burkum
04/19/19
A delightful little story! Very creative, with a lot of potential. The more you write (and read), the more you'll learn how to smooth out your writing around dialogue. I felt often the clarification on who was speaking wasn't necessary - it was already obvious. Sometimes phrases like "Lily said," and "Minnie asked," are already implied, so aren't needed. They could be left out all together, or some form of action could be added there instead to avoid the overuse of "said," "asked," "replied," etc. Loved your creativity, and I did not expect the mirror to fall! Good job.
Barbara Culler 
04/22/19
Oops! I had to read this a couple of times to get the feel of what was going on, and why Lily tended to be rude. Fun story within a story.