The table

(By special request. Identifying info has been edited out to maintain everyone's privacy)


There was a girl who lived under the table.

She never came out.

No one ever went under with her.

Heck no one knew she was there.

She would watch the goings on in the house, but not say a word.

Many people came and went and she knew them all by their shoes.

Sometimes she would pinch their toes and try to get their attention. It never worked.

Other times she would be napping and get woken by a kick, or worse a smelly ol' sock right in the nose!

Sometimes she would cry. Wondering why no one was looking for her.

She wanted a friend to play with. She was lonely.

One sunny spring day, all the feet were under the table, and above she heard angry voices.
It was "YOU DO THAT!", or "YOU DID THIS!" and "I HATE YOU" and "I DON'T LIKE YOU!"
and "TELL HIM TO LEAVE US ALONE" and "I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER" and
"I'M NOT GOING TO BE COMPLIANT WITH THERAPY" and "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME HEAL" and on and on.

It hurt her ears.

There was talk of so and so leaving and so and so taking charge and all sorts of nonsense.

It hurt her heart.

They are a family, she thought, they should work together to do what needs to be done.

Swiftly and silently like a cat she laced all their shoes together.

There came a loud KABAAAMMMMM!! as someone smacked the table over her head.

Then one of the chairs slid back and toppled over as someone stood up quickly.

"I AM LEAVING" screamed a voice "I CANNOT LIVE IN A HOUSE FULL OF DISCORD AND CHAOS!"

The girl watched as the orange sneakered feet whirled and took flight.

They didn't go far.

With a zipping sound everyone was pulled from their chairs and leveled to the floor.

Suddenly the girl under the table found herself starring into the surprised eyes of the faces who belonged to all those feet.

They stared back at her in surprise.

No one spoke.

Her brown eyes bubbled like cola and she covered her mouth, "heehee"

A few eyebrows disapproved of her laughing, but she didn't care.

"Why don't you all just work together?" She asked.

"We can't" said the orange sneaker girl leaning up to untangle her shoe laces. "there are too many of us."

The table girl watched them unsuccessfully attempt to untie themselves.

The more they worked the tanglier they got.

At last they just got up and learned to walk and work together to get around and do things.

Later that summer the tangled feet came back to the table. "will you tell us how to get out of this mess?"

"heehee" the girl smiled. "Just slip off your shoes."

Their laughter shook her table. That night they set a place for her and she sat at the table with them.

They were a family after that. And she was not lonely again.

When they had troubles or problems or obstacles  (as all families do) they would sit at the table and get everyone's opinion on what they should do.

And it was peaceful in the house.

Thend.