Selina De Luca

 Recently in a Facebook group I'm in for writing moms, someone posted a challenge to write a 100 word piece about the thing to your left and the colour of your shirt. I was sitting on the toilet (yup) so the thing to my left was the sink, and my shirt was blue. A blue sink. A story immediately unfolded, but it was 280 words, so I didn't post it in the comments. But I can post it here! Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash When people ask me about my grandma, I always think of three things: - the smell of stale coffee - the caramel candies she'd slip me - and the blue sink. I used to lean up against that sink and watch her squint into the mirror as she layered on her foundation and mascara. We used to brush our teeth together too, and spit at the same time. We would blow bubbles with our hands while we sang the hand-washing song. The water would drain so slowly and I would balance over the edge and spend several minutes just poking the bubbles as they lowered into the drain. ...

This is my third submission for the Writers to Writers Challenge on Instagram. To see my original submission, visit my Instagram page at @selinawriting. The prompt for this round was to include a "key", literally or figuratively. Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash Just Like Momma Danielle smiled. She liked her bow and the spunky nose Momma called a cute little button.  "I look pretty!" she chirped, and skipped downstairs for supper. She wanted to ask Momma what to bring for Show-and-Tell, but Momma looked busy. Danielle sat on the piano bench and watched Momma in the kitchen. Then she turned to admire the ebony wood and the shiny white keys, a long row of grinning teeth. She danced her fingers a hair above the keys and imagined music soaring like a bird over the sea. She plinked a little on the keys.  Suddenly, caught between her fingers sat the top of a key that had come loose. The piano's smile had a gap now, like hers did. Inspiration lifted Danielle's ...