Challenge
December 2024 Drabble: Give and Take
With the holiday season upon us, tell me a story about giving, taking, loving, losing, joy, sorrow. Any or all of the above. There's a prize for what I consider to be the most interesting entry. Here are the rules if you're interested in winning: tell me a story in exactly 100 words. Use prose, not poetry, standard punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Please do NOT tag me, I'll read all the entries conforming to the rules at the end of the challenge period.
The Trade
Lifelong friends Billy and Mark have traded often with each other.
They began swapping baseball cards as children, and graduated to tools and Legos as young adults. Now in their fifties, they exchange bumper stickers and rare coins.
Unable to contact Billy for a month, Mark went to his friend’s home and found him in a deep depression. Mark tried to cheer him by offering to trade his Lincoln-era nickels.
“No more trades,” Billy said. “My wife died. I don’t want to live.”
Mark sat next to his friend. “How about one more? My hope for your grief?”
Billy cried.