Flash Fiction
Eating a Whale
Two days ago, Jiejie’s last message: “大吃一鲸!” She’s under a suspended whale skeleton, mouth open, the perspective forced so she looks like she is, as she says, eating a whale.
She looks so happy.
Jiejie and I: cousins, opposites. She studied abroad; I stayed home. She was BSci, MSci, nearing PhD. I failed Gaokao. (Twice.) Our family called her 好孩子, a good kid; I was 还好, with a painful grin, if anyone dared ask.
But we were close.
Were.
Ma told me. “她跳楼.” — “She jumped out a window.”
I should grieve. Can’t. Too angry.
Why didn’t you talk to me, Jiejie? Weren’t we close? Why didn’t you say something?
Now I look again. “大吃一鲸!” A pun, the characters sounding like “I’ve had a shock”. She’s captioned the photo “自然” – Nature.
And I see.
It’s another pun. 孜然 – Call me.
I search for that dead whale. It’s called Hope.
Oh, Jiejie, Jiejie. You always thought far too much of me.
Winner of Flash!Friday Fire and Ice Sol 13.
First published Nov 6th 2020 at https://flashfriday.wordpress.com/2020/11/06/fireice-sol-13-19/#comment-104538