FLASH FICTION
Jigsaw Puzzle
Putting the pieces together
We separate the sky from the other pieces by tossing any that include the faintest fleck of blue onto a mound of sapphire, navy, and cornflower. Starting at the top, we work our way down and, as each piece clicks into place, the picture falls from the sky in front of us.
We forge mountains, plant trees, and then sow fields into the foreground.
With the final pieces snapped into place we run our hands over the finished scene, feeling the grooves of the interlocking edges. We’ll spend years admiring what we’ve built together.
When I have to tackle the puzzle alone, I start in the same way; passing pieces from the box, through my hands, to the upturned lid, searching for the pieces that frame the image. It takes days of sifting before I realize that they are no longer there.
Friends tell me that it’s important to carry on regardless, that given time the pieces will turn up. So I sort through the colors, the sky, the trees, and begin to rebuild the picture from the inside out.
Progress is slower with only one pair of hands.
Some days I barely manage to slot in a single piece at all. But, over time, the picture begins to take shape. When the box is empty, the same scene is laid out ahead of me but, without the edge pieces to frame it, it is jagged and rough.
