Steve and the Furry Egg

I know I know...It's been a long time. But I haven't been idle. Just working on super secret projects that are beyond blogger material. The inspiration is still there and still going strong, just directed elsewhere. In the meantime here is a little short story I put together just from a single simple action one morning...

Steve and the Furry Egg

A short story by Rami Abdo

“Shake it.”

“What? Why?” Steve looked up at me incredulously, then back at the lone egg sitting in the palm of my hand. It seemed to be on display, as if the sole purpose for the creation of my hand was to eventually show off this wonder of nature to the world around it.

“Just shake it.” I repeated myself. My insistence paid off. He picked up the egg carefully and shook it a few times. As soon as he did so his eyes widened, which produced a satisfactory feeling within me. “It’s like a dull thud isn’t it? A heavy cushioned rattle.” I tried to describe the sensation as clearly as I could but it wasn’t necessary. Once someone shook that egg in his or her hands no explanation was necessary anymore. It was a unique experience. “That’s not what an egg should sound like.” I said with furled eyebrows.

“Where did you get this from?” he turned it around to examine it, as if he was going to see something that shouldn’t have been there. It looked like a perfectly normal and unassuming egg.

“From the fridge. It’s been in there for 2 months. So...what do you think is in there?” I asked slowly. My question caused us both to stare at it again. We both didn’t want to answer it, even though in our heads the links began to form. Unsightly and sinister thoughts crept in without permission, and soon the overbearing silence emanating from the both of us was answer enough.

The ugly truth set in and we knew what had to be done. I pressed the button on the trash bin and the lid popped open automatically, its gaping greedy maw demanding to be fed. Slowly but surely Steve placed the egg as vigilantly as he could on top of the heap of rubbish. It nestled itself with abandonment atop a banana peel; cigarette butts and spaghetti leftovers becoming its new neighbours. We stood there and gazed at it intently for a few seconds.

“Should we say something?” I said finally after the overbearing awkwardness took over my rationale. It caused Steve to glance up at me very suddenly with an expression foretelling the fact that I had just suggested the most ridiculous concept ever for that exceptional set of circumstances, which I indeed had done so. My request opened up an array of philosophically challenging theories in our minds that were all simultaneously debated and resolved at once. The vast certainties of the cosmos stretched itself before us, and we dipped our toes into each of its infinite paths of existence. In that incredible moment the egg sitting atop our own generated refuse was a gateway to our souls. Our very humanity was in question...in danger. Everything we had ever achieved in our lives, our goals and ambitions, all the years under our belt, every choice we had ever made came down to this very instance of character. It would govern and judge our lives for an eternity to come.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Steve scornfully replied as he slammed the lid down and walked away. And just like that, the egg became just an egg again, and life was back to normal.