A Reason To Clean. A Short Story.
Grace shoved the book she'd been reading aside. It was time to put her plan into action. She flicked her long silver plait over her shoulder, and looked around her living room. Where should she start?
The title of the book, was "Swedish Death Cleaning." Rather morbid, but on point, Grace thought. She really did have far too many things.
Grace grabbed a roll of rubbish bags and tore one off. She was ready. The author had suggested that one should start with the easy stuff: rubbish, junk, old food, and broken items. That would be easy.
She moved quickly through the rooms of her moderate home, and threw anything rubbishy looking into the bag. It didn't take too long. She lived alone. Greg had passed on suddenly a few years previously, and now there was only one "G."
Grace had finally parted with most of his possessions. Now it was her own stuff's turn.
By the end of the day, Grace had moved on to the kitchen drawers as well as her book collection. The latter had proved tougher than she'd anticipated, and she'd allowed several volumes to linger in her hands. Now, though, a box of paper treasures waited for her to place them in the boot of her car.
Grace kept up the pace the following day, turning her attention to the living room with its stacks of now defunct DVD's.
"Mom?" The voice brought her out of her reverie. She smiled at her youngest.
"Leah, I'm glad you stopped by. I was thinking of putting the kettle on."
"What are you up to?" Leah glance around the room took in several bare shelves. "Cleaning?"
"Kind of." Grace chuckled as she took out two mugs and her best coffee. "A bit more involved though. I'm lightening my load."
Leah sat opposite Grace at the scarred kitchen table. A sheet of hair, so like her mother's, but almost black, fell forwards. "Are you becoming a minimalist, Mom? Very trendy." She smiled. "Just don't get rid of everything. I might want a keepsake."
Grace stirred her latte slowly. "No, it's not that. I have heard of the movement though." She patted Leah's hand. "And of course you can take whatever you want. You, and Jake, and Eva." Grace took a sip of her drink before continuing. "I've been reading. And thinking a lot. It's not right that you should have to go through all my junk when I'm not here, and after all, I can't take anything with me."
"Mom..." Leah's expression looked pained.
"No, just listen for a moment." Grace kept her voice calm. She couldn't hide the joy in her tone though. "I don't expect to be here for much longer, Leah. I don't expect any of God's children to be. Jesus is fetching us soon, and I want to be ready."
***
Dry leaves eddied around her ankles as Leah hurried up her mother's driveway. She clutched her phone in one hand. The excited voice of the news anchor could still be heard on the livestream. "And the numbers are climbing. Millions are reported to be missing."
In a cloud of numbness and horror, she reached the front door and inserted her key. Absurdly, she imagined her mother still cleaning and de-cluttering within.
But as she turned the handle, her mother's recent words prepared her for what she would find.
"Jesus is fetching us soon."
He had.
***
Copyright: pencil in His Hand.
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