The Tea Cup - Creative Corner 4

Writing Prompt from "642 Things to Write About" book.

Write a Short Story That Is Set In Argentina in 1932, In Which a Teacup Plays a Crucial Role

Julia stared fondly at the white porcelain teacup in her hands as she dried it off with a cloth from the sink.  The original set had been given to her some fifty years ago by her mother and had been passed down from generation to generation.

Dark red roses were randomly scattered across the glossy white of the porcelain, looking as beautiful now as the first time she had seen them.  Back in 1882 when her mother had given her the tea set on the eve of her marriage, there were eight cups and six saucers but time, travel and numerous grandchildren had whittled her collection down to this single cup and saucer, with a small chip on the side of the cup.

As the bright Argentinian morning sunshine streamed through the windows of her small balcony in her first floor apartment, Julia let her mind wander back over the decades, thinking of her children and her grandchildren, all of whom had loved the tea set and had played with it since they were children.

Now they all had their lives of their own.  Grandma’s rose tea set was a fond memory to them all and on family get-togethers they would all squabble about who would inherit the last cup.

Julia was now 80 years old.  In their later years Julia and her husband Charles had moved to Argentina to enjoy the winter years of their lives but now, in 1932, some 5 years after Charles had passed away, Julia suddenly felt very lonely, standing in her kitchen holding on to the small tea cup.

Maybe it was time the tea cup, and she, moved back to home, to her family in Devon.