Challenge
December 2024 Drabble: Give and Take
With the holiday season upon us, tell me a story about giving, taking, loving, losing, joy, sorrow. Any or all of the above. There's a prize for what I consider to be the most interesting entry. Here are the rules if you're interested in winning: tell me a story in exactly 100 words. Use prose, not poetry, standard punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Please do NOT tag me, I'll read all the entries conforming to the rules at the end of the challenge period.
How she lost her smile
She gave him her smile. And her youth. And her joy. He feasted on it all, then demanded more. But she was spent. Used up. Exhausted. Still he supped on her life-force, until, with her dying breath, she cast him out. Weakly she stumbled away, her faint heart-beat barely a flutter. But outside his shadow was warmth. And smiles. And youth. And joy. The frost around her heart was hard and cold. But slowly it melted away. Each kind word. Each soft gaze. Each peel of laughter. Until she grew a new smile. Different, sometimes sad, but just as beautiful.
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