Contest #135 winner 🏆

Home of the Brave

Submitted into Contest #135 in response to: Write about a casual act of bravery.... view prompt

225 comments

Bedtime Western Indigenous

A mom’s job is never truly finished—Elise knew this instinctively when her son was born. For at least the hundredth time, she sat next to his bed in that chair mending his quilt. There was no way of knowing, the day she bought it at a flea market, that it would become her son’s most valued possession. 


To call it a quilt stretched the definition as it was nothing more than a thousand pieces of oddly shaped swatches stitched together, layer after layer, until the whole of it was thick enough to hold in the warmth of a small boy's body as he drifted off to sleep. The person who pieced together this labor of love must have spent countless hours shaping the useless remnants into a usable blanket. Elise felt it was her duty to repair the inevitable rips as an homage to the unknown creator and as a manifestation of her adoration for the little boy who cherished it.


“I love how cool it feels when I first get into bed,” her little man observed the first night he wrapped himself in the old quilt. “But before long, it warms up, and I’m snug as a bug in a rug. Where did you get it?” 


The question was one whose answer was too mundane to inflict on a wide eyed little boy, so Elise stretched the truth just a little. “It was brought over on the Mayflower by the Pilgrims,” she answered to her son's delight. “It’s made from pieces of fabric from all over Europe and is the first blanket used by the first Americans.”


It was just a little white lie, but it was also the beginning of a cherished tradition. As stitches unraveled and as tears ripped the quilt and the little boy's heart, Elise sat by his bed and mended the heirloom. Then she would continue the "true" story of how the quilt had found its way to her son. 


“During the Revolutionary War, your quilt was captured by General Cornwallis and used to keep his legs warm on the cold winter nights.” Elise said, weaving a story as intricate as the blanket itself. “It wasn’t until the surrender at Yorktown that it was returned.”


“Yorktown?”


“Yes, Yorktown,'' she said smiling, “George Washington took it from Cornwallis and used it during his eight years as president.”


“You mean my blanket has been to the White House?” 


“Of course it has,” Elise answered with a wink. “But not because of George Washington, silly. John Adams was the first president to live in the White House.”


“Who then, Mom? ``The little boy asked., “Who took my blanket to the White House?”


“That’s a story for later,” Elise replied, kissing her son on his forehead. “Now you get some sleep, and I’ll continue the story next time.”


Elise, unfortunately, had far too many opportunities to continue the blanket’s tale as her son was given to debilitating headaches. At first, the doctors thought he was prone to systemic migraines, but the truth was much worse. Many nights, too many, the little boy would curl up in pain, his teeth clenched in a faux smile. The headaches were excruciating, only soothed by a cold wash cloth, his mother’s gentle voice, and the telling of the quilt’s tale as he drifted off to sleep. 


There were also many a night where Elise would sit with her son as he slept, meticulously piecing back together the tears that threatened the blanket entirely, wishing there was a way she could also mend her son. The room would be completely quiet save for the sound of Elise’s song. It was something she had done since she was his age. Inadvertently yet intentionally she would let the air slip through her lips, creating a tune just for him that would live for that moment, replaced the next time by one equally beautiful and equally unique.


“As it turns out, the first time the quilt made it to the White House was just after Abraham Lincoln was elected president,” Elise said the next night, continuing the story from where they’d left off. The pain had become more frequent and more intense, requiring more chapters more often. The story's continuation, however, had the desired results, a distraction and a smile.


“Abraham Lincoln, he used my quilt, too?” her son asked, too young to doubt his mother. 


“Of course he did,” Elise responded, tickling her son just to hear him laugh. “It’s a little known fact, but Mount Rushmore was actually created to show all of the presidents who used your blanket.”  


Elise always had a basin of cold water by her side whenever she sat with her son. Very early on she learned that the coolness of the cloth would help quiet the pain in his head. It was her greatest joy to moisten the cloth keeping it cold throughout her story. The little boy’s head still throbbed, but while his mom was telling the story she would gently wipe his forehead with the cold cloth, and it was almost as if he forgot the pain for a time. If all went well, he would fall asleep listening to the tale of his blanket, as sleep was becoming his only relief from the pain.


“Did you know your blanket went to the moon?” Elise asked one day when her son seemed particularly down. “Neil Armstrong may have been the first man to set foot on the moon, but he laid out your quilt so he and Buzz Aldrin could have a picnic.” 


The idea of two astronauts having a picnic on the moon resulted in spontaneous laughter for both mother and son. 


“Is Buzz Lightyear named after Buzz Aldrin?” he asked his mom, as both continued to laugh.


“As a matter of fact he was,” Elise replied with a smile. “If you must know, Buzz Aldrin presented your quilt to Buzz Lightyear as a gift which means your blanket has been…”


“To infinity and beyond!” 


“Exactly,” Elise confirmed as she refreshed his cloth and placed it back on his head.


Day after day she would take her boy to doctors and then specialists and eventually to the hospital. Then, night after night, she would sit by his bed and tell the story of the quilt. Elise did everything she could to stretch out the story, and as each new adventure was passed from mother to son so too was hope, in the only way she knew how.  


The night that she finished the story was, in so many ways, just like most of the other nights. Elise was home in her favorite chair next to her son’s bed. Her breathing was labored and her voice unsteady. “And then I stopped by a flea market on my way home from the store and there it was, your beautiful, wonderful blanket. I knew you must have it, so I scooped it up, paid the nice woman, and brought it home to you.”


Tears filled Elise’s eyes as she sewed the last stitch on the old quilt. Holding it up, she remembered the first time her son covered himself with the blanket. I love how cool it feels when I first get into bed.


“It’s finally fixed. It’s perfect.” Elise said out loud, tears continuing to flow. “I love how cool it feels, too.” 


Summoning every bit of her strength, she lay the beloved blanket on the empty bed in front of her. 


Being a mom is a job that is never truly finished, at least she had hoped so. With nothing else left to do for her son, she sat back in the chair and silently sobbed. 

March 03, 2022 19:56

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225 comments

Sophia Gavasheli
17:17 Aug 27, 2022

Very touching and sad story. It reminds me of "The Liar" by Kathleen Fine. I wonder if the boy realizes that the story of the quilt is fabricated. Would he mind?

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Aby Elenwo
08:59 Aug 25, 2022

Congratulation! It's a poignant story imbued with a lot of emotions.

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Mike Murphy
20:12 Aug 08, 2022

A very heart touching tale Very well done Thank you

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Glenn Baker
17:05 Jul 16, 2022

Sad stories are the best even when they break your heart.

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Eliza H
00:42 Jul 06, 2022

ive read this before and i am still sobbing as i re-read it

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Kathy Matilda
11:09 Jun 08, 2022

This is a testimony that I will tell to everyone to hear. i have been married for 3 years and on the fourth year of my marriage, another woman had a spell to take my lover away from me and my husband left me and the kids and we have suffered for 2 years until i meant a post where this man Dr. Ogedegbe have helped someone and i decided to give him a try to help me bring my love Husband home and believe me i just send my picture to him and that of my husband and after 48 hours as he have told me, i saw a car drove into the house and behold it ...

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Kayla Keiser
13:43 Jun 07, 2022

I enjoyed reading how Elise was sewing up this blanket for this little boy. I think grammar look good.

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Dominic Reyes
04:50 Jun 02, 2022

A wonderful story. I been reading to my girlfriend for the last couple nights because it helps her fall asleep. I love the irony of that.

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Thom With An H
16:31 Jun 02, 2022

This is the highest compliment I’ve been paid. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.

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William Ofori
15:17 May 25, 2022

beautiful story. I loved reading it.

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Zakary Elvers
05:15 May 24, 2022

Ive never been more touched by a story. By the end, I was crying and holding back tears in attempt to finish such a lovely story. You've created a work of art that will live forever. I can't wait to read more work from you

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Malacai Young
06:45 May 01, 2022

This was an amazing story to read before I sleep! It’s true a mother’s job is never finished and I love the way you made her comfort her son all the way through to the end. Never left room for doubt and keeping hope that the quilt would be finished maybe he would be more and comforted by his mother and his quilt!

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Andrea Doig
11:21 Apr 30, 2022

Wow that was a beautiful journey. As a mom myself I can feel her pain and you brought tears to my eyes. Beautifully written and cleverly woven … thank you for sharing x

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Amal S
01:44 Apr 29, 2022

Heartbreaking, but engaging from start to the end. Good Job

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Glenn Baker
18:25 Apr 15, 2022

Beautifully sad.

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Atenaga Monday
19:39 Apr 12, 2022

Good day, am a writer my finest book or should I say my greatest writing can't be published yet cause of lack of funds please I humbly solicit for your help in raising some funds, my plan is to help every kid in Africa able to access books even without payment please do this help humanity and make the world a better place; my email: mdatenaga@gmail.com, my WhatsApp number: https://wa.me/message/HOFB7PTVGI3TF1 I will be glad to have partners all over the world to join me, God bless God speed. You can also write and ask for my Novel I will be...

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Lester King
01:00 Apr 11, 2022

I loved this story even though I had to stop several times to wipe away the tears so that I could see to read some more.

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Learn English
04:59 Apr 07, 2022

nice sweet and short ...keep it up

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16:56 Apr 06, 2022

The story is pretty sad but it is also beautiful, moms are something special and amazing in our life, they are our light in the dark.

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23:17 Apr 02, 2022

wow this story was amazing

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Shevach Obahor
22:33 Mar 30, 2022

Great story, Love the story writing. It's especially interesting and heartbreaking how she never really got to tell her son the truth.

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