On The Count Of Three…
Kayla stared at six flaming candles. On the count of three…
Eyes closed. Breath drawn. Hopes high. Three!
With puffed cheeks, she blew. Kayla already had Santa, Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.
Now she wished for Daddy.
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-
I’ve sat out the last couple of Trifecta challenges, between the busyness of life and lack of inspiration, I had nothing to contribute. I’d be smart to skip this one, too…but I can’t help it; it’s just 33 little words! (Plus, it provides a break from my Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta posts 
)
The challenge this weekend is as follows:
This weekend we are challenging you to write 33 of your own words to build upon the following:
On the count of three…
You can choose to include those words if you want, but they do not count toward the 33 words of your own.
If this challenge looks like fun and you want to try it yourself, on the count of three, click the tricycle picture to view Trifecta’s site and instructions.
Thanks for reading!
Great story and take on the challenge.
Thanks, Debra. I appreciate you taking time to read it!
That’s one scary little girl!
I didn’t intend for her to be scary when I wrote this. I think it’s interesting how the story can be interpreted in different ways. Thanks for reading, Widdershins!
Wonderful piece … no need to sit out this challenge, the last line brought tears to my eyes!
Thanks, Laura – glad you stopped by
Adults. Liars all. I figured out the Easter Bunny early on and Santa as well. How could he be at several stores at the same time ? And I remember that one that had his beard attached with white bandage tape and since I had been to plenty of weddings by age four I could sense a scent of whiskey on him. And that cheap witch the Tooth Fairy never left me more than forty cents and with that I could never buy anything of worth even if I had a shark’s jaws full of teeth. Because of this and other adult lies I was a pessimist, cynic and alcoholic by age seven.
Of course adults are liars, Carl. We’ve trained our whole lives to do that. Sometimes it’s for self preservation, other times it’s to spare someone’s feelings. In the case of children, perpetuating the myths is an innocent way to preserve their sense of wonder for just a little longer. It is sad when these lies cause a child to turn to the bottle, though.
Thanks for stopping by, Carl
Awwww, how sweet!!
Thanks for reading, Kenya!
Aww. That’s so sad! I’m sure that’s a very common birthday wish.
Unfortunately, I think you may be right, Flipside. It makes my childhood wishes for a pony seem trivial now
ok. This made me teary! Good job.
I appreciate you taking time to read and share your reaction, Deanabo.
awww bittersweet
Sure is, Draug. Thanks for reading
Aw, that is such a sweet ending, Janna.
Thanks, Patti!
nice. sad.
Her wish is one that other kids might take for granted. Glad you stopped by, Patty.
This was sad. I hope her wish comes true.
That would be the happiest ending, Lumdog.
Excellent! Such an image all can identify with – then that punch at the end. Gold star
I appreciate you reading and sharing your thoughts on the piece, Phil. Thanks
Good job, Janna — love a surprise ending!
Thanks, Debbie. I think at six, I wanted a My Little Pony
I remember being very serious in selecting my birthday wish each year . . . no fly by night wishes for me.
Lovely take on the theme, Janna.
You only get one wish a year, Nancy. They must be handled with care! Thanks for stopping by to read the story. (The weekend ones are short ans sweet
)
Oh dear…that’s a tearjerker. Great job!
Let me offer you a virtual tissue, Michael
As always, thanks for reading my story.
This is so sad. It makes me feel like her dream won’t come true if she has to wish for it over a birthday cake.
I really miss writing for Trifecta. I hope to be able to participate again soon. Life has been ‘crazy busy’!
I never had much luck my my birthday cake wishes, Sandra. I hope you do get a chance to write Trifecta soon. I miss your prompt writing, but am glad you are still able to write your Muse posts
I’d like to tell you life will slow down soon, but I’m afraid it would be a lie since the holiday season is fast approaching. Hang on!
Sometimes Daddy is just about as real as Santa. Sadly, my kids get that
Great take on the challenge!
That is a sad truth, RubberChickenMa. At least with Santa, you’d get to see him every year at the mall. That’s more than some kids get with dad.
Ah! Very well done. This is a great first line to the story!
Thanks, Linda! I appreciate you reading and sharing what you liked
My life has been too crazy to allow for the brainspace or time for trifecting. But I put in an appearance this weekend too …
I love your story … there’s a sweetness and it is definitely poignant.
Thanks, Karen! I’m glad you liked my story. I’ll be checking your story out as well
Thanks for coming by, Janna! Just working my way through the week’s stories … the longer ones take a bit more time, eh?! =)
It does take some time to go through the Trifecta entries, Karen. Sometimes I have to cheat and skip entries. Shhh…don’t tell
I can picture her Janna. I really loved this.
Thanks so much, Mairzeebp. I’m always concerned with the 33-word ones that I haven’t given enough details of a story. Maybe less is more?
So much faith in that wish. I hope it comes true!
If only make a wish made it happen. In a perfect world, that would be a wish she wouldn’t have to make. In a nearly perfect world, her wish would come true. In the real world, she probably should’ve wished for a bike instead. Thanks so much for reading, Tina!
Well done, Janna. Very sad closing line!
Yeah, this one was kind of a bummer, wasn’t it? I’m glad you stopped by, Dianne!
I like the childlike simplicity of placing Daddy alongside all those other fictional characters. Sweet and poignant.
Thanks, GodGirl. I miss those days when I believed in the magic of those characters. When it felt like all I had to do was wish it and it could happen. But I don’t miss everything else about childhood
beautiful, Janna. I hope that her wish comes true and be not in the class of tooth fair and Santa.
Thanks so much for reading, Imelda. I’d like to think her wish comes true.
Oh! This is heart-wrenching, Janna. Sweet and so sad.
I appreciate you stopping by to read it, De.
Truly bittersweet. Fingers crossed for her.
Glad you stopped by, Gina!
that was so sadly sweet! i liked how you did the countdown “Eyes closed. Breath drawn. Hopes high. Three!”
Thanks, Renada. She had to be fully prepared so she didn’t mess her wish up