My story, Little Card’s Purpose, won an honorable mention in this year’s Valentiny contest!

Here is the story, for your enjoyment:

LITTLE CARD’S PURPOSE
By Theresa Kiser
214 words

Little Card remembered being pulled from a box. He remembered when Willow took a big yellow pencil and wrote something on him. He remembered the red heart sticker attached to his side, and being folded up. But he didn’t remember what it was all for.

None of the other cards seemed to know either. “Who cares?” they said.

Now, Little Card bounced around Willow’s backpack with everyone else. Something new was happening.

“Is bouncing my purpose in life?” he wondered.

Little Card slid onto a desk with the other cards. All around were children.

But Little Card didn’t have long to look around.

Willow gave him a kiss and slid him into a dark box. Hours passed, and Little Card was scared to think, “Is sitting in the dark my purpose in life?”

Finally, light poured in.

The lid was gone, and a child’s hand reached down. The child held up nervous Little Card in the light.

“‘Lila, you are loved,’” she read softly. A grin spread wide across Lila’s face.

“That must be what Willow wrote on me,” thought Little Card, and suddenly, as Lila held him close to her heart, Little Card understood his purpose in life.

“To make others feel loved,” he realized with joy. “This is what I’m made for.”