Sneak Peek: The Butterfly in Brazil

Today's story has a bit more complex inspiration. Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October contains a scene wherein a Russian mail-clerk delays an important letter from the captain of the titular submarine to one of his superiors. Clancy spent a good deal of time on this very incidental character, all for the purpose of showing the letter was delayed. I wondered: "Would it be possible to write a story from the point of view of everyone around the main character?" Well, I don't think a novel would work, but a short story seems to. See if you agree.

THE BUTTERFLY IN BRAZIL

Chaos theory says a butterfly may flap its wings and cause a hurricane across the world. I wonder if the butterfly ever knows that.

They had one left. Samantha -- her friends called her Sam -- had walked by it once and didn’t even notice it sitting on the bottom shelf -- all alone, the poor teddy bear. It was so perfect; this one had what resembled hiking boots, for some reason. Sam and her friend Brianne hadn’t been able to go climbing in a long time; Brianne had been in and out of the hospital for months, with one thing wrong after another. Sam knew the bear would be perfect for Brianne for Christmas. Sam could even attach a little carabiner with a note “I’ll always be your belay” or something.

But just as she stepped forward to pick it up, a man came down the aisle with his cart. She stepped back with a smile to let him pass, but he didn’t pass. He stopped right in front of her, cell phone to his ear, cart in her way.

“So what do you think she’ll like?” he was saying. “Well I don’t know! What do ten-year-old girls like?” His head swiveled as he scanned the shelves. Sam folded her arms, trying to keep her smile. “She’s your granddaughter . . . Well, mine by marriage. Doesn’t mean I know what she likes.” His head dropped. “What about a teddy bear?”

No, she would not like a teddy bear. Who likes teddy bears? Sam thought frantically. Brianne would, but she’s the only one. Ten-year-olds do not like teddy bears with hiking boots!

“Well whatever. I’ll get it, and hopefully she’ll like it. Even if she doesn’t, it’s only ten bucks.”

The bear was gone, the cart rattled down the aisle, the old man with the black leather jacket and the cell phone was gone, and Sam’s smile was gone.

It would have been so perfect.

*

To say he was having a rough day would have been an injustice; Lance was having a terrible day. Night. Whatever. To people who work night shifts, days are divided by when you get up and when you go to sleep. Unless you had school to do, and you didn’t get sleep, and you had to go into work early, and it was the holiday season, and an abnormal amount of stupid customers bothered you with every little thing you couldn’t even imagine.

The worst part was that he saw it coming; he saw the old man with a cart full of stuff, a teddy bear in one hand and a cell phone in the other, and indecision in his face. So when the old man put the teddy bear on a shelf full of electronics -- where it obviously didn’t belong -- he wasn’t surprised. After eight years at Bridgedale Wal-Mart, nothing surprised him anymore. As the old man wandered off, Lance wondered how many of the items in the man’s cart would end up at other places in the store. Most of them, probably.

Well, he thought, letting out a sigh, he may as well return the teddy bear. In an effort to confuse their customers, the managers at Wal-Mart had decided to put some bears on a special display closer to the main doors, and the rest of them in toys where they were supposed to be. Somehow, the teddy bears with hiking boots hadn't made it to the main door display. He returned it to all its brothers and sisters in toys, and walked back to electronics. His manager was there, waiting for him.

"Where have you been?" the manager, Lisa, asked abruptly.


Here's the full story, as well as six others! Final installment tomorrow, a bit of a delve into fantasy (finally!): The Watchman, a man who must decide whether to upset his peaceful life to deliver a warning that might go unheeded.