Junk - One Man's Treasure

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Stephen kept his memories in the drawer of his bedside table.

It wasn't his first bedside table, or even his fifth. The letter from Charlotte was over thirty years old, and had seen the inside of exactly eight tables since he decided not to throw it away.

She may have said goodbye, but she still had a space in his heart.

The snapshots from his nephew's graduation were tattered around the edges, relics of a time when photos were developed and printed at a store. Stephen had never married, never had children, but the pride he felt on that day was almost that of a father.

A broken watch that could have been repaired gave him more joy as a memento, and a seashell he had found walking alone on a Lisbon beach filled his mind with the scent of sea air every time that he touched it. These things sat nestled among many others, keepsakes from a life that had entered its twilight years.

When the apartment building caught fire, he quickly emptied the drawer into a bag before heading for safety.

He didn't take a jacket. A paramedic handed him a blanket to ward off the winter night air as the firefighters worked inside.

"Your neighbor downstairs had a gas leak on his stove. Pity about the building. I hope you have insurance, your whole life just went up in smoke there."

Stephen shrugged.

"Let it burn. That junk can all be replaced."

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Inspired by the 5 Minute Freewrite Prompt - Junk posted by the lovely @mariannewest!

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