Ficlets

An Exercise In Dialogue

“Come on, John, don’t you know what you could get for that thing? We’re talkin’ probably a million bucks on eBay! Think about it,â€? Matt urged me excitedly.

“I have thought about it.”

“And?”

“And, I’m not selling it.â€?

“Aw, man. Why not? It’s only a picture of some spots. You don’t think it’s a real image of Jesus Christ, do you?â€?

I stayed silent as we walked across campus on our way to archaeology class.

“Oh, come on. Give me a break.â€?

“No…no, it’s not that I think it’s real.â€?

“Then, what?â€?

“My grandfather gave it to me before he died. He really wanted me to have it. To him, I think it was real. How can I sell his faith? Besides, he entrusted it to me. I promised him I’d hold onto it and give it to one of my own grandkids.â€?

“You’re serious, aren’t you?â€?

“Yeah, I’m serious. Now, lay off, will ya’?â€?

“Fine. But you’re wasting a good thing.â€?

“Hey, you wanna sell something? Open up a bag of chips, you’ll probably find the Star of Bethlehem, or the Three Wise Men or something.â€?

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