We soft boiled the free range egg, cracked it, and were surprised to find nothing in it. My mother sighed, as if the meaning of life had been snatched away before it was born. I cried because I wanted to own a chick and keep it in my hat. My brother said he wanted to add the shells to his breakfast cereal, just to make it crunchier. My father rushed to get the glue out of the drawer where he keeps all his headless statuettes.
Nora Nadjarian is an award-winning poet and short story writer from the island of Cyprus. She has published three collections of poetry and a collection of short stories, Ledra Street. Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies in Cyprus, Israel, the UK, the USA, and elsewhere. Her story “And the Seven Dwarves” was a finalist in the Binnacle Sixth Annual International Ultra-Short Competition at The University of Maine at Machias (USA). Stories forthcoming from PicFic and Up the Staircase. Email her at noranadj@logosnet.cy.net.