Is it Sunday already?
Time for laundry.
First the whites.
Colours next.
Four cycles.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Four. Four. Four. Four.
North-South-East-West.
Morning- Afternoon- Evening- Night.
Spring- Summer- Autumn- Winter.
Balance.
Perfection.
Four is the best of all even numbers.
Two is OK too.
But four is satisfying.
Sorting through the clothes I try to make four piles.
There aren’t enough.
Hmmm.
I walk around the house.
Sheets I changed just yesterday.
Cushion covers I can’t throw in, they have to be hand washed.
Curtains?
No. Not on Sunday.
Curtains are slotted for Wednesday, the middle of the week, for curtains separate tranquility from the bedlam out there.
This room has not been used for years now.
I spot the bears sitting there.
One. Two. Three.
Just so.
I am not happy with three.
I did try.
Everything does not work the way I want it to.
These bears need a spin in the machine.
Now how do I do this?
The big ones go together.
Where do I put the little one?
The little one is always the problem.
Another one would’ve…
Four.
The set would have been perfect.
It’s my fault.
Four would have held everything together.
[200 words]
Sailaja 
Fascinating take. I love the brevity of the phrases. Great timing.
Thank you Graham. Keeping to the limit of 200 words helps! 😀
So sweet 😊
😚
This gave me goosebumps. I know this story myself.
I’m glad you understand. I struggled with it for years. Thank you for reading.
Very nice. It’s incredible what you can tell with just 200 words.
Thank you! 😀
I really kike the tone and pace of this. Brilliant.
Click here to read my tale
Thanks Keith! 😀
Loved your story!
OCD is not an easy thing to break out of i can understand why the room had stood empty and unchecked. To have three in there would have been devastating to the character.
A great way of putting it across.
Thank you for hosting Sunday Photo Fiction. Such a wonderful platform for expression. Your kind words are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
You’re welcome 🙂
Loved the short sharp clear lines. Well done.
Thank you Iain, for the appreciation and helping me discover these lovely writing challenges. Bless you!
You’re welcome 🙂
The timing and the telling are perfect. The problem of threes when four is the balance — a dilemma well written.
Thank you Lorraine for reading my work and appreciating it. It feels great to be understood and appreciated. 😀
You are most welcome.
It’s beautiful ❤
Thank you! ❤❤❤❤❤
Sailaja your writing!😍 So I read some of the comments and someone pointed out OCD. That makes sense, but I also read it as losing a fourth child, which was so heart breaking. Either way so complex, so powerful, so beautiful, so deep.
Hope you are well friend.🌹
Thank you Rachel! 😚😚😚😚😚The woman is trying to cope with grief…the loss of a child. Her OCD is a way of dealing with it. She blames herself, somehow. You are so astute, my darling, reading between the lines. ❤❤❤❤❤
It’s was very moving. You are so gifted. I’ve never read anything like your writing. I’m always in awe of your talent. 😍
I’m touched. You were there for me, Rachel, months ago, encouraging me to write. Your powerful words gave me courage to express myself. I thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Your opinion means the world to me. Bless you! ❤
I feel the same about you Sailaja. Thank you for sharing your amazing voice.💕
Great piece. I like the rhythm and the narrators thoughts telling the story, trying to balance her day and balance the bears as she washes them.
Thank you Mandibelle for reading my work and appreciating it! 😀
Oh, the compulsions of everyday cleaning. I loved the short, snappy lines timed for maximum impact. Good writings skills here.
Thank you Neel! 😀
simply awesome
Thank you! ❤
You capture the narrator’s mental state really well. The short sentences add perfectly to it. Nicely done. 🙂
Thank you for reading and appreciating my work. 😚
What a brilliant last line! I like how you incorporated the prompt into this piece. Really well done.
Thank you Sydney! So glad you liked it. 😀
The last line made me think of a lost child. Very well penned and I particularly liked the title of the story.
Thank you Dahlia! 😀
What I’m really drawn to is the way you conveyed tone…as I read it, the person’s internal dialogue is not dripping with angst..the person seems to be emotionally detached as she(?) assesses her dilemma…a calm tone that belies the deep well of emotion that is walled up behind the quest to keep everything within her control. You really have a wonderful way of setting a mood, igniting the imagination–which allows the reader to fill in the blanks and read so much more into what you wrote…now, that takes talent!. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you. Your assessment is very insightful. Your appreciation makes me feel wonderful. Bless you, Truly. 😙
You are so welcome…you are a blessing as well….we are fortunate to have this treasured connection 🙂
So clever.
So well done.
So sad.
Love it.
Love how you say it!
Thank you! 😀
Really touching ma’am !!! Loved reading it 🙂
Love ya!