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One Small Spark

By Melissa O'Reilly

Balancing a bucket of ice in one arm and a bottle of Dr. Pepper in the other, Hannah’s heart skipped at least two beats when she turned around and saw Sarah Cordell. Sarah was the last person Hannah had expected or hoped to see. 

Hannah unloaded her arms and grabbed her best friend, Ashley, pulling her aside. “You will not believe who is here. At your birthday party!” Hannah said.

“Who?” Ashley’s eyes widened.

Hannah tugged Ashley closer and whispered, “Sarah Cordell, the new girl.”

“Yeah, I know.” Ashley shrugged. “I invited her. My mom thought it would be a good idea. You know, so she could get to know more people.”

The doorbell chimed, and Ashley raced to the door, leaving Hannah alone with her thoughts. In her mind she replayed her first run-in with Sarah Cordell.  

“Maybe Sarah would make friends,” Hannah was saying, “if she’d stop prancing around like a princess.”

Everybody in their circle of friends grew quiet, and Hannah turned to see Sarah Cordell standing behind her. It was too late to take it back, Hannah knew that. And though hurt radiated in Sarah’s eyes, adding to the minor sting in Hannah’s heart, Hannah had turned back around, pretending that it never happened. 

Now, finding an open seat in front of the food table, Hannah made friends with the Bagel Bites, carrot sticks, and Doritos.

While wondering about the best way to avoid Sarah Cordell the entire night, Hannah piled food on a plate and popped a piece into her mouth. Her tongue felt the singe of a piping-hot Bagel Bite. Without thinking, Hannah spit out a blob into her napkin. She seriously hoped no one saw her.
 
Her tongue, burnt and raw, reminded Hannah of the message that had been tapping at her heart for a week now. She forced the thoughts away, yet her pastor’s words rolled effortlessly through her heart, “Your tongue is a small but powerful part of your body. The tongue is like fire.”

Hannah shoved the napkin underneath her plastic plate, wishing she could do the same with her shifting thoughts, but she couldn’t. The memory kept replaying itself over and over.

“If you are not careful,” her pastor had said, “your tongue can cause hurt and disaster.”

Hannah glanced at Sarah Cordell, who stood with a group of girls, having made friends after all.

Leaving her plate on the table, Hannah’s heart pounded as she approached Sarah. “I need to talk to you,” Hannah said as she forced a smile and waited while Sarah slowly turned to face her.   

Sarah, silent, crossed her arms over her chest. 

“I never should’ve said that about you,” Hannah said, swallowing and ignoring the climbing lump in her throat. “I was really immature last week, and I’m sorry.”

Sarah hesitated for a moment. To Hannah, that moment felt like a millennium.

“I forgive you,” Sarah said.

“You actually forgive me?” Hannah choked out the words.

“Well, I didn’t say we were going to be best friends or anything.” Sarah buried her hands in her pockets. “But, hey, it’s a start, and it did take some guts to apologize.”

Sarah turned back around to her new friends while Hannah, already feeling better, wandered back to the food table. 

Ashley flopped in a chair beside Hannah. “I saw you talking to Sara. What happened?”

“I apologized,” Hannah said as if it had been something she’d planned to do all along. “And from now on, I am going to imagine my tongue as fire.”

“Like a dragon?” Ashley asked.

Hannah shook her head. “No. I mean, like it only takes one small spark to start a forest fire. And I don’t think I want to be setting any more of those. I think I finally understand how much damage a few careless words can do.”

“Yeah.” Ashley nodded and reached for a Bagel Bite.

Hannah grabbed her hand. “Be careful. Those are really hot.”

© Melissa O'Reilly

Melissa O'Reilly is a freelance writer from Kansas City, Missouri.

© 2006–2009 Jeanne Gowen Dennis. U.S. and Worldwide rights reserved.