Waiting

Abigail sat cross-legged in the dust while a fly buzzed lazily in a circle around her head.  She rested her chin in her hands, pursing her lips.  Her bony elbows dug into her knees and a bead of sweat trickled between her shoulder blades.  Staring intently at the treasure nestled in the straw, she was oblivious to the piercing heat of the sun on her neck or the brittle grass that poked the tender skin of her legs just below her dusty denim shorts.

"C'mon, little friend.  It's time to come out," she whispered, eyes focused on the nest in front of her.

The egg trembled and Abigail's eyes sprung open.  She leaned forward, her hands burrowing into the straw until her freckled nose hovered mere inches from the speckled shell.  "Come out, come out, whoever you are...," she sang softly.

A delicate crack formed in the shell, starting at the top and zig-zagging to the bottom, disappearing in the golden straw.  Abigail held her breath and peered intently at the fissure connecting the dots of the egg's brown speckles.  In the quiet, she heard a tap.  Then another.  And another.  A pale yellow beak appeared in the hole and the crack widened to reveal brown, matted feathers and one beady eye blinking back at Abigail.

A few minutes passed as the baby chick struggled and writhed her way out of the shell.  As she lay panting, stretching her new legs and wings, Abigail smiled and whispered, "Welcome, little one.  I've been waiting for you."

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Linking up with Trifecta:  33-333 words inspired by the word crack.  I feel a bit like Abigail right now as we wait for our house to sell.  I'm intently focused and excited, but feeling a little uncomfortable in this season of patience.  Here's to hoping the "shell" of our move cracks soon!

3a : a narrow break : fissure      b : a narrow opening —used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left out