341 words

Original Fiction

Rated G

Word -Discombobulated

13 minutes total

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“Discombobulated. D-I-S-C... D-I-S-C-U-M-B-O-B-U-L-A-T-E-D. Discombobulated,” the little boy said into the microphone, his voice shaky.

“I'm sorry; that is incorrect,” came the judge's reply. The boy sighed, refused to look out at the audience, and stepped down from the stage. He took his place next to his parents; they didn't say a word. They didn't even acknowledge his presence with so much as a nod. They just kept their attention focused on the stage, on the other children still up there.

His cousin was still on the stage. She was his parents' last hope. They had raised her since she was four, so they could--and would--take credit for her all-too-possible victory. They didn't have time to attend to a failure right now, and especially not in public. The little boy excused himself to go to the bathroom; they did't acknowledge that either, and it was a stranger who found him crying loudly in a stall ten minutes later.

Discombobulated. The word still haunted him, even twelve years later. He stared at the computer screen, saw the word spelled with that extra 'u' and underlined in red, and grimaced. He always forgot that there were two O's.

His bedroom door opened; a hand gripped his shoulder and he tensed.

“I don't understand why you don't have that word down pat by now,” his cousin said, and giggled. “You're writing a history paper. Why do you even need to use it?”

He pressed down on the 'backspace' key and didn't let go. The word, then the entire line, disappeared. He had no response for his cousin; he hadn't even meant to type the word, after all. It seemed to just pop on-screen every time he let his mind wander.

“It doesn't matter,” he said. “Tell Mom and Dad I'll be down for dinner momentarily, okay?”

His cousin frowned in puzzlement. “Sure, whatever,” she replied, and flounced out of his room.

Discombobulated. D-I-S-C...

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Started at 10:22

Should finish at 10:37

Finished at 10:35