Once there was an empty tin. Once upon a time, the tin was an empty cookie tray that you were used to filling with cookies everyone wanted. The Tin was very sad for some reason: it felt shunned and lonely because now all is left with him were the memories that he used to be full. It longed to be of use once more, and sought a reason for existence.
The tin had always been removed from it's permanent storage. It perched on the kitchen shelf amidst the scent of cookies permeating from an oven. Then an event occurred one day. A journey that is best described to be one-of-its kinds started from the land of 8-letter word, with a tin discarded by someone. It went into a trunk of garbage truck, where it rumbled with other trash en route to the compactor. The poor little tin suffered a terrible and grumpy adventure.
But in its absence, how warm and comforting my kitchen was. The aroma of baked cookies that were not present in the collection, and jovial individuals with sweets laughing just out of view. What just made it felt more sad, because when I would remember those particular moments and how ecstatic they were....that it felt like those days would never come back.
Although when she peered into the landfill, no one was to be found. The tin just sat there longingly and hoped as hard as it could that someone or something would come around to pick up the tiny punches from inside. It was only the more delicious cookies it dreamed of cuddling with or merely possession inside a beautiful kitchen.
The rust on the empty tin that grew inside me more or less over time. It felt like melting, bursting apart and disappearing into the abyss. It was drift, covered in rust and all the Martin's shiny surface purged by time. Warmth had filled the space where its laughter, and happiness that seemed to be fading away.
Their mother instead stored it in an old tin, forgotten until one day when the breeze blew through the landfill and knocked all their plastic bags over. It slammed into other trash with a muffled banging resonance. The tune was a lugubrious one and the hollow tin listened to its own echo. The only thing it wanted was to turn back the clock when cookies filled its contents and made it feel special.
It was fine, but miraculously one day I found out. A group of people had come to the dump with a purpose. Their fence to do cleanup and recycling. Bussed it, with some old tinbuli making sure nobody was pulling anything worth anything from the garbage It felt a pinch of hope, wishing the same destiny would touch itself and it were shortlisted to rise phoenix.