Jell-O Empire

By Yash Seyedbagheri

Older sister Nancy and I loved Jell-O, its jiggly form, something light and delightful. While Dad drank and Mother disappeared into the world, we built round mountains and constructed fortresses out of Jell-O blocks. We marveled at our ability to create. To induce beauty, as Nancy put it. Sometimes, we just held it, felt its lightness.

Then Dad took off. He didn’t leave a note. Just bills. We donned oversized suits and responsibility, but not before we destroyed our creations. We stabbed each mountain, each block. We wept, wounding Jell-O with forks. No matter how we tried, there were always reminders.