When Words Fail

Words shifted on the page, jumped up, rearranged.
Sarn wrestled them, tried to glean meaning
from the handwritten letters so estranged
from their spoken counterparts. Divining
nothing from it, he looked out at the street
but felt no desire to go abroad
until his son climbed up and took a seat
on the table. Sarn felt less like a fraud
with the closed book pushed aside by his son.
Ran fingered the book. “Why you look so sad?”
Sarn wanted to read stories to his son,
the ones he’d loved most,  like a proper dad.
He opened the book. Each word he sounded out;
his son sat by to guess and shout them out.

~ ~ ~

This is a scene from a later book in the series when Sarn’s illiteracy and lack of education becomes a huge problem. He’s got to overcome that lack all the while dealing with a magical gift that just keeps expanding. You can read more about Sarn and his son in the Curse Breaker Saga.

Prompt and inspiration courtesy of Photo-fiction #10. Thank you!