Words to include: hammer, protest, stab.
The look on his face said it all. Danny loved to smash things, but for some reason he was very conflicted about smashing this particular object. It was an ornate box with small mementos and knick knacks inside. He held the hammer over his head ready to swing it down, but something kept stopping him. He was slowly bringing the hammer down when the door right next to him opened. He was so surprised that the hammer went flying out of his hands, the back of it stabbing the drywall without protest. They both stared at the hammer in silence until the young woman muttered, “you’re paying for that,” a pause, “if you pay me too I won’t tell mum and dad?” Danny contemplated for a moment before shaking her hand, slipping her a $20 note in the process. And just like that the intruder left.
With her gone Danny’s attention only had one other place to go, back to the box, always back to the box. He stared for a moment before inching towards it and slowly, very carefully opening it. Inside were photos of her, gifts she’d given him, even gifts she’d made him in art class. It all reminded him too much, and yet also just enough, of her. He closed it gingerly and picked it up, cradling it and the memories in his arms as tears trickled down his face.
“What’s going on?!” In his shock Danny dropped the box, immediately putting his arms up to show that he was in fact unarmed. The box crashed to the floor, making a sickening splintering noise. It had fallen apart almost completely and the insides were strewn everywhere. It was like seeing the death of his relationship all over again. He fell to the floor and cried harder than he ever had, cradling what was left of the box.
“I thought I heard a bang… Is that a hammer in the wall?” It was Danny’s dad, followed closely by his sister, “I’m sorry! I tried to stop him… are you ok bro?” But Danny just lay there in a ball, crying and cradling the remnants of his relationship. Uncomfortable, his dad and sister left him and his feelings to ‘do their own thing’, and for the first time in a long time Danny let himself feel, really, deeply feel. No matter how hollow and filled with dread he was, he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted. He finally felt something and the depth of his sadness felt, good somehow.