The Hourglass

A short ficlet by Angelinhel in response to a challenge issued by The Angst Guy: in “The Daria Diaries”, there’s a note in her planner that says “Oct. 25 Saturday- Last day of Carnivorous Plant Expo, Mom and Dad at Fun Run (explore dresser drawers?), Sleepover at Jane’s (bring own pajamas this time).” TAG asked the author to write a ficlet about what Daria found in the drawers.

Plot Summary
Finding herself alone in the house, Daria decides to take the opportunity to explore her parent's bedside table drawers. Beginning with her father's, she finds not much of note, except for a notebook filled with recipe ideas and a startling checklist of the romantic role-playing games he's tried with his wife.

Moving to her mother's drawers, Daria is unsurprised to find them filled with work-related papers and files. Daria finds a Mother's Day card she had given Helen, but is disappointed to see the only reason she had kept it was for the phone numbers scribbled on the back. Disappointed in her serach, Daria almost misses a small box wedged far in the back of the drawer. Curiosity wins out and she opens it to find a small hourglass with a note from her father telling helen she now had "all the time in the world." It had obviously been a gift to remind Helen that spending time with her family was just as, if not more, important than work.

The gift obviously didn't have the desired effect as it was shoved under piles of papers and forgotten. Disillusioned with her family, Daria grabs the makings of breakfast and heads to her best friend Jane's, whom she considers closer than her actual family.