The Drinking Cup
Very well worn, showing
signs of many year’s use, and sitting as
it has since it was last needed, the tall nine-ounce silver cup occupies a
solitary place near the center of an empty table. At first glance
the cup reveals the magnificent
workmanship of a person’s labor, long ago, with aluminum. The exterior is brilliant, reflective,
polished silver, replete with tiny oval-shaped indentations that create a
dreamlike ripple effect over the entire surface. The top curves outward, away from the
interior in a gentle arc for about a quarter inch. The rim,
polished and honed to a smooth surface, makes it an easy and safe place for
one’s mouth to drink a cool and refreshing liquid. The interior is a burnished finish with a faint
hint of the indentions showing
through. Looking toward the bottom, in
the decreasing light of the narrow interior, one can see small scratches and a
ring at the bottom from ice cubes and liquids that stain. In the very center of the bottom, the faint
reverse indentation of an engraving can be seen. Turning the silver cup over to read the
engraving on the bottom, one understands how a cup of this kind could acquire
such distinguishing characteristics. For
written on the bottom is a single but loving inscription to its owner that
reads, “To my beloved Chris, on our anniversary, with whom I have shared one
hundred happy years! Love Martha
Kringle.”
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