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The Sugar Thief

Sugar Thief sugar dish sugar spoon on table with sugar spilled around it

I should have known Stacy was going to be trouble the day I watched in horror as she sprinkled sugar onto her bowl of macaroni and cheese. Anyone with that much of a sweet tooth should not have been allowed within fifty feet of one’s sugar collection.

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  1. NicoleJune 3, 2022 at 3:59 AM

    This was a really great piece of writing, Laura!
    I don't remember the sugar packets that way, but I love that you had a collection like that. I had collections in my day and I would make up stories just like you described.
    Thanks for the excellent read that started my day! Happy weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Laura BrayJune 6, 2022 at 9:41 AM

      I'd love to hear about your collections sometime!

      Delete
  2. Michele FawcettJune 3, 2022 at 9:01 AM

    Laura this was beautiful and I absolutely resonated with it! My parents also had friends whose children I abhorred but was forced to play with. I can remember the feeling as they ripped through precious toys, taunting and cruel. Your story brought that back yes but also reminded me the simple joys we had. The joys of a small collection of seemingly nothing. The joys of sitting for hours with our things, our precious treasures. Lovely-really brightened my day!

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    1. AnonymousJune 3, 2022 at 12:29 PM

      First, I humbly and profusely apologize for these and any parenting sins I may have committed. Next, I remember discovering this desecration and my heart breaking with you and for you. You were an extraordinary curator who did not deserve the carnage!
      A hitch in my heart as I read this even after all these years.

      Delete
    2. Laura BrayJune 6, 2022 at 9:43 AM

      I loved my collections! Whenever I met a new friend, I always asked them what they collected!

      Delete
  3. MichelleJune 3, 2022 at 12:22 PM

    What a lovely story - I can feel your childhood heartbreak over the destruction of your beautiful sugar packets. I love the asterisks at the bottom! And how fun to see your Pinterest board of lovely packets!

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    Replies
    1. Laura BrayJune 6, 2022 at 9:44 AM

      Thanks for letting me know you liked all the footnotes. I didn't know if they would be well-received. I'm glad you enjoyed them as the little extras I meant them to be!

      Delete
  4. SueJune 3, 2022 at 1:25 PM

    Nicely done. I can picture the whole thing. Now I wonder...whatever happened to Stacy?

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    1. Laura BrayJune 6, 2022 at 9:46 AM

      Well, I have another story about her that was VERY exciting. I may need to share that next. It's funny-I never considered her a huge part of my childhood, but she sure is proving to be inspiration for my writing.

      Delete
  5. LoriJune 4, 2022 at 5:34 PM

    Oh goodness, I remember this feeling EXACTLY as I had a "friendship" like this as a teenager and it was awful. Great writing Laura.

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    1. Laura BrayJune 6, 2022 at 9:47 AM

      It seems a lot of people were pushed into friendships they didn't want to be in! Thanks for your kind words about my writing. I've really been working to improve as a writer and it's always nice to hear the work is paying off.

      Delete
  6. AlondraJune 6, 2022 at 5:20 PM

    I loved reading this and gasped when Stacy committed such delinquency. I would've had a mental breakdown right then and there, lol!
    Ever since 8-year-old me felt betrayed after catching her friends playing with her beloved My Little Pony collection (with their dirty and chalk-stained hands from playing outside all day), I became stingier than Stingy from Lazy Town himself.
    I know it doesn't compare to actually losing the sugar packets, but the heartbreak felt just the same; I still hate when people take my stuff without permission 😭.

    p.d: I love your writing! <3

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    1. Laura BrayJune 23, 2022 at 5:07 PM

      Oh my goodness! Your poor Little Ponies! And thank you for the kind words about my writing!

      Delete
  7. Dana BarbieriJune 12, 2022 at 10:17 AM

    I hadn’t realized sugar packet art was a thing. Sorry your collection was treated that way.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JennyJune 23, 2022 at 5:56 AM

    Yes, it's funny to think back on all the playdates I had with kids I didn't like, simply because our parents wanted to get together. And you're so right- now it's the opposite. I have all sorts of adult "friends" that I wouldn't normally get together with if it weren't for the fact that our kids want to play together. Hmm! Anyway... you poor thing! Your little girl self must have been so devastated. You're irreplaceable collection was just a bunch of sugar to Stacy- she probably didn't even notice the different pictures on the packets. I'm looking forward to the next Stacy story!

    ReplyDelete

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