A Short Story 

By: Brittany Gonzales 

Part 1:  

Gianna Prince, a found-object artist, loved creating art from the things she collected around her small town. The place was one of those sleepy little towns usually never chosen as a destination. Mansfield, Washington, did have a certain charm that drew Gianna to the area. Such as the rolling hills that were covered in dirt and prickly bushes, the empty valleys that seemed to go on forever, the endless desert land, and even the people were inviting. Though the town was in the desert, Gianna felt this was her slice of heaven. She had escaped the place that took away her heart, and Mansfield felt like home.  

On March 4th, 2019, Gianna found the tin to create a piggy bank. This piggy bank would change the course of her life, more than she could imagine. The tin was from the scrap yard in Mansfield. She spent days creating her vision, and the object had to be perfect.  

The result was a green pig, with white, painted daisies all over its’ body. Its’ snout was slightly bent, but this added to its’ charm. The ears were concaved, and the eyes were innocent looking. The tail made a swirly shape that jutted out, and the legs were flat and sharp. The piggy bank was created with a lot of love and hope.  

After the piggy bank was complete, Gianna deposited all her change throughout many months. She wanted to save up enough money to give her baby girl a nice tombstone. Her little girl was only three years old when she died. The memory of that day was too much for her to bear; she just wanted to provide a beautiful tombstone for Daisy.   

After saving up enough money, she bought Daisy a marble tombstone with white daises aligning the front. The daisies created an arch, and the words, “My little Daisy, forever gone, but never forgotten,” were underneath it. Being back in her hometown of Camano Island, Washington, was hard, but she needed to do this for Daisy. Daisy deserved a nice tombstone to rest for eternity, and one day Gianna would join her in heaven. For now, she was content in giving her the perfect addition to her grave.  

The green piggy bank led to many different closures in her life, from saving up the money for her daughter’s beautiful tombstone to receiving grief counseling and more. Such a small object had a tremendous impact on her life, and she was forever grateful. Her life led to many difficult trials but hope and a green piggy bank with white daisies helped her through the most challenging times. It also helped that she was surrounded by caring, supportive, and empathetic people in her new town.   

The life lessons she learned from her journey were never losing hope in the face of adversity, saving up for those important things that mean the most to you, surrounding yourself with optimism, and always to keep going no matter how difficult it may be.   

Later, Gianna decided that the piggy bank had served its’ purpose, and she wanted someone else to get joy from it. She donated it to her local thrift store, and it eventually made its’ way to another thrift store in Stanwood, Washington. The rest is history.   

Part 2:  

I bought the piggy bank at my local thrift store in Stanwood, Washington. Pigs have always been special to me, and I thought it would make a cute decoration in my living room. It is an aesthetically pleasing object, and it adds to the other décor I have in my living room. More importantly, it adds a smile to my face every time I look at it. Other small decorations adorn my home, and the piggy bank adds to this collection. Though the story is fiction, I thought I could create an inspiring backstory to the cute tiny object.   

How we perceive the world and live in it is essential to keeping that hope and faith going. The short story above describes a snippet of time in fictional character, Gianna’s life. She suffered a significant loss that I cannot even begin to imagine (I do not have any children); despite this event, she remained hopeful. I did lose a person very close to me in the past, and despite my suffering, I kept going even when I wanted to give up. We may experience significant loss or land on hard times in life, but there remains hope. Step back and grieve and then get back up to live another day. Life is short, and you need to live according to your greatest joys. Never give up because there are people out there who care.   

Please subscribe to my page, go to the subscribe section and sign up for alerts on new posts. To gain your support in my pursuit to spread positivity and light, would help keep my dream going. Let’s spread that sunshine that is needed in people’s darkest days! Thank you and I hope you get some resolution in your life.  

“With every breath you take, there is someone out there fighting for air. Remember to keep breathing in this beautiful thing we call life.” -Brittany G. (Me)