jigsaw puzzle.

He smiled to himself. It was a look of self-content and complete satisfaction, but also relief and joy. The fragments he had taken so long to find were finally in front of him and pieced together. The glue had yet to dry, and he could still see it oozing from the sides but he didn’t care. PVA glue dried clear, right? The red shards had been delicately reassembled with trembling hands, and more than once he had cut himself on the pieces – nothing serious; nothing that a plaster couldn’t solve.

Gently, he lifted the object so dear to him and held it against his chest. One whole year, it had taken. A whole 365 days to gather together the scattered components and decipher the arrangement. It had taken a lot of effort – blood, sweat and tears – but it was complete now: it was whole again. Ready to sit on his sleeve once more.