Literally Reruns: Paper Lined Tables by Rachel Sievers

The two things that stand out for me in Rachel Sievers’ Paper Lined Tables are displacement and expectation. A hard to face big problem is usually addressed through an unrelated smaller trouble, and waiting for something is often better than getting that something. Mostly, the things most wrong in our lives are impossible to articulate without receiving negative pushback from a person associated with the woe. And dreaming of a best pal dog without accounting for how you will deal with the uptick of chewed slippers, barking and dogshit in your life can be stressful.

Q: How long did it take to write this, including revisions?

Q: What do you think happened afterwards? Did Daryl settle in or did he become an unwitting wedge between the two characters?

Leila

Paper Lined Tables

Q: How long did it take to write this, including revisions? 

A: This piece took me several days to write and a good solid week of revisions, not including a rest time (a great tip from Hugh that I try to use with every piece now). It was the first piece that was published by Literally. The first draft was almost unrecognizable from the final one. 

Q: What do you think happened afterwards? Did Daryl settle in or did he become an unwitting wedge between the two characters? 

A: I like happy endings but it is rare for any of my pieces to have a happy ending. Saying that, Daryl had a happy ending, dogs deserve happily ever afters. Afterward Daryl stayed with our narrator, and while the couple did not stay together, our narrator now had time to take dog training classes and become a better dog owner. Daryl received lots of walks and treats. He lived a happy life with the narrator until he passed away in his sleep at a very old age surrounded by all his loved ones. As far as the humans in the story, I wish them the best, but my happily ever afters are reserved for dogs.