Writing Prompt 3-6-10 The Missing Gun

Writing Prompt: A woman buys a gun for home defense, but two days later she can't find it.


Leah went to the gun store and spent about an hour talking to the employee, and trying to figure out which gun was right for her. She held them all in her hands. Finally, after much thought, she decided to buy a Glock 9 mm because she liked the shiny black color as well as the way it felt inside her hand. it seemed to fit perfectly inside her hand. There had been a rapist on the loose in her area, and this had scared her enough to purchase a gun.


Leah took the gun home right away trying to find a place to keep it where it would be safe, but where she could get to it quickly if the case arrived arrived. She wanted the perfect spot so that no one but her would know where the gun rested. She put one bullet in the gun because she was told it would be best to keep it loaded because in a true emergency there wasn't time to load the gun before firing. Leah decided that the best place that would be easily accessible as well as hidden would be her bedside table because no one ever looked there or went in there because it was hers and hers completely. Not even her husband would ever open the bedside table.


Leah checked her bedside table every night to make sure the gun was still there. It always was right where she left it. About two weeks later, before climbing into bed, she checked her beside table and found that the gun was missing. She went straight to her husband ready to confess that she bought the gun knowing that he was a strong advocate of gun control. He told her that he was disappointed in her for buying a gun, but no he had not found it, but if he had, he would have taken it. He told her that when she found it, he wanted it removed from their home immediately. He also suggested something Leah never would have even thought of. He suggested that they ask their 12 year old son, Jeremy.


Leah headed to Jeremy's room hoping that he knew nothing about the gun. She knocked on his door, and heard the normal scramble of a pre-teen right before the door opened. Leah asked Jeremy to sit on his bed so they could talk.


Leah calmly asked, "Jeremy have you seen a gun around this house at all?"


Jeremy quivered, but quickly replied, "No, Mama. Why?"


"I was just wondering. Jeremy you do know that we do not agree with having guns in the house, right?" Leah asked her son.


"Yes mama. I know". he replied


Leah was perplexed. She had no idea where the gun had disappeared too. She checked the house, even cleaned it throughly looking through every nook and cranny trying to find the misplaced gun, but to no avail. Leah finally decided to call the police, and report that the gun was missing. The police took a report over the telephone, and told her that a report has been written, and they will be looking for the gun. Luckily, she was smart enough to still have the box and receipt, so she had the serial number the police had asked for.


Knowing that this was all Leah could do at the moment, she restlessly laid down to go to sleep. She didn't get any sleep that night because she was so worried about the gun being lost and missing. She just couldn't figure out where the gun would have disappeared too. She checked everything so throughly.


The next day she tried to forget about it, telling herself that the police would find the gun. Besides, Jeremy's friend Devin was coming over for a playdate. Jeremy and Devin ran off to Jeremy's room to play. Leah was downstairs making them some fresh chocolate chip cookies.


When the boys were safelt tucked away in Jeremy's room, Devin said, "I brought the gun back. My mom never found it. I kept it safe for you. It is so pretty. I have wanted to play with it so bad, but I didn't because I wanted to wait for you before to see what you thought".


Jeremy replied quickly, "Pull it out of your backpack. Let's see it."


Devin quickly pulled the gun out of the bag and playfully aimed the gun at Jeremy. Devin handed Jeremy the gun, and he followed suit, and aimed the gun at Devin making a "bam" sound as if he had pulled the trigger. Then, handed the gun back to Devin.


Devin asked, "Is the gun loaded?"


Jeremy replied, "Of course not. My mother and father are against guns. They surely wouldn't have a loaded gun in our house".


Devin said, "Awesome", aimed the gun at Devin, and shot. It was loaded. The bullet went through his heart. Lean ran upstairs after hearing the shot leaving the oven door open, and found her son on the floor not breathing with blood everywhere. Leah started screaming. her husband was at work. She ran to the phone. She called 911. She called her husband. She just stood there over her only son's body regretting ever buying that gun, knowing that her husband was right or wishing that she had taught Jeremy more about gun safety. She knew he was dead, and she also knew it was her fault.


After emergency services arrived, and Devin had gone home completely devastated and scared, she went to her bedroom alone without the gun since it was taken as evidence even though the coroner would list the death as accidental gunshot. Leah was so depressed and upset over loosing her son that she knew she could never continue in this life. She went to her medicine cabinet and took every pill there was. She then laid down, went to sleep hoping she would be back with Jeremy in heaven, and never woke again.