Written for MLMM Monday Wordle.
The prompt words are shown below.
Here’s where they took me.
default, family, generations, glue, memories,
miss, welcomed, loved, accepted, included, and divorce
The dinner table had always been the glue …. or so Devorah believed. Three generations had eaten at it: her parents, then she and Arthur, and now their grown children, who hadn’t sat together since the divorce.
Tonight, they had no choice. The will demanded it.
Morgan arrived first, kissing his mother’s cheek out of default obligation rather than love. Sierra came twenty minutes late, welcomed by no one, her eyes scanning the room for understanding and finding none.
“Watch …. she’ll get the house,” Morgan said before the attorney had even opened her briefcase. Not a question. An accusation aimed squarely at his sister.
“I didn’t ask for anything,” Sierra said quietly.
“You never have to. You’re the favorite. You’ve always been the favorite.”
Devorah pressed her hands flat on the table …. this table, scarred with memories: homework, holidays, arguments not unlike this one. She had loved both her children equally and, apparently, convinced neither of them.
“Your father wanted you both to be included in this,” she said. “He wanted you to feel accepted. As a family.”
“Dad’s gone,” Morgan said,“and we don’t even miss him. Families like ours don’t survive that.”
“I miss him,” Sierra whispered.
“You’re such a liar!” Morgan shouted.
Outside, lightning shattered the late afternoon sky. Inside, everyone fell silent; something older and quieter threatened to break …. the thing families inherit without asking, carry without knowing, and only recognize when it’s finally gone.
The attorney cleared her throat.
NAR©2026
#MLMM
#Wordle
This is “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing” by Frank Zappa
Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
Where there’s a will there’s a way that dysfunctional family reunite, but rarely in a good way
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I’m afraid you’re right. I’m glad that’s not my family!
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Oh those family dynamics!
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You can choose your friends……
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Some inheritance you DON’T want, but they’re too deeply embedded. 💔
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You’re right, Liz. I’m afraid it’s too late for this family.
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Thanks for joining in Nancy. Hope there’ll be more to this!
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Thanks for the great prompts, Di! Wordles are excellent writing exercises.
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I love them, and wish we’d had them at school.
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They would certainly get the kids involved in writing!
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It would, and certainly open up their imagination and understanding.
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You can feel the tension in this, Nancy. Well done.
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What an unhappy lot! Thanks, Lois.
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Why do people seem to become such animals when it comes to who inherits what? So well done.
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No idea! They must be incredibly miserable all the time. Thanks so much.
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Will reading is always a tension filled occurrence
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It must be; I’ve never experienced it first hand. Thank you, Sadje.
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So well written Nance – it is so very sad when families split apart at times like these – sometimes it brings out the all the buried hurt and all the selfish greed 💔
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Exactly right, Ange. My heart aches for people who go through this on a daily basis. Thanks for your kind words and sharing your thoughts. ❤️
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♥️
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At tough day at the office for the attorney …listening to the family bickering …
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I’m sure she’s heard it all before …. a worse. New songs for me, my friend. Thanks! 🥰🎶 Get some sleep! 😴
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I happened to be listening to Fever Rey at the time and this one seemed appropriate my friend 🥰🎶
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