The Blue Mug

For seven years Daniel rinses his blue mug and sets it upside down to dry. The Tuesday he leaves it by the sink with a brown ring in it, Mara notices.

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The first sign that Daniel was leaving was not a suitcase by the door or an empty space in the wardrobe. It was the blue mug beside the sink.

For seven years, he had never left it there.

It was the color of evening rain, with a white crack running from handle to base. Mara had bought it for fifty pence at a church sale during their first winter together. Daniel drank coffee from it every morning, rinsed it carefully, and placed it upside down on the striped tea towel.

That Tuesday, he set it beside the sink with a brown ring drying at the bottom. Then he put on his coat and went to work.

Mara stood in the kitchen after the front door clicked shut. The refrigerator hummed. Somewhere above them, the baby in flat 3B began to cry, and pipes knocked inside the wall as an upstairs neighbor turned on a shower.

She stared at the mug.

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Quick answers about The Blue Mug

What is The Blue Mug about?

For seven years Daniel rinses his blue mug and sets it upside down to dry. The Tuesday he leaves it by the sink with a brown ring in it, Mara notices.

Is The Blue Mug free to read?

Yes. Every story on RapidTale is free to read in the browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.

How long does it take to read?

This story runs 1 chapter — most readers finish in one sitting, and you can stop and return to any chapter using the contents list.

Who wrote it?

Nimra Khan — original fiction published on RapidTale.