The Broom: A Short Story

This morning, I nearly fainted from surprise when I saw my broom crying inconsolably as she went through our morning routine of sweeping the living room and tidying. I say our morning routine because all this while, I have been the one using the broom and not the broom by herself. I drew tentatively into the room to watch closely the spectacle before my eyes.

I heard her say quietly between her tears, “only if there was nothing like dust, I would rest all day without having to sweep my surroundings.”

I was taken aback for a while because that sounded just like what I had been brooding over anytime I woke up to tidy the place. I could still not bring myself to believe what was happening. She moved further into the room as she cleaned and I noticed she swept the room exactly the way I did it everyday, or most often, especially when I exceptionally felt unmotivated to sweep. She lifted by whatever power she had gained to bring her to life some items that could be lifted and completely ignored those articles of furniture that could only be lifted with some strain. Again, she went through the routine exactly the way I was accustomed to doing it.

I followed her quietly as she dusted and swept but this time quieted, and a lot more lively as she went through the work of tidying up. I did not dare to interrupt her for I was no longer petrified but still awestruck at this scene. She started humming a song, a familiar song just as I usually do especially towards the end of my work of tidying.

After she had rounded off all the chores of cleaning, dusting and tidying, she turned and faced me and had it not been that I was close to the sofa, I would have fallen back and hit my head; instead, I fell over into the sofa completely dazed and stupefied to behold my own face on what could be said to be the face of the broom. She smiled at me as if that was the most natural thing to do and said:

“ You could wake up each morning to do such easy chores without grumbling in your head Sarah. It only takes a few minutes and you only know the joy you feel after the work is done and you have a tidy space to live in. I only want to tell you to start these chores with as much happiness as when you are done.”

Author: Mawufemor Adzo Amuzu
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone No.: 0501543846