When I was writing The Cobra Effect, which is about #plastic pollution, I wrote a series of vignettes to present some ideas of how we sometimes unconsciously/unintentionally contribute to the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean. My original plan was to put one of these little stories at the start of each chapter, but my editor said that they made the book too long and distracted from the plot. I’m sure she was right, but nonetheless, I feel these snippets are important, so I’ve decided to publish one each week for a few weeks.
The vignettes are based on situations I’ve seen or experienced, and I’ve expanded all of them for the purposes of the blog. What do you think? Have you had an experience like this?
Bryan and Matt
Bryan looks down at his three-year-old son, Matt, who has been playing with his toy dog all day. The child has been obsessed with dogs, and with the story of 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith for months. Bryan and his partner take turns reading the book to their son several times a day. And Matt always has the two-inch Dalmatian, Pongo, that Adam found in the mall last year, in his fist. Bryan smiles, aware of the velocity of time passing. In just a few years his son will start Kindergarten.
“Come on, Matty, time to go home and get dinner. Are you hungry? Papa will have dinner all ready for us.”
Matt nods and takes his Daddy’s hand as they walk across the bridge. Bryan loves living in the city and this pedestrian bridge is one of his favorite places to walk. He holds his son’s hand firmly, and when they get to the middle of the bridge, he picks up his son and walks closer to the edge, holding him tightly as they lean over the edge.
“Look, you see that building over there. That’s where Daddy works.”
Matt nods solemnly. Then they both look down over the water, a calm greenish brown after all the rain they’ve had.
Without warning, Matt holds his little toy Pongo over the water and releases it. As soon as he realizes what he has done, his mouth becomes a rectangular opening from which his grief pours out as tears stream from his eyes.
Distressed, Bryan softly scolds, “Well, why did you go and drop it, silly? It’s gone now. Daddy can’t get it back from the river.”
Matt buries his tear-drenched face in his father’s chest.
“Next time don’t drop it,” says Bryan soothingly, patting Matt on the back. “What were you thinking?”
Matt shudders and heaves at the loss of his little toy which the river has swallowed.
But that’s not the end of the story.
The toy is carried for miles bumping and knocking against other floating debris. Weeks and months pass. The sun heats it and the cool nights make it more brittle. Eventually an ear, and then a paw break off.
A turtle swimming by the small plastic ear mistakes it for an insect and swallows it.
