PENNY FOUNTAIN (flash fiction)

At the mall, there was a small child, a little girl who'd just discovered her first fountain.

I watched her from the level above, as she laughed at the water, afraid of the spritely streams and excited at the same time.

Her pop gave her a shiny penny and as she hurled it, 'Ol Abe Lincoln rolled out of sight and she cried that first cry of disappointment.

Real disappointment.

But the dad quickly soothed her with a nickel that he cupped into her small hand and made sure that fucker
went into the fountain with a victorious plunk.

His little girl was happy now and that's all that mattered