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Genre: Histrionic Fiction
Word Count: 100
PEACE BY PIECE
“Whatcha doin’ sis?”
“If you must know, I’m working a five-hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle. There.” Mindy snapped a corner in place. “That completes the border. Wanna help?”
Mike donned his baseball mitt. “Nah. Looks like work to me. Why would anyone waste their time like that?”
“Glad you asked. British cartographer James Spilsbury invented the dissected map in 1762 as an educational tool for the Royals’ children.”
“Uh, sis…?”
“Fast forward to 1933. Die-cast puzzles became all the rage. Cheap entertainment to—”
“Yoo-hoo?”
Mindy huffed. “What?”
“I’m not a history expert like you, but I’m pretty sure that’s John Spilsbury.”
A bit more history of the jigsaw puzzle.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
There’s always some know-it-all to spoil things when you’re in the middle of a grand disquisition. I didn’t know that about the invention of the jigsaw puzzle.
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Dear Neil,
I think Mindy’s a bit of a know-it-all herself. 😉 Mike enjoyed setting her straight. As for me, I didn’t know the history of puzzles either. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love how I always learn something with your stories — just like the puzzles themselves.
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What a lovely thing to say, Genia. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Best regards to Ted.
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Interesting note. Always did wonder how they were invented. I’ll be back to write when/ IF WP figures out why I can’t access my dashboard. When I open WP it goes straight to my page with no access to dashboard … probably another of their “Improvements”… an unsolvable puzzle indeed.
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Thank you, Bear.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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lol, I’ve heard conversations like this… On the other hand, how anybody could pull “John Spilsbury” out of their hat (or mitt) is beyond me 😉
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Dear Trent,
I suspect Mike and Mindy are cut from the same nerd fabric. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Nothing like a brother coming in to burst a know-it-all’s buttons… Though how he would know this… 😉
Shalom and lotsa fit-together love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
In my mind Mike and Mindy are the trivia-nerd twins. One upmanship is one of their favorite pastimes. 😉
Shalom and lotsa well put together hugs
Rochelle
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I can see it! 😃
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I do wonder how he knew it was John, but I love the idea of the brother bursting the sister’s know-it-all bubble. I’m not a fan of know it alls.
I love a jigsaw and I’m grateful for your invitation to learn more – I have often wondered how you’d make one with a jigsaw, so I’m pleased to learn you don’t!
Jen
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Dear Jen,
This brother and sister are both trivia experts, I think 😉 I like to do online jigsaw puzzles…not so much physical ones. So it occurred to me I didn’t know how jigsaw puzzles came about. Of course I had to look it up. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I enjoy physical ones, but only when I am properly on vacation so they don’t feel like ‘wasted’ time
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James, John, what’s the difference & who cares? Lol. If you want a real puzzle, figure out how I got so many sheets of music covering my den, music room and spare bedroom. That’s a puzzle. Just another case of brother-sister rivalry. Lol. Good job,
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Dear Jan,
You’ll have to solve your own puzzle I’m afraid. Things have a way of multiplying, don’t they? Siblings can be precious. 😉
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Hi Rochelle, I was interested to learn a little more about the history of early jigsaws. I have an early wooden jigsaw, of children having their haircut. Mother might say, have your hair cut, then you can make the jigsaw. Sadly the jigsaw box is long gone.
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Dear Michael,
Everything has a history, doesn’t it? Glad you enjoyed. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a fun little story. Well done.
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Thank you, Mason. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I enjoyed your story and checked out the wiki page about them. One of my friends is big on puzzles. The one with no picture on it would drive me insane, but she’d probably love the challenge.
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Dear Lisa,
I’ve only discovered over the past couple of years that I enjoy online jigsaw puzzles. I know people who spend hours putting together the physical ones. Not I. 😉 And the white one? Fuhget about it. Glad you enjoyed my story. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, I didn’t know online jigsaw puzzles existed! You’re very welcome.
Shalom,
Lisa
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I have a love/hate relationship with puzzles. I love to do them. I hate to have an unfinished one in the vicinity. I can’t walk by an unfinished puzzle. I will stare at the pieces for hours. If I get to the point where I’m ready to walk away, and I find a piece, I’m stuck for another hour.
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Dear Nobbin,
Sounds like a little OCD going on there. 😉 I’m not crazy about physical puzzles but really enjoy the online ones. Go figure. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I wouldn’t say “a little.”
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A nicely written story, with some interesting historical detail. And a magical take on the prompt!
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Dear Penny,
Everything has a history, doesn’t it? Thank you for your generous comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’ve always so enjoyed nitpicking like that too, though it may often help to know the exact distinction between James and John. If someone’s going to bother with such an obscure detail, he may just as well get it so precisely right
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Dear Larry,
I think Mike and Mindy in the story are the nitpicking twins. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And therein lies the dichotomy between the artist and artless, between innovation and the average, and the tortoise and hare…sure, he might be right, but it is on the importance of being right that civilisations flounder.
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Dear Ain,
Your comment makes me chuckle. To some being right is what it’s all about. 😉 I think these two siblings are cut from the same fabric. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Im happy to learn of the maps being at the beginning of the jigsaw story
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Dear Shrawley,
It always makes me happy to learn of something’s history. Glad it worked for you, too. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lets just say I’ve got a vested interest.
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I do iigsaws online now and then. Relaxes me. I ike the spiral cuts 🙂
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I’m glad I’m not the only one, Linda. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My grandpa used to make us puzzles with his jigsaw. Always new and different .
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Sounds like Mike would be the dark horse of the trivia team – everyone writes him off until suddenly he casually delivers the answer 🙂
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Dear Ali,
There’s always one, isn’t there? 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Until now I’d never given a moment’s thought as to how Jigsaws came about! Another lesson learned. Thanks, Rochelle.
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Dear Keith,
I’m nothing if not the maven of useless knowledge you never wondered about. 😉 You’re welcome. Happy to be of service.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I never knew! You teach me so much with your writings.
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Thank you for such a sweet comment, Athling.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a great story. Sibling rivalry can be beneficial to both (but I do like know-it-alls to some extent). I also enjoyed learning about the history, what a great idea to teach children geography with map puzzles. I very much enjoy online puzzles on my tablet, where I can move the pieces with the fingers, not the mouse.
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Dear Gabi,
I enjoy jigsaws on my desktop. I do use the mouse and pieces click when they connect. There’s something therapeutic about it. 😉 Thank you re my story. I have one sibling and, frankly, he is a know-it-all. We have great conversations now that we’re adults. (more or less :D)
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Someone always has to have the last word. I had a brother like that!
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My brother and I are both that way, Liz. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Don’t you just love smart-alecky little brothers 🙄
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Yes, Lyn. I have one. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love that quote. I stole it, btw.
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Which quote, Syke?
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The Th
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The Thoreau one. Sorry, first reply was a boo boo.
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Feel free to nab it. Obviously it’s not original with me. 😉 It works so well for this prompt challenge.
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Yeah, I didn’t really appreciate him in HS American Lit. In college I did.
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My mom passed her love of puzzles on to me, true most of the puzzles in my life have been the men I’ve dated, but I just love them. I should really put my phone down and do more puzzles and the like. I remember my mom telling me the hardest puzzle she and some classmates worked on was just a huge photo of a big red ball. I think I would have gone nuts. Maybe she did. That would explain a lot of things in my childhood. Lol.
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Dear Syke,
I like puzzles online and on my phone so putting it down wouldn’t do me much good. 😉 Thank you for reading and commenting. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I see a trivia night at the local pub team in the making!
I have a friend who does 1000 piece puzzles; sometimes, a piece will be missing, so to complete the puzzle, she makes a replica to slip in! I am no good at jig-saw puzzles. And, I always thought that the jig-saw was invented to cut out puzzle pieces. Now, I know the truth, lol.
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Dear Lorraine,
I’ve never been a fan of large puzzles. The online ones are my speed. At any rate, looking up the history was fun. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely story. The backstory about the jigsaw puzzle was very interesting.
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Thank you for your kind words, Neel.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah, jigsaws from the simplest to the mega-complicated always provide endless fun. I used to encourage my two year old to do the same puzzles over and over and we would race to see who finished the puzzle the quickest.
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Dear James,
I enjoyed simple puzzles as a child but never graduated to the multi-piece intricate ones. Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Querida Rochelle,
This story sounds like the perfect banter between siblings.
It made me smile. Our interests in puzzle resurged when Covid
caused the isolation. Hope your still enjoying your vacation.
Aberazos y Carino,
Stay Safe 😷 Isadora 😎
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Querida Isadora,
Puzzles were very popular during the Great Depression. It seems Covid had the same effect. 😉 As I reply, I’m back in Missouri, missing my brother. I’ve gotten a few texts from North Carolina saying he misses me, too. Glad you enjoyed the siblings in my story. 😀
Shalom y carino,
Rochelle
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It always warms our hearts when we hear from relatives that they enjoyed our visit and have left a bit of absence in their lives. I’m happy you had a wonderful vacation. ❌⭕️❌⭕️💜
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Excellent brother/sister dynamic going on here. It could have been a scene in my house! And I’ve learned about jigsaws too.
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Dear Jenne,
This was a fun piece to write. I have only one sibling—an older brother. We challenged our parents for sure. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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How interesting! I happen to love jizsaw puzzles! 🙂
Finally back to paying attention to things beyond family and immediate obligations and non-stop-other-stuff that needed tending to for the last two weeks. Some stressful. Some lovely but still busy. Re-entering with the FF prompt …
Hugs and shabbat shalom
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
I’m so glad to see you back, as I’ve already mentioned. As John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to us while we’re busy making other plans.” Glad some of your busy-ness was lovely as you are such a lovely person. Hugs back atcha. Thank you re my story.
Shalom and Sh’vuah tov,
Rochelle
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Thank you, my friend. Some was less lovely, but eventually better than it could’a ended up, and so in the balance, it is all good. Hugs!
Na’ama
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I think I’m up and running again… not sure. this new page formatting is soooo difficult. Haven’t been able to get link to work on inlinkz yet. Will keep trying…
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We’ll be here, Bear. ❤
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Amazing, I thought jigsaw puzzles began in late 1800’s. I know family members who stay up half the night to finish a big jigsaw — not me ! Nicely done link between story and history.
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Dear Francine,
I’ve never been one to sit and work a puzzle with family members…or by myself. I know people who enjoy it. Thank you re my story…researching was fun. Everything has to originate somewhere, doesn’t it?
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He definitely burst his sister’s know-it-all bubble! I came to know a bit more about jigsaw puzzles thanks to your post. Great story and thanks for the prompt, Rochelle
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Another interesting historical piece! The puzzle. I’ve never thought about why it was invented. Fascinating
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