Apathy - #AtoZChallenge

"This is so pointless!" Myriah said with an eyeroll before stomping out of the room and heading back to her studies.

The palace guards kept their eyes firmly pointed at the motes of dust hanging three feet in front of them, not allowing any emotion to display. Family disputes were not their business, and the princess had developed a temper. King Solomon looked to his advisor, his loyal steward, for any hint of insight. The steward opened his mouth, then closed it. He offered a small shrug. "She's your daughter," was his only comment.

"I asked God for wisdom. I can solve anyone's problems, but my teen-aged children are beyond me," he moaned. How was it that his favorite daughter had grown into this young woman who cared so little about anything. He looked toward the doorway into the long hall to household quarters, checking to be sure she was out of sight before resuming the throne. "It will have to wait. Next!" The doorman opened the door at the opposite end of the long hall to invite in a small group seeking resolution.

There were many supplicants today. He worked past his usual dinner time, giving each person the attention they needed. It wasn't until he finally stopped for a bite that he allowed his mind to return to Myriah and her apathetic attitude.

Later, as he walked through the women's wing of the palace, Solomon could hear his daughter's strident voice raised in argument. "But what is the point, mother? Why even bother learning to do this? It's meaningless! I'm never going to end up doing anything like this!" He couldn't hear the response. "Bah! You're hopeless! This whole thing is!" A scoffing sound, then footsteps and she added in a grumble, "Nothing means anything anymore."

Solomon was troubled that night. He called for his scribe to bring in parchment. When he couldn't understand something, writing it out sometimes helped. He started with the word Myriah had used to her mother: "Meaningless!" Hearing her tone in his head, he wrote it again. "Meaningless!" And then, "Everything is meaningless!" 

It took most of the night, but by morning, he had an idea of how to explain to his daughter why she had to do the "pointless" things she had to do.

Reference: This tiny micro-fiction was inspired not by actual events from the Bible, but by the book of   Ecclesiastes. This book begins with several chapters about the futility of existence before warming into basic wisdom and hope for the future. I love the idea that the wisest man ever to have lived might have pulled inspiration from a teenage rant. Who knows? Plus, I've been pretty apathetic about writing lately, and had to get it off my chest if I'm going to commit to a whole month of this. Thank you for indulging me!