He cowered in the shadows.
Outside he could hear the screams and the howling.
The others had left him. They promised to return by nightfall.
Until then he was on his own.
Footsteps pounded past the opening. He held his breath until they faded away.
How long did he have left? How long before they found him?
He felt hungry and thirsty but he dared not leave his sanctuary.
Then he heard the piercing cry.
He had no choice now. He had to leave and confront them.
He approached the doorway, blinking as he emerged into the bright sunlight.
They spotted him instantly.
‘Dad,’ Maisie cried, running over. ‘Sammy just pulled my hair and stole my ice-cream.’
‘Did not,’ Sammy shouted, ‘it was mine to start with.’
Around him swirled a perpetual whirlwind of energy as the group of eight-year-olds played, fought, chased, wrestled and laughed.
He jumped as a balloon popped behind him, followed by loud squeals of delight.
He never thought he would live in fear of a children’s birthday party.
This is a response to the Thursday Photo Prompt – Sanctuary curated over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.
This left me chuckling, Iain…and sympathetic 🙂 Been there…
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Thanks Sue – I’m going to be there this weekend – wish me luck! 🙂
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Luck, earplugs and tranquilisers, Iain 🙂
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I used to dread them 🙂 Nice build up to the balloon bursting 🙂
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I’m still living with them, one coming up this weekend!
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You have my deepest sympathies.
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Nice story Iain. You wait till you’re going to secondary school concerts – they last forever!
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Great – can’t wait! 🙂
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Been there, done that but it makes me think about the anxiety that PTSD sufferers must go through over the simple things. Deep one.
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Thanks Janet – interesting you got that from it. It can be taken as a light-hearted piece or with much more darker tones. You are right, for some this could be a truly traumatic experience.
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I am a medical transcriptionist by profession and I do a lot of reports about people who suffer from PTSD so maybe that’s why I thought of it.
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It absolutely fits in with the story, a different perspective is good to here.
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Could be worse. Could be at “Chuck E Cheese.”
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We don’t have that pleasure over here, but plenty of similar venues.
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I figured you probably had some equally obnoxious kiddie environments. Last year for my grandson’s eighth birthday, my son arranged for the party at a movie theater with private rooms. The movie was shown in a regular theater, but they also served special meals and had a party room for the celebration before and after the film. No muss, no fuss.
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Now that sounds like something I would do for my birthday! 🙂
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Your story created a smile on my face, nicely done! Thank you.
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Thank you Cecilia, I’m happy it gave you a smile 🙂
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Loved the twist! Great story. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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Nice twist. Not what I expected – nice structure.
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Thank you, glad it managed to surprise.
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LOVE THIS! Thanks for the laughter and the surprise twist, Ian. I just knew he was hiding from soldiers…but a birthday party full of 8-year-olds can indeed be scary.
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Thank you! Glad it gave you a laugh 🙂
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I once lived across the street from an elementary school where screams and howling were everyday occurrences. I had to move!
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Ha, they can be very loud 🙂
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Beautifully done. I imagined a cowering child, before he ventured out to be harangued by his own children.
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Thank you Sarah Ann 🙂
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This one made me smile… Iain. 🙂
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I’m glad it made you smile! Thanks Norma 🙂
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Hahaha, I attended a children’s birthday party today so this was a fun read! And lucky for the dad of the birthday boy, us other parents stayed at the roller skating rink and looked after our own kids ☺
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I was at one today as well, fortunately I didn’t need sanctuary – it was very loud though 🙂
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Same here, so loud! ☺ Seemed like everyone had fun so it was a success. And my kids were so tired that they slept in an extra hour this morning!
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*Hahahahaha!* 😀 What a brilliant story!
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Thank you 🙂
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