He picked her up, holding her close, feeling her warm soft hair against his cheek.

She was light as a feather, his little bundle of joy. He swirled her round the wooden circle, a stage for their bond. He heard that infectious laugh that could not be resisted. He saw the cheeky glint in her eyes, the mischief bursting to explode.

Someone called him from the house.

He felt the cold chill as the warmth of his memory vanished, wisps of comfort dancing away like frozen shrapnel.

The crushing loneliness enveloped him. The frozen watery grave mocked him impassively.

He whispered, ‘Merry Christmas.’

Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

I’m taking a couple of weeks break over the holidays, so that wraps up 2019 on my blog. Thank you to everyone who has read, liked, commented and shared over the past year, and I hope you all have a great festive season. See you in 2020!

A JUSTIFIED STATE: U.S.A. – AMAZON.COM   UNITEDKINGDOM   AUSTRALIA   CANADA  INDIA BRAZIL MEXICO GERMANY FRANCE SPAIN ITALY NETHERLANDS JAPAN

STATE OF DENIAL: U.S.A. – AMAZON.COM UNITED KINGDOM   AUSTRALIA  CANADA  INDIA BRAZIL MEXICO GERMANY FRANCE SPAIN ITALY NETHERLANDS JAPAN