Ben holds one hand. Teddy holds the other. My feet are sore. Ben has a bag with some food and water. Maybe we can stop for some soon.
We had to leave everything else behind. It’s hard to wipe your eyes when a teddy’s holding your hand.
‘It’ll be a great big adventure,’ comforts Ben, ‘we can look after ourselves. I bet we’ll meet dragons and giants and aliens and everything.’
‘Will it be scary?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.’
‘Will we never ever see home again?’
‘Never ever.’
‘Never ever?’
‘Well,’ says Ben, ‘not till dinner-time anyway.’
Words and photograph copyright 2017 by Paula Harmon. All rights belong to the author and material may not be copied without the author’s express permission
From a prompt on Thin Spiral Notebook – check out the others
Had to chuckle at the end… reminds me so much of when my kids were little.
I once found my daughter (aged about 6) preparing to climb out of a downstairs window in our holiday let because she was really angry and wanted to run away. She’d written a goodbye note but she was hesitating a little. I sat down with her and we agreed that she’d climb out of the window and “run away” and I’d follow at a safe distance and “accidentally” meet her in the shop a few yards down the hill where we’d have a reconciliation and come home together.
That is precious!