Prompt: https://siobhanmuir.com/thursthreads-tying-tales-together-week-497
Tami fought back tears with a sniffle. It’s hard being brave when you’re five. It’s even harder when you’re alone.
“But Mommy.” Tami paused, swallowing hard. “Mommy…she said nothing would prevent her from coming home to me. She promised!”
Now the tears came, hot and fierce, her body unable to contain its grief.
I didn’t move, or reach out a hand, or try to comfort her. As much as that would feel good right now – to both of us – Tami needed to know she could get through the pain on her own. So I waited, perched on one knee, until the storm passed and she looked back at me.
“What do I do now?”
“You run. You leave this place now and you run, as fast and as far as you can go. Then you hide – and I mean really hide, not just sit behind a tree or behind a big rock. You’re small. The world is full of places you can put yourself where no one will see you. And when you can go again, you run.”
“How…how will I eat? Who will take care of me? How long do I need to run?”
I took the last question first. “Forever, or as near to forever as you can think of. Find help where you can, but don’t expect anyone to take care of you. That part of your life is over.”
I couldn’t give her hope. That would get her killed out there.
Hope was mine to find.
250 words
Project Gemini 