Picture prompts this week and it’s nice to be back. Keeping it short and sweet for today, but getting the words down is an achievement after my nearly two weeks with Covid.
Enjoy, and look forward to reading your responses to this stormy image.
Clementia should have listened to herself.
Yet again, she’d agreed to take the long-suffering pups and join in one of Tempesta’s so-called picnics. Her natural compassion made it impossible for her to refuse these requests, so now she huddled under an inadequate umbrella while her stormy friend played merrily with the elements.
The babies? Tempesta’s mother would be delighted they were being brought up properly, with all due indifference to the rain, thunder and lightning. They would take their places in the hierarchy of the gods as well-rounded, robust deities. Look at them – perfectly content!
Clementia buried her head in her hands and waited for it to be over.
Follow the daily writing prompt on Facebook.
Find Cheryl’s flash fiction and short stories, including audio versions of some, here!
Head in hands and huddled under an umbrella, four-year-old Chloe shivered as the rain pelted her young body, dressed only in light summer clothing.
The storm had been unexpected and she knew her friend Lavinia was struggling to pull her umbrella over head as the wind whipped down the cobbled country lane on which they now found themselves stranded.
Oblivious to the worsening weather, their two small dogs seemed more than content, sheltering on a blanket under the small canopy.
Not so lucky the life-like baby dolls nor the dinner suit-adorned teddy bear in suitcases open to the elements. A closed wooden trunk lay next to them, its contents yet to be discovered.
Truth was, they shouldn’t have been there at all. If Chloe hadn’t had a blazing row with her mother – more like a childish tantrum, really – neither would have found themselves in their current predicament.
However, so incensed was this headstrong four-year-old that she convinced her best friend to take all their worldly possessions and depart for greener pastures.
Despite, the sunny day, they had struggled with the chest and suitcases, not to mention restraining the dogs on their leads as they walked slowly to freedom.
Then the storm hit. Thank goodness they had remembered to bring umbrellas.
Suddenly, this search for greener pastures wasn’t looking so bright after all.
Chloe knew she had bitten off more than she could chew and the, worst of it was, felt guilty about convincing her best friend to be part of her scheme.
The rain started falling faster and Chloe felt even more miserable as the umbrella was just not big enough to shelter both her and the dogs.
“What are we going to do?” she wailed to Lavinia, who was still struggling to hide from the pelting raindrops.
“I don’t know,” her friend said. “But if we don’t do something quick, Teddy and the dolls will be ruined.”
“Maybe we should just go home and I’ll apologise to Mum,” Chloe blubbed. “After all, I guess it was all my fault for riding my scooter down the hall and breaking her precious vase.”
Despite being totally soaked, they began to pack up their belongings in preparation for the long drudge back home.
A car horn honked behind them and they looked up to see Chloe’s mother behind the wheel with a huge smile on her face and the back door open.
Certainly looks like weather fit for the gods!
It’s like it is here right now.