[Write the Story] Someone is Hiding in the Linen Closet

Prompt: Someone is Hiding in the Linen Closet

Words: grandfather, canoe, pear, cakewalk, blouse, assignment, stampede, present, dinner, slurp

Story

“Grandfather will be here in an hour.”

That was the cue for the stampede. I felt a tug on my blouse as I took off down the hall. The others scattered to find every present the old man had ever given us. Let them dig out the canoe or the Faberge pear—we didn’t even rate an egg.

“Donna, wait for me.”

I couldn’t stop but I also couldn’t ignore the tiny, piping voice of our littlest family member, Darla. I scooped her up as I went. No one knew my plan, avoidance was a cakewalk when you had a plan.

I threw open the linen closet door an all but threw Darla inside before scouting the area and pulling the door closed behind me. I almost missed the yelp as Darla landed on someone else. I tapped the flashlight on my phone, not wanting to risk the overhead light. “Mom?”

“Shush. If we play our cards right, we can hide here until time for dinner. If we slurp it up, we can be gone before coffee.”

“Mom?”

“Your assignment is to listen for anyone coming. I’ll entertain Darla. And how do you think you learned this?”

Hidden memories surfaced. The holidays would never be the same.

Word Count: 207

Written: 11/19/19

Tags: fiction, flash fiction, Piccadilly, Write the Story