The boy’s small shoes dragged their knotted laces through puddles as he headed for the back door. He tugged at the few buttons left on his shirt as the seams stretched at the shoulders. He licked his swollen lip. Brushed fingers through sweaty hair. He then feathered fingertips over another black eye before trudging into the kitchen.
“How long now, Grandma?” He called out.
From the kitchen table, Grandma moved towards the calendar and peered below the lens edge of her glasses balanced on her nose. “Two weeks, three days,” she said, picking up the pencil string tied to the board and crossed off today’s date.
The man-child grinned while grabbing an ice pack from the freezer. “Two weeks and three days to go.” That’s when school rules no longer mattered. Not in summer holidays when his Bully Payback Programme would begin.
(143 words.)
I love that this piece ended completely differently so how I thought it would at the outset – I’ve been reading your work long enough that it’s no longer a surprise, just a moment of reading pleasure 🙂
Welcome back – I’ve missed you and I’m sure I’m not the only one 🙂 Hope 2017 is an amazing one for you
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And there’s my writer’s challenge – to try and re-surprise you with my writing!
Thank you for your kind comments, Nik, it’s nice to be missed and great to be back. 2017 is already shaping up to be a magnificent year, hope it will be for you too.
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