Essentials Glimpse #1

Only a few pinholes of light relieved the blackness of the woodshed. It wasn’t very big and his hiding spot was even smaller. An ant crawled up his arm and he shivered as he flicked it off. He hated bugs and the shed had plenty of them. At least it wasn’t a spider. Those were so creepy and three had landed on him the last time he’d hidden here. Still it was a good spot. Pa had looked for him here more than once. Opening the door and bellowing his name. He stayed quiet, just like Mama said. He tensed as the door creaked open. He heard the labored breathing as Pa stood for a minute, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. But all that was visible was the poorly stacked wood and a few tools hanging on the wall.

“Damned woman can’t even stack wood right.”

He slammed the battered door and the shed shook. Small pieces of dirt and chips rained onto his head, but James remained crouched in the small space behind the stack. Mama had made the hiding spot just for him and showed him how to add a few pieces to fill the small opening. He was safe there.


NaNoWriMo   12,139 words and still writing.