They were cousins, born just four months apart. They were closer than any two sisters you could imagine, but yet they were about as different as two little girls could possibly be. Maybe that was why they were close to inseparable and played so well together.
Their mothers were sisters and didn’t get along as well as their two daughters did. But the sisters had agreed to an arrangement where one of the sisters would watch the two little cousins on alternating weekends. That way, each of the sisters would get alone time with her respective spouse for an entire weekend every other weekend. This arrangement worked well for everyone — the mothers, the fathers, and the two little cousins.
Until that one weekend when the two little cousins, hand-in-hand, wandered off. The sister who had them for the weekend realized that she hadn’t seen or heard the girls for more than an hour. She called out their names, but there was no response. She went through every room in her house hoping to find them. But they were nowhere to be found.
She ran outside to the front yard to see if they were outside playing there. They weren’t. Then she ran to the back of the house. They were not there, either. She began screaming their names at the top of her lungs, but heard only silence in return.
She called her husband, who had gone to the hardware store, and told him the cousins were missing. He quickly drove home and joined his wife as they fanned out into the neighborhood to see if they could find the little girls. But they didn’t find them. Anywhere.
The mother of one of the little cousins reluctantly picked up the phone and called the mother of the other little cousin. “They’re missing,” she said, crying almost hysterically.
Written for the What Do You See? prompt from Sadje at Keep it Alive. Photo credit: Cheryl Holt at Pixabay.
The nightmare
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Yes, every parent’s nightmare.
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The horror
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Ummm…where’s my happy ending, Fandango?!! Good write, but shame on you
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I left the ending without resolution. Maybe the cousins will show up, or maybe someone will find them safe and send. Or maybe not.
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Just plain mean. But, I get it. Nicely done 🙂
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You know, connecting at all — even to my own site — is getting really difficult. Good little opening.. Needs another 400 pages for the rest of the story 🙂
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Yes, I know. Maybe someday I’ll expand the story, or continue it in multiple parts.
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Can sense the panic…Great short story and writing! 👏 Had me hooked from beginning to end ❤️
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Thanks, I appreciate that. Some have commented that the tale was upsetting and horrific. And yes, the pain of the sisters must be almost unbearable. But I left the ending open enough that the story could yet end well.
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I really really like what you have written here 🙂 I enjoy writing and reading stories which are so emotive and leave an impact. You ended it wonderfully and have left a strong urge of wanting to find out more! So well-written 👏
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This was excellent, albeit heartbreaking.
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Thank you, Jill. Every parent’s nightmare.
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Indeed it is!
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It is something every parent dreads. Very well written Fandango. Thanks for joining in
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I should have come up with something less heartbreaking, but I usually go with what the image says to me. Maybe next time I’ll be more upbeat.
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No worries! Write what you see!
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Well, yeah! The prompt ask, What Do You See? 😉
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Exactly! This what I enjoy most about the responses, we all see something different.
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Not what I saw, but a real nightmare for sure.
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Every parent’s nightmare Fandango.
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Yes it is. 😢
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I will fill in my own happy ending. They were found playing with the doll houses in the local toy store.
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Yes!
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A much happier ending. 👏
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Maybe they went to the park at the end of the block? I think there is a happy ending… they are too young to have anything bad happen to them.
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