Silence

“Samoa-Samoa-Tonga-Tonga-Talofa-Malo-Aloha.”
At the age of three, Clara was a musical prodigy, at five she spontaneously burst into song as if the family lived inside a musical.
“Hey, baby, why don’t you run over and pick out a T-shirt for daddy?”
Clara met the suggestion with an eye roll before skipping away.
Anita watched her daughter’s long blonde curls bounce against her tiny back, did her own eye roll thanking God for the blessed silence as her child disappeared in the crowd.

The blessed silence has gone on for two excruciating years. And now, today, the search for Clara was ended.

Crazy Horses

Today’s picture prompt was provided by our fearless leader, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. My 100-word story weighs in at 96-words.

After Tom disappeared,
time meant nothing to Loretta.
The sun rose over her Colorado farm
right on time, set when it was meant to.
She made Battenburg lace to trade for cash money.
Took a day to walk to the market and back.
She’d certainly never ride one of the horses.
Did that once. The crook-backed beast ran all the way to Kansas
then died alongside the road.
No money in her pocket, Loretta walked home.
She sometimes wonders it that’s what happened to Tom.
Wonders if more than one deranged horse hides within their herd.

An InLinkz Link-up

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