THE WORST

THE WORST

by Rosemary Clarke

Emily stopped and tried to catch her breath listening very carefully; they had to be there. Somewhere...nothing.
"Donnaaa! Matt!" The shouting almost took her voice away.

Nothing.
The fog on the seafront was as thick as milk, the grass so wet she felt like she had to swim to go faster...to go where?  Which way to go if she couldn't find her way forward or back and was lost herself?
The fog enclosed her as though pulling her back from those she loved.  Shapes...trees. the side of a building... She clung to it while forcing her eyes to focus as far out as they could but it was no good - the fog was like an entity, a cold disease seeping into all orifices, the pores of her skin chilling her and confusing her into forgetting even her own name or what she was about.  In the silence, Emily was reminded of the many times she had told them off for their noise, for their laughter, fighting or tricks; what if she should never find them, they were so near to the sea...people have easily been overcome and drown, or mown down by an unseen car, their twisted bodies the first thing she should see as the fog cleared.  Where were they?

Her brother had entrusted them to her, she'd told him she could cope, she'd thought she could, panic set in making her whole body shake violently; they were only small. What if someone had taken them, it only took a moment and the child was never seen again!  Emily suddenly did something she hadn't done since she was a child herself, she prayed, she prayed with all her heart that they were safe, that she would find them.
As she moved sunlight suddenly cut through the fog slowly dispersing it and sound was heard once more.
She screamed for them again knowing and not caring how strange and wild she looked.  From down the street, a shop door opened and a small blonde headed boy peered out.
"We went into the toy shop, we weren't far away,” you said…
Emily ran to the doorway hugging both children tears streaming down her face.  Their puzzled and uncomfortable expressions echoed in the minds of many of the people in the store; family, they can be so embarrassing!

Copyright  Rosemary Clarke