By Jeffrey Paolano
The sun crisps all it lights. Flora shrink and curl. Fauna pant in the shade.
The girls, not yet seven, brave the desert in pursuit of quartz, amber, and basalt with which to fashion their art.
Making noon, Mom rings the bell then cries, “Halloo.”
She watches while the boys and their father shuffle from the barn then yells again, “Halloo lunch.”
“Where’s Nooni and Loodia?” asks Father while he washes.
“Run fetch the girls, you,” says the Mother to the ether but the boys know she means them.
The buzzards, crows, and ants are already at lunch with the girls.
Whoa!
wow, shocking ending, truly unexpected.
Liked it…good job.
I like much about this diabolical desert delight, Jeffrey. Your use of 4 strong verbs (crisps, shrink, curl, pant) in the first 15 words paints the hot setting. The girls’ names (nicknames?)–Loonia and Noodia–are creative. I think of twins. They went out seeking quartz, amber and basalt for art, but found a mysterious (to us) evil from which they could not escape. Mom’s noon lunch bell will never sound the same. One of my favorites this year, Jeffrey.