Zombies On Fire & Other Short Stories

The Day Time Stood Still

"Look, mommy! Look." Carla heard a young child shouting in the distance.

Carla sighed and tried to focus on her Calculus 2 homework. She slouched down lower in her on the picnic table bench. Her brow furrowed deep with frustration.

"Come here, honey," the mother yelled, her voice tinged with anxiety.

Carla growled and covered her ears with her hands to try to block out the noise. She had come to the park for peace and quiet. To get away from her obnoxious roommate.

She had thought that boarding with someone from the same country as herself would be a good thing. But two weeks into her stay, Carla already regretted it. She was already looking for another place to move to.

Carla had had enough of the girl's endless drama. Her roommate created mountains out of molehills. Even though she had always been a homebody, lately, Carla preferred to be anywhere except at home. Which was how she ended up here in the park.

Enough was enough. Carla was going to find a new place and move. Even if she lost her security deposit or had to pay extra for breaking her lease early.

The young woman pulled a scrunchie off her ponytail. Shook her thick, black hair. Pulled her sweater sleeves up farther over her palms. Then ran her long, slender fingers through her dark locks.

It wasn't cold, but the late afternoon temperature as the sun prepared to set was colder than she was used to back home in the southern hemisphere at this time of year.

She took a deep breath and shook her shoulders to psych herself up for one final push to get this homework finished up.

The sweet, strong scent of the French Lilacs that surrounded her assailed her nostrils. It gave her a heady rush and brought a smile to her face. She paused for a moment to relish the smell.

She tried to take advantage of the moment to remind herself that she should just breathe and enjoy the moment. But the sound of the young girl's shrill voice broke her train of thought and shattered her reprieve.

"What is it, mommy? What is it?"

"Vitoria May! Come here right now." the mother shouted, almost hysterically.

She grabbed her open backpack and shoved her books and paper inside with an irritated growl. Carla looked up toward the girl with a scowl. The young woman hoped the girl would look at her and see just how annoyed she was.

The innocent child stood in the middle of a grassy knoll, pointing up into the sky. Her mother was scrambling to gather up a few food and drink items scattered on a checkered red and white blanket for their afternoon picnic.

The frightened woman threw them into a dark brown, hand-woven basket and threw the blanket over her shoulder. She grabbed the child's hand and began to pull her along.

But the girl never turned back around toward her mother. She continued to look back over into the sky behind Carla. Still pointing up into the air. It was a strange scene. Almost as if the child had been frozen in place, and the mother was simply dragging a statue through the grass.

Carla glanced up in the general direction the child was pointing, but couldn't see anything through the branches of the tree overhead. When she glanced back, she could no longer see the young girl, but the mother had turned to drag the child with both hands.

After they disappeared from view, Carla noticed the brown basket still sitting in the grass where the mother must have tossed it aside to take care of the kid.

Carla shook her head. Kids these days. They were entitled little brats that wouldn't obey their parents. And parents had no backbone to keep their kids in line. Giving them whatever they wanted.