First, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to Sarah Faxon and thank you for these latest Flash Fiction Friday prompts. As often, I’ve combined the two—this time with a little devilish humor.
PROMPT 1 - With Mother’s day in mind: The big day is here.
OR
PROMPT 2 - With Teacher’s Appreciation week in mind: A square, unmarked present is left on your teacher’s desk.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Mandy had a splitting headache and the last place she wanted to be was teaching Sunday school on Mother’s Day, of all damn days. Yet, when your own child is in your class and insists on, “Talking with Jesus”, you swallow down some Extra Strength Tylenol and suck it up.
“Now, who remembers the story about Jonah and the Whale?” She tries to infuse her words with unfelt enthusiasm while wondering if her recent fatigue meant she had a flu coming on.
Excited hands fly up among the seated children. Her own five-year-old son, Charlie, sat in the front row. While the other kids waved their hands, wanting to be called, he sat with his hands in his lap, wide angelic smile beaming from his face.
“Open your present first,” Charlie said above the chatter of the other kids.
She looked down and noticed for the first time a small square box sitting on the folding table in front of her. Her stomach lurched a little as she remembered the peanut butter and pickle toast he had presented to her this morning as a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.
Mandy swallowed the rising bile. “Now Charlie, you already gave me a Mother’s Day gift.”
“Open it,” he insisted with bright-eyed glee.
Please don’t be a frog or spider, she thought as she stared down at the unmarked box.
“Open it, open it,” the other children chanted.
Wanting to get through the lesson and stem the nerve rattling chorus, she grabbed the box and lifted the lid. Inside were about thirty small white pills.
“Candy?” She looked over at Charlie with confusion.
His smile widened. “Nope. Guess again.”
“Honey, mommy’s tired and I don’t feel like guessing.”
Charlie’s smile faded and dissolved into a pout.
“Do you remember that you promised me a little brother?”
“Yes,” Mandy sighed, not wanting to go into this in front of the other children.
“I found those pills and Alexa told me that they kept you from having a baby.”
Her mouth flew open. “You asked who, what?”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “You know, “hey Alexa” on the Amazon thing. She told me what the pills did. So, I replaced them.”
A shiver went up her spine. “Replaced them? With what?”
Charlie’s smile returned. “With Buster’s heart worm pills.”
Mandy felt the bile returning and sprinted for the bathroom down the hall. Behind her, she heard Charlie yell, “I’m going to have a baby brother!”
The children’s cheers filled the church halls as Mandy knelt at a toilet, remembering the familiar nauseating rush of morning sickness.
“Happy damn Mother’s Day,” she said as she wiped her mouth and wondered how much boarding school would cost.
Yeah, another short story with creepy kids. Stephen King and I have something in common.
I wasn't expecting that ending! Nice one :).
Very inventive response to the prompts. Surprisingly good at getting inside the head of a young mom.