Winter’s Child

Posted on by Louise Bunting
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Photo prompt © Ioniangraphics

Winter’s Child

He had to wait for winter to arrive. Or so they told him. The summer, they said, belonged to others. He had to wait for the air to turn chilly and the wind biting; for the frost to form on the trees. Only then would it be his time.

But the summer seemed without end.

He willed the leaves to begin their change – the shift to golden browns would herald the approach of colder days. But disappointment dogged him. No matter how he hoped and wished and prayed, how he yearned for the seasons to shift, the green of summer remained dominant.

All the while, children laughed and played in bright sunshine, while he looked on.

He had to wait for the days when children wore warm coats to play outside, bundled up in hats, scarves and gloves. And when maybe, just maybe, the snow would fall and they’d build snowmen in the park.

First, though, the long summer had to end.

Charlie scowled. It wasn’t fair.

He wanted it to be his birthday now!

Word count: 175

To read the other entries or to submit your own, click the little blue frog.

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This post is for Priceless Joy’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers challenge. This week’s prompt was provided by Ioniangraphics. Thank you for the prompt!

I hadn’t intended to post anything this week – mainly because I haven’t managed to respond to any of the comments on my last post yet (sorry) – but the words came into my head last night and wouldn’t leave me alone until I’d written them down. It seemed a shame not to share it.

I hope you like it. And I’ll try to respond to some comments and visit a few blogs this evening!

21 thoughts on “Winter’s Child”

  1. OH I enjoyed this!! Was trying to figure out what the person was waiting for. Smiled at the ending, was a nice surprise! I so remember it seeming to take forever for my birthday to come when I was young. Now as adults we would like time to slow down!! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thanks, Joy. I run kids parties for a living, so I meet a lot of children who find it hard to wait for their birthday to arrive. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. That’s the direction I hoped people’s thoughts would go in – especially considering my usual stories! I like to keep people on their toes. 😀 Thanks for visiting, Ali.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. lovely Louise! I know the feeling so well too, waiting for a birthday and cake and candles, the child in us never really goes away

    Like

  10. I was thinking he was Jack Frost…so glad he is a kid with a winter birthday. 🙂

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  14. Loved your story, especially the repetitive style of beginning of almost every sentence with the third person singular He. It leads to a cadence and builds up the scene very well. Also the last line was so perfect. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

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