Nicholas: Lost Innocence
Excerpt
The boy brushed
the dirt from his forehead with the sleeve of his grey tweed coat. He shivered,
his knickers barely reaching his knees. Hugging his teddy bear tightly, his
chin trembled. A tear rolled down his cheek. “Mommy?”
His
fingers throbbed, their tips bloodied, his fingernails broken.
He
blinked up into the light of the streetlamp. Walking through the grass, he wove
his way through the headstones and into the street.
A
gentle breeze swept over his face. It was quiet, but for the leaves rustling
overhead.
*
* *
Jason
Mills grinned and kissed his wife Diane.
She
ran a finger down his cheek. Nestling her head on his shoulder, she smiled.
Opening her eyes, she then gasped. “Jason!”
Jason
directed his eyes to the road. There in its middle was a small boy clutching a
teddy bear. He slammed on the brakes. The car stopped mere inches from where he
stood.
She
pressed a hand to her mouth. “Did we hit him?”
They
both scrambled from the car and into the street.
The
boy gazed up at them, in the glare of the headlights.
They
both stared, and she looked down the road and into the neighboring yards. She kneeled
before him and wiped the dirt from his face. “Sweetie? What are you doing out
here? Where’s your mommy?”
He
bowed his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Oh,
honey.” She took him in her arms and pulled him close. “It’s okay. We’ll help
you find your mommy.” She lifted him into her arms.
“What
are you doing?”
“We’re
taking him to the police station, that’s what we’re doing. We can’t leave him
out here.”
“What about his parents?”
She
waved an arm at the empty street. “Do you see anyone?”
She
carried him into the car and set him on her lap. He rested his head on her
shoulder, and she ran her fingertips over his hair. “My, that’s such a handsome
suit. Can you tell me your name?” He didn’t answer, and she lifted the back of
his collar.
Jason
got back behind the wheel. “Now what are you doing?”
“Parents
usually sew their kid’s names into their clothes. You know that.”
The
boy closed his eyes and fell to sleep.
“Poor
thing. Must be exhausted.” She studied his clothes. “How did he get covered in
dirt? And who puts their kid in shorts to dress up?”
Jason
closed the door and pulled the car over. “I think they used to call those
knickers.”
“Look
at him. He looks as though he’s dressed for Sunday service, with his little
shirt and tie. And what happened to his fingers? It looks as though he was
clawing at something.” She sighed, resting back in her seat. “So how did you
come to be out here, in the middle of the night?”
Turning
back in the direction he came, Jason drove to the police station.
