My Day Out

I was surrounded, trapped in a forest of legs. All day I have felt them shoving, pulling and pushing past me.  See that’s the problem with being small, no one ever notices you. Adults are always too busy, always rushing, they miss so much. They squashed me between their bags just like in a game of sardines before I fell over.

We had stopped at the corner near the blue paper sellers hut. Do you know he’s so noisy you can hear him all the way back in the shopping centre? It’s true.

‘City final, City final.’ He cried waving his papers around.

            It was wet and noisy there were people everywhere. Some were running down the street trying to keep dry, some had lots of bags.  You could hear the cars splashing down the street honking at each other.  The ppsssst sound of a bus stopping made me jump and made me turn around.  I looked towards the road but it was like looking though trees there were so many people. I saw a shiny red car in between the moving legs; red is my favourite colour; it matches my wellingtons and raincoat.  I tried to tell Dad about the car but he wasn’t listening. He was busy, he’s always busy. Today was supposed to be our day but we haven’t done anything I want to do, like feed the ducks. So I moved forward in to the crowd to see the car better, it was really pretty and had shiny silver bumpers.

            My hands stung when I hit the floor, I wasn’t wearing my gloves. I felt alone as I looked up. All I could see was a blur of feet and legs splashing past me. No one stopped to help. I sat up and looked at my hands they were dirty and grazed. I could feel them ache all the way up my arms, it was really sore. All I wanted was my Dad but I couldn’t see him. My hands were bleeding and I couldn’t see my Dad. I was all alone sat on the wet pavement and no one noticed me. Everyone was too busy. I felt the tears come running down my cheeks like rivers. All I could think of what was I going to do without him? How would I get home? Would Mum and Dad miss me? I hadn’t noticed the crowd moving away from me or the desperate cry of my father as he came towards me. I only felt his arms pick me up and hold me tight as he spoke softly to me.

‘Danny, oh Danny!  It’s ok sweetheart! Thank God are you ok. Where did you go? Don’t ever do that again!..You must stay close to me... I thought I’d lost you... You really scared me; I don’t know what I’d do without you! Come on lets go home son.’