Jailbirds

Amy's heart couldn't pound any faster as she flew across the concrete and towards the steel gate. She whizzed past cotton jumpers and rag tag shirts and ties, she could hear her shoes scraping the ground as she got closer and closer to the exit.

The small message had came so quickly that even as she ran she could barely process what she knew to be the joy that awaited her at the end of her sprint.

If her little legs could run any faster she felt like she'd be flying, soaring, a bundle of feathers twisting in flight as she skidded round the corner of the gate and out into the street. Her hair knotting as it twisted against the wind.

By this point her face was going as red as her scarlet hair, flowing out behind her, her flag of recognition as faces turned to watch her approach. One face she'd been waiting to see in particular.

One minute she was one person, the next she was merged with another. Their limbs thrust out in greeting as she and her greeter collapsed to the floor in a heap, laughter bubbling from both of them.

They stared at each other for a long minute, a minute that Amy recognised in her father that was absorbing everything new about his little girl and she buried her head into his shoulder started to mumble something undecipherable into his collar.

He said nothing. His eyes glassy and threatening to spill, which he wiped half heartedly with his sleeve. They were still on the ground, tangled in each other's fought for embraces. He wiped her little red face with the edge of his index finger, when she did look up, and he picked himself and his daughter from the floor, his hand squeezing hers.

“Let's go,” he told her.

She nodded, her little fingers in his gentle grip as they moved away from the school ground and out away into the world beyond together.

***

Something different from yesterdays little piece of writing. done in half an hour to music.

Creative writing starts again soon, I am very excited :)