Daily story, October 25, 2024

The slots of the Pop-Up Pirate are getting full and it is simply too nerve-racking to insert another. It might pop, and I will jump higher than the pirate, and the boy will laugh at me. It might not pop, and then pop on his turn, and then he will cry. And I can’t stop thinking about hiding in a barrel, curled up tight, just waiting for one of these blades to pierce my belly. The little plastic sword is trembling in my fingers. Yellow. I choose a place and slide it home. The pirate leaps out into the air, and I catch it deftly, without looking. The boy applauds. I look at the pirate’s little smiling face, safe in my hand.