Super Heroes
Iron Man.
The five year old boy suddenly dropped to his knees in front of the rustic iron gates of the park. His golden hair glistened in the sunlight, as he bent forwards, intent on the sight in front of him.
“Oh no!” he mumbled to himself before looking up at his babysitter, his eyes panicked. “Lindsey, we need to go to hos-pal!”
“Why?” She asked, bending down beside him and resting her hand on his back protectively. She looked down to the ground and saw a worm wriggling towards the grassy verge on the side of the pavement.
“His legs have been cut off!” Jacob shrieked, “We can’t leave it! How will it walk anywhere?”
He threw a worried look at Lindsey, before turning back to the worm, his hands pressed tightly to his knees. She watched as his eyes stared at the creature in complete amazement, his expression flickering between concern, wonder and curiosity.
“Jacob,” Lindsey fought back a giggle, and waited until the boy tore his gaze away from the worm. “Worms are really special and they don’t need legs! Their bellies are really tough so they can wriggle everywhere.”
He looked at her doubtfully, pushing his floppy hair out of his eyes before sneaking another glance at the worm.
“Pomise? Do you pomise that wormies don’t walk?”
“I promise. But if you want to help him, then you could move him off the pavement, because he might get trodden on otherwise”
“Oh yeah!” Jacob grinned, and he moved his tiny hand slowly towards the creature. “C’mon William. Let’s take you into the park so you can wriggle where it’s safe”
He picked up ‘William’ gently between his forefinger and his thumb, and placed it in his outstretched left hand, before standing upright. His babysitter stood with him, and took his right hand before walking him through the old, worn down gates. Pulling the bolt back across once inside, Jacob wriggled out of Lindsey’s hand.
“I’ll be under the tree, same as normal. If you want me, come and find me. I’ll be watching you, remember, so don’t do anything naughty.”
“I won’t!” Jacob sighed, rolling his eyes in a way that only a child could pull off. “Can I go find a house for William now?”
“Sure thing, dude!”
She watched as Jacob joined his friends on the playground, shouting something before they all crowded round and stared intently at his hand. She smiled, and turned to walk towards the tree she sat under every time she bought Jacob to the park.
Her heart stopped as she noticed a figure under her tree. He sat with his legs crossed beneath him, a sketch book balanced on his lap. She watched as he brushed his coal-black hair out of his eyes and reached across to take a sip from a Starbucks cup before deliberating over a selection of pastels lined up on the grass and lightly shading onto the page.
Shaking off the shiver that suddenly ran through her body, leaving goose-pimples on her arm despite it being in the middle of July, Lindsey hitched up the bag on her shoulder that contained lunch for the little boy she was looking after and started towards the huge oak tree.
“Oh no!” he mumbled to himself before looking up at his babysitter, his eyes panicked. “Lindsey, we need to go to hos-pal!”
“Why?” She asked, bending down beside him and resting her hand on his back protectively. She looked down to the ground and saw a worm wriggling towards the grassy verge on the side of the pavement.
“His legs have been cut off!” Jacob shrieked, “We can’t leave it! How will it walk anywhere?”
He threw a worried look at Lindsey, before turning back to the worm, his hands pressed tightly to his knees. She watched as his eyes stared at the creature in complete amazement, his expression flickering between concern, wonder and curiosity.
“Jacob,” Lindsey fought back a giggle, and waited until the boy tore his gaze away from the worm. “Worms are really special and they don’t need legs! Their bellies are really tough so they can wriggle everywhere.”
He looked at her doubtfully, pushing his floppy hair out of his eyes before sneaking another glance at the worm.
“Pomise? Do you pomise that wormies don’t walk?”
“I promise. But if you want to help him, then you could move him off the pavement, because he might get trodden on otherwise”
“Oh yeah!” Jacob grinned, and he moved his tiny hand slowly towards the creature. “C’mon William. Let’s take you into the park so you can wriggle where it’s safe”
He picked up ‘William’ gently between his forefinger and his thumb, and placed it in his outstretched left hand, before standing upright. His babysitter stood with him, and took his right hand before walking him through the old, worn down gates. Pulling the bolt back across once inside, Jacob wriggled out of Lindsey’s hand.
“I’ll be under the tree, same as normal. If you want me, come and find me. I’ll be watching you, remember, so don’t do anything naughty.”
“I won’t!” Jacob sighed, rolling his eyes in a way that only a child could pull off. “Can I go find a house for William now?”
“Sure thing, dude!”
She watched as Jacob joined his friends on the playground, shouting something before they all crowded round and stared intently at his hand. She smiled, and turned to walk towards the tree she sat under every time she bought Jacob to the park.
Her heart stopped as she noticed a figure under her tree. He sat with his legs crossed beneath him, a sketch book balanced on his lap. She watched as he brushed his coal-black hair out of his eyes and reached across to take a sip from a Starbucks cup before deliberating over a selection of pastels lined up on the grass and lightly shading onto the page.
Shaking off the shiver that suddenly ran through her body, leaving goose-pimples on her arm despite it being in the middle of July, Lindsey hitched up the bag on her shoulder that contained lunch for the little boy she was looking after and started towards the huge oak tree.