Fiction under 250 words.
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“This sucks! I don’t know why you’re dragging me along, I don’t want to be here. You’re making me miss my best friend’s party. I hate you,” the teenage girl grumbled and sat back in the seat with a huff.
Ramona cringed and clutched her bag closer to her chest. She could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, but bit her lip in an effort to quell them. She was tired of crying.
“Do you know how many kids would kill to be in your position?” the woman next to the girl hissed. “I can’t believe you’re so ungrateful. We saved up a long time for this trip and we’re going to have fun whether you like it or not!”
The girl snorted in disgust and shifted her body away from the woman.
Ramona sneaked a peek at the girl over her shoulder. She was dressed in the latest fashion and had a nose ring. She loudly popped her gum in defiance. She gave a wry smile; she used to be so much like that girl. Taking a breath, she pulled the death notice out of her purse. She had read it so many times the edges were starting to curl with use.
She lightly ran her finger over the names: Mary Beth and Anthony James Taylor.
Her parents.
A tear dropped onto the page. She sucked in a shaky breath. She would give anything to go on vacation with her parents – just one more time.
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*This was inspired by a Post Secret that said, “I hate family vacations.” When I went to the site to link to the post card, I noticed that it has been removed. I wonder why … there’s another story right there, I think.
Write From Karen 