A SUDDEN CHANGE OF PLANS
By Neel Anil Panicker
As soon as the balloon burst, all of us knew little Priya would get upset. And sure enough she commenced her crying routine.
It was a bright summer morning and as is our wont we were heading towards Silver Hills Lodge, the out of town ‘time share’ resort that was ours for keeps for five alternate Sunday weekends, thanks chiefly to the financial wizardry displayed by my ‘old man who thought getting to get a prized beachside resort for five days was the biggest achievement of his seven decade odd existence on terra firma.
An hour ago hubby dear had packed our brood into the front and back seats of our beaten down Chevrolet.
“Mamma, I don’t want to go that same idiotic place again and again. All we do there is eat, drink pineapple juice, and watch the hills. No ways I am going there again”.
This proclamation was followed by hysterical wails and just when we were wondering how to quieten her down, her grandfather stepped in.
Striking a placatory note, he sidled upto the ten year old and said in his best honey dipped voice, ‘My dear baby, tell me where you want to go. Your wish is my command.’
The words were like manna to the parched soul, and the reply came doubly fast, “Zoo. I want to go to the zoo. I want to see animals. Lions, tigers, deer, even crocodolies.”
Almost immediately, as if on bidding, a banner came alive in the rear view mirror and hubby declared,” Great, it’s zoo time today” as the car turned around and headed towards the ‘National Game Reserve’.
#TimeToWrite #ThreeThingsChallenge #Fiction #Flash#271words
Written for Rachel Poli’s Time To Write prompt, using the random words animals, balloon, and best, and for Teresa’s Three Things Challenge where the the things are crying, grandfather, and banner.
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