Image courtesy of Priya Bajpal
The colours are bright.
To my left, a lion shadowed by the trees. Watching. To my right a tiger, his orange body striped black. Amber eyes glowing fierce and hungry.
I’ve never felt so scared.
A scream is torn from my throat as I curl into a ball, waiting for him to spring.
Above me, the universe spins and collides. Stars crashing into planets. The end of something.
A warning.
Suddenly, blackness.
Relief.
My chest loosens. Heart slows.
The door cracks open.
‘Don’t you like your new nursery.’ My mother whispers, fiddling with the timer on my nightlight.
My mobile rotates, wallpaper looms.
I cry.
‘Hunted’ was written for Friday Fictioneers. A weekly 100 word flash fiction challenge, inspired by a photo prompt. Join in and/or read the other entries over at host Rochelle’s blog here.
