A Hole Lot of Nothing (1st Place)

“Eddie! It’s time for school.” Anita yelled up the stairs.

“OK. Mom. I just have one more level.”

“Now, Eddie. The bus is coming.”

“I’m almost done.”

“Eddie Eugene Philmore, you get your butt down here right now!”

The sound of rustling papers, zippers, and heavy footfalls sifted down the stairs. Eddie bounded down the steps, glanced at his mother (hands on hips and head slightly tilted to the side), and scampered past her. The groan of the screen door with a subsequent whap, filled the air.

“That child!” Anita exasperated. “He would drive a saint crazy!”

Anita peeked out the blinds. The bus rolled to a stop, opened its door and Eddie, along with Taneeka from a few doors down, climbed within. Moments later, the bus lurched forward, and roared down the street. It disappeared from sight as it turned left onto Apple drive.

Anita shuffled to the middle of the living room and flopped down into an overstuffed chair. Her fingertips massaged her temples. She sighed.

Her familiar ringtone pierced the quiet, indicating a text had arrived. She reached over and lifted the phone to her weary eyes.

Eddie: “Do you have my homework?”

“No.” She texted.

“It was in my bag.”

“You have your bag.”

“It was there but when I looked again, it was gone. OMG there’s a hole in the bag. Look in my room by my computer.”

“All right. Just a minute.”

She lumbered up the stairs and into Eddie’s room. She sorted through mounds of clothes, candy wrappers, and various papers.

“Eddie, it’s not here. The only thing here is your DS game.”

“Good. I have my homework. I just wanted to be sure my DS didn’t fall out of my bag.”

Anita’s eyes drifted toward the ceiling. “That child!”


297 Words
Flash Fiction limted to 300 words.
Must contain the line “When I looked again, it was gone.”