CAUTION: Children at Play (Short Story)

~ Mya Gray

Hey y’all!

Today I am going to share a short story for you that I just wrote!

* Please note that this story is written and owned by me, and it is NOT okay to steal it.*

So I used two writing prompts in this story, and one of them was shown in THIS post.

Let’s get started!

CAUTION: Children at Play

“Quick, take cover!” A cry pierced through the eerily silent city. 

     A woman came bustling out from a shop, dropping her groceries and sprinting towards the nearest building. 

Adults ran through the streets and darted towards their homes, slamming their doors and locking them. A young man peered out his window and spotted a “CAUTION: Children at Play” sign. His expression morphed into terror and he pulled the curtains closed. 

     A chilling gust of wind blew through the vacant town. Dark clouds formed over the village, and light rain began to fall. Wood planks were nailed across doors, and windows were sealed shut. Shops had been evacuated. The streets had been emptied. 

     When the silence couldn’t get any thicker, the creak of a rusty iron gate rung through the village. A young girl wearing a creamy white satin nightgown strode through the gates. In one hand she held a stuffed bear. 

     In the other she held a dagger. 

     She looked around the village, keeping an innocent smile plastered on her face. 

     “Who wants to play?” She called. Turning around, she spun around to face a cluster of children. Their ages ranged from four to twelve, and they each held a weapon and wore a joyful smile. 

     “Is everyone ready to go play?” A six-year-old boy asked, who was holding a sharp spear. 

     The children smiled and nodded. They began their march through the city, stopping at every house to knock on the door and peek in the windows. 

     When no one would answer, they would turn around to keep on walking. 

     Every house was locked.  

     Besides one. 

     The children walked up to a small brick house at the end of the street. One child stepped forward and rapped on the old oak door. 

Silence. 

     And then footsteps. 

     The doorknob turned, and the door creaked open. A seven-year-old girl with emerald green eyes stood on the doorstep. Curly blonde ringlets framed her face and she smiled uneasily. 

     “JUNIPER! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!” A shaky voice screamed. A pale faced mother stumbled down the stairs, lunging to grab her daughter. “D-don’t step outside t-that d-door.” 

     Juniper turned around and stared into her mothers eyes. They were glazed over with fear. And grief. 

     “Mama, you can’t keep me hidden in here anymore. I don’t belong here. I belong with the other children.” 

     “Juniper, you’re staying here. You can’t go with them. They’re dangerous.” Her mother’s voice cracked. 

     “You can’t stop me.” She whispered. 

      And with that, she stepped into the rain and didn’t look back. 

That was the last time anyone ever saw her. 


So… what did you think? I hope you enjoyed reading it!

signoff

Published by Mya Gray

Mya Gray is a Christian teen with a love for imaginary worlds and fictional characters. While she spends the majority of her free time reading and writing stories, she also enjoys photography, blogging, and playing piano. Mya is an online high school student who resides in the Midwest with her parents, younger siblings, and cats.

23 thoughts on “CAUTION: Children at Play (Short Story)”

  1. Wow! That was suspenseful! And I wonder what the children were going to do?!? Obviously everyone was afraid of them. I love all your adjectives. I.e. “Chilling gust of wind”. Also the cliff hanger… ” every door locked. But one”. I hope to read more. Keep writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      8. Haha, I’m so busy right now but it’s the weekend so I don’t really have much tomorrow. And I’m procrastinating doing homework till Sunday. 😂

        Liked by 1 person

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