PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart

Goodbye

Sierra waited until her mother’s back spun into view. Then she swallowed hard and ventured cautiously, “Will we ever come back?” 

Mama’s shoulders froze, then drooped. She’d been whirling around all morning, like the wooden top Sierra had lovingly packed in a box labeled Knickknacks, but now Mama pivoted slowly, wobbling slightly.

“Here’s hoping! We never know, do we?”

Sierra stared at her, trying to decipher the message beneath the stubborn optimism in her mother’s eyes. Finally, Mama sighed, sank to the floor, and clasped her legs to her chest. “I doubt it.”

“It’s okay, Mama. That’s what I thought.”

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As always, many thanks for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting Friday Fictioneers! Stop over and read a wonderful array of 100-word-fiction pieces based on this photo prompt!