Courage: a story in 60 seconds

“Courage is found in unlikely places.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

A shout came from the other side of the house. “Mommy!” the little girl cried out. “Mommy, come quick!”

Footsteps padded hastily through the hallway.

“Honey? What’s wrong?”

With covers pulled up to her nose and tiny shoulders quivering, the girl stuttered. “I heard a noise outside my window. It sounded like fingernails.”

Her mom felt for the light switch.

“I’m sure it was just the wind,” she said, walking across the room and peering into the inky night. “See,” she pointed, “there’s a tree branch scraping against the window.”

But the girl didn’t look convinced. Her mom brushed a lock of hair from her face, leaned over, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “I have an idea: How about you sleep with Barnabas tonight?”

The girl stopped shaking and nodded timidly.

Satisfied with her maternal intuition, the girl’s mom snatched a stuffed lion from the shelf above the dresser.

“Remember, Barnabas is a magic lion,” she began. “Squeeze him tight, and he turns all your fears into excitement.”

“Really? But he’s only a toy,” the girl argued weakly.

“Are you sure? He looks real to me.”

The little girl considered the question silently before nestling the stuffed animal under her arm and sinking into her pillow. When her eyes finally drooped closed, her mom flicked off the light and tip-toed quietly out of the bedroom.

That next morning the little girl made all sorts of commotion as she stamped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her mom was sitting at the counter, enjoying a mug of coffee and watching the news.

“What’s the matter, baby?”

“He’s gone!” her daughter moaned.

“Who?”

“Barnabas! He kept me safe all night, but when I woke up, I couldn’t find him! I think he escaped! Now I’m going to be scared forever!”

“Now, hold on. Did you check under the sheets?”

The little girl nodded.

“Behind the bed?”

“Mhm.”

“Under the bed…”

The girl shook her head and gave her mom a sheepish look before plodding back upstairs to continue her hunt for Barnabas.

A moment later, a Breaking News bulletin flashed across the TV. A lion from the local zoo had escaped from its enclosure and still had yet to be found.

Strange, the girl’s mother thought to herself. She glanced back toward the hallway just in time to see her daughter hopping up the last step of the staircase. But then she noticed something she had failed to spot before: Along the girl’s back were three violent slashes that had practically shredded her cotton nightgown to pieces.

***Definitely one of my more abstract 60-second stories…I hope you enjoyed it. If you feel like it, please like, restack, or share. Thanks, everyone!****