June 2024 Flash Lit 9.3 - cherry

“Pretty please,” Holly wheedled.  “With a cherry on top?”

Michael held the skateboard over his head where Holly, three years younger, couldn’t reach.  “I hate cherries,” he said.

 

“Then with no cherry on top?” Holly said, adapting as best she could.

 

Michael gave in, partly because his arms were getting tired, partly because he didn’t want to hear Holly whining anymore, and partly because he saw their mom coming around the corner of the house with a bucket of weeds for the compost bin.  “But don’t crash.  It’ll mess up the design.”

 

Holly, ecstatic, put the skateboard down, put one pink tennie in the center of it, lost her balance, and fell.  Blood welled up from her skinned knee and Holly wailed.

 

Their mom came running.  Two minutes later, Holly had a Wonder Woman bandaid.  Michael was in trouble.  “Why didn’t you help your sister?  You know she’d never skateboarded before.”

 

Michael smarted at the injustice, but he also knew there was only one thing to do.  “Sorry,” he mumbled.

 

Then he went back outside and skateboarded furiously away.