Shapes by Alice White

Daisy was lying on her back, with one eye shut, she pointed with her index finger skyward. Methodically, tracing the outline of a cat.

“What are you doing?” enquired Dylan looking up from his book.

“Can’t you see it?”

“See what?” he said looking up into the white clouds.

“The cat!”

“Aaaarggh! I can’t see anything now!”

Dylan was too late in shielding his eyes as the sun burst through the clouds.

Daisy ignored him shifting herself away from the sun to stare at another piece of sky. “It’s gone now anyway.”

Dylan rubbed his eyes. “What’s gone?”

“The cat, it's now turned into Mrs Fraser.”

“Who’s Mrs Fraser?”

“My history teacher, Oh! Look, there is a cloud like that boy from No Direction!”

He tried to see the shapes in the clouds that Daisy was pointing out to him, but he didn’t share the imagination of his ten-year-old sister. He was the academic type and being five years older than her needed to get back to his textbook. The exams were only three weeks away.

Daisy fell quiet as she continued to find all manner of celebrities in the clouds above her while Dylan returned to his books.

After what seemed like twenty minutes Daisy suddenly called out, “Dylan you really have got to see this, it’s wonderful!”

He rolled his eyes and put down his book. He wasn’t annoyed with his sister, to be honest he could do with a rest. “What have you seen now?”

Sliding up to her, he too was now lying on his back looking up at the clouds. Straight away he saw what his sister was pointing about.

High up in the sky was another cloud that looked different from the standard cumulonimbus. It was darker in colour and seemed to be moving in the opposite direction to all the other clouds!

The dark cloud soon began to take on a new form twisting and stretching into the shape of a giant bird. It was like watching the birth of a new creature!

With his eyes still on the cloud, Dylan fumbled in his pocket for his phone. “I have got to take some pictures of this for the BBC Weather Watchers!”

As he continued to grope in his pockets, Daisy watched as the ‘bird cloud’ changed direction, it was now moving towards them.

Dylan took some photos and hurriedly uploaded them to the BBC website. As the last photo was uploading both him and Daisy heard what sounded like a shriek coming from the ‘bird cloud’.

By now both Daisy and Dylan were up on their feet. No need to stare into the distance. The ‘bird cloud’ was now above them! With its large bony beak, sharp talons and membrane wings, it was clear to Daisy being in Mrs Fraser history class. That what was homing in on them was not a bird but a prehistoric pterodactyl!

Daisy and Dylan had only word to say to each other.

Lost and Found by Alice White

There is a reason why some lost should never be found.

Beth Simmons stood on the station platform, agitated. She was running late for work, as usual, and knew her boss would want to see her about her time keeping when she eventually arrived.

Once the train arrived, she almost lept through the open carriage door and immediately scanned left and right for an empty seat. Surprisingly, for a busy carriage she found one. Sitting near the window she watched as the station rolled by to be replaced with the back gardens of the houses that bordered the railway track. Soon, they became a blur as the train picked up speed.

Putting her bag on the only available seat next to her, she saw that a child had left behind their doll. Picking it up, it reminded her off the dolls she had as a child. Only this one looked a bit distressed. Its black hair was long and unkept. It wore a long purple and green stripe dress, purple tights with black pointed shoes.

Then looking at its white plastic face, Beth could see it had been bashed in. It was missing an eye and there were cracks down its cheeks. Either it had been ran over by a vehicle or the child had a temper tantrum.

Nevertheless, it was probably missed by a child, so she would hand it in to the lost property office when she got off the train. Beth placed the doll in her bag and spent the rest of the journey thinking up another excuse for being late.

If only she liked working at Transcorp, maybe she'd find the enthusiasm to be on time. Then, subconsciously she said out loud, "If only that place would burn down!"

Then a tiny voice spoke. "Your wish is my command."

Beth looked around at those in the busy carriage. But no-one was looking at her. She was about to ask if anyone had said something, when she could see the train was about to pull into her station.

Upon leaving the carriage, Beth went to the lost property office. "Yes dear?" Asked the man behind the glass screen.

Beth fumbled in her bag. "I have here..." Still pushing aside the detritus in her bag. "I thought I picked up a lost doll?"

The man behind screen said. "It's OK. If it's still on the train at the next station, the cleaning staff will pick it up."

Beth gave an embarrassed smile, turned, and walked out of the station. Now not thinking about the doll, she was preparing for the confrontation with her boss.

A little way away from the station, Beth noticed a plume of black smoke rising from a nearby building. Turning the corner she saw to her horror that it was her place of work, Transcorp!

Fire engines, rushed passed her with their sirens screaming.

Running over to where all the staff had mustered, she saw there were three fire engines already in attendance. Seeing her, Beth's boss came over to her. His face was ash grey and his white shirt, black from soot.

"Beth! You certainly picked a good day to be late again."

"What happened!" She asked.

"I was asking the team where you were. When an almighty explosion came from downstairs! Some say a generator blew up!"

Looking back at the orange flames devouring the three story building he said to her. "You may as well go back home. There is no work for you or any of us here now!"

In shock, Beth turned and walked back to the train station.

Once back in her apartment, Beth began to re-live the day. Her running late, finding a doll and then she remembers saying out loud she wanted Transcorp to burn down! Surely, that was a bizarre coincidence. Wasn't it? And that doll she was convinced she put it in her bag!

Fetching her bag she opened it up again. To her horror, she saw the doll lying there looking up!

Beth dropped the bag. It hit the floor and its contents plus the doll rolled out. The doll was face down. Beth was about to retrieve the doll when its arms moved and pushed itself onto its back. Slowly it began to sit up!

The expression on its face had changed. Now through its facial cracks, there was a smile. An evil, sinister smile. Then a voice came from its unmoving lips.

"Tut, tut. I grant you your wish and you tried to get rid of me! What kind of thanks is that. I am here to stay with you sweetheart. So long as I can see you, you can't lose me. The last person tried to blind me. But now I'm all seeing."

The doll reached across its chest and with its tiny plastic hands ripped open its dress to expose hundreds of small black eyes!