For Littles Novels & Stories

SABRINA MORALES A young boy was standing in front of the elevator, his headphones blasting music loud enough for me to hear from across the room. He nodded his head to the beat as he waited for the elevator to return. There was only one elevator, so I stood with him, holding the gift bag under one arm while window shopping on the new Metsy website. “Cute,” I said out loud when a pink pearl jewelry set loaded. I considered buying it. The boy and I locked eyes for a second. I looked away, scrolling past the beautiful jewelry set.

The little ones, with their arms open wide, sprinted ahead, their tiny legs moving as fast as they could carry them. As they approached, the group enveloped us in a sea of hugs and congratulations. The children clambered up onto our laps, showering us with kisses and squeals of delight. The air was filled with the sweet scent of their shampoo and the sound of their giggles. The warmth of their little bodies and the love in their eyes only added to the sense of triumph and happiness that already filled my heart.

“Besides, it’s fun. And he’s going to look adorable in all of this.” As she held up a tiny onesie with the words “Mommy’s Little Champ” printed on it, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, that one is cute.” “I know, right? And check this out.” Natalie pulled out a toy truck with bright colors. “He’s a bit young for it now, but once he’s crawling, this will keep him entertained for hours.” Linton let out a small coo from his crib, as if approving of the toy.

“Tuesday is pancakes. Because Monday was court. And we won court. Again.” Susan. Stove. Flipping. Margaret. Counter. With Lily. 3 years old now. With Lily’s brother. 4. With lasagna pan. Empty. From last night. “Number 16,” Margaret said. “I’m improving.” Ivy. Isla. Floor. With Bear. Almost 3. Both of them. “Almost 3 means big,” Ivy said. To Bear. “You’re big. We’re big. February’s small. We protect small.”

The walls were decorated with light blue colors, and many different cartoons and animes like the cartoons of a power ranger, the mini-adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Nobody, Yona in the Dawn, etc. There is a bathroom on the right side of my hand; besides that, there is a huge closet, divided into three- sections. One section is for toys; another is for all baby products like baby soap, shampoo, oil, lotion, diapers, and food product, and the last one is for clothes and accessories.

Everything about him reminded me of my favorite male lead character from my all time Romance book “ Make Me Yours Tonight” “About your test,some of you did well while others not so well” Mr Richard said distributing our scripts. “Good job Stephanie.” He said to me while dropping my script. I was so surprised to find out I had an A. English was the only subject I had struggled to get an A for weeks now . It was either a B or C . The smile on my face was second to none. I was still staring at my script when Mr Richard announced that he was giving us a break for 30 mins. He walked out of the class leaving those who were rejoicing rejoicing and those who were mad mad.

“Mommy! Daddy! Look what I made for our forever wall!” She barreled into my legs first, then Dante’s, then thrust the paper at me. I knelt, heart swelling as I unrolled it. Three stick figures under a bright sun: tall dark one with a tie, small curly one with a yellow dress, and a middle one with a thick black line around her neck that sparkled with actual glued-on glitter. “That’s you, Mommy,” Lila announced proudly, pointing. “With your magic necklace that means you’re safe and happy and nobody can make you small again. Miss Turner said it was beautiful because families get to choose their happy.”

Then Lily wrapped her arms around her little sister. Fair. Holding her gently. Reasonable. Carefully. God. Then she whispered: "I won't lose you." Fair. The promise. Reasonable honestly. A quiet promise. God. One Peanut probably didn't understand. Fair. Not yet. Reasonable. Then Peanut looked up. God. Smiled. Fair. And touched Lily's nose. Reasonable honestly. The baby version of agreement. God. Outside, the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon while waves rolled endlessly against the cliffs below.

This wasn’t for me. *** I hate how short Sundays are. Is the only thing I think when I board the bus early morning the next day. I’m babysitting some kid today, a fourteen-year-old girl whose parents need a reliable person to guard their treasure for one afternoon. I swear that’s what it said. Some people just have the strangest combination of words.

Isaac blurted out, I nodded and wipe Leira's sweats on her forehead and her back. "Honey, you don't need to run," I whispered, she giggled and looked at me. "Moma! look at what I found!" She said excitedly as she extends her hands, opened her palms, and show me what she found, a close pink-colored clam I croaked my neck to the side as I pretended to look amazed by what she found.