LesleyScoble.com

The Laughter of Two Girls Sitting in the Boot of a Car

The two girls laughed,
They won’t be long,
Are you sure about that?
I think you’re wrong.
They’ve been gone a while,
I know,
But they needed to walk a mile,
Or so.
~
What if they got lost?
Or eaten by a bear?
Then we’re in deep do dos,
Which wouldn’t be fair.
~
It’s getting late,
They should be back,
By now,
I agree,
And sitting in the boot of this car is hurting my back.
And my knee.
Where’s the tea?
We drank it two hours ago,
It’s getting late and a bit dark.
I know.
We should’ve found a better place to park.
We broke down, said the sensible girl with a laugh,
Of course we did, I forgot, 
I’ve lost my brain.
It’s a shame there’s no railway nearby,
we could’ve got a train.
Where are they? I hope they’re alright.
What if they don’t return soon,
We’ll be stuck here all night.
~
What was that?
What was what?
That sound I just heard.
Oh, it’s probably a lion or a man-eating bird.
The girls laughed once again,
But this time in fear,
I don’t think we’ll see them again,
Said the girl with a tear.
~
I’m sure everything is fine,
And they’ll be back soon,
The girls laughed,
And looked up at the moon.
~
Poor old Bert, poor Fred,
What if they’ve died?
You don’t know that they’re dead.
Then the girls laughed,
And laughed till they cried.
~

Lesley Scoble, March 2024

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I wrote my poem The Laughter of Two Girls Sitting in the Boot of a Car in response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #261.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks to Melissa Lemay for the inspirational prompt.
Image credit:  Richard Jaimes on Unsplash

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Lesley lives in the City of London Square Mile. An artist, actor and sculptor (her first ceramic sculpture won the V&A inspired by… Award). Scenic artist & book illustrator, playwright (her musical play, Rapscallion performed in inner city schools and theatre school); TV dancer; Animator and illustrator for TV production. Set up Pinecone Studios Ltd and IIMSI Ltd drama and filmmaking workshops in London – producing award-winning films made by children.