Mother's Fear
Sylvia felt fury rise inside her. Wander had done it again. He'd plunged straight ahead into stupidity, just as he always did. He disregarded her warnings. He'd ignored her pleas for caution. He'd almost gotten himself captured, or even killed…
Before she could stop herself, she seized his scrawny wrist, yanked him over her lap, and paddled his rear end with her free hand. No shouts. No commands. No words of any kind. She couldn't even see clearly as her arm swung back and forth on its own power. Several good whacks later, she finally mastered control of herself.
Her little buddy didn't make a sound the entire time. When she plopped him back down on his feet, he stood stock still, chest heaving, and gazed with wide blue eyes up at her face. She was the one who finally burst into tears and snatched him up into a fierce hug.
"I'm sorry, Syl." Wander's words, whispered in a shaky breaths, just fueled her sobs.
There had to be a better way to keep him safe than turning into her mother…