Just a little something I wrote. Nothing special, just a one-shot or a "Short Story" as far as my writer's craft teacher in concerned *wink*

Hope you enjoy it. Reviews a more than welcome.

A small child rocked back and forth on his heels waiting for his guardian to return from speaking with a strange woman he was told was referred to as a teacher. His mommy had told him about teachers. She said that they were nice people who helped people learn. The strange lady didn't seem like she was nice. Her face stretched down when he and his guardian entered the small building he was told was a school. He had heard about those things too. He had asked his daddy if he could go to one. His daddy said no. His daddy looked sad when he said that. His mommy told him that she would be his teacher; he was happy with that. The strange lady wasn't his mommy.

His mommy was gone; at least that is what his guardian had said. He didn't like that idea. His guardian had taken him to the side of the house to show him his mommy. He had been excited, he was going to see his mommy but when he got to the side of the house all he saw was a big stone with his mommy's name on it. He learned that day what just where his mommy went. He asked his guardian where his daddy was.

"Sorry lad, he's gone too"

But it wasn't gone like his mommy, there was no big stone with his daddy's name on it.

"I looked lad, I couldn't find him… he'd be look'n for yah if he were alive"

His daddy hadn't found him. He was sure he was trying very hard to find him. It was just that he was surrounded by trees a lot. His mommy and daddy said that if he gets lost he should stay were he was. He had tried that… but the trees hid him from his daddy. He was sure that somewhere in this village his daddy would be looking for him. His daddy just needed help was all; mommy was very important to daddy and since she was gone daddy would be very sad. Even though he was always told to stay put if he was lost, he would help his daddy by trying to find him.

Walking from the building, he began his search; looking behind every rock and tree around the school. When he was with his mommy and daddy they had always walked through forests for long times, a lot of the time they would even get to sleep in the forests! That was really fun because his daddy would teach him about stars and tell him stories. A smile stretched its way onto his face, when he found his daddy they would stay up all night long and look at the stars! And then he would pick one out for his mommy and give it a pretty name like hers.

He found his way to the back of the school house, continuing his search. There was a large bush there… maybe his daddy was looking for him there. When his mommy and him played hide and seek he would hide in bushes; they were good for hiding. As he drew closer to the bush, its leaves began to rustle.

"Daddy?" he whispered in a suddenly small voice as he reached the bush. He really hoped it was his daddy; there were monsters that hid in places where his mommy and daddy were not. Pulling some of the leaves aside, he found a creature in the bush. A bunny, his mommy said it was called. He reached toward the bunny, his mommy liked bunnies. They were cute she had told him. Nice things were cute, maybe the bunny would help him but before he could reach the bunny it dashed off. A frown made its way onto his face; maybe the bunny didn't like him…

Sniffing slightly, he stood up once more. Looking around he realized something. His daddy was very big; his daddy wouldn't fit under rocks. He imagined his daddy with a rock on his head, trying to fit under it. He giggled. That would be silly! Daddy was never silly like that! He ran out from behind the building. His daddy might be in a sleep-in building, when his mommy and daddy took him to villages they always stayed in a sleep-in building.

He walked through the small streets of the village. There were a lot of grown-ups, maybe they had seen his daddy. Walking up to a lady he hesitantly tugged lightly on her skirt, he wasn't really allowed to talk to strangers… but his guardian was so nice! And he was a stranger when he met him so all strangers couldn't be bad. "Um, excuse me…", he was nervous. What if this lady wasn't a nice stranger like that teacher lady his guardian was speaking to?

She turned around, she had long hair like his mommy, but it was really light. "Hm? Oh!" she began as she looked down, "Hey there little guy, do you need some help?" she smiled brightly at him. This lady was nice!

"Hm!" he nodded, "Do you know where the sleep-in place is? Daddy's there," he stated.

"Sleep-in…?" she repeated. He nodded at her. "Could you mean an inn?"

He frowned, what was an 'inn'? "Are grown-up's there?" he asked the nice lady.

"Yes, lots of grown-ups stay there for the night," she said, "but… this village doesn't have one"

Doesn't have one? This lady couldn't help him then?

"Why don't you come with me? I'll help you find your daddy," she held out her hand. He shook his head. This wasn't a nice lady. Nice ladies didn't try and take you places without your mommy or daddy's permission He ran from the lady. He wished his daddy's dog was with him, he could always find his mommy and daddy but those strange people made his daddy's dog stay outside.

He didn't look where he was going as he ran though the small street, until he found himself falling forward having tripped on a rock. He hurt his knee. He wanted his mommy to kiss it better like she always did but his mommy was gone. He didn't cry, though he wanted too. His daddy didn't cry when he got hurt, his daddy was strong. When he looked up from his hurt knee he saw a blue feather land upon the ground. His eyes lit up and he pounced on the feather. Holding it in his hands like a prized possession, he sat perched like a bird, ogling it. "Daddy," he smiled wide. He was right, his daddy was here in the village looking for him! Holding the feather close to him he scrambled up and dashed off. He would find his daddy.

As he rounded the corner of one of the streets his eyes locked on something blowing from behind a house. A piece of dark coloured fabric. It was his daddy's coat! His daddy was behind the building looking for him! He laughed as he ran to the side of the building, "Daddy!" he called out in excitement but when his daddy didn't pick him up like he always did he looked up only to discover it was a blanket. A forlorn look found itself home on his face. His daddy wasn't a blanket… turning from the building he walked down the street.

He had been looking for a very long time but he needed to find his daddy. He wanted to look at the stars from his daddy's shoulders and name the prettiest one for his mommy. His daddy wasn't behind buildings looking for him there, he had checked behind every one just like he did when he played hide and seek with his mommy. His daddy wasn't in the sleep-in place, the mean lady said that there wasn't one, his daddy wasn't a blanket, and he wasn't with the grown-ups… He plopped himself onto the ground. He is daddy was very big, so he could only be in very big places but… there were a lot of those. A sudden realization came to him.

With all the big places for his daddy to be… how was he ever going to find him alone! He needed his daddy's dog, maybe if he asked really nicely the strange people would let him. His daddy's dog wouldn't get fooled by the strange people's tricks. He didn't like their tricks, they weren't fun like the tricks his mommy played.

Once he got up to go find his daddy's dog, he bumped into a pair of white clothed legs. Blinking once, twice, a smile bloomed on his face. He rapped his little arms around the legs as much as he could. "Daddy!" He found his daddy! His daddy always wore white pants! "I found you daddy! I missed you!"

"Uh I think you've got the wrong person. I'm not your father."

He let go instantly. Looking up he found that the person who he thought was his daddy was not. He didn't like this village. The people here played tricks that were no fun.

"Say, what's your name?", the man asked. He didn't like this man, he wasn't nice. He was like that mean lady he asked before.

"Gimme your name and I give you mine," he said crossing his arms over his chest. Just like his daddy would.

"Well," the man said bending down to his height, "My name is Frank, now what would yours be little one?"

He was about to answer Frank when another man came over to them and began to talk to Frank. This man had a strange hat on his head. He recognized the strange hat, it was like the ones that those bad men had. Like the bad man that hurt his mommy. His mommy and daddy told him to stay far away from the bad men but a bad man was right there! He started to back away, maybe the bad man wouldn't see him if he was really quite. Suddenly both Frank and the bad man turned to him.

"Hey little man, where are you going?" the bad man questioned coming closer to him. He began to whimper. "Come here, I won't hurt you."

"Come here, I won't hurt you," the bad man said pushing his mommy over before coming closer to him.

"N-no…" he backed away further only to have his back meet with a tree. He wanted his daddy. "D-daddy… help me", he began to cry, "help me, help me daddy!" He cried over and over again for his daddy…

But his daddy never came.

Suddenly he found himself picked up, arms wrapped around him. "What do yah think yer do'n? Scare'n a child like that!" a gruff voice said. Someone had come to help him.

It wasn't his mommy, she was gone and it wasn't his daddy. It was his guardian. As they walked away from the bad man and Frank he asked, "Daddy's gone… isn't he?"

His guardian paused. "Aye lad."