445 words. Flash Fiction Prompt: Hold Me Close. With thanks to Gumnut.


The ground was shaking.

Scott was sitting on the floor, his nearly two-year-old brother Alan asleep in his lap, arms snaked around Scott's waist.

And the ground was shaking.

Eyes wide, the nine-year-old clung to his brother and did what any self-respecting child would do – Scott yelled for his Mom.

Lucy had been washing up. The kitchen faced down the mountain, and she was savouring the view. As she heard her eldest yell, a glass jumped off the countertop, and her heart froze along with her legs.

It didn't last long, and within seconds she was scooping her children up and running for the avalanche shelter.

They didn't make it further than the middle of the lounge before there was a cracking sound and the ground heaved so violently that they were thrown to the ground.

There was noise and pain and cold.

And then blackness.

When Scott woke up the first thing that registered was the cold. He shivered and was relieved when there was a tightening of a pair of arms around him.

'Mom?' His voice wavered and he tightened his arms around his mom, only to realise that he could barely fit because there was a warm body between them. 'Alan!' he cried and was rewarded with a sleepy 'Scotty?' in reply.

'Scotty? Baby, are you alright?' And this was the voice that made him relax. His Mom was awake. Scott tried to lean back to see her face, but Lucy pulled him in close. She didn't want him to see the blood she could feel.

'Scott, I want you to hold on tight, ok? Baby, we need to snuggle up to ensure that we keep warm.' She felt Scott nod against her. 'Is Alan alright?' Scott nodded again, and Alan sleepily said, 'I'm ok, Mommy,' alongside a yawn. Lucy wanted to say to keep awake, but it would probably be better for them that he slept. The toddler would be screaming if he didn't sleep, and in this tiny, enclosed space that would be the last thing they would need.

'Don't worry, Mom. Dad will find us.' Scott said it with such confidence, such conviction that Lucy could almost believe that they would be alright. She felt a tear fall, and it must have fallen on Scott, for he tried to move his arm but it was stuck around her side.

'Don't let go, Scott. Hold me tightly.' Scott squeezed his Mom. 'Hold me closer, baby. Between us we can keep Alan warm.' Scott squeezed tighter, as tight as he could with Alan in the middle.

Maybe, just maybe, she could keep her babies warm enough for them to be rescued.