Sticky Storm

It was pouring so hard one could barely carry on a conversation at First Chicago Bank & Trust. Riley, the youngest teller in the whole office, wanted nothing more than to end her shift and crawl back into bed.

Fortunately for her, lightning struck the city of Chicago, blacking it out and sending her back to her bed.

As she snuggled under the covers she thought about all she had to do that day. Laundry, bills, grocery shopping. All seemed unimportant as she closed her eyes. Suddenly she became very aware of a scent filling the room. Toast? Coffee? This made no sense as she lived alone.

A bit startled, she decided to investigate. She rolled out of bed, put her robe and slippers on and walked downstairs. She stepped into the kitchen, and that’s when her eyes locked onto it.

Was it even human Riley thought? It seemed to be wearing clothes but they didn’t fit right. Instinctively she backed up, slowly reaching for the nearest utensil in her dark kitchen. The shapeless form hobbled forward without a sound.

As the shadow moved closer Riley realized that it of course was human! It was her baby brother Eli, who’d managed to escape his crib and hobble into the kitchen, partially walking for the first time ever.

How could she have forgotten about Eli? Maybe it was wishful thinking. It had been a long week filled with piles of homework, and Eli’s constant crying. Infants were such a hassle. She couldn’t wait to finally have a place of her own. Eli toddled into her room covered in...

A substance she could only hope was nowhere near as sticky as it looked because he crawled into bed with her, nestled his head onto her chest, and they both dozed off into a deep slumber.