Original Short Stories

An Inside Job

"I hate you!" Rowan yells as she slams her fists into the table.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Zach laughs.

"I can't believe 'Sorry!' is the only game your family owns!" Rowan stands up and walks to the child in the high chair. She reaches under the baby's armpits and pulls him out of the chair. Rowan starts bouncing the baby on her hip and sighs. "Chandler is so cute."

"Ew, no he's not." Zach disagrees.

Rowan rolls her eyes and looks at the time on the oven. "It's Chandler's bed time." Rowan wanders over to the middle of the living room and pulls a blanket off the arm of the couch. "Zach, go grab a diaper and wipes for him." She says and lays the blanket on the floor.

"Fine." Zach walks around the blanket and into Chandler's bedroom.

Rowan supports Chandler's head with her hand and gently lays him down on the blanket.

"Rowan, I can't find it!" Zach calls from the bedroom.

Rowan rolls her eyes. "This is your house!"

Zach emerges from the room. "Yeah, but I never change his diaper, that's why Mom called for you to come over as well."

"I bet I can find it in less than ten seconds." She smiles, "stay there, Chandler."

Chandler grabs hold of his foot and starts sucking on it.

"Ew, I told you." Zach says.

Rowan giggles, "I bet you sucked on your feet when you were a baby, I bet Aunt Heather has a picture of you sucking on your feet." She says mentioning her cousins' mother.

Rowan walks into the bedroom with Zach trailing behind her. She and her cousin are best friends, they were born only two months apart and have rarely been separated. "Zach, they are right here." She points to a basket in the corner of the room. Rowan bends down and grabs the wipes and the diaper. Then she hears a clunk. She whips around. "What was that?" She sees Zach standing in front of the now closed door.

"Rowan."

"Zach."

"I need to ask you something important." He says.

Rowan walks to Zach and places her hand on the doorknob and turns it. Zach slams his back into the door to keep her from opening it.

"What?!" Rowan exclaims.

"I don't want Chandler to hear."

"Chandler's a baby! He doesn't know what we're saying." She says exasperated.

Zach looks down, "it's still embarrassing."

"Tell me once we get Chandler in bed. We can't leave a baby on the floor in the living room." Rowan states.

"Ok, you're right." Rowan smiles and Zach gets out of the way.

Rowan places her hand on the doorknob and turns. It won't turn. A look of confusion crosses her face. She tries it again. Nothing. Rowan drops the diaper and wipes and yanks on the door handle.

"It's locked." Zach whispers.

"Yep I gathered that." She responds.

"Here let me try." Rowan side steps and lets Zach ahead of her.

He jerks the handle backwards and forwards for a few seconds then quits.

"It's defiantly locked."

"Great." Rowan says sarcastically while she scans the room for resources.

She walks to the far wall and pulls the picture off of it and places it on the ground. She looks between the two nails that held the picture up and slips one out of the hole. She goes to the doorknob and pushes the nail through the hole. It isn't long enough. "Crap."