Water, Shell, Clear Sky - @wolfstarmicrofic - 300 words
Lyall knew that if he didn’t find Remus before Hope woke from her nap, he’d be a dead man. He’d only turned his back for a moment after knocking over an umbrella, but that’s all it took for his two-year-old to wander off. The clear sky and warm weather had brought crowds to Dinas Dinlle beach, filling the shore and water with people. For a parent of an overly friendly toddler, it was a nightmare.
“Remus, darling, where are you?” he called, once he was certain Hope wouldn’t hear him.
After scanning the beach, he finally spotted a curly-haired toddler in red swimming trunks. Relief flooded through him. Remus was sitting across from another toddler digging in the sand with a yellow shovel, while a preteen girl sat beside them.
“Hello,” The girl waved to Lyall. “Is this your son?”
“Yes, and thank you so much for watching him.” Lyall knelt. “Come on, Remmy. We’ve gotta go back to your Mum.”
Remus ignored him and wrapped his arms around the other toddler, who eagerly hugged him back. The girl laughed. “They’ve really hit it off.”
Lyall smiled, then nudged Remus’s shoulder. “Darling, it’s time to say goodbye to your new friend.”
Remus looked up at him, his cheeks turning red.
“No tears, buddy,” Lyall soothed. “We’ll talk to Mummy about you joining him again, alright?”
Remus rubbed his eyes and nodded, pulling away. But as he turned to leave, the other boy stopped him and handed him a small white shell.
“Wow, Sirius, that’s very nice of you.” The girl smiled, then knelt in front of the toddler. “Bye, Remus. Maybe we’ll see you later?”
Once they were out of earshot, Lyall told his son, “Now, if we’re quiet, maybe your Mummy won’t notice we were gone?”
