Last Flash Fiction of the Season: FLAG DAY

 

We're in the airport.  If everything goes well, we'll sleep in our home tonight.  If things don't go well... just remember us positively please.  We tried our best, People! 

I'm sure things will go fine.  Unless we have to make a water landing in the freezing Atlantic.  Unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility.

Here's my 8th flash fiction. You should read it if you feel like it. It will only take you 3 minutes, so why wouldn't you?  I was supposed to create an omniscient narrator, but my teacher said I did the standard 3rd Person narrator.  Geez.  I wish people would support and not thwart. I did like that class though.  

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Flag Day 

Lee Heffernan 

 

            Mimi walked over to Jacob with a deck of math cards. "Maker Time is over, Jacob. It's time to play Top It.  You're my partner. I'm telling Ms. K." 

 

            Blue marker spotted Jacob's chin and lips and hands. "I'm making flags." 

            "That's not a flag," scoffed Mimi.  Her know-it-all personality frequently annoyed classmates, but Ms. K. loved the way she followed directions.

            "Blue sky.  Yellow wheat. Ukraine flag," screamed Jacob in a level 5 outside voice, which everyone knew should only be used in emergencies. 

 

            From every corner of the room, Top It cards fell to the ground. The first graders surrounded Jacob like bees protecting their hive, abuzz with their own war stories.  Ms. K. tried to interrupt with "One two three look at me," but it was hopeless.  "they're bombing....kids on the train...sister in the army....my church is helping a .... dad's cousin in Russia .... Ukraine's winning.... no Russia's going to win.... this one boy in a wheelchair his cat zipped in his jacket... can i make a flag... will we get bombed..."

 

            Ms. K quickly gathered materials. She pulled down the rolled up world map. She sang her "Come to the Rug" song.  On his way over, Jacob surreptitiously passed flags to his best friends, Lynnie and Mark. Ms. K read a book about a flag called The Day the Earth Was Silent.  She passed out index cards for more flag making. About half the first graders made the easy Ukrainian flag, but she also saw flags with cats, robots, flowers, Pokemon.

 

            Later, in the noisy cafeteria, Ms. K. talked to Mr. Offerman about the flags. He shook his head. Hadn't they decided to avoid Ukraine talk with the first graders? She read the district power point about age appropriate curriculum, right? 

         Ms. K. wished she could disappear.

 

            "Write an email to your families right away, before dismissal.  Tell them about the discussion.  Emphasize that it was spontaneous.  Age appropriate.  Brief.  Very brief. Collect the flags.  All the flags. Do not let those flags go home in the backpacks." 

 

            Ms. K. returned to her classroom to write the email and collect the flags.  She doubted she could retrieve all the flags, but she would do her best. Her lunch of left over spaghetti waited in the faculty refrigerator.  Luckily, she kept a box of protein bars in her desk.