Time to Play: Apocalypse Parenting, Book One by Erin Ampersand

Author:Erin Ampersand [Ampersand, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2022-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32 - Hints

​I closed my eyes for a bit as Mindy worked, trusting Pointy to act as sentry. Neither Gavin nor Cassie slept, so I didn’t either - it’s hard to sleep with two wriggly kids right next to you. I did rest, though, and by the time Mindy announced she was done, I felt much better.

​She had done a nice job. She’d made or found squares of 1x4" boards to place in each end, then laid two more boards between them to form a framework. Our previous cardboard-and-book cladding was nailed to the top of the frame. There were some crumpled and ragged edges where it had been crushed and torn, but with the addition of the frame, the Tagon was probably sturdier than it had been when we left home today. Her wagon had a similar structure, so I gratefully loaded my kids in and moved out.

​The trip back to my house was quiet, in both senses of the word. I’d killed a lot of monsters only hours before, so we didn’t have to fight much. Neither Mindy nor her kids seemed inclined to talk, so we limited our conversation to simple exchanges about the monsters: "Watch out!," "Check that bush," "Are you alright?"

​When we made it to my house, I let everyone inside and went to check on Micah. He heard me coming up the stairs.

​"Mom, is that you?" His shout sounded a little frantic.

​I opened the door to the playroom and held open my arms. "We’re back. We’re all okay!"

​I was startled when Micah dodged around me and pelted downstairs. Was he going to check on his siblings?

​The loud sound of flowing liquid soon made me realize my error.

​"I said you could use the trash can upstairs," I called.

​"THAT’S DISGUSTING!" Micah shouted.

…

​I topped off Mindy’s squirt guns and handed her a small jar of cayenne as we switched wagons. She visibly relaxed as I handed it to her.

​"Thanks," she said.

​"That was the deal," I said.

​"Yeah but… if you hadn’t followed through, there’s not much we could have done."

​I was quiet for a minute. I was a lot stronger than her. Gavin and Micah were probably stronger than any of her kids, even the teenager. They certainly had stronger abilities.

​"I guess," I said. "But where does that lead? I’m stronger than you today, but who will be the strongest one tomorrow? And if I… can’t be around… I might need other people’s help to keep my kids safe. Cassie still only has her first ability. And even when she gets her second… she’s three." I groped for the words to define what I felt and remembered Mason's parting insult. "There are enough monsters outside. Let’s not be monsters to each other."

​Mindy looked away.

​But she nodded.

…

​The rest of the day passed quietly.

​As soon as Mindy left, I reattached the dish rack to the Tagon—I’d picked it up on the way home—and refilled the squirt guns. The kids’ helmets and goggles were now going to be stored inside

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