Story idea 2

The hour is late and it's very dark outside a small after school club where a little girl is playing my herself. All the other children have left with their parents and she is the last one there because her mum is working longer hours, She longingly stares at the clock, hoping that her mum will pick her up soon. She rearranged the bricks again, leafs through another page of a magazine she's read a million times and doodles on a scrap of paper. Painfully, the minutes slip by and the girl lays on the floor, feeling dejected and alone.

There's a knock on the door, and the girl immediately springs up. The lady working there goes to open the door, but the girl is already gathering her things together, impatient to go home. She rushes over to the door and greets her mum. The older woman looks weary from a long day at work, but tries to muster a smile for her eager daughter. She thanks the lady from the school and bids her fair well before she leaves with the girl.

The mother takes the daughter into their car, and the daughter excitedly chatters about her day and everything that happened. The car begins to drive along and the daughter keeps chattering in the back. Eventually the mother tells the daughter to be quiet, as she is tired and is too stressed to listen to the daughter. The girl shuts up, and looks down dejectedly. The drive in silence for a bit and then the mother apologizes for being snappy- she explains that she's been under a lot of stress at work, and the extra hours are really taking a toll f her. The daughter asks her why she can't come and pick her up earlier and the mother replies that without the extra hours they might not have enough to support themselves through the month. The little girl looks down again, seemingly thinking of something else. The mother apologizes again, as she knows things are hard on the girl and she assures her daughter she is trying her best. She also says that their going to visit "him" today, which cheers up the girl considerably. 

The car stops at a site, near a station at some railing. Along the railings are many flowers and bouquets. The girl gets out of the car first, and the mother comes out after, bringing with her their own bouquet. The little girl kneels down at the railings, and begins to talk about her day and lists a couple of things that have happened to her recently- about her friends, her pets ect. The mother kneels down beside her and asks if she would like to put down the flowers. The girl solemnly nods and takes the bouquet from her mother and places it on the railings along with the other bouquets. She places exactly beneath a photo depicting the girl, her mother and a man. The girl get up and wishes goodbye to her father's picture.

This story was inspired by this news article. The thinking behind it was the idea of what happens to the families that are left behind by these disasters. This story tells of a young girl who looses her father, and who's mother must work twice as hard just to support their broken family, while dealing with the loss of her husband. This story is very heartbreaking and sad.