The Carousel
‘That is not her child,’ my mother says and
nods towards a woman walking up the beach holding a young girl’s hand. I watch the pair walk towards the
carousel. The attendant bends to take
coins from the child then lifts her onto her horse. The woman hitches her skirt and neatly slides
on behind the child. As the carousel
starts to turn, the woman leans forward and whispers something to the child.
Laughing, they both grasp imaginary reins and, as they gallop towards the pier,
I turn to my mother and begin the question I have never dared ask.
Deborah G. Sloan
"The Carousel" first appeared in Mslexia.
An expat Scot living and working in Brighton, Deborah is a counsellor and creative writing facilitator, running creative writing workshops for children and adults in a range of settings including Nymans Gardens, schools and an addiction rehabilitation centre. Recently she was awarded second place for a war poem in the SaveAs Writers ‘Bigger Picture’ international poetry competition and won Mslexia’s October 2014 Flash Fiction prize. You can lern more about Deborah at www.deborahsloancounselling.
