Tag

Written by: Pablo Paturg

She made a playful squeal as I tagged her. It was clear she was enjoying herself, she was laughing herself to tears. “Daddy, stop it, my sides hurt!” She continued to laugh. Her joy was contagious, I smiled, for once in years, I smiled. I dare say I’ve smiled more that day than I have in my entire life. Alas, all good things must come to an end, she was tired, and fell asleep shortly after.
My wife soon came home. She was so glad to see me, she yelled my name, again, laughing to tears. She hugged me, still laughing. I continued to smile. She looked down and saw my tagging tool, quickly shooting her focus back to my eyes. I continued to smile. “Michael…” Tears continued to stream down her face in excitement. “How could you have done this to our little angel?” She tried to run, but she was too slow. “Tag…” I smiled wider. “You’re it.”

Author: Phil Slattery

Publisher, Rural Fiction Magazine; publisher, The Chamber Magazine; founder, the Farmington Writers Circle. I have written short stories and poetry for many years. In my careers as a Naval officer and in the federal government, I have written thousands of documents of many types. I am currently working on a second edition for my poetry collection and a few novels. View all posts by Phil Slattery