The Long Way Home

by Phillip Overton

  ****

  Simon sat upright in his bed. The sound of the door slamming woke him instantly. Outside the night had turned stormy. Wind ripped through the willow tree outside his bedroom window, sending its long, twiggy branches scratching and clawing across the pane of glass. It sounded evil, like the tree was trying to get at him. He pulled the blanket up hard around his neck and stared at the tree through the window. Now that he was awake he needed to pee badly, but he was too scared to leave the security of his bed. He could just hold it until the morning he told himself as he dropped his head back down onto his pillow. A gust of wind rattled his bedroom window leaving a long whistling noise trailing in its wake and once again the tree branches lashed frantically against the glass. Simon jumped out of bed and ran to the toilet.