Creative Writing in Class 8 – A story by Joseph

‘An Innocent Wish’ by Joseph Jawad

Part of Class 8’s Creative Writing Main Lesson block

The front door clicked shut. 

“ You know what you want, right!” 

“ Of course mommy” .

Lucy and her six-year-old son called Eddie were walking down their street on the way to the closest shopping mall. The skyscrapers loomed over them casting huge shadows over the opposite side of the street blocking out the sun. The air was filled with the sounds of the slow moving traffic, the blast of the horn and the smell of the exhaust fumes. Eddie watched as men and woman wearing suites bustled past with a look on their faces like the world was going to end. He turned to see the occasional homeless asleep on the floor. As they neared a road-crossing Eddie raced ahead in time to press the red man on the traffic light. They waited until it was green and crossed the road down into the tube station. After pushing their tickets into the machine they got into the tube. Eddie stared into the black hole into which they were being swallowed up he stared at the cables which lined each side of the tunnel. Finally they arrived. 

As they stepped outside into the blinking sunlight a man tried to sell Lucy a copy of the Big Issue. She refused politely and they were on their way. Eddie noticed the huge ToysRus sign first it was unmistakable. It took a while to navigate their way through the crowds of people but they eventually arrived at a long queue of parents and young children waiting their turn to visit Father Christmas. “Do you want a gingerbread man Eddie?” asked Lucy. “No thanks mommy”, replied Eddie. He was fixated on the man in the red. Eddie patiently waited his turn. When his turn came one of the elves told him to get his list ready because Father Christmas “is a very busy man”.  “I know what I want”, Eddie replied. 

When Father Christmas called him up he eagerly climbed onto his lap. Father Christmas asked him if he had been a good boy at home and in school. Eddie replied with two yeses even though it has been hard at times. Father Christmas asked him what he wanted for Christmas this year. Eddie replied, “I want to play ball with my daddy but mommy told me that that isn’t going to happen”. ”Why not? Do your mommy and daddy live together”, asked Father Christmas. Eddie without batting an eyelid said, “they used to but daddy had to leave”. Father Christmas remarked to Eddie that maybe someday soon his daddy would come back. Eddie exclaimed, “daddy did come home last week”.  Father Christmas now quite puzzled asked, “why can’t your daddy play ball with you?”. 

“Father Christmas you don’t understand my daddy was a soldier and he came home in a wooden box”.

There was nothing left for Father Christmas to say except, “Eddie I am sure that your daddy is in heaven looking down on you and your mum and that he loves you both very much I am also sure that he is very proud of you”.  As Eddie scampered down he turned and said, “If you can tell him that I love him too and I miss him and that I am trying my best to be the man of the house and look after mommy”.  As he grabbed his mother’s hand, he said with a smile, “Santa said that he is sure that daddy loves us both”.  As Lucy glanced up, she noticed that Father Christmas, his elves and even the cameraman had tears in their eyes. Lucy then turned to Eddie, put her arm around him and said,  “I know your daddy loves us very much and is out there watching over us”.  As they trundled home Eddie said, “Maybe someday I will be like daddy ”. Lucy turned and smiled “I truly hope so. He was a wonderful husband and daddy”.

Six months earlier:

“ C’mon Eddie get your coat on”. 

“I am”, Eddie replied as the family of three got into their Porsche Cayenne, Eddie noticed his mother had tears in her eyes but as soon as she was behind the wheel they were gone having swapped with a determined look. Eddie couldn’t understand, they were just dropping dad at the local train station so that he could get to the army base where he worked. 

“ Bye bye daddy ”. 

“ Bye bye Eddie”. 

After his mommy and daddy had said their goodbyes Eddie walked onto the bridge and watched his daddy’s train shoot into the distance

That was the last he ever saw of his daddy.

Read more stories from Class 8 students here:

Creative Writing in Class 8: ‘?’ A Story by Woodley

Thank you for the snowflake photo by Damian McCoig on Unsplash