Flash Fiction: Falling

'If I fall, will you catch me?' shouts the little boy to his Mum.
'Always,' she replies.
And so he falls. Into the pool, laughing with joy at splashing and being caught by safe arms that love him.


'If I fall, will you catch me?' asks the young girl, teasing her new boyfriend as she teeters on the edge of the bridge.
He looks nervously down at the rushing water and holds, her tighter, unwilling to have the theory properly tested. 
'I'll always do my best,' he says in a choked voice, horrified at the thought of losing what he only just found.
'Good enough.' She kissed him hotly, pushing him back towards the bonnet of his car and safety.


'If I fall, will you catch me?' asks the serious office manager to the brand new intern, both of them uncomfortable at being forced to take part in team building skills.
'That's the exercise, isn't it?' He mumbles under his breath, wondering whether she'll actually do it or not.
She looks behind her, assesses him critically and then looks at the floor.
'I have new trousers, I don't want to get them muddy. You fall. I'll catch you.'
And just like that, the roles are reversed. He wants to say don't be silly of course I'll catch you but she's put doubt in his mind and now he's not so sure.
Turning around he falls and stiff arms jam under his arms, stopping him hitting the ground. They repeat the exercise three more times as requested and she always catches him.


'If I fall, will you catch me?' The bride winks as the groom as she leaps off the side of the boat. He half grabs at her but misses completely and leaps in after her with a whoop and yells, 'Always!'


'If I fall, will you catch me?' The old man with a walking stick asks doubtfully of the young Scout guiding him across the icy road.
The Scout is caught in an internal anxiety attack at being touched by a stranger and having to cross a noisy road. The sensory overload is bringing on an episode so he takes deep breaths and looks for his mum to calm him down. She is standing on the other side of the road, arms open, ready to catch him. The old man sees him looking and tightens his grip.
'Come on, son. We'll do it together. Always good to have a hand.'


'If I fall, will you catch me?' whisper the old woman, lying at death's door, wanting that last comfort before crossing over.

'Always.'

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find all her books on Amazon. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.