The midnight chimes hung in the autumn air.
A fleeting firefly passed by.
The late night children watched its antics
Laughing gleefully.
The clock face illuminated the fear in their faces.
A midnight ramble, such a gamble when you were twelve and running free.
Miss Thirteen was rarely seen
Had a mind of her own and the will of a goat.
Mother was late, she forgot to collect them.
Thirteen took charge as she always did.
Never accepting that she's still a kid.
Took hold of the other two,
Ben and Sue.
Held them firmly by their frozen hands.
Saying come on guys.
You know what we've got to do.
The call of the owl at the top of the tree.
Spoke in their kind of tongue that they understood.
Midnight in the wild wood not really the place to be.
They needed to be home tucked up in their beds.
With a mug of hot cocoa.
Thirteen announced in her very strict voice.
"Come on.
Get a wriggle on you've really no choice".
And they walked and they walked five miles or more.
Walked in through the unlocked door.
Mother,dear mother ,lay prone on the floor.
Her face somewhat deformed as the c**t broke her jaw.
Daddy, dear daddy, was drunk as a skunk.
Their sweet baby sister was locked up in the trunk.
(C) Livvi