Whoosh! The doors to the grocery store open. I hold on to Mommy's hand. I don't want to lose her.
Mommy takes a cart. I used to ride in the seat, but I'm a big girl now.
Mommy lets go of my hand to find her list. She looks at it. I look at the balls in the cage.
I see a blue- and yellow-striped one and a pink swirly one. I step closer and I see a purple one. I walk to the other side. I find one with red polka dots. I turn to show Mommy.
Mommy's gone!
Where can she be? I run to the jungle, past the green leafy plants and the rain that mists down.
No Mommy.
I run to the farm. I see milk from cows and eggs from chickens.
No Mommy.
I run through the school, past the crayons, lunch snacks, and paper sacks.
I am at the ocean. I don't like the ocean. I run fast so the lobsters with the pinchy claws don't get me.
Wait! There's Mommy going around the corner.
I grab her purple shirt. A lady looks down and smiles at me.
It's not Mommy.
"Can I help you? Are you lost?"
"No," I say, "but Mommy is."
I run through Candyland. I don't stop to look at the candy, not even the lollipops. I need to find Mommy.
I run to the North Pole. Cold wind blows out of the igloos where the popsicles are.
No Mommy. No Mommy anywhere!
I feel a cry coming. Then I remember: if you get lost, stay where you are and Mommy will come find you. Maybe Mommy remembered the rule and is back where we first came in, waiting for me to find her.
