Fear - a Flash Fiction Story by Solace Chukwu

Many congratulations to our community contributor Solace Chukwu whose flash fiction story "Fear" won second place in the Etisalat Prize for Literature flash fiction competition! Read his story below:
 
Alex clutched his satchel to his chest, waiting for the class to empty. The throng of little bodies made a beeline for the door in groups of three and an occasional four. Skipping gaily, chattering about what games to play, debating who could do the most cartwheels. No one paid attention to Alex. He had no friends.
He was fiercely protective of his privacy; only when he was alone did he set down the satchel. He extracted his sport whites, the warmth of his mother’s ironing redolent of warm dough, and set them down on his desk. He pulled his uniform over his head. Wiggling his upper body, uncomfortable in the transient darkness, a sudden certainty gripped him. He was not alone. He felt the skin on his back prickle. He froze, arms high above his head, surrendering to the unseen terror throbbing all around him and whose breath he could feel through the fabric of his shirt, whispering and laughing derisively. Its laugh was the ugliest thing little Alex had ever heard. All he wanted it to do was stop… Blindly, arms still over his head, he bolted and ran smack into a chair. He stumbled, kept his footing. Unable to get far enough away. Hoisted, he could no longer feel the ground, running on air, faster than ever, frantic; pain searing through him as Fear dug into his soft abdomen. Its fingers hurt. Alex, I would never hurt you…Alex, only six, did not know a great many things, but he knew for certain that Fear lied… that it always hurt and never stopped. The class door shut with a soft click and Alex felt himself lowered onto a desk, the wood warm under his belly and his legs dangling over the side as his shorts slid down…
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