Stuck, Jack – by Emma Nisbet (grnfield)

"Jaaack" came a shrill cry from the garden.

"What's up squirt?" Jack called back from the kitchen window.

"Stuck, Jack,"

"How you stuck, Danny?" Jack asked, removing his hands from the sink and drying them on a towel.

"Can't get down,"

"Down from where?" Jack said, wondering what the little tyke had got himself into this time.

"The Monkey bars, Jack,"

"OK, SpaceMonkey. Hang on, I'm coming,"

"Hurry, Jack."

"I'm hurrying, keep hanging on."

"K, Jack."

"Here y'are sport. I'm here. You don't look stuck."

"Can't go any further, arms are too tired."

"I gotcha. Drop into my arms and I'll catch you."

"Can't, Jack. Scared."

"Come on, Danny. You'll be fine."

"Scared, Jack. Lift me down."

"'K, Danny. Here y'are, let go now."

"'K, Jack. Thanks, Jack."

"No probs, Danny. Can I go finish the dishes now?"

"Yeah, Jack."

#

"Jaaack," the earlier wail repeated itself.

"You OK, Danny?"

"Stuck again, Jack."

"What again? I'm coming."

"I'm hanging on, Jack."

"I guessed, Danny. I'm a comin'."

"'K, Jack."

"There you go, back safe and sound on solid ground."

"Thanks, Jack."

"You think you can stay on the ground for a bit now?"

"Sure thing, Jack. You going back inside?"

"I don't know? Do you want me to?"

"Yeah, I'm playin'. You go and do grownup stuff inside."

"Ooh, listen to you 'Mr Attitude'. Tell you what, I'll go inside and bring you out a drink and some cookies in a little bit. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, Jack. I love cookies."

"I know, sport. I know."

#

"Jaaack"

'Oh, heaven help me. That's been about four minutes.' "Yeah, Danny."

"Stuck, Jack."

"Not the monkey bars again?"

"Not my fault, Jack. It's got me. I'm trapped."

"What? How?"

"Shirts stuck, Jack. Look."

Sure enough Jack could see that the sleeve of Danny's T-Shirt had caught in the top of the swing mechanism as he'd climbed past it.

"OK, hold on. Careful, I've got to hold you and untangle you at the same time. Wrap your legs round my chest and hold on tight."

Danny did so and Jack carefully unhooked the little boys shirt from where it was trapped.

As soon as he realised that he was free, Danny threw his arms around Jack and hugged him tight.

"You OK, Sport?" Jack asked.

"You saved me, Jack." Danny said, his voice muffled in Jack's neck.

"Always will, Danny," the man said, with a tear in his eye. "Always will."