Blue Skies Prompt 21
Title: Comfort in the Storm
Author: Ranguvar42
Prompt: Blue Skies Prompt 21: Storm
Fandom: Alice in Wonderland 2010
Characters: Tarrant/Alice, Josiah & Arianna
Ratings/Warnings: K, nothing bad.
Word Count: 395
Summary: Arianna and Josiah are frightened by a thunderstorm, and their parents calm them down.
Lightning danced across the sky, followed by a titanic clap of thunder that made the whole house shake, and Tarrant shot awake with a slight yelp, blinking as blue afterimages were imposed on his retinas. Alice was awake, sitting up in bed and watching the night sky light up with Nature's fireworks. The thunder was a low, steady rumble, and Alice had to raise her voice to be heard over the howling, driving wind and rain. "This is quite the storm!"
Tarrant nodded in agreement, and then started in slight fear when there came a monumental clap of thunder.
The bedroom door banged open, smacking against the wall, and Arianna and Josiah came running in, leaping on their parents with loud cries of fear. Josiah clung to his daddy, weeping and shaking, and Arianna clutched Alice in a death grip, as scared as her brother. Tarrant wrapped his arms around the six year old, speaking in a soft brogue. "Ere now, lad, what's all the shaking for? It's just a bit of thunder."
Josiah spoke, his voice muffled by Tarrant's shirt. "It's scary."
Arianna spoke up, her voice slightly shaky. "Mummy, can we stay in here with you?"
Alice smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Of course you can little one. Your daddy and I will keep you safe."
Josiah snuggled up to Tarrant, and Alice scooted closer so that all four of them were snuggled together, the twins in between their parents. Josiah looked up at Tarrant. "Daddy, what makes thunder?"
Alice answered. "Well, when I was little my daddy told me it was caused by angels playing nine pins. The thunder is the pins hitting the ground."
Tarrant laughed. "My mum told me that it was Time's Clock chiming the Hours. It had to be loud, so that all of Underland could hear it." He frowned. "Somehow, that doesn't seem so far fetched anymore." Alice squeezed his hand, and he smiled at her.
The storm raged on, buffeting trees and sending animals scurrying for shelter. But in a small cottage, four people slept snuggled under a blanket, completely at peace.