Lost in a Grocery Store

By: Kailen Skewis

You are five years old in a strange place. In a grocery store you’ve only been in a handful

of times. The aisles are tall and strangely bright. Products you have no interest in line them, a

colorful array. A toy catches your eye and you shuffle toward it. The toy aisle is big and

captivating. There is so much to look at. When you do finally realize you are alone you panic.

Your mother was next to you, cart full, a second ago, but not anymore. Strangers pay no attention

to you as you walk aisle to aisle trying to recognize anything. The glaring overhead lights reflect

from the floor as you try desperately to make out the towering faces from above. You’re

panicking. A singular “Mommy?” escapes you. How have you ended up here? A woman leans

down to eye level and asks about your parents. You don’t know what to say. The woman asks

you something about yourself. You don’t know what to say. She extends her large hand and you

grab it unsure as to what is about to happen next. With one hand pushing her cart and the other

cradling your fingers, she walks you slowly towards the front of the store to one of the checkout

stations. As we walk you notice strangers pass by quickly. The woman is still holding on to your

hand while talking to another woman who is working the checkout. It seemed like many years

before they remember you’re there with them. The woman working talks to you calmly asking

about “your mom’s name?”. Unsure, you reply, “Mommy?”. You stand with the strangers for a

while before one of their voices boom over the speakers asking about a lost Mommy. You’re sure

your mom is going to be mad at you. The woman is still holding your hand, it’s oddly

comforting. Minutes pass and the women talk with each other. Small objects line one side of the
checkout aisle. Your mom appears at the end of the aisle; the cart is exactly as you left it. You

feel relieved that she hasn't forgotten about you. She looks scared and spouts something about

“she can’t believe you ran off” or “she’s so glad she found you” and hugs you briefly before

taking your hand the woman was holding. She lifts you up by the waist and into the cart, between

her and the groceries, and wheels you back into the vast grocery store.