Nursery Rhymes: REWRITTEN!

here is a short story i wrote, based on a children's nursery rhyme. See if you can guess which one...

Humphrey jumped as high as he could, but he barely peeked over the crowds shoulder. After several unsuccessful attempts, he huffed and curled his pudgy fingers into a ball. His cheeks were stained red, his once neatly combed hair had jumped out of place with him and one of his thick woolen socks had slid down to reveal a dimply knee. Humphrey cast one last jealous look at the other children waving from the towers of their fathers shoulders, before turning and walking away.

A few hours later, Humphrey moped his way home, thinking of how badly he had wanted to see the parade of soldiers leave. He ran his stick along the brick wall, enjoying the scratching noise and vibration beneath his fingers. His uneven solo was joined by the orchestra of mechanical stomps ad the dull clash of tin. Humphrey searched wildly about him for the source of the music, and settled a pair of determined eyes on the brick wall. He skimmed his fingers over the coarse barrier, searching for a grip. Desire and hope hoisted him slowly up the wall and before long, he reached the top. His eyes flew frantically, trying to take in every atom of the scene before him. The King's men marched past, pride etched into each stride, none noticing the small fat child sat on the wall.

No longer content with simply watching his heroes, Humphrey turned to climb down the other side and join the soldiers. He was only a few inches down when a piece of brick broke away from under his foot, and both Humphrey and the brick came crashing to the floor. Pain shot through Humphrey faster than enemy bullets. He turned his tearful gaze towards his fellows, his cries imploring them to help the fallen soldier. A few of the fathers among them gave him anxious looks, but Humphrey knew they would not come. They couldn't leave the line, even if they had wanted to. They had to go.

Robyn xxx

18/12/2008