The Lost Children

The Lost Children by Martin Sercombe 

 

Throughout the city, people started to die of unknown causes.

As each year past, the plague struck younger.

Soon there was no one left over the age of sixteen.

 

 

For those that remained, the mutations started slowly.

One child grew an extra finger,

another an odd shaped thumb.

A great forgetfulness spread across the city.

The children struggled to understand the purpose of the things left behind.

The word ‘fun’ almost vanished from their vocabulary.

A few youngsters tried to bring a little joy back into their lives.

A makeshift circus traveled from ravaged street to street.

The performers made do with whatever they could find.

A tame rat and a threadbare teddy bear became the stars of the show.

 Led by the extraordinary juggling skills of Klara the Clown.

But in the end, the challenges of everyday existence took their toll.

 

 

Soon the shops would empty

and the children would have to leave the city in search of food.