The journey home from preschool (Edited)

The little boy ran down the hall of his preschool toward his mother who was there early to pick him up. He giggled as he swerved left and right through the hallway, pin-balling from one wall to the other.

"Try and catch me, Mom!" he said as he curled around her legs just out of her reach.

He grabbed her leg and gripped on tightly to hitch a ride. She pulled a bundle of papers that were taped to the back of his shirt as she tried to pry the youngster from her legs.

"Stop tickling me, Mom!" he said before giving up with a shrug. He reached for his mother's hand.

They held hands and walked through the double doors of the small preschool center. The boy discussed his day, describing which friends he had played with and what they had played. He reminded his mother that his teacher had red hair. 

Letting go of his mother’s hand, the boy began to stumble and skip through the parking lot toward the car. He found a puddle but was pulled away from his mother before he could venture in. Finding something else to focus on, he looked up at the sky and noticed gray clouds.

"It rained mom, look!" he said.

"Yes, and it's going to rain more, so we better hurry!" said his mother.

They both raced toward the car. The boy hopped up and down waiting for his mother to open the car door for him. As she did, he jumped in and buckled his seat belt. He pulled his "Letter I" book from the seat next to him. He leaned back and stared at the pictures in the book, focusing on the different "I" words. Igloo... Ice-cream...

Rain drops began trickling on the hood of the car. Both the mother and her son could hear thunder in the distance. The boy looked out his window and watched the rain quickly slide down his window, creating a mesmerizing maze. His eyes fluttered as he stared at the trickling rain. He finally allowed them to close. His long lashes rested on his chubby cheeks.