Making a Scene
A Thursday Prompt story
© 2026 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  technicolor_pie and  Major Matt Mason

Prompt: display


“Jinzi – “ Meredith began again.

“NO!” her daughter shouted, lying flat on her back and pounding her hooves against the carpeted floor. “Don’t WANNA!” she repeated, curling into a fetal ball and starting to cry loudly. She subsided into assorted sobs and hiccups.

Fuji looked down at his daughter before glancing at Layssa. “We’re sorry. She’s never acted like this before.”

The cow chuckled and said, “She’s just overstimulated. All the new things and children. It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes a child refuses to leave after their first day of school.” She looked around at the now-empty schoolroom. “Jinzi?” she asked, crouching down to get down to the filly’s level.

Jinzi snuffled, mucus dripping from her nose, and opened one eye. Layssa repeated her name, and one ear swiveled. “You can come back tomorrow. All your new friends will be here. You don’t want to stay here all alone, do you?”

The filly blinked at her before looking around. There were no other children, and all the toys had been put away. She looked up at Layssa with large, liquid eyes, and whimpered, “Mommy” before starting to cry again.

Meredith crouched, gathered her daughter up in her arms and stood, Fuji steadying her before joining her in nuzzling their child. “You want to go home now, honeyfur?” Jinzi nodded against her mother’s chest before sneezing and blowing snot all over Meredith’s blouse. “Come on, let’s go home and have dinner, okay?”

“Uh huh,” the still-weeping filly replied, snuggling closer as her parents took her home.

She was asleep when they reached the apartment. “Should we wake her up for dinner?” Fuji asked.

“I think the smell will wake her up. I’ll stay with her,” Meredith said, carrying Jinzi to the couch.

“Okay,” Fuji said, heading into the kitchen to get the curry started.


end