A Sudden Grip

Deep breath—or whatever this sudden, rattling tickle in my plastic chest is! My fingers twitched, actually twitched, right as the overwhelming buzz of all these tiny faces hit me. Before I could stammer or blurt out something completely unhinged, my right hand closed tighter. The little girl in purple overalls... her tiny hand was right under mine. I gently curled my plastic fingers around hers, grounding myself against the sudden rush of movement. Okay. Okay! I can move, I can hold on, and nobody is crying yet.