The girl rested her head against the glass pane and stared absentmindedly at the rows of newborns in their glass containers. Some were smaller than others, some dark, some light, some red. A few were crying, others were still. A couple of them had scrunched up their little hands, others scrunched up their faces. The one common denominator was that they all looked like creatures from another world to the girl, not like smaller versions of herself and the other mothers in the hospital.
A woman walked up to the girl, slowly with shuffling steps. She spoke in a whisper, ‘Which one’s yours?’
The girl looked up, focusing on one in particular with a red face and kicking legs. ‘That one there,’ she nodded, pointing slightly with her fingers bent.
‘Have you chosen a name?’
‘Rose.’
The labour had been long, each hour crashing into the next. She could hear the memories of her mother’s screams and her father’s silence echoing off the walls of the delivery room. Each voice of a nurse or doctor seemed like an attack, a hidden criticism, containing, reaffirming, the sentiments of her parents. Each noise a wail which made the girl wince. And for what? A miracle?
‘Mine’s at the back,’ the woman said. ‘I thought I was going to lose him. Thank god for modern medicine, eh?’ She wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand.
‘Spose.’
‘I can take him home in a few days. Can’t wait. How about you?’
Not sure. A miracle? If you gave that miracle away, what did that make you? A miracle-giver? Or utterly desolate?
Flash Fiction Diary
Snippets will be available from Monday 3rd February!
This is my first collection of flash fiction, taken from the previously published 'Flash Fortnightly' collaboration with Artipeeps. I will be offering it as an e-book on amazon. I would be very grateful if you could help me to promote it on Monday (or any day thereafter), either on your blog, facebook page, twitter account or any way possible! Many thanks in advance.
Oh what a hard decision for her to make.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed…
DeleteCongratulations on publishing your book, Laura. You've got there way, way before me, so I'm deeply envious. I wish you all the best and will share the details on Facebook from early next week.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Natalie :-)
DeleteThat's awesome news! Will be sharing! Thanks for my FFF (flash fiction fix)
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome and thanks in advance for sharing! :)
DeleteWow! That last line certainly ends the story with a punch.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve. To be honest I wondered whether to keep it in, so pleased I did!
DeleteIt's amazing how we're so insistent certain events be happy when we know full well they may not be. Great depiction.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on publishing your collection!
Thanks, Katherine. Indeed there are so many expectations in life, often about how you should feel. They can be very wrong.
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