There were no doctors in the end, nor morphine or cream to soothe their rashes.
Even the janitor wouldn’t walk within six feet of the beds in which they lay.
They shared a room; two strangers, united in their fate, withering further with every cough.
“You an addict too or…?” one questioned.
“Dancer,” the other winced.
A mutual judgement lingered in the silence that followed.
“Well,” the addict said, “Must’ve been one hell of a dance to do that.”
They laughed.
Like men.
Like people.
And though they never saw it, that day, the world took a wary step closer.
About the Creator
J. R. Lowe
By day, I'm a PhD student, by night.... I'm still a PhD student, but sometimes I procrastinate by writing on Vocal. Based in Australia.
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The Book of Many Clans
NEWARK, DELAWARE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER, TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1994 So it came to pass that the elders in the community could convene over cigarettes and beer. The cool wind of the new season despite the high temperature made the outing all the more enjoyable. Laughs rose to the heavens. Dogs scampered about. Games of spades broke out on various card tables. The children ran and shouted and acted as if lightning ran in their blood. When everything grew silent, the eldest of the various families walked out of the house. Men set down their beers and women squashed their cigarettes. The children paused their playing. Mother Mattie and Daddy Brougham marched like they were in formation. She looked spry for her ninety years and still had all her faculties. Her hands felt as soft as the soap she used to cleanse them. Daddy Brougham had worked at the auto plant for thirty-three years. His hands were hard and almost cracked but still resilient and vigorous. In their hands, thick scrolls of documents held the power of the different lines that had grown up around Newark and before.
By Skyler Saunders5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (12)
Well written! Good job!
Intimate, powerful & epic, all in but a few words.
I aspire to this level of eloquence. You paint such a clear picture in so few deft strokes. Thank you for sharing your work with us.
I love this beautiful, powerful moment you've created here; soo well done! An incredibly strong entry :)
Well done, J.R.! This one was certainly powerful and thought-provoking!
My interests most certainly are piqued J.R. I'll definitely be ruminating on this one for some time! Thank you for the food for thought!
Damn, dude. This is amazing.
Damn, that was great. Wel done, as always.
This challenge is spawning some pure brilliance and this piece ranks high amongst them! Well done.
Oh wow, this was excellent!
Absolutely beautiful.
Oh wow, this is really nicely done. 👏