Hippocampus' Charade

He snapped the book shut and set it bedside. Eyes closed - ready for respite - but the hippocampus still painted the canvas beneath his lids.

"Do we have to do this? Every night?"

They opened, exhausted retinas recognizing wisping forms; a man expiring on an escarpment after resuscitation failed, hazy eyes staring back, his final exhalation autonomic; a toddler strapped in a car seat, vehicle upside down, little hand suspended in gravity. He never saw that blameless face, just the hand; reaching for a life that never started.

He shuddered as tides unleashed, hoping they knew, somehow; he tried.

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Author's Note:

Though an accounting of my personal experience, I submitted this to the Microfiction Magic challenge as this is what I imagine it would look like if the scene was put to paper. Writing is truly cathartic.

An average person will witness or be involved in two to three 'critical incidents' in their lifetime.

An average first-responder (firefighter, law enforcement officer) will see that number climb to 188 in the span of an average twenty-year career alone.

Studies completed by the US Department of Justice estimate that 20% of officers exhibit symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and over 25% of all first-responders.