In Blume
Microfiction for Adults
Jesus. Her hands are around my throat again. They're tight and my windpipe is wilting. I don't struggle. I can't seem to take my eyes off hers; cold cobalt in scorched tarmacadam. She's foaming at the mouth and a dehydrated rabid spittle has formed at the corners of her lips and it falls on me sporadically, sticking to my lashes and casting a strange haze to my vision.
Stars and spots are errupting now as my lover murders me to the sound of cherry blossoms at midnight.
I drop my left hip and let her weight tilt over to the edge of the bed. She's too drunk to notice and before the next fleck of spittle has time to leave her wolverine mouth, her back has slammed into the floor and I've landed on top of her.
The wind has been knocked from her and her eyes are floating in her skull like raw egg yolk and I grind my forehead into hers and snarl in her face until she's yelping like a wounded dog in the street.
She brings up tired hands and takes fearful rakes of half chewed nervous claws down my cheeks and neck. But there's no feeling now other than the primal rage of love soaked violence. I want to shatter her face and feel her teeth sink into my knuckles. I want to batter her. Instead I take aim at the shiny pocket of linoleum between her ear and the nook of her shoulder. I bury my fist into it and the roar of hot pain up my wrist is an orgasmic release.
I wind it up again and her face has contorted into a pool of dread and I think she's screaming but all I can hear is the linoleum churning my fist into butter. And I hate that I'm here and I hate that I love her and I hate that we can't stop and I hate that I've become a reality that only exists on the lips of neighboured gossip.
The linoleum mirrors a bloodied reflection of my face, bloated with fear and booze and I take on a new relish and pummel the face of this man I used to respect.
About the Creator
Dean F. Hardy
Writer from Dublin, Ireland.
*All work here is owned by Dean F. Hardy*
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Comments (31)
Wow.... I'm in love with your sensory descriptive language and the way you pull the reader into the story with it! I felt myself taking on these sensations and feelings, that pit in my gut as I lost respect for myself in that moment! This was breath taking (pun not intended) and just such a raw, eye opening piece!
Keep up the Good Work, Dean ♥️ check this out also: https://vocal.media/interview/shadows-of-the-past-0p1p0pqr
Oh believe me when I say I did not breathe (pun intended) until I finished reading this. "Stars and spots are errupting now as my lover murders me to the sound of cherry blossoms at midnight." Love the sensory imagery here. There are many others to pick out too, such stunning craft, I am in awe Dean! Love how you bring out the inherent humanness in acts of passion (love and violence) and have them stand together, both tall, both stubborn and make them sing in unison! So tough to do but you make it look so effortless.
Umm, spine chilling. Read mine? https://vocal.media/fiction/an-audition-and-a-new-friend
So gripping! Honestly, this is mesmerizing. There is a certain "primal" or instinctive sensation here that really draws us in. The line quoted by Jenny below is stellar and so full of every ounce of desire, angst, and dread. Fantastic job! Couldn't stop reading 😍
“And I hate that I'm here and I hate that I love her and I hate that we can't stop and I hate that I've become a reality that only exists on the lips of neighboured gossip.” Got dang. This is real shit.
I read it over and over. Very graphic in such a small space of words! Incredibly well done.
Interesting scene of dread and angst. Is "she" a really bad hangover/addiction/self loathing?
Beautiful flowers
Intense, disturbing, raw emotions; a love twisted into violent chaos.
I don’t think I took a single breath through that whole piece. Intense doesn’t do this justice. Written so incredibly well that I was legit afraid. Very well done, Dean!!! You took us all right there into the absence of mind and ugly mess of violence and love.
I don’t think I’ve subscribed to a creator faster than I just did. 😄 Great work, Dean!! 👏
Incredible writing... Like you ripped open a wound and let it bleed. Wow.
Is it wrong to say that I hate that I find this so compelling? "And I hate that I'm here and I hate that I love her and I hate that we can't stop and I hate that I've become a reality that only exists on the lips of neighboured gossip." With all the passionate, lust-driven horror of this scene, this is what I felt the most deeply.
"Intense" doesn't seem strong enough. That was a wild, emotional ride and incredibly well written. Is your keyboard still in one piece? Brilliant!
Incredible. It leaves a lasting memory :)
Such... colorful descriptions and wordplay. Great job.
Emotionally complicated! Congratulations on Top Story!!!♥️♥️💕
Congratulations on Top Story! You already know I loved it. What a masterpiece of emotion, tone and language.
Not entirely surprised at all that this got Top Story so quickly! Well done!
Congratulations on top story!
I’m laughing my head off because people thought some hair pulling in my story was “rough” and “intense” when that wasn’t the case at all. Thanks for exemplifying those words in a delightfully transgressive micro, and congrats on Top Story. 🥂
“The linoleum mirrors a bloodied reflection of my face, bloated with fear and booze and I take on a new relish and pummel the face of this man I used to respect.” I am floored. (No pun intended…? ) Absolutely stunning work, Dean. The heart of this story is truly remarkable; true, it is dark as the words and images themselves, but to convey the humanity in a situation like this, the primal nature of violence and love coming together is something I’ve not seen successfully done (at least not in a very long time). I am reeling from the truth you express here. What a horrific reality to see in a fictional story, knowing that the violent urge can be so quick to snap in place. You crafted this so masterfully. I would even encourage you enter this into the Vocal Awards. 👏👏👏
Holy moley. That was raw, and scary, and brilliant and I don't even know what to say. Wow. Congrats on the TS
Holy cow, Dean. This is absolutely breathtaking, in the most surreal, gory, beautiful, yet horrific way. This may be one of the best Vocal shorts I've ever read, and I mean that wholeheartedly. Incredibly well done. Your prose is vivid and engaging. Just, woah