(100-word flash fiction)
The baby was a gruesome freak. Of nature. Born after years of prayer and pilgrimage. The nurses would bring him for a feed but she couldn’t bring herself to touch him, let alone take him to her breast.
The woman in the next bed sobbed through the night for her perfect, stillborn baby. The small room pressed down heavy and oppressive with the weight of two empty cradles.
Her depleted womb became a bloody battle ground. Disappointment warred with Despair until Guilt started to trounce them both.
Eventually, Self Pity won. Her room on the seventh floor had unbarred windows.
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Written for Friday Fictioneers.
~~~
The baby was a gruesome freak. Of nature. Born after years of prayer and pilgrimage. The nurses would bring him for a feed but she couldn’t bring herself to touch him, let alone take him to her breast.
The woman in the next bed sobbed through the night for her perfect, stillborn baby. The small room pressed down heavy and oppressive with the weight of two empty cradles.
Her depleted womb became a bloody battle ground. Disappointment warred with Despair until Guilt started to trounce them both.
Eventually, Self Pity won. Her room on the seventh floor had unbarred windows.
------------
Written for Friday Fictioneers.
~~~
