Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
Congrats to Thaddeus Howze, back-to-back champion of the Science Fiction Microstory Contest
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Congratulations, Thaddeus! Beautiful writing!
Congratulations, Thaddeus. Exceptional, powerful story.
Very potent, very moving, Thaddeus. Well done.
Thank you, all. Just getting to my online life. I appreciate the support and validation of my writing. I hope to try and expand my circles very soon.
Thaddeus wrote: "Thank you, all. Just getting to my online life. I appreciate the support and validation of my writing. I hope to try and expand my circles very soon."Yes, definitely time to try the BigLeague thing, Thaddeus.
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By Thaddeus Howze
I was still catching my breath when she asked, "How much do you want to live?" Her voice was hot and smoky, she was whispering every word but I felt them as if she were right in my ear. She slid next to me, her arm across my chest. It was heavy or I was perceptible weaker than when we started. Both seemed reasonable.
Deep in the throes of my painkillers, her touch had cleared away the fog, leaving me clear-headed for the first time since I started self medicating to relieve the pain. And yet her question stole my breath.
I rolled over to look at her. While I was drenched in sweat, she seemed to be barely breathing, her dark face, reflected light across her sharp cheekbones and her eyes glittered with a focused intent. Gone was the sultry casual smile which started the evening. This was the cat resting after the hunt. All she was missing was the grooming.
Still in denial about this evening, I tried to be casual. "What are you talking about? I'm fine." I could feel the lie rising up from within. Then the coughing started. The harder I tried to suppress it, the worse it got. My doctor told me it would be more noticeable. Six weeks ago, it barely registered. Now, with his words were like thunder, punctuating each excruciating cough.
"You have six months. Maybe less. Maybe a lot less," he said. I turned away and sat on the edge of the bed trying to compose myself wiping away the blood on a handkerchief.
"What if I could give you forever?" I could hear her sliding across the bed and coming up behind me. Her hands were hot. She knelt behind me and put her arms around my chest, pressing her body against my back. I melted into her grasp despite my urge to resist the comfort. I had come to London to get away from people trying to comfort me.
"Unless forever could be compressed into about six weeks, I'd say there isn't much to talk about."
"Isn't there anything you still want to do? Is there nothing left for you among the living?"
"Of course there is. I'm doing it." I got out of bed and looked out the penthouse window. "I'm blowing my life savings on a suite overlooking the Thames. This is my first time in London. I am sleeping with the most captivating woman I have ever met on a one-night stand, a thing I swore I would never do. I am living the dream..."
"Then why are you crying?"
I hadn't heard her move. She was right behind me. "Forever is a choice you have to make. I can't make it for you. Go out and live as best you can. When you can bear life's challenges no more, call out to me and I will come for you. But know this: Beyond this life, there are wonders and terrors outside of your ability to imagine. What I offer will have it's own hardships."
"I don't understand." She had begun to dress, effortlessly putting on her clothing, her hard body like onyx glittered as she covered herself in what I now saw as a disguise. Her clothing hid what she was like flesh hides the skeleton beneath.
"You will. Soon enough. I can see life's fire burning down in you. That was why I found you this evening. Something to ease my own burdens. You were compelling. Your ambitions intoxicating. Your dreams are rich and your desire for life is great. All you need is time. You will be a great addition to the Grand Awakening."
"I am out of time." I felt awkward. Naked. Vulnerable.
She walks up to me, carrying a blanket to wrap me in, diminutive and yet powerful beyond her appearance. "I have time, in abundance. Call me when you're ready."
She kissed me. The best damn kiss I ever had. I saw my life pass before my eyes, empty. Meaningless. With her touch, I saw a possibility of my true potential. To her, I have barely lived. "How...?"
"I'll know." That voice, this time, soft in my inner ear. Her lips never moved. With that she walked to the window. And jumped. The glass flowed around her, like mercury, rippling before settling. She disappeared into the darkness below.
Before I could process what I had seen, the coughing returned with a vengeance, spraying blood everywhere.
Wracked, I wept until dawn.