The Endless Night
100-word writing contest prompts: drama / giving a thumbs-down / break.
It’s midnight and the hospital delirium’s in full swing. It’s been the same wretched scene for hours. He persists in shuffling to the door.
“Let me go!” His voice breaks.
The nurse signals - Ativan? I give a thumbs-down. I’ve endured interminably, feeding him gentle lies instead. “We’re leaving soon, Dad.” Drugs could help or harm things.
Betrayal hardens his stare.
We are claustrophobic in this endless night. Despairingly, I push the call button. I nod and they mainline it.
I hold my father’s aged hand. His eyelids flutter; he mumbles dreams for the future. My tears gather; I break.
I wrote this piece for the NYC Midnight 100-Word microfiction competition entry in April of 2024. The prompts were: genre - drama / action - giving a thumbs-down / word - break. I placed 5th out of approximately 56 writers.