#77 Alternate Universe

by Sarah Laurenson

Insert and squeeze.

CLICK

Macy’s empty chair glares at me from across the kitchen table. Not my fault. They all say it’s not my fault. Couldn’t get out of the damn bed to see her one last time, but it’s not my fault. Yeah. Whatevs. I look up from the chair to the ugly yellow wallpaper. Macy loved that shit.

Insert and squeeze.

CLICK

A cold nose and a slurp of the tongue on my left arm.

“Hey, Charger.” I pet the head wriggling its way onto my lap. “Now don’t you worry. Your Aunt Mona said she’d take you in. Just don’t let her make you fat, you hear.” Macy’s sister’s soft on dogs. “She might even give you a bath, you stinky hound.”

Insert and squeeze.

CLICK

Damn. Maybe it’s not my time. I shake the bottle of pain meds. Half empty. Too risky. “You believe in alternate universes? You believe your mom is sitting in that chair trying to make me laugh in some other plane of existence?” I sigh. “It’s a good thought, girl.”

Insert and squeeze.

CLICK

I put the gun down on the table and take another swig from the bottle. “Yeah. Maybe she is. And maybe that damn drunk is dead or not even born.” The clock ticks away the seconds, the minutes as I stare out the window. “It might take time to find you. Eat what you can, girl. Don’t hold back ‘cause it’s me, you hear.”

Insert and squeeze.

Sarah Laurenson was a finalist in the 2012 Lascaux Flash contest—Ed.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Gruesome. Makes me feel a little guilty for liking it!

Flutterby said...

Grim and with nice tension. Yes, definitely "gruesome" but good!

Michelle H. said...

Love it! Grim but so engaging.

pegjet said...

Great voice, great pacing. This one is a contender.

JRVogt said...

Great grim tension with this one.

Sarah Laurenson said...

Thank you for your comments. Funny part of this story is the dog came and told me her name while I was writing it. Love those moments.

Stacy said...

Love it! Gruesome and enthralling.

Sandra Cormier said...

Seems to be a running theme this year. Lots of tension, yet sentimental. Wow.

Anonymous said...

And you look like such a NICE person, Sarah, dear....

Shirley Golden said...

Great structure. Left me wanting to know the story behind it!

Aniket Thakkar said...

This was brilliant!

I haven't read most of the entries yet, but this sure feels like a contender to me. Thanks for the good read.

Whirlochre said...

Simple and complex all at the same time.

Robin B. said...

Insert and squeeze indeed! Good one, Sarah.