Counting
She would lie awake in bed at night, once or twice a quarter. Every few months, she’d lie there, her eyes blinking slowly. Her fingers moved slowly, rhythmically, tapping and counting the time.
April. One month.
May. Two months.
June, July, August. Three, four, five months.
September. My birthday. It would’ve been nearly six months on my birthday.
October. November. December. It would’ve been a Christmas baby.
And then she’d count the years. One year. Then two years. Then three. Now four years– four years. She smiles weakly at the thought of the preschooler that should be tumbling into her bed this morning. And then she counts again for the beautiful two year old she should be snuggling too.
But then she hears the little cry, and counts once more. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven months since she finally held her healthy baby boy for the first time. And she knows she’ll never stop counting for her missing angel babies. But it hurts a little less with a living angel in her arms.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleHi Kathryn – this is so moving and emotional it made me cry. Such sadness to end with such joy. You have captured the emotions well – good job.
Your story went straight to my heart Kathryn. An emotional read that left me feeling so strongly your protagonist’s loss of those babies. Very sad, but with an ending that was uplifting. Beautifully written.
You moved the reader through sadness to joy, Kathryn. So glad that your short story ends with a “living angel.”
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleHello, Kathryn. Welcome to Voice club. You made me cry, but I am so happy with the ending. What a nice read. Well-written.
Welcome Kathryn. Your first Voice story manages to be heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time. Your use of counting is brilliant for this story. I look to reading more stories from you in the future.
Hi Kathryn and welcome to Voice.club. This story is so filled with emotion. In a very few words you take your reader from heart ache through to the joy of a ‘living angel’. Very nicely written, well done 🙂
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThis story is beautifully written, Kathryn. The counting theme is a perfect setting for the mother’s thoughts. Welcome to Voice club – I look forward to more stories from you!