PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot
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Every morning, she opens the window and walks out onto her small balcony. Her apartment is the only one like it.
Every morning, I wait for her to come out and I watch her. I keep my curtains shut so she doesn’t know she’s being spied on. I’m still deciding what to do.
Nineteen years ago, she went to have an abortion. The baby survived and was born, but she was told it wouldn’t live long. She left without another thought.
Should I confront her, tell her I’m the son she abandoned, or use my rifle and kill her now?
It’s Wednesday and once again time to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 22 March 2024 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
I pondered the image while having breakfast and chose this rather heavy theme. Every once in a while I read in the news about a child born alive during an abortion. The stories are rare, but whatever happens to them? My answer may seem farfetched to some, but imagine if it were you?
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.
My science fiction short story “I Don’t Want To Be Human” is featured in the anthology Spring Into SciFi 2024. It drops TOMORROW March 21, 2024. If you choose, buy and download it onto your Kindle device. Once you read it, don’t forget to leave an honest review.
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Oh, that’s easy. Confront her. He can always kill her afterwards
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It would be easier and safer to make the shot unannounced if that’s the way he’s going to go.
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Sounds like he needs to talk it out first, if he doesn’t his repressed feelings can only mean more trouble later on.
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On the other hand, there’s something cathartic about pulling the trigger. 😉
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Quite a dilemma, however, two wrongs don’t make a right.
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True, but this person is pretty disturbed. Stories about ordinary, well-balanced people aren’t always interesting.
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A deep seated conflict, love or hate. Which will win through?
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You never know, James.
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Decisions, decisions.
Enjoyed your take on this and hoping for a follow-up.
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Thanks. Only time will tell.
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I don’t think he’ll be able to pull the trigger. Great, take, James.
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Thanks. Probably not.
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Tough decision that I think is masked by a lot of anger and maybe guilt. If it were left to a vote I’d say he knocks on the door and talks.
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What a choice! I hope he confronts her first.
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That seems to be the consensus for far. Thanks.
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Powerful story, James.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. Good Shabbos and Purim.
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That’s why there needs to be limits on how far along a pregnant woman can be to get an abortion. Nowhere near viability outside of the uterus. Fetal viability is about 22-23 weeks, so 16 weeks seems reasonable as the cutoff point.
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I agree completely, but there are others who don’t share that view, alas.
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At either extreme. There needs to be a middle ground between banning abortion and unrestrained abortion.
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the last sentence left me numb
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I’ll take that as a complement. Thanks.
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With only those two opposing options this person sounds like a sociopath. Interesting take on the prompt.
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Thanks. Yes, he’s truly disturbed, but he thinks he has a reason to be.
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Thats a disturbing tale, well penned. that’s a tricky one for sure, best get it off his chest I think…
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Thank you. Yes, it was meant to be disturbing and to challenge the reader’s viewpoint. My protagonist is obviously unhinged and we don’t know if his perceptions of his Mom are accurate. If they talked, and it would be risky, maybe he’d learn a few things.
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Indeed. Well done.
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Heavy stuff. Lots of food for thought for anyone interested in how we live our lives.
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Thank you.
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Sad tale of holding on to something so long ago. He needs closure but what will do it for him? We don’t know and I suspect he doesn’t either.
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Thanks, Dawn. That’s why he’s undecided.
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