Flash Friday Fiction: Signs of Spring

Caution: Radiation Controlled Area. Creative Commons 2.0 photo by Oleg.
Caution: Radiation Controlled Area. Creative Commons 2.0 photo by Oleg.

Signs of Spring  – 160 words

We are trapped in a nuclear winter, she and I, our marriage long since rusted over at the edges.

I stand at her door, wondering how much longer I can endure this monkish existence. I’ve know others who’ve turned elsewhere for comfort, for solace, for a bit of human touch.

I don’t want to be one of them.

I raise my hand against this barrier, which, like her heart, might as well have a “CAUTION: KEEP OUT” sign emblazoned across it.

How do people come to erect such walls between them? Two halves of a whole becoming like magnets that repel each other where they used to attract.

There is no hope for an armistice here. Our tongues launch missiles on a daily basis. Our arsenals overfloweth.

The knob turns. A crack appears.

“Damian?”

I stare into her eyes, at once familiar and foreign.

“Can we talk?”

___________________________________________________________________

Wahoo! I love Flash Friday! As I’m still serving periodically as a judge through November, I’m not eligible to win, but that doesn’t stop me from scribbling down a 150 (+/-10) word story every week anyway – it’s just that much fun! Come join us, won’t you?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*