The stench of rotten meat wakes her. Desperately, she tries returning to her nightmares, but sleep again mocks her with its flight.
She presses an ear to the wall separating her bedroom from the bathroom.
Splashes. An occasional wail. She whimpers.
Pain lances up the inside of her arm. The track marks no longer faded scars but hundreds of tiny scabs.
Karma. Utter torment every night because he’d drowned after she’d popped a vein and nodded off.
The bathroom door swings open. The toddler standing in the tub is bloated, his pale, marbled skin peeling away from reddened tissue.
�Mommy?�
***
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! This piece was originally submitted to NYC Midnight’s “100-Word-Microfiction” competition. I won’t know the results until June, but I’d love to hear feedback from you! Comments are always welcome.
- Photo Licensed by Unsplash + in collaboration with Getty Images
- This is my own work and has not been generated in whole or in part by AI
OMG Kenny – This made my skin literal crawl. It’s beautifully written but damn so intense! Brilliant! They better give the prize to the Penn – I can’t imagine what could possibly beat this! Good luck!
Thanks so much Celia! I hope you’re right!
Crikey this was incredible. You packed a lot into so very little (haha, I hate always saying that about micros…but it’s true) I was left with more questions in the end but…i found it thoroughly disturbing…but written so expertly. I hope this places for you – I think it’s excellent!
Thanks Paul! I’m hoping it’s good enough to get me to the second round. Fingers crossed!
You definitely have the skills and the imagination for that, Kenny! As always with these things…guess it comes down to the people deciding, but this is an awesome story for it. I keep thinking of entering…then never have things ready to start etc. Hope you do get into the next round, though! Excited for you!
Wow. This was really hard hitting, absolutely intense and beautifully done. I was really transported there.
Thanks River! I hope the judges agree!
Just as powerful on the reread. Immediately set the tone and then the feelings of dread crept in until the reveal. Really well done, my friend 🙂 I hope this places!!
Thanks Heather! I really appreciate it and I hope it does too!
A Fatal Nod 💔🖤🖤
Dark. Tense and anxiety inducing. This is one grippingly disconcerting micro fic. We loved it! (Muse of the Day 04/05/2024)