Natasha dreamed of death. These visions were always pleasant unlike the bombs that fell around her, killing all in their path. Except her. She who longed to die seemed immune to the terror surrounding her. All her family were dead. Her lover too had died, beheaded. They had forced her to watch. Now, except when dreams of death lulled her, the nightmare never left. The latest bomb left her scrabbling at the rubble to reach the trapped cry below. She pulled the unharmed baby to her and connected her to her breast. She smiled as the milk flowed again.
This week Charli asks us to :
May 13, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that shows a hard place and a connection. It could be a prisoner who discovers friendship; a cedar that grows from a crack in a cliff; an abandoned dog rescued by a homeless teen. Maybe it is a reconciliation or connecting with students during a turbulent time. Is the hard place part of something larger in the scope of a character’s development? Or is it a plot twist?
Respond by May 19, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation.Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
That is definitely a hard place, Irene. I am thankful that I have been spared such horrors. I hope the child suckling at her breast will renew her pleasures in life and diminish the nightmare of her reality. Well told.
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Thanks Norah. Yes it is a place I’m glad I haven’t experienced except on the nightly news. My heart goes out to all of them and know that it is connections that hold people together at times like that — horrific as it is.
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Ouch. Well done, Irene. Brutal and endearing. Love it.
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Thanks Sarah.
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Excellent.
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Thanks Sharon
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So sad, yet the saddest part that this happens a lot.
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Yes it is the innocent that always suffer in these conflicts.
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So glad that out of such a hard place came life and healing once more for mother and child ❤
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Sadly it is too true and I hope that those suffering have moments of connection that brighten their days. ❤
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That is so powerful, both the desire to die yet being the one to survive and the ability to nourish life in that survival. I missed coming over here! My Internet was so wonky last week it was almost a relief when it went out all the way. I’m back and getting my gaps filled. 🙂 Great flash, Irene!
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Thanks Charli. Sadly it is reality for many I can but imagine…
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