“They make you work on Christmas?”
Everyone says that. Some add, “and after all you’ve gone through.” The good ones, I guess. For most? Well, my tragedy isn’t theirs; easier to forget.
Especially easy this time of year.
But work never fails. Code must be written, bosses managed, tickets filled.
Sometimes I almost ignore it all: blood and water on the seat of the car. Guilty accusations like magnets, my husband hovering anxiously away. The hoped-for child, unviable.
Of course I work on Christmas Day. Anything to postpone the empty ride home, my banal descent into a Hell yet unharrowed.
(This story is a part of Loren Eaton’s 2014 Advent Ghost 100-word storytelling. Click here to read others’ contributions.)
Loren Eaton said:
“Cozy horror.” It has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? The details to this one really ring true. Painful — in a very good way.
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KJ Mansfield said:
Very good piece, Scott.
Well done.
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Rhonda Parrish said:
This story feels honest and cuts deep. Bone deep.
Well done.
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Ben Mann said:
Great story Scott, an opportunity for reflection that stopped me in my tracks.
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Derek Manuel said:
Ouch.
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