Bed of stone – short contest story
My back ached on the rough gravel as the acrid smell of rotting foliage wafted up my nose. I opened one eye and snapped it shut as I swallowed back the lump in my throat. The slate structure loomed over my head like a behemoth monster from a dystopian universe. A pulsation began, humming through the ground and up into my spine, increasing in volume, the irregular thumps creating a disjointed beat. I raised my hand to my head to find a lump at the bottom of my skull.
Who or…what?
The last thing I remembered was Alice. Sweet Alice, whose lips tasted of ash and whose skin looked like it had been brushed with soot. Her peppery voice rang through my head, “Where you been honey? I got off on conditional release yesterday, and I couldn’t find you anywhere!” Even Alice, who I trusted with my life, would flash that gap-toothed smile and laugh when I told her the truth. “I’ve been hiding from them, Alice….”
I couldn’t even remember my last meal, because technically, the crust of bread I’d stolen off the woman’s plate at the mall didn’t count. My stomach growled, like a beast unfurling within me.
I opened my eyes and jumped when I saw water— diminutive swells that rushed along, transporting me to my past— languid summers on the beach, splashing with my sister Emma on summer vacation. That felt like a lifetime ago, when I’d had a family and a home and dog.
But then they started tracking me.
I’ve had to stay one step ahead, always planning for where they might pop up, who they might pay off, or who was posing as a friend.
The hollow thunking sound above ripped me from my thoughts and back to this dank truth—
Realization hit me like a wet slap.
I’m under the Bridge.
I wondered how I’d gotten here, to this point where my life consisted of a gravel bed, someone else’s garbage for lunch and a concrete structure for a roof.
“Hey! You—down there!” The voice caused my stomach to drop to my feet. “Is that you, David?”
They found me!
Footsteps ensued, the crunch, crunch, crunch of gravel ratcheting my throat tighter and tighter.
I sprang to my feet and bolted up the steep bank, where in the light of day, the world looked safe— coffee shops, women with strollers and city busses whirring by.
But I knew better.
I placed my hand on the guardrail and lunged sideways onto the walkway—
I fell, my ankle caught between the concrete and guardrail, and I landed, palms first onto the biting stone.
But pain was the least of my concerns.
I whirled around to face them.
The demons.
They hovered over me, their globe faces bobbing over black gear, a static shriek emanating from their very core.
“David,” the demon said with narrowed eyes, his lips a tight thin line. “You’re off your meds again, aren’t you?”
- – - -
Joanne Brothwell: A paranormal writer and mental health therapist, Joanne Brothwell loves
everything dark, creepy and outright disturbing. You can read about the
ways she enjoys torturing her characters as she blogs about her latest
writing foibles at
joannebrothwell(DOT)blogspot(DOT)com
Have you read the contest story Christina it’s our winning story.
you have my vote. It was captivating, dark and mysterious all within moments. I loved it. This story reflects insight into a world we are not all familiar with.
I am so ADHD it is hard to find a story to capture my attention. Not only did it capture my attention, it captivated me away from my rice krispie square. I like.
Great story. I thought the writing was tight and effective, evoking vivid images. The ending was also excellent.
Really liked it – wanted to read more.
I like!
Wow, I really liked the ending. Your writing evoked lots of images right from the opening line.
Joanne, great stuff. I guess one person’s reality is another person’s demons. The story was captivating and gritty and full of truth. I really enjoyed it.
I loved this! So much depth and background in such a tiny little scene. This raises so many many questions, and yet they don’t need to be answered. You’ve given us the sweep of a huge question, and then in a single sentence at the end, given us the keys to answering it all.
Excellent work!
I shudder to think that there are people out there like David that live there life in constant fear and paranoia! More, more, more!!! …
Very very interesting!
Captivating. Makes me wish it was longer. You have my vote.
Very suspenseful. I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to know more about the character. Hats off to Joanne for capturing the reader in such a short time.
5/5
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