All his decisions were singular now. Should he rebuild or relocate? Disaster Relief had set up a hotline for survivors. He called but there were no answers.
After the burial, he wept upon his wife’s headstone, feeling himself shrunken, reduced by half. Fifty years of unshakeable marriage severed when the old oak tree crashed through their bedroom roof, uprooted by the fury winds of a hurricane originating in an ocean he did not know or care about.
All his decisions were singular now. Should he rebuild or relocate? Disaster Relief had set up a hotline for survivors. He called but there were no answers.
Ed White
29/1/2021 09:08:12 am
A Cat 5 story. Well done, Christopher.
Pamela Kennedy
29/1/2021 03:25:46 pm
Back-to-back losses and no one there to help...sooo sad...well done, Christopher.
Jennifer Duncan
29/1/2021 07:20:46 pm
Good description of the terrible loss. One of my friends suddenly lost her husband last summer. I wish I had answers for her.
Kim Favors
29/1/2021 07:22:24 pm
Adrift in loss. It can be overwhelming. Yes, well done.
Candace Arthuria Williams
29/1/2021 08:36:54 pm
Amazingly familiar. I miss my spouse. Right about now, he'd be telling me that it's silly to be afraid of our oak tree. But he's not here and the monster is. I think it's time to get it before it gets me. Hope this is pure fiction.
Mary Wallace
30/1/2021 12:38:48 am
I could feel the pain in each word. I like how the impersonal hurricane, originating from some ocean, changes to such a personal thing in the oak falling. Great piece.
Sue Clayton
30/1/2021 03:11:02 am
So many trees imperceptibly weakened by natural disasters but now an internal storm rages. Perhaps if he listens with his heart, the other voice from his unshakeable marriage might provide an answer. Comments are closed.
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"Classic"
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