SVelasquez's Shorts
Posted: March 4th, 2011, 6:53 pmI figured I'd post some of the short stories I'm going to be writing. All characters belong to me unless otherwise stated.
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“Emptiness”
Woodley Park, Northwest
Washington, DC
Emptiness.
That's all I felt inside and around me as I lied in the double bed that I had shared with my lover in our small house on 29th Street in Woodley Park, a neighbourhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, DC. For the past three years I had shared my home and my heart with Jason Carter.
Not anymore.
Thursday Night
I had been sitting on the sofa reading a book on that fateful Thursday night when there had been a knock on the door. I almost instinctively ignored it, expecting Jason to answer it. Just as I was about to turn the page of my book, I remembered that he had volunteered to cover for one of his colleagues for a few hours. Sliding a bookmark into the book, I rose from the sofa and looked through the peephole. When I saw who was on the other side, I felt my heart stop. I gulped and prayed that my mind was playing tricks on me as I opened the door, only to be greeted by the very same individual I had seen in the peep hole: Jason's captain. Opening the door, I just stared for a moment before speaking. “Good evening.”
“Chris, I'm afraid I have some bad news,” The captain said as I nodded quietly. I could feel tears begin to well up in my eyes.
“Go on,” I muttered quietly as my throat dried up a bit.
“Earlier this evening the company answered a call to fight a two alarm fire off of G Street. He had gone inside to search for survivors when the building had begun to fail. A recall order was sent out to get firefighters out of the building. I'm sorry to have to tell you that the building collapsed on top of Jason.”
“So are you telling me he's dead?” I asked as I attempted to blink away my tears.
The captain simply nodded. “Debris impaled him and the impact of the collapse crushed him. He was pronounced on the scene. I'm so sorry, Chris.”
I simply nodded as I finally let the tears start to fall, leaning against the doorway as I simply broke down right then and there.
Present Day
All I remember after that was the captain helping me back to the sofa and asking if he could get me anything. Each day since Jason's death, various members of his firefighting company have stopped by to offer food and emotional support. I could do nothing but appreciate how much they cared for their own. At the same time, though, nothing anybody could do could fully ease the pain of losing the person who meant the world to you.
I sighed and rolled over, staring at the empty space where Jason used to sleep next to me at night. Closing my eyes I tried to smell my lover's lingering scent.
It was fading.
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“Emptiness”
Woodley Park, Northwest
Washington, DC
Emptiness.
That's all I felt inside and around me as I lied in the double bed that I had shared with my lover in our small house on 29th Street in Woodley Park, a neighbourhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, DC. For the past three years I had shared my home and my heart with Jason Carter.
Not anymore.
Thursday Night
I had been sitting on the sofa reading a book on that fateful Thursday night when there had been a knock on the door. I almost instinctively ignored it, expecting Jason to answer it. Just as I was about to turn the page of my book, I remembered that he had volunteered to cover for one of his colleagues for a few hours. Sliding a bookmark into the book, I rose from the sofa and looked through the peephole. When I saw who was on the other side, I felt my heart stop. I gulped and prayed that my mind was playing tricks on me as I opened the door, only to be greeted by the very same individual I had seen in the peep hole: Jason's captain. Opening the door, I just stared for a moment before speaking. “Good evening.”
“Chris, I'm afraid I have some bad news,” The captain said as I nodded quietly. I could feel tears begin to well up in my eyes.
“Go on,” I muttered quietly as my throat dried up a bit.
“Earlier this evening the company answered a call to fight a two alarm fire off of G Street. He had gone inside to search for survivors when the building had begun to fail. A recall order was sent out to get firefighters out of the building. I'm sorry to have to tell you that the building collapsed on top of Jason.”
“So are you telling me he's dead?” I asked as I attempted to blink away my tears.
The captain simply nodded. “Debris impaled him and the impact of the collapse crushed him. He was pronounced on the scene. I'm so sorry, Chris.”
I simply nodded as I finally let the tears start to fall, leaning against the doorway as I simply broke down right then and there.
Present Day
All I remember after that was the captain helping me back to the sofa and asking if he could get me anything. Each day since Jason's death, various members of his firefighting company have stopped by to offer food and emotional support. I could do nothing but appreciate how much they cared for their own. At the same time, though, nothing anybody could do could fully ease the pain of losing the person who meant the world to you.
I sighed and rolled over, staring at the empty space where Jason used to sleep next to me at night. Closing my eyes I tried to smell my lover's lingering scent.
It was fading.