3d • Writing Prompts
Here is my May writing prompt story
Clarence and Eileen married in 1917. Clarence was an electrician and they settled on a country plot seven miles from town. Life was good. They were happy when their first child, John was born. The lone son was followed by five beloved daughters: Penny, Marjorie, Joslyn, Mae, and Polly. Of course over the years there were ups and downs, highs and lows; there always are, but the family was close knit. Together they weathered storms and together they savored the good times. Penny was the first to marry and soon had a baby girl of her own, Suzette. Clarence loved being a grandpa. He used to stick a Hershey bar in the front pocket of his shirt for Susie, and she soon learned to look for it whenever grandpa paid her a visit.
It was a sad day for the family when they discovered Clarence had pancreatic cancer. In those days nothing could be done. Clarence bore it as well as he could. On the nights the pain was so bad he couldn’t stand it, he would drive the one mile up the road to the church. In those days churches weren’t locked and you could always get in. Clarence would get on his knees looking for relief from God, in whom he put all his trust.
After a time, the cancer took over and Clarence was hospitalized. The pain was immense and his life ebbed away. Eileen was with him, never leaving his side, and as the end drew near, John and the daughters rushed to the hospital to be with him. When he lifted his hand one final time, Penny grasped it and held tight.
Two floors up in the same hospital a very different scene was taking place, Clarence’s youngest sister, Martha, was in labor. Martha was aware Clarence was in the hospital and not doing well. It seemed that Clarence and Martha’s babe would be like two ships passing in the night, one destined to leave the world as the other entered. As the pains increased, Martha became lost in her labor and thoughts of Clarence slipped away.
It was a hard labor. The doctor was worried about the baby. Hours passed, and Martha, exhausted gave one final push and her infant was born. A baby girl. Martha waited a moment and then was happy to hear the baby utter one small cry. Martha had been worried but hearing the cry reassured her. She asked to see the baby, the nurse looked up, concerned, the doctor nodded but said, “Only for a moment. Hurry.”
The nurse quickly but gently, holding the newborn in a loosely wrapped blanket let Martha and her husband take a peak. Something didn’t look right. The baby’s color didn’t look right; she looked…bluish. Martha was scared. Her husband, Pete, walked over to the doctor and Martha heard hushed voices and then the doctor, nurses, and baby were gone. Pete returned to Martha’s side and tried to explain what the doctor had said. Martha barely heard it, all she could think of was that she heard the baby cry, so she had to be OK. Shortly, the doctor returned with a sober face and let them know the baby “didn’t make it.” He offered his sympathy and left them in their grief. Martha was devastated. Pete tried to comfort her but she was inconsolable. Pete felt so helpless. He hated to admit it but he was almost relieved when visiting hours were over. In those days, folks left when visiting hours were over.
It was a long night for Martha. Her grief came in waves. Sometimes in the quiet she heard her baby girl crying. One time she buzzed for the nurse and tried to tell her she could hear the baby crying, could the nurse not hear it? They must have made a mistake. The nurse was kind and sympathetic and could only tell Martha how sorry she was. Sleep eventually overtook Martha, and for a few hours, she had respite from her broken heart.
Rays of morning sunlight danced on Martha’s closed eyelids gently waking her. At first she saw a blurred figure standing at the foot of her bed. She blinked several times and lifted her head to see more clearly. Standing at the foot of her bed she saw her brother Clarence, holding a baby; her baby. Martha gasped, she tried to sit up straight, never taking her eyes off of Clarence and her baby. Clarence didn’t say anything, just looked at Martha with the half smile on his face Martha knew so well. The baby’s little face looked a perfect, healthy pink. Almost immediately the pair began to dim, and then faded away entirely as if they had never been there at all. Martha knew what she saw, and a feeling of peace fell over her. During the next week Martha still felt the grief of losing her brother and baby, but she also felt a peace beyond all understanding. And she never heard the cry of her baby again.
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Here is my May writing prompt story
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