Monday, September 5, 2011

Decisions--First Campaign Challenge

~~The first Platform Challenge is here! And it's a challenge and a half. The instrustions are:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)


For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!
 Check out Rach Writes for links to other Campaigners' stories.

~~Here's my challenge story--Decisions--and it's EXACTLY 200 words. ; )


Decisions

            The door swung open.
            Lights. Sirens. Screams.
            “Oh My God!”
            “Is he dead?”
            “He just slammed into that tree!”
            A man’s face forced him to focus. “Buddy, we’ll get you out. Hang on.”
            Whump. Whump. Whump.
            “LifeFlight’s here.”
            “Good. Okay, buddy, we’ll get you out of here. Hang on.”
            Then everything faded out.
#
            “Paul. Paul. Do you hear me?”
            Beep, beep, beep.
            Pressure squeezed his arm and then released with a whoosh.
            His mouth was dry, clotted. “Uh?”
            A tall woman in green scrubs leaned over him and smiled. “Hi, Paul. Good to see you awake. It’s going to take a while, but you’ll get better. You’ll see.”
#
            Weeks. It took weeks, but he finally pieced it together. He’d been drinking, but he wasn’t more than buzzed when Harm had texted him about the card game. Yes. A card game. In a flash, he’d decided to go. Then hit a tree.
            Now it was all over. He’d hit a plateau in his healing, and he’d be stuck with that decision for the rest of his life. Traumatic Brain Injury.
            Any decision he’d make in the future got up and walked out of the door.
            The door swung shut.
P.S. I'm linky 118 at Rach Writes