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Date Posted: 00:22:00 11/16/00 Thu
Author: Anna
Subject: The Picture (Opinions Please) (tried my hand at a short story)

I would really appreciate some opinions on this one.
Just recently started writing short stories.
What do ya think, should I throw in the towel?
I rewrote this since it was over at WW if anyone seen it over there.


The Picture

Karen sat drinking coffee and reading the paper when the phone rang, it was the doctor's office, the results of her daughter's tests were in. "POSITIVE" the doctor said. Karen slammed the phone down on the cradle and collapsed onto the couch sobbing. She squeezed a pillow to her face not wanting her daughter to hear her crying. The doctor's words kept ringing in her ears.

Sandy was so young, sweet and innocent. How could such a horrific disease consume her small body? Five years of age and so full of life. A typical child, she loved animals, dolls, playing I spy and doing special things for people. Once making her mother breakfast in bed, a mess that took hours to clean up.

Karen awake in her bed, unable to sleep, many thoughts racing in her head, she couldn't bear the thought of losing her only child. Her life would lose all meaning. All they had were each other. Her father left when he found out she was pregnant and hasn't been back since. She kept thinking there must be something she could do. She even wondered about a second opinion.

Sandy woke up in the middle of the night screaming, the pain had been real bad lately, steadily getting worse. The doctor's warned her this could happen in the later stages of the disease. Karen quickly rushed her daughter to the ER. There her doctor informed her "its time to make her comfortable she doesn't have much time left. This disease has taken over her body. It will be a matter of days now. "

Karen consumed with grief, she ran to the restroom sobbing, her worst fears confirmed. She often wondered how any mother could live with the loss of a child and now faced the same tragedy herself. She splashed water on her face and took a deep breath; she realized she'd have to put her feelings aside for now. She was determined to make these last days count.

Karen held her daughter in her arms day and night; they looked at old photos, and the vacation they took to the beach, some great pictures of sand castles and dolphins that were swimming near by. She loved the picture of sandy playing in the pool and especially the picture of the two of them sitting on the beach together. They both looked like lobsters.
She thought, "How nice it would be to go back to that time"; She would cherish it all the more. As they sat there in that hospital bed they laughed and giggled until it got to be too much for Sandy, then Karen read her favorite book. The nurses came in often to check on her.

While holding her daughters hand Karen thought of things Sandy would never get to do: go on her first date, drive a car, fall in love and get married and have the wonderful experience of giving birth and falling madly in love with her baby. What a shame, to only live a short time.

Karen knew her baby was suffering and wouldn't get well. She prayed to God, "please give me strength to let my baby go," she rubbed her cheek to reassure her daughter everything would be fine, it was OK. Then Sandy opened her eyes looked at her mother and took her last breath.

As she drove home from the funeral she felt numb as though she was on the outside of her body looking in. So hard to comprehend that she'd just buried her baby.

As Karen wiped off the counters she kept expecting Sandy to run through the house with her shoes on, she'd have to remind her to take them off. The numb feeling she had felt was gone, overwhelming pain struck her and she ran weeping into her daughters' room, laying on Sandy's bed she cried into her pillow. She wanted so much to hold her in her arms again. She missed her very much.

Her world came crashing down; she didn't want to go on anymore. She prayed "God give me strength or take my life too." She thought if only she could have more time with Sandy." As she lay they're on the bed staring at the picture of them at the beach. Karen thought how she would give anything to be able to climb into that picture and relive those moments with her daughter." Just then she felt a warm breeze, she seen the waves of the ocean, the bright blue skies, and the sunshine. There she had seen her baby girl playing in the sand. " Oh thank you God" she said, and ran to pick her up, she held her tight in her arms, kissed her sweet head and danced around in the sand. She prayed, "God I want to live in this moment forever."

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