Fiction 55: The Moment
Waiting. The clock counts down. 90 seconds remain. A life to be changed or unaltered forever, by one visible line. 30 seconds to eternal devotion. Two stomachs in knots, four sweaty embraced palms, a minute’s wait for a lifetime of memories. The timer expires, nervous eyes focus. Is she pregnant?
I found the 55 fiction exercise as an opportunity to reflect on the critical moments awaiting results of a pregnancy test, and attempting to express how such a short time period can be such a powerful moment. In coming up with the idea, I felt that the three minute wait for the pregnancy test was similar to a short story with a word limit. Both had a limited time/count until a conclusion would unfold. In 180 seconds (or 55 words) both stories would have an ending, and yet a beginning to build on, essentially a new chapter. Quite honestly, writing the piece brought me back to the times my wife and I awaited test results, the increased heart rate, wondering what’s next – would this be the time? In the creation of the story, I wanted short, concise sentences that hopefully grabbed at the reader. I also wanted an open ending, as the story can relate to any reader trying to conceive, whether successful or still on that journey. Hopefully this wasn’t too personal or hard for anyone to read, and please accept my apologies in advance if it reached to close to home.
I found the 55 fiction exercise as an opportunity to reflect on the critical moments awaiting results of a pregnancy test, and attempting to express how such a short time period can be such a powerful moment. In coming up with the idea, I felt that the three minute wait for the pregnancy test was similar to a short story with a word limit. Both had a limited time/count until a conclusion would unfold. In 180 seconds (or 55 words) both stories would have an ending, and yet a beginning to build on, essentially a new chapter. Quite honestly, writing the piece brought me back to the times my wife and I awaited test results, the increased heart rate, wondering what’s next – would this be the time? In the creation of the story, I wanted short, concise sentences that hopefully grabbed at the reader. I also wanted an open ending, as the story can relate to any reader trying to conceive, whether successful or still on that journey. Hopefully this wasn’t too personal or hard for anyone to read, and please accept my apologies in advance if it reached to close to home.