Writing a short story and posting to my blog site is a good way to kill time while homebound. This is the one I wrote today. I hope you enjoy

Begin my short story

I sit at the table. The birthday cake with thirteen candles before me.

Another birthday. How many more will I see? My body begins to fail me. Grey laces my hair, and lines edge my eyes and mouth. New aches warn me of my mortality.

My wife lights the candles and the children watch me in expectation. She picks up the camera to document the day. The pictures go into the family album. They will share space with the pictures of the birthdays since we wed.

I lean forward. The youngest, eleven-year-old Steven, starts the Happy Birthday refrain first. My wife and the twins join quickly. My eyes tear as I wonder how many of these, my loves, will share my twentieth birthday. The song ends and I blow out the candles as the camera flashes.

Another birthday passes and four years to the next. It sucks being born on February 29th… so young, yet so old.

The End

I would enjoy your comments. Be safe during this time of crisis.

They returned to Kiliane’s palace. She feared to be alone and asked him to stay the night. Though he held her, she dreamed of being sucked into an orb. The nightmare scared her awake. She found herself alone in the bed. Noises came from her throne room. She found Kourrus dressed and walking to the door.

“You are leaving?” she asked.

“Well, I am not staying.”

“Why?”

“I have things to do.”

“Things more important than comforting me?”

“Things to do,” he said before closing the door after him.

Kiliane cried as she flopped onto the couch. Others lost mates to the orbs. She lost hers to things.

I welcome comments on this selection or anything of interest to you.