Sitting tight in this chamber, I consider my role. It’s inevitable. No blame’s attached; not to you for inviting me here, under duress; not to me for the consummation.
Awkward silence; I hear your pulse go – 15, 16 times. I hear the click, click of emptiness; another moment passing by, adding its weight to the other hollow moments.
I sense the tang of perspiration, tang of stale relief. I sense eternities of impatience.
Next round – I count your pulse: 15, 16… at 17, combustion. Thoughts blossom up the wall.
I’m glad we kept our appointment, glad we shared it all. I’m sorry about the mess of Russian roulette.
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This piece of flash fiction was written in response to the Photo Challenge #34 “Wrap” at Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie, where all stories in the link-up were prompted by the picture by Januz Miralles at the top of this post.
Oh dear …. I was trying desperately to figure out where it was going … was thinking dungeon thoughts, honestly … didn’t expect roulette. Very well done … and very uncomfortable … !
Yes, I suppose it could read like a dungeon-type setting at the beginning (certainly if your mind has a tendency to go down those channels of its own volition, anyway…) 😛
Russian roulette is quite interesting – and bizarre. Graham Greene played it, apparently, in his depression. Plus it was the only interesting part of the Deer Hunter; well, that and Robert de Niro explaining “this is this,” which I always liked 🙂
Never saw that movie before — looked up the roulette clip on YouTube. Wow. Now that was INTENSE. Yowzers.
Really? It’s kind of an American classic. It’s got some good, intense bits but then goes all long-winded and rambling.
I have an intense dislike of hunting and of movies that have Vietnam/ Cambodia jungle scenes. So … yeah .. never saw it. But perhaps it’s one to check into —
This certainly was an interesting response – I loved the tension building – and although I wasn’t expecting Russian roulette – it seemed very appropriate and fitting. Highly evocative piece. 😀
Thanks, Pat. I’m glad the story conveyed some tension since Russian roulette is pretty much tension personified and without that this little scene would have been… firing blanks [groan] 😉
Sorry … can’t help myself LOL 😉