Daily Writing Challenge

F-24

Six hundred and twenty five words due today and I have eleven. I need to write a villinelle for the poetry prompt challenge. i am caught up but i will fall behind if I do not get this poem written by Sunday. I need to write a short story too. The trouble is I do not have any ideas for a story. I should probably check and see what today's daily flash fiction challenge prompt is. Okay okay I'm going to check.

Prompt
Daily flash fiction challenge prompt for 2/24/2025

Write a story that includes the words: blank, sigh, chair
Have fun!

Her blank stare was followed by a slow purposeful sigh. He sat in his chair, waiting for her to realize he didn't have anything more to say. The facts were the facts, and no amount of denial was going to change them. Finally, she blinked and shook her head. She looked at him. The corners of her eyes glistened with the beginning of a flood of tears. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

He shook his head, and his face remained a facade of resignation. He didn't know he could keep it up. "There isn't much time either."

"How long do we have?"

"A month, maybe two."

"That's it?"

"They may act like it is an exact science, but sometimes a couple of months can turn into years. It just depends on things we can't control."

She dried her eyes with her sleeve, "When did they tell you?"

"Remember that call this morning?"

"You have known for five hours? And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't know how to tell you. Telling you makes it too real."

"So, what's the plan?"

"I guess we just enjoy the time we have left."

That is when the kitchen phone started ringing. Joy cleared her throat, "I'll get it." She got up and answered it. I couldn't hear what she was saying. I had no idea who she was talking to. My face blanched when I clearly heard her gasp, "Oh dear God!" I heard the phone clatter to the floor. A few moments passed. From her hushed tone, it seemed she had picked up the phone and was still engaged in the conversation. After a few more moments, Joy came back into the living room. She was as pale as a ghost. Tears flowed down her cheeks unsuppressed. She sat heavily on the recliner, put her face in her hands and sobbed.

I stared at her for a moment and then went to comfort her. "What was it?"

"Jimmy, it was the doctor. He, he," she broke down into a sobbing fit. I petted her hair and waited to speak. "He said he made a mistake. It isn't cancer. Your x-ray got mixed up with another patient's. You don't have cancer. You are in so much pain because you have a large kidney stone. All you need is a quick procedure to break it up, it will pass, and you'll be fine."

"Not cancer?" I nearly collapsed. All day I had been trying to come to terms with the idea that my end was near and that it was going to be painful. Now, a simple procedure? "You're sure?"

"Yes, they triple checked this time. The other patient only had one kidney, when they told him he had a kidney stone in his left kidney he had to explain he only had one. Then it took the whole day to figure out what had happened. They made sure. You aren't the one with cancer." She wiped her face with her sleeve.

Six hundred and six words done. Only seventy five words left to write for today. I will attempt to write more if I can. I wrote the story for the contest prompt but it is two hundred words too long to submit. So do I trim it down to submit it or am I just happy to have written a story I can submit to the bradbury challenge. I do not want to get behind on that challenge. Whoa six hundred and eighty words. I over shot, by quite a bit. Yeah me.