Twenty Years of Lost Freedom? by Peter Jarvis Flash Fiction contest entry |
Audrey jolted awake at 3:14 AM, the clock blinking in the dark. Gerald was not beside her. A chill ran down her spine as she crept downstairs, her bare feet silent on the wooden steps.There was Gerald—slumped at the kitchen table, a half-empty whisky bottle catching the dim light. Tears streaked down his stubbled cheek.“What’s wrong darling?" she whispered, voice trembling.“Today is our 20th anniversary,” he said, words barely audible.Audrey’s heart swelled - he remembered.“When we met, you were 15, and I was 19. Do you recall the night your father caught us?” He shoved a shotgun to my temple and said if I didn’t marry you, I would rot in prison for twenty years.”A shiver clawed up her neck. “Yes, I remember.”Gerald stared at the floor. "If I had taken the prison option, then today I would be a free man."
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Peter Jarvis
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