Photo Copyright - Jennifer Pendergast
“I don’t want to go,” he whimpered and squeezed his mother’s hand.
“You don’t have a choice, Zachary. You have to.”
The line moved forward. So did they.
“Papers?” said a man in uniform, and Zach’s mother passed over the binder. He didn’t even open it, just threw it on the stack behind him. “Through the arch, sixth door on the right. Next!”
His mother guided him to the designated room and kissed him goodbye before closing him inside. Pallid concrete walls pocked with small holes surrounded him.
Malodorous gases flooded the room through the hissing holes, and Zach slept.
—
This story was written for Friday Fictioneers. As you may have noticed I wasn’t around last week. I’d like to blame being too busy with the rest of my life, but the truth is I just haven’t been feeling like writing lately. I’m starting to get back into the writing mindset, but I’m still a bit off my game if I’m being honest.
May 28th, 2014 at 9:18 AM
A poignant and sorrowful piece-nice contrast with the sunny photo.
May 28th, 2014 at 9:32 AM
Adam, I guess I’d know what to say better if I understood what was happening. I don’t know if the boy is dead or just asleep and why. The story if well written as usual. 🙂 —Susan
May 28th, 2014 at 9:33 AM
Downright depressing! Good job! 🙂
May 28th, 2014 at 10:20 AM
Horrifying. Truly horrifying.
May 28th, 2014 at 10:50 AM
Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. Not sure what is happening that causes Zach to be selected, but the build up is good. Scary stuff.
May 28th, 2014 at 11:12 AM
what a nightmare! sad and horrifying. i’m glad you’re writing again.
May 28th, 2014 at 12:35 PM
Sounds like Treblinka i.e. off the train, into lines and into the chambers. As for being off your game, I wouldn’t worry about it. We all know you’re a good writer and it won’t be long before the magic is flowing again.
May 28th, 2014 at 12:36 PM
I figure the last goodbye says it all, yes? Zach isn’t coming back from sleep or anything else. I like the way the binder was thrown into a pile, unopened showing how inconsequential the boy is.
May 28th, 2014 at 12:41 PM
Oh, how sad. The mother knowing she has no other choice is heartbreaking.
May 28th, 2014 at 12:42 PM
Aww really sad
May 28th, 2014 at 1:42 PM
Oh no, I was waiting for a humourous twist, or maybe I was just hoping it didn’t go where I thought it might. Brilliantly done 🙂
May 28th, 2014 at 2:24 PM
Great, Adam. A grim reminder of the past and one we hope won’t repeat itself.
May 28th, 2014 at 6:26 PM
This made me think of the Meryl Streep movie “Sophie’s Choice”. Although i loved that movie I only watched it once and couldn’t bare to watch it again.
May 28th, 2014 at 10:40 PM
I don’t know what’s happening exactly, Adam, but I think maybe I don’t want to. I’m going to assume this is just a nice way to ensure the new boys at the boarding school get enough rest. OK?
May 28th, 2014 at 10:43 PM
PS In order to maintain this delusion, I am not reading the title.
May 29th, 2014 at 1:39 AM
Horrific read! Well done…
May 29th, 2014 at 1:47 AM
Wow. Mot much else to say. Wow.
May 29th, 2014 at 4:51 AM
Dear Adam,
Surely the mother couldn’t have known where she was sending her son. Horrifying. You left me gasping for air.
Shalom,
Rochelle
May 29th, 2014 at 4:52 AM
Dear Adam,
This has a Margaret Atwood quality to it, for lack of a more articulate comment. A very good and thought provoking piece of work.
Aloha,
Doug
May 29th, 2014 at 10:57 AM
This makes me wonder about the backstory. Sad and mysterious.
May 29th, 2014 at 12:00 PM
Oh this is terrible.. in the best of ways I cannot avoid thinking why a mother would send her son to a place like this.. the only comfort is the word sleeping.. maybe it’s just some horrific operation that will make her son good again…
May 29th, 2014 at 1:49 PM
This wreaked of Holocaust to me, though the twist of having his mother take him there only makes it worse! Really well done, Adam.
May 29th, 2014 at 2:33 PM
I couldn’t decide between Holocaust and Soylent Green. Both gave me the shivers. Well-written, but I couldn’t bring myself to click the “like” button. Good job, Adam … I think?
May 29th, 2014 at 3:39 PM
A grim tale. Doubly so because of the involuntary complicity by the mother.
May 30th, 2014 at 2:03 AM
Pretty scary, Adam, and made all the more so by its comparison to a time in history not so long ago. Powerfully told.
May 30th, 2014 at 5:23 PM
This story is a tragedy of epic proportions in 100 words - a mother acuqiescing in her son’s deatj?
May 30th, 2014 at 7:30 PM
I was thinking Holocaust, but then why would his mother take him there? Truly horrifying thought. Well written as usual - a bit off your game indeed!!!
Dee
May 30th, 2014 at 11:40 PM
Oh how very sad…
May 31st, 2014 at 2:17 AM
Wow, horrifying and tragic. Great story.
May 31st, 2014 at 2:17 AM
It was only when I read that last line that I got the story. Up until that point, I thought you’d picked a very topical story about boarding schools. Well played
May 31st, 2014 at 1:47 PM
Dear Adam, Well, I think this is Holocaust material and perhaps the mother didn’t dream they were going to kill the children too. What a crazy world we live in when the masses follow a crazed individual to harm others. How could it have happened then - and what’s more, I hope it can never happen again. Good writing Adam! Nan 🙂
June 6th, 2014 at 3:00 PM
So, here I am, drunk on tears, and you enable me by providing more sorrow in which I can drown myself.
It appears that you have navigated through the slouch quite well and emerged on the other side as powerful as ever. Nice story, although it is so sad that I don’t like it one little bit.
Welcome back into the fray!
All my best,
Marie Gail