By Christos Tsagkaris
Louis lost his hand a year ago during the Paris terrorist attacks. He is an amputee. Nevertheless, his hand returns from time to time.
He cannot see it; however, he knows when it is back. Pain is the signal. First comes a sudden throbbing that signifies the lost limb’s presence. After comes the constant burning.
The hand speaks the voiceless syllables of pain: endless crying both day and night.
“I suffered as blazing pieces of iron scorched through my flesh. Still, I didn’t fall. I lay by your side during surgery. I did not sign the form or agree to amputation…”
I thought the first two paragraphs were starkly effective. But then the story descended into a sort of melodrama that diminished what it ought to have made indelible.
But the final sentence is a powerful return to the strength of the beginning.
A lot of promise in your writing. Hope to read more from you.
Regardless of any minor flaws, this is a very effective story; timely and insightful.
I enjoyed this!
After stating “Louis lost his hand a year ago during the Paris terrorist attacks.” following with “He is an amputee.” is redundant and a waste of words. The need for a point in time reference “a year ago” is questionable.
I rather liked the framing of Louis’s maiming in this way–the first a polite convention and the second the blunt reality. The time reference, I thought, gave us perspective on the persistence of suffering when outsiders might imagine that “healing” should have taken place by now…
I agree with Sarah above. I thought it was very effective. I liked the way it was written.