By Tim Perry
She stares at her father, straining to see some change.
The scientists tell her he’s moving.
“It’s quite remarkable,” they say. “He’s alive. His blood flows through his veins like tar, but it moves. It’s as if time, which runs for us, only crawls for him.”
“Can he see? Hear?”
They do not know.
Fifty years a statue, frozen mid step. He looks young. She has grown old.
All day, hands trembling, she holds up the sign. It says, “Daddy, I’m dying.”
Days later, a tear begins to form in the corner of his eye.
It falls long after she does.
This was wonderfully heartbreaking.
Thanks very much
Hi Naoko
In case you are interested, the idea for the story came from circumstances that were also heartbreaking, though in a different way. Back in 2013 I read an article about Professor John Mainstone, who had passed away in the August of that year. He was the physicist who oversaw the Pitch Drop Experiment at the University of Queensland for over 50 years without ever seeing a drop of pitch fall.
Thanks again for your comment. I really appreciated the feedback.
Tim
That’s fascinating! I will look it up, thanks Tim!
Great story Tim, reminded me of “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_worn
Interesting story Tim. So much there is so few words. Great job.
Thanks so much Ralph. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This is the novel’s answer to the haiku. Brilliant Tim, well done!
Thanks very much Matt!
Great story, Tim. I love the evocative nature of time standing still. Sad and effective.
Thanks so much for that lovely comment Pattyann.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of time dilation and timeless love. Bravo!
Many thanks for your kind words DeRicki, and for that beautifully worded description of my little story as a “tale of time dilation and timeless love”.