By Simone Wallace
The man left the office and sprinted toward his car, desperately hoping for a miracle.
The night before, he had not slept a wink, comforting his screaming newborn son and cursing the July heat. He drove to work in the morning and the world seemed eerie, as though he saw everything through a fine spider web. He planned to drop off some documents with his secretary and wasn’t going to stay more than a few minutes, but he got distracted. It was only after three hours that he remembered the car and the sleeping baby inside. His son.
His dead son.
This is desperately sad, more so because it is based on true-life events and has happened – more than once. It is also indicative of the frenetic and ruthlessly inconsiderate society we live in. Rushing blindly ahead with no thought of what is immediate, always one step ahead of the game, a game which we are rapidly losing.
You are right, Constanee. It is a story about a working man deeply set in a work routine that leads to the tragedy in his family.
The story was very well written and a good ending, but I felt the last line was a little too much “tell” and could have been more subtle.
Thank you for the feedback, C.
Yes. Unfortunately, sad but true, and too many times to count. Honestly officer, I was only gone a minute! Please! Thanks for expressing this concept for 101Words. If this story saves even one life, your words as weighted in gold.
It is haunting to know that these things do occur.
This situation is horrifying if it’s accidental or deliberate. Maybe somebody can write a story about what’s going on in the mind of the killer before the death and the mind of the parent after the accidental death. You may be able to get ideas from police reports and newspaper articles.
Powerful.
Thank you, Mary.