Upstairs a door slammed. Then another, and another, until finally the cast iron monstrosity at the top of the stairs shuddered open.
‘Quickly now grab me a jar!’ The jumped the last three steps. Ellsmore jolted awake and darted for the draining board.
He fumbled with the jars but turned in time. The surgeon eased his hands over the open mouth and opened them slowly.
It thunked against the glass.
‘Real bad ‘un this one,’ said the surgeon and wiped his hands on his trousers.
Ellsmore closed the jar. The thing shivered.
‘What is it?’
The surgeon scowled. ‘There are moments caught between heart beats. They make us, us. This one, made a very, very, bad man.’
Ellsmore swallowed thickly.
‘If you cut it out, does that make him a good man?’
‘Well that depends.’
‘On what?’
‘On the moments I didn’t cut out.’
‘
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Published by Carol J Forrester
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
what makes us, us – such a powerful image of what we contain within us
The cast-iron monstrosity really sets the tone for the thrills and creepiness! Ellsmore jolting awake gives us more sense of unreality. The open mouth calls up questions (is it the jar’s mouth or the mouth of the man?)
Creative and macabre, almost Gothic horror. Evil, like cancer, can hide in every crevice and organ it seems.
I could hear the doors clanking and visualize the what was taking place. Well done.
This one’s deliciously dark and menacing, Carol! It’s also kind of retro, the belief that you can cut out evil moments. Is the cast iron monstrosity at the top of the stairs a mortuary drawer?
Just damn dude. I loved it.
Woah – this feels like the start of a whole novel. Very steampunk. Loved it.
Nice write
Much❤love
Wow. Very gothic in feel.
What a wonderful and dark approach to this. I would love to read a continuation of this.
Oh my gosh! This could be a horror movie plot. WoW. Dark, menacing….horror! Glad I’m reading this in the morning and not just before I go to bed or for sure, these images and words would carry through to a nightmare!!!! I think I shall go stand on our sun-filled San Diego deck for a minute 🙂 YIKES!
Brilliant combination. Distillation of what we instinctively feel – those crucial decisions we make that define our moral and psychic selves, juxtaposed with a host of questions. Why are they all here? What kind of surgery is this that can excise our evil moments? What else lurks within the body of the person on the table? And of course: what happens next?
Great stuff!
Thank you Guy, I’m glad you enjoyed it.