My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie And the Doctor said, "Yes, he's definitely dead." And the Nurses all sat down and wept. And they mourned in their scrubs, gave each other back rubs. And the rest of their patients still slept. And the Dead Man was brought to the morgue from his cot. And the Dead Man turned rigid and gray. And the Dead Man, he sighed, "It's too bad that I died." And his Spirit then floated away. This week's prompt was provided by Kyle Oathout.

I could feel my heart sinking quickly as my crush turned away from me. The way that sharp "No" had burst from her mouth felt like a mini-torpedo crashing into my ribcage. I could feel the blood swirling in my head, my mouth going dry like it was turning into a desert. I said nothing, nodded to her back, and quickly turned and walked toward the bathroom to cry in a stall. Stupid, stupid, stupid.