Long legs, crooked thighs
Little head, and no eyes.
“Push through it Cynthia! Come on now puuuushhhh!”
I wiped my hair out of my tear and sweat covered face and tried to do what my husband was telling me to do. My eyes squeezed shut, I was truthfully attempting to not see what was happening to my body at that exact moment of time. “Ah I can’t do this, I really can’t,” I replied, trying to wish myself anywhere but where I was at that exact moment.
“You don’t really have a choice…” said a shrill voice from the corner of the room, which was instantly shushed by another.
All of a sudden, I heard a shrieking and the pain was gone. The room went quiet, and I opened my eyes and examined the room. White walls. No art. Blue curtains.
My husbands face pale. Expressionless. Blue eyes heavy from exhaust.
My mother and sister in the corner. Shocked looks, unsteady glances back and forth.
“Where is my baby?”
It was now midnight, and I was in a wheelchair. My husband was pushing me down a long, eerie hall. Nurses were talking in the corner, but I didn’t hear them. A light flashed above but I didn’t notice… I needed to see him.
Suddenly my husband turned my chair around the corner and we halted. He kissed my head and told me to wait there as if I had a choice. After what seemed like forever, he reappeared with a doctor in tail, telling us to come with him. We followed.
The last thing I remember is being handed a body wrapped in blue, and told they had done everything they could possibly do, but there was no way to save him. I looked down at my son’s abnormally small head and underdeveloped thighs and toes. He never even got the chance to open his eyes, yet somehow was all mine could focus on.
AUTHORS NOTE: This nursery rhyme was read to me as a child, and I never understood it. Coming across it now that I am older, I decided to develop it into a story to try to make myself understand.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: from "The Nursery Rhyme Book" by Andrew Lang, 1897
AUTHORS NOTE: This nursery rhyme was read to me as a child, and I never understood it. Coming across it now that I am older, I decided to develop it into a story to try to make myself understand.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: from "The Nursery Rhyme Book" by Andrew Lang, 1897
Your writing style is awesome. You do a a great job of telling this tale of giving birth to a still born child. Your descriptions of the woman's feelings and everyone looking down at her with their sad eyes is very well done. I also heard this nursery rhyme as a child and always wondered what it was about, I think your take on it is really good. I never considered that it could be about a still born child, but you tie that concept in very nicely. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard this nursery rhyme before, but I like that you added a backstory to it. Your writing is awesome and is fun and easy to read. It kept me interested and you did not overwhelm me with a ton of detail or long dialogue. I think that you gave a good description of what it is like while in the room while a mother is giving birth. I also like that you added in other people such as the woman's mother and sister. This story is such a sad one and I think it deserves a good backstory and you gave it just that!
ReplyDeleteBreak my heart! This was a great explanation of the nursery rhyme you chose. It was written very well and flowed nicely. You did a great job with the imagery in the story as well. The image you chose was perfect, it was a great fit for this story. While it didn't have a happy ending, it was very good. Please excuse me now while I go cry into my pillow...(totally just kidding) You did a really great job and this was a beautiful story even though it was very sad.
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