Eternal Optimist

Contest runs every month from the 5th to the 28th!
All entries must be 18+ below.
Only one entry per contestant.
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PROMPTS
ROUND 15 -- FLASH FICTION // ESSAY ღ
...for Flash Fiction: 300 to 1,000 Words!
...for Essay: 500 to 1,000 Words!

Green - Line Prompt
This line must be somewhere in your piece.
Put it in bold or color it green, please.
"I, who saw nothing but a dream, was a fool."

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Eternal Optimist

By Indelibleink

Amazing. Weeks and weeks of complaining finally paid some dividends. First, I have a decent meal for a change. Now - a private room. And it even has a window to boot! Once my legs are healed and I'm able to get off of this God-forsaken hell-on-wheels I might actually even be able to look out that window...

A voice from outside the room broke Huarte's concentration. "Hugh...your wife is here."

"Send her in." But why? She already made it clear she is divorcing me. I knew she was making eyes at my doctor the last few times she visited me - the cheating bitch. As if I wouldn't notice. Oh well...What the hell - it's not like she's the only bimbo left on planet earth..."

"Hello, Hughie. How are you holding up?"

"Fine, Janice." How am I holding up? If someone was kind enough to leave a pair of garden shears laying around, I'd be happy to show her how I am 'holding up' - the cheating bitch. "What? The doctor isn't 'in' today? Maybe he made a 'house call' last night while your loving husband was strapped to a gurney! "

Her eyes already beet red and bloodshot from countless hours of crying, Janice once again broke down. "Hughie! You know that's not true. I would never do that to you. Not like this. You - you know that..."

Her head buried in her hankie, Janice turned and almost barreled over Father Snyder, who was just entering the room. Janice paused and whispered a couple of things to the priest, who nodded, hugged Mrs. Edwards, and walked over to Huarte.

"Hello, Hugh."

"Hello, Father." Father...shmather. He never gave a rat's ass about me until all of this happened. He doesn't think I don't know that he's just doing his job? Just because I'm strapped to a gurney doesn't make me an idiot.

Father Snyder stared at the IV lines attached to Huarte's veins. "Hugh, have you had a chance to think about what I mentioned to you last week?"

Huarte attempted to suppress a laugh, but with no luck. "No, Father. What, with my busy schedule and all..."

The old priest smiled weakly; not at all surprised by Huarte's sarcastic response. "I am only here to offer help, my son."

"All you offer are dreams, Father. Something you - and even God Himself - can't deliver on. You know, when I was young, I used to believe in dreams. It didn't take long to realize that dreams were, by and large, the handiwork of the devil. I, who saw nothing but a dream, was a fool. You take your dreams and get the hell out of this room. Now!" Huarte rolled onto his side and faced the wall, and quickly fell asleep.

Morning found Huarte in the same room, although he noted that his clothing had been changed. Huarte yelled out, "Nurse, can you pull the drapes and let a little sunlight into this prison cell of a room? Please?"

A female nurse, accompanied by a well-dressed male, entered the room together. The nurse methodically replaced the IV drip bottle with a different color than the previous, while the man checked Huarte's wrist and leg restraints for strength.

Great! Last night I have a priest that won't shut up; now I have a couple of mutes for company. "Hey...People! Try to stay with me here: Open...the...drapes...for...the...window...to...let...in...sun...Comprende?" Huarte rose up as far as the restraints would allow and addressed the male. "You...Mr. Personality...How about that curtain request, huh?"

The man turned and replied, "In a few minutes, the curtains will be drawn, Mr. Edwards. Please be patient." He then gently eased Huarte back down on the gurney.

The nurse began connecting some electrical leads to Huarte's chest. She then addressed the male. "Sir, we have two good veins. Saline flow has commenced through the primary port."

"Well done." He then turned to Huarte. "How do you feel, Mr. Edwards?"

"Feel like I'll be up and walking again, and out of here in no time, Buddy."

The man smiled. "You just relax, and you'll be free soon enough." He then nodded at the nurse, and the two left the room.

Moments later, the window curtain was opened, and Huarte turned to see about four dozen people, sitting theatre-style, looking through the window at him. Wow! Quite a turnout for my operation. There's Janice, Father Snyder...Hey! There's Phil and Julie Lenz! "Phil! Kay! Wassup? Where are the kids?" They don't look too happy - probably because it's so cramped in there. A lot of those faces I don't even recognize...probably pre-med students.

From behind the glass, the man who had been in the room earlier with Huarte, looked at the clock on the wall for a while, and then nodded to someone who was out of Huarte's line of sight.

A voice heard over the intercom stated, simply, "Yes, Warden, sodium pentathol has been introduced."

Did they say the guy's name was 'Ward'?  Must be the chief of surgery.  Man, I'm getting sleepy. Hey, who is that guy Janice is talking to? When I get out of here...she'll.....have.......some.................ex-....plain....-ing.....to....

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Shelly Williams, Action 6 News, with late-breaking news here: We have just received word from the State Penitentiary that at 10:31 this morning, convicted killer Huarte Edwards was pronounced dead after receiving a lethal injection of drugs, according to Warden Tim Burton. Edwards had been found guilty in the systematic butchering of the three children of Philip and Kay Lenz in 1989, after they had apparently agitated Edwards by awakening him from a nap as they played next door in their yard. The odd thing about this case was right up until the end, Edwards never acknowledged the fact that the Lenz children were dead, or that he was sentenced to die via lethal injection, or that he was even in prison. As a result, Edwards had earned the moniker "Eternal Optimist" from fellow inmates. We'll have complete details at noon...."

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Words: 998