Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been writing some 500 word flash fiction for a writing group we’re in with the author Bitten Twice. I wanted to share one with you all and would love to hear any feedback you may have. Please, sit back and enjoy… The Disease.
The lines of her face resting on the soft fabric of the satin covered pillow caused his heart to ache. Never before has someone taken his heart with such force, resulting in a devotion he never imagined he could feel for anyone after his first wife passed away.
The memory of her life was as tragic as it was flawed. She had, at one point, been as flawless as the woman sleeping before him. Like her, he spent many a night sitting in the soft padded chair he was currently in and watched her breathe. He thought their love was timeless, but fate stepped in to rob them of even a year together.
The sting remained until he met his bride, Felicity. The mere mention of her name was enough to drive him to flights of fancy. They were wed within three days of meeting and all of his subjects came to offer their blessings. The day was a beautiful one, but his new wife caused it to pale in comparison. The true journey of his life began that day.
Any thoughts of him being cursed like his father began the following month when a traveling cleric paused before them after paying his respects. The man lingered far too long in front of his wife and when he looked at the cleric to ask what he saw, the man shook his head and continued along his path.
Felicity asked him to forget it as nothing more than an aberration. The King’s own clerics had blessed her and she felt fine, so where was the need to worry? With a resigned sigh he conceded but never stopped watching her. Now, as she lay in their bed resting as comfortable as possible he asked himself if she was indeed healthy or hiding something from him.
King Yureu had never been one to harm anyone, even the criminals in the dungeons were often allowed to live instead of being executed. So why then did he now feel doing so was the only way to avoid heartache? His mind had been set on the action since supper, hence the reason he kept the carving knife from their feast hidden within his robes.
His fingers rubbed over the side of the blade in a gentle caress. This knife would save his beloved Felicity from ever becoming sick and keep him from watching another needless death. No, he would never marry again. He couldn’t bring the curse on another, to do so would be to follow the footsteps of his father before he took his own life when Yureu was a young boy.
With a steady resolve, he stood from the soft cushioned chair and stepped towards the bed. Despite his effort to remain quiet, his footfall must’ve been enough to stir Felicity for she opened her eyes and stared at him with a horrific expression. It was the same look his first wife gave him before he was forced to end her suffering as well.
The BiaLog 
One word “WOW”! Very effective piece, beautifully constructed. Well done.
Thank you. 🙂