Death's Symphony

A Story by Rapterj

The praise chorus.

It wasn't raining. It wasn't even adarkened sky. The only darkness we found was the dimmed lighting of the waiting room we avoided. The hallway and the lobby were so much brighter. So much more peaceful.

At first, I thought it was because we hated every minute with those other people in the waiting room. Every minute they could cling to hope. It was a jealous anger; a spiteful rage. But the moments passed in silence. Even when one of us talked, it broke silence on deaf ears. Had one of us tried to laugh, it sounded harsh and forced. Damn them for their hope. Damn them for their luck.

Luck. The double-edged dagger in my heart. Its lucky to be with your loved ones. Itslucky to be here. 1 out of 2 ain't bad. Even when you say everything, you've never said enough.

So we avoided the lobby. And we avoided our words. We had said enough.

And so. the trumpets sound off as the strings lead in. The black flags fly at half-mast. A birthday is forgotten and best the world could offer to some is misplaced.