PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll
Corrugated pain
She’d been confined in the spartan quarters for at least a month, maybe longer. The dark room offered nothing but time to think about what she’d done. Lying on the lifeless prison-grade mattress day after day, the only comfort came from light wiggling its way through the corrugated sheets of glass above her.
She studied wavering hues on the wall made by light’s refraction, remembering the rainbows in the woman’s dress; the look in her husband’s eyes; a black pit germinating in her heart. It was easy to run to the fifth floor balcony and leap off.
[97 words]
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the illustrious host of Friday Fictioneers.
Tao Talk 
Dear Lisa,
I could feel the resignation and despair in the MC. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, thank you very much, and I appreciate your comment.
Shalom,
Lisa
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You’re very welcome, Lisa. :D
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This is a very dark tale… I imagined a real prison until I realized that she could jump… some of the worst prisons are those we build for ourselves.
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Yes, Bjorn. Thank you for your comment.
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Clever. I had to read it twice to get it
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Thank you very much, Neil.
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A hasty act and plenty of time to regret it. I don’t think the husband was worth it – on reflection I hope she realises it too.
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Iain, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment.
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That prompt is the right kind of weird or unexpected that makes my brain itch.
Corrugated. Pain. Corrugated pain? Itch!
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:) Sorry to make your brain itch, Jay!
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Great story.
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Thank you, Sadje.
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You’re welcome Li.
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the prison the we create for ourselves are usually the ones that are hard to escape. for her, the point has been reached that she needs professional help.
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Yes, Plaridel, she does. Thank you for reading and your empathic comment.
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She studied wavering hues on the wall made by light’s refraction, remembering the rainbows in the woman’s dress; the look in her husband’s eyes; a black pit germinating in her heart. It was easy to run to the fifth floor balcony and leap off.
Beautiful piece of very evocative writing.
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Chris, thank you very much.
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My pleasure!
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Beautifully written, you took us right into her mind.
Here’s my story.
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Thank you very much, Keith.
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Ouch, that’s a long way down. I hope she gets some help.
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Ali, I think that is where she’s at, healing from her physical injuries and being observed and assessed for her emotional ones…
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Heart breaking Jade Li.
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Yes, it is, Len, thank you.
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Beautifully written, Lisa.
I admit I was confused for a bit there. So she jumped off but survived?
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Thank you, Dale. Yes, she survived and is now in a place of healing.
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As someone else said, you took us right into her head. It was not a happy place. Excellent writing.
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Linda, thank you very much.
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When we are confined to a dark dingy room we realise the beauty of light.
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Well said, Abhijit.
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A powerful story of injury to both the mind and body, Jade. She survived the physical injury but we’re left to wonder if she’ll heal from the mental injury. Well done. —- Suzanne
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Suzanne, thank you so much for reading and your comment.
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You convey many thoughts in so few words, hinting at dark events, and the despair of the imprisoned woman. Well done.
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Thank you very much. Your comment is appreciated.
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Some injuries are invisible but they take a lot of time to heal. Very well written.
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So true, Shweta, thank you for reading and your comment.
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Wow! That was a really good one Lisa, so evocative, and heartbreaking too, driven to a terrible act, love it.
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:) Thanks, Shrawls!
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Well done! Well layered. She more than heartbroken. There’s guilt, something she can’t escape. I think suicide is the least of her crimes.
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Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Nobbin.
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Wow there is great emotion here. You really feel her pain.
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Thank you, Laurie, yes, I do.
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The descriptive writing was so good it had me reading over and over again. Unfortunately, I still didn’t understand the plot until I read all of the comments. The thing that confused me was the number of possible elements that were ambiguous, especially the woman’s husband. And why was a place of healing so unpleasant?
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Sorry if things were too ambiguous. She is in locked into a room for her own safety, after having leapt off of the 5th floor balcony after walking in on her husband who was with a woman in a rainbow-colored dress. Even in the stark room, the prism on the wall triggered the memory. It’s unpleasant because suicide watch leaves a room pretty much bare, and she’s not safe to be let wander freely at this point. I’m guessing she’s in a lot of pain from her physical injuries as well, which isn’t pleasant. Hoping this clears up some of the ambiguity? I appreciate your comments and questions :)
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Good story.
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Thanks Dawn
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