Was about to go to bed happy, now I'm sad. 😭 (good sad)
What's particularly funny to me about you posting this now is that I just started reading the book of Tobit for the first time today, and I was struck by a passage with a similar theme of a "redeemed longing for death," where Tobit and a woman both pray for God to end their lives in the face of great suffering. God instead chooses life for them, healing the blindness of the first and bringing a good husband to the other (after her last seven were killed by Asmadeus's meddling) so they can go on to greater works of charity for their fellow Israelites in captivity.
I wasn’t sure where you were headed when she locked the door behind him, but very effective twist. Powerful ending. Really enjoyed this. Thank you, Kathrine!
What a sad little story. I wonder, if James had a family back home and a reason to live, would he still have done the right thing, even if it put his life on the line? Would he even be in a situation to do the right thing in the first place? Hopefully James finds some peace in his death, or at least an escape from his torment.
You know what? I thought about this story today. Don’t know why. I wrote it a while ago. An interesting coincidence. How did you find it? I thought Substack’s algo ruthlessly swallows older stories, and they don’t really show up anywhere.
Anyway, thank you for reading it. I’m so happy to see my stories are still sparking thoughts.☺️🩶
Just going through old-ish issues of Top in Fiction! You never know when and where someone will encounter your work, and I think that's part of the magic of writing online.
Great job of bringing this story full circle. James got what he wanted and saved Hope in the process. We all have a reason to keep living until it's our time to go.
Damn! James had so much more life ahead of him 😪
Not if he didn’t want to live them :(
True 😞
Was about to go to bed happy, now I'm sad. 😭 (good sad)
What's particularly funny to me about you posting this now is that I just started reading the book of Tobit for the first time today, and I was struck by a passage with a similar theme of a "redeemed longing for death," where Tobit and a woman both pray for God to end their lives in the face of great suffering. God instead chooses life for them, healing the blindness of the first and bringing a good husband to the other (after her last seven were killed by Asmadeus's meddling) so they can go on to greater works of charity for their fellow Israelites in captivity.
It's a particularly meaningful theme for me.
I wasn’t sure where you were headed when she locked the door behind him, but very effective twist. Powerful ending. Really enjoyed this. Thank you, Kathrine!
Thank you for reading it!🩶 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
What a sad little story. I wonder, if James had a family back home and a reason to live, would he still have done the right thing, even if it put his life on the line? Would he even be in a situation to do the right thing in the first place? Hopefully James finds some peace in his death, or at least an escape from his torment.
You know what? I thought about this story today. Don’t know why. I wrote it a while ago. An interesting coincidence. How did you find it? I thought Substack’s algo ruthlessly swallows older stories, and they don’t really show up anywhere.
Anyway, thank you for reading it. I’m so happy to see my stories are still sparking thoughts.☺️🩶
Just going through old-ish issues of Top in Fiction! You never know when and where someone will encounter your work, and I think that's part of the magic of writing online.
Great job of bringing this story full circle. James got what he wanted and saved Hope in the process. We all have a reason to keep living until it's our time to go.
Thank you!
Yeah, sometimes a character’s fate is sealed. Nothing wrong with James 😉
I wanted him to live 😔
Me too, but I went along where the story led me. It kinda made sense. Sorry for naming him ‘James’. I just like this name.
So beautiful. I've met James many times. I want to bring them all home but my husband won't let me. I'm happy he died with Hope.
Sad/Happy. Brilliant writing.
Thank you…🩶