WORST OF LOVE CONTESTANT
“You seem lost in thought.” Trisha sat down next to her husband. Mark had an old photo album in his lap, but his eyes focused on the view out the window.
“I was just thinking about Steve. It’s hard to believe that he’s been gone for ten years now. I wish you’d known him back then. You would have liked him.”
Steve had been Mark’s best friend all through school. They did everything together, were as close as any two friends could be, until their sixteenth year. That summer fate’s cruel hand tore them apart. Just starting his first job, Mark couldn’t go on the annual family camping trip with Steve and his family.
“Steve wished me good luck with the job, but I could tell he was mad that I wouldn’t go with them. When he walked away from the lot where I was pushing carts, I felt like I’d just lost my best friend. That was the last time I saw him.”
Mark shuddered at the memory. Trisha put her arms around him, holding him until he relaxed. He twirled the slim gold band on her finger, thinking about how lucky he was to have married her.
Trisha kissed his forehead. “You can’t blame yourself for his death. It was an accident.”
“I know. But if I’d gone with them, maybe I could have saved him.”
“Come on.” Trisha coaxed Mark up into a standing position. “Let’s go for a swim. It will make you feel better.”
Mark smiled at his beautiful wife. Married five years and he loved her more each day. She meant everything to him. He couldn’t imagine growing old without her by his side.
A small dock stretched into the lake behind their house, a tiny rowboat the only thing tied to it. The water was deep enough to dive off the end of the wooden structure.
Trisha chose to jump in, feet first. Her progress was hard to track in the fading light and Mark had a moment of panic when she didn’t surface right away. At last her head bobbed up, smiling at him.
“What are you waiting for? The water’s great.”
Her enthusiasm made Mark laugh. At times like this, he wished they’d been able to have children. Trisha would make a wonderful mother. He hurried to the end of the dock and dove in to join her.
The murky water blinded Mark for a moment. A flash of pain stabbed him between the eyes, as if he’d drunk an ice-cold beverage too quickly. It cleared almost immediately, along with his vision. In fact, the water looked bright, like the sun shone high overhead.
Mark’s stomach clenched at the thrashing movement in front of him. Trisha was in trouble. He grabbed an arm and pulled her to the surface. As they broke for air, he realized the arm he held onto belonged to Steve.
“Thanks, man. I thought I was gonna drown there for sure.” Steve coughed a few times, then smiled at Mark. “Good thing you were here.”
Mark stared at his friend, the boy who drowned ten years ago while swimming alone. Steve hadn’t changed at all. Time peeled back the layers as if they’d never happened. Somehow, the past was being re-written. Mark was here on the camping trip. Steve was still alive.
“You okay? You don’t look so good.” Steve peered into Mark’s face. “Let’s go sit down on the bank.”
Mark allowed Steve to guide him to shore, not trusting himself at this point. He felt weak and disoriented. When they made it to shore, he lay down on the grass and got sick.
“Roll him over or he’ll choke.”
Unfamiliar voices accompanied retching sounds. Mark slowly realized that he was the one throwing up. Opening his eyes, he found Trisha’s worried face studying him. Paramedics hovered, strapping things onto his body.
“Trisha…” His voice rasped as he tried to speak.
“Shh – don’t talk, just rest. We thought we’d lost you for a moment. You hit your head when you dove into the water.”
She patted his hand, her rings snagging his attention for a moment before his thoughts lost focus again. He heard someone running down the hill behind him.
“Is he all right?”
A man’s voice, coming closer. A blanket offered, spread over and tucked around Mark for added warmth. The man’s hand came into view, took Trisha’s hand and held it. Matching wedding bands sparkled in the light.
“Hey, buddy, can you hear me?”
Mark turned his head, stared into Steve’s face, an older version than the one he’d known.
“You gave us quite a scare.” Relief colored Steve’s voice. “I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it.”
Trisha stood up. “The kids are in the house, still waiting for news. I’ll go let them know that Uncle Mark is going to be okay.”
©2009 Laura Eno
Laura Eno (http://lauraeno.blogspot.com) has written two YA fantasy novels and a paranormal romance. Her flash fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Twisted Dreams, The Monsters Next Door, Flashes in the Dark, 10Flash, House of Horror, The New Flesh, Everyday Weirdness and MicroHorror.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
October 15th, 2009 at 3:31 am
Now, I did not expect that! Good call Laura!
October 15th, 2009 at 7:54 am
ouch… bittersweet for Mark.
Great story, Laura.
~2
October 15th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Hell, that twist at the end caught me out big time. Great work.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Wow. Loved that ending, Laura. I had the feeling he was going to be ‘trapped’ in the altered past. Instead we got the irony of the return. Great job!
October 15th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Excellent as always, Laura. Giving Trisha and Steve children was a particularly deft touch.
~chris
October 15th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
wicked cool laura, skillfully woven, just the right touch. instant classic!
October 15th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Oh that’s messed up. You definitely captured the theme of the contest. Good stuff, Laura.
October 15th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
You never disappoint. Great job on the irony theme.
October 15th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Talk about twisting the knife in the wound. You should have let the poor guy die!
October 15th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Great twisted story, Laura!
October 15th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Creepy! Poor Mark lived 10 fantasy years in about 5 seconds…
October 15th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Great story Laura! Your writing is quite inspirational.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Cool. Like the Butterfly Effect.
October 16th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I really like the way the story goes on in the reader’s mind; you suggest so much in so few words.
October 17th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Excellent, you really made my heartbeat pick up.
October 17th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Oh, that’s so cruel. Poor Mark. Be careful what you wish for, I suppose. Very well done.
~jon
October 20th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Great story Laura, and an excellent twist in the tail. Brilliant job
November 10th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Amazing story Laura - as usual!
Mark. . . wow. . . he’s got a lot on his mind. Amazing how one second could possibly change EVERYTHING.
Jim
December 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Excellent stuff, Laura - you always have that subtle spin to your stories that make me sit back and nod in admiration. Good write of bad love. I am a lot late on this post, as it missed me in my 13 Days of Horror, but am glad to have caught this!
Best of luck to you!
February 6th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Congrats Laura!
I love how you can make a story twist and turn and twist and turn again and have it all make sense and yet surprise me in the end.
You are trylu gifted, my friend.
February 6th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Ouch! In so many ways for poor Mark.
I can see why this was a winner. Great suspense and twists! You are a wonderful storyteller and I am glad to have the chance to read more from before my time in FridayFlash.
Congrats!
February 6th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Wow. Love this Laura. And so glad you left him his memories. Some people might think that’s cruel but I’m a fan of dual life lines where the ones you love get to have the best of both worlds. Hopefully he’s able to be happy for them and to enjoy his “new” life.
Great tale!!!
Karen :0)
February 6th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Thanks, everyone! I’m humbled to be getting more comments on this one.
February 6th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Do you keep yourself up at night? A terrific scare that brings to mind those questions we ask ourselves in secret about how far we would go for someone else. Creepy and the twist did surprise.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Thank you! I enjoyed exploring that question.
February 7th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Laura, YUCK, SCREAM, YUCK. Good job.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Thanks, Jeanette! I’m glad it made you scream.
February 13th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Great twist at the end… Excellent work.