www.storymania.com
Storymania Logo

 

 

Short Stories




Voices by Jack Linton Thirty-five years ago, Jacob McLoy lost someone very dear to him. He longs to find her through the voic... [1,315 words]
My Message Of Caress by Jacqueline Anel Sheppard This story is about the depth of a daughter towards life and how her existance leads to he... [452 words]
Sincerely, Michelle White by Shelley J Alongi A prominent recording executive realizes her relationship with a band manager has bee... [2,207 words]
Lessons by Albert Davis A short foray into minor philosophy and perhaps a little amusing. [1,359 words]
Tuck And I Steal A Boat To Go Catfishing by Matthew Dean Tuck and I steal a boat to go catfishing. [939 words]
The Night We Saw The UFO by Matthew Dean The night we saw the UFO... [435 words]
Scott Wrestles A Coyote by Matthew Dean Scott wrestles a Coyote. [1,838 words]
Scott Decides To Teach Us How To Break Horses by Matthew Dean Scott decides to teach us how to break horses. [675 words]
Night Run by Song Wright A teenager helps her friend to run away from home in the middle of the night. [2,184 words]
Loss Of Sanity - The Franie D. Story by Christopher McCoy "Love at first site, it may sound trite, but it's true, you know." - Morri... [4,326 words]
Just A Nightmare by Glen Pearson A disturbing short account of a power cut in a family home where a small boys nightmare become... [1,910 words]
How William Fell Into The Septic Tank by Matthew Dean The battles with our septic tank...and how Will fell into it. [1,055 words]
How I Talked My Brother Into Digging by Matthew Dean How I talked my brother into digging up the septic tank. [430 words]
Reflections by Jennifer Nobile Raymond A young woman's unusual experience on a city bus...EXCERPT - �Want to talk? We could go somewhere... [2,171 words]
Stolen Innocence by Deb Meyer Elaine, a gullable high school girl which lacks self-confidence and her own identity, is bulli... [1,743 words]
Night Of Living Hell by Paula M Shackleford This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago about a girl who is waiting outside the cine... [1,227 words]
The Lesser Evil by Nan Deyo �You ain�t tellin� me my babies is dead.� She was crouched on the foul and reeking stairs, arm... [3,778 words]
Family Genes Considered by Richard Koss A story that is unfortunately, much closer to the truth than not. Although the main ch... [1,198 words]
Glass by Shelley J Alongi About the thoughts and reactions of a little girl viewing a riot taking place in a street in Germany duri... [1,021 words]
The Woman by Shelley J Alongi About the last moments of a woman who perishes in an Auschwitz death chamber and how one person's mem... [790 words]
A Better Place To Be by Steven R. Kravsow Bennie Dean is a tiny little man with a crooked little smile who marks the passage of his ... [788 words]
The Sweater by Jennifer M Haynes Andy finds his dead brother's body in the backyard, and takes the sweater to see if he can catch th... [500 words]
The Smart-Ass Shall Inherit The Earth by John C Smith A true story about winning by losing. [399 words]
Sad Poem by Sunny i cut my soul and let it bleed on the paper. [295 words]
Chances Are by Rekha Ambardar A romantic short story. [1,899 words]
Splitting by Paula M Shackleford When Anna's boyfriend decides to break up with her, Anna is the one who ends up laughing. [1,001 words]
Charlie And Mrs. Miller by Richard Koss A very short story about an old woman on her death bed whose last request is to see an ... [585 words]
Crushed by Paula M Shackleford The story of how a fulfilled crush doesn't necessarily make you happier. [2,005 words]
The General's Driver by Shelley J Alongi About the relationship that exists between a top army general and his driver. [4,245 words]
The Omega Pin by Kevin J. Miller A short-short, Apocalyptic burlesque. [263 words]
Mabel by ~Blythe~ You see all sorts of things when you work behind a bar, this isn't so much what I see, but its what I'd d... [238 words]
Cybertalk by Paula M Shackleford Cassie, 20 years old and desperate for love, meets a guy on a chatroom who almost instantly claims to... [4,606 words]
Lillie by Ben-Ibn Balzac A short story of a man dreaming of his little girl after his wife has died giving birth to his daughter.... [1,375 words]
It's Only A Hat by Pat G'Orge-Walker Hilarious misadventures of the spiritually challenged members of the Ain't Nobody Else Right Bu... [5,379 words]
The Perfect Ending by Richard Koss A tale about a wanna-be writer trying to create a story with the perfect ending. With unsus... [642 words]
The Dowry by Richard Koss The Dowry is a story set in or around the year 2020, so I suppose you should consider it science fict... [2,448 words]
Forever, Inc. by Joseph Yenkavitch A man visits a company (Forever, Inc.) where his dead father's brain has been hooked to a virtual... [3,740 words]
The Nightmare by Natalia Pedroza A girl who is a drug addict and is becoming a prostitute. [120 words]
The Box (2) by Nathan C Hedberg Ranell Rabe, captain of the guard in the city of Jaida, is faced with the annihilation of his city ... [3,199 words]
Maudlin Street by Christopher McCoy Loosely based upon the song by Morrissey. The story is about a kid who falls in love with a girl... [4,865 words]
Rainy Day Kids by Jock Pichette The Rainy day Kids were young boy who found something to do, rain or shine, and before the age o... [2,208 words]
Innocent Betrayal by Naadira Shante Rushing - [160 words]
They Are Here by Kate Kreutzer-Spath They came through the windows last time. Why are they here? One woman's nightmare. I am not a... [610 words]
Where The Two Parallel Lines Have Met by Lawrence Naresh A short story. [1,354 words]
Drop And Give Me One! by John C Smith A short story. [1,015 words]
Street Battles by Jock Pichette Street Battles, is about a young boy without supervision, who is always sticking up for his frie... [3,252 words]
Going Out by Saskia Dodd About two girls getting ready to go out. [941 words]
Carey
Rosemary's Gift by Andy Smith Most people know the story about the three wise men that traveled from afar to bring the baby J... [2,094 words]
Wind Dance by Traci McCoy A description of a woman enjoying the sensations of a cool breeze on an early spring night. [794 words]
Eviction Leads To A New Life by Jock Pichette Eviction Leads To A New Life is all about a young boy, and a mom who lived in a du... [2,738 words]
Jocko by Jock Pichette Involves a young boy who loved hockey, but also had a great deal of pride. So in order to learn how to sk... [2,438 words]
Horseshoe And A Red Truck by Jock Pichette A short story. [1,531 words]
Blind Pig by Jock Pichette Blind Pig, involves a Polish Immigrant who came to Canada, worked extremely hard in a packing house, ... [1,743 words]
Cattin' Around by Mary Carol Dill Mary Carroll A very short, slightly racy story about the illusion of romance... [261 words]
Going, Going... by Lisamarie Jones A man commits suicide, and then realises what he's missing. [1,330 words]
Sunny Money, A Collection by Shannon Pypper Leary Satirical collection of a child's point of view... [283 words]
Fatal Perception by Richard Koss An off-beat tale about an aging song writer who perceives he is being stalked by a strange lit... [2,959 words]
I Closed My Eyes (2) by Lisamarie Jones After committing suicide, a young man realises what a mistake it was. [1,356 words]
Clyde's Lot by H E Gurlitt Short story for adults, based on real events. [729 words]
Deep Cutting by Shannon C. A girl, wallowing in misery, decides cutting herself can take the pain away. [1,179 words]
An Unlikely Friend by Jennifer M Haynes A man with an unusual "job" while hitchhiking to get away from his last piece of work, meets... [1,622 words]
His Wife Could Eat No Lean by Mo Rogers [1,628 words]
Cyn by Paula M Shackleford Is Cynthia really cheating on Jerry? And, if she is, what is he going to do about it? [2,479 words]
His And Hers by Paula M Shackleford The story of a girl and guy on the same course at university. They think that they hate each other... [2,765 words]
Teaching Mindy by Mason Cole A New York private investigator and his assistant are handed the case of a lifetime. But will i... [11,186 words]
Rachel's Revenge by Ruth Gillis A beginning writer's reaction to an editor's rejection of her short story. [1,095 words]
Consider The Mule by Ruth Gillis A son meets with resistance when trying to provide care for his stubborn and elderly father. [2,459 words]
Don't Bank On It by Paula M Shackleford This is the story of how a petty argument can develop into a full-scale war, when it comes to ... [3,766 words]

Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 [48] 49 50
TITLE (EDIT)
Carey
DESCRIPTION
About a girl who is on life support and her parents turn the machine off and about what happens to her parents.
[1,023 words]
AUTHOR
Saskia Dodd
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
-
[April 2000]
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (6)
Alcohol Hallucinatons (Poetry) A poem. [11 words]
Bulimia (Poetry) [172 words]
Child's Winter Days (Poetry) A Poem. [22 words]
Going Out (Short Stories) About two girls getting ready to go out. [941 words]
Sunrise, A Collection (Poetry) A collection of verse. [79 words]
War, I Remember, The Hunter, The Dance (Poetry) A collection of verse. [159 words]
Carey
Saskia Dodd

      He touched the side of his daughter�s face while her mother held her hand.
      �You can turn the machine off now doctor, we are ready�, the girl�s father said as her mother sobbed quietly into her lace handkerchief.
      The doctor looked at them and then at Carey, the three year old girl lying on the bed. There was nothing further Dr. Jacobs could do.
      Mr and Mrs Peterson had waited so long for Carey�s arrival. Mrs. Peterson had had trouble falling pregnant and they had wanted to have their own child rather than adopt. After nine years of perseverance and trying every fertility program Carey was finally conceived and their world now revolved around this little girl.
      Carey had been playing in the tree house and sandpit in the front yard of the Peterson�s house the day of the accident. Mrs. Peterson couldn�t have foreseen the day�s events but still blamed herself. Dr. Jacobs could understand that. The driver who had crashed through their front fence and hit Carey had blown 0.06 when the police had carried out their breath test. Of course, the driver had walked away unharmed.
      Carey, however, had sustained too many injuries and had been on life support for the past three weeks. It had been a long three weeks for Mr and Mrs Peterson who had barely left Carey�s side. Mr. Peterson had told Dr. Jacobs yesterday that they had decided to turn the machine off. Dr. Jacobs had agreed but now that the time had come he didn�t know if he could go through with it. Carey, with her blonde curls and long eyelashes, reminded him so much of his own daughter. It was times like this when Dr. Jacobs wondered why he had chosen to become a doctor.
      �You realise she may not stop breathing immediately. Once the machine is turned off Carey may continue to breathe by herself for a few minutes, or a few days. I can�t tell you exactly how long, but as we discussed yesterday Carey�s lungs are weak and I doubt she will be able to keep breathing by herself for any longer than one or two days� Dr. Jacobs whispered trying to conceal the distress he was feeling.
      �Thank you Dr. Jacobs, we understand.� Mr. Peterson held both his wife�s and his daughter�s hands.
      Dr. Jacobs slowly reached for the switch and turned it off.
      �I�ll leave you alone. Just buzz if you need anything�, Dr. Jacobs said as he left the room.
      Mrs. Peterson sat with her head bowed. Her shoulders trembled as tears fell onto her skirt. As Mr. Peterson stood beside his wife staring at Carey there was no way he could know this would be as much comfort he would ever again be able to offer his wife. He watched as Carey�s chest rose and fell for the last time. He didn�t make a sound as he dropped his wife�s hand.
      �Nooooo. No. Not yet. Not my baby.� Mrs. Peterson threw herself on her daughter, shaking her to wake up, while Mr. Peterson watched on.
      Dr. Jacobs heard the yelling from down the hall.
      �Nurse, nurse, come with me.� Dr. Jacobs was at Carey�s room before he had finished speaking. He touched Mrs. Peterson on the shoulder.
      �You can�t let her die doctor. I should�ve been watching her more closely. Pleeeease, there must be something you can do.�
      �There�s nothing, Mrs. Peterson.� Dr. Jacobs gently raised Mrs. Peterson by the elbow. The nurse took her other arm and guided her from the room. Mr. Peterson continued to stare at his daughter.
      �Mr. Peterson, Carey�s gone. Maybe you should wait with your wife. You can�t do anything more here. Your wife needs you.�
      Mr. Peterson�s eyes didn�t move from his only daughter as he sat where his wife had sat previously. He held one of Carey�s hands in his while he rubbed her head with the other one. Strands of hair moved back against his hand before falling into place with each stroke.
      If only Mr. Peterson could show his wife the same affection in the future. But it was not to be. He would spend his days at work and nights at the pub ordering one drink when he went in so they wouldn�t ask him to leave. Sitting at a table in the corner he would look into his drink for hours. The drink would always be untouched when he left. The pub would be somewhere to go. It would be easier there. He wouldn�t have to watch his wife sit day after day in the same armchair staring out the window thinking the new fence was too new and wanting the old one back. She also wanted the tree house back and the sandpit. Mr. Peterson would remove these the day after the funeral.
      They would stand apart that day too. Maybe if he responded to his wife when she reached for him instead of moving away. Maybe if he had of been able to at least look at her, then she mightn�t have taken to sitting all day. But he wouldn�t be able to look at her then. Every time he did he would think of Carey and how she was supposed to be looking after her. He knew it wasn�t her fault but she had been there. Surely there was something more she could have done. Then it would be too late. His wife would begin not to look up when he came home, wouldn�t acknowledge his presence.
      He would think of all this one night as he sat rotating his drink between his hands. He would have five drinks that night before leaving. He would wish he were dead. Death would be better than the life he would have. It would be that night he would know that he couldn�t live with his wife anymore.
As he stroked Carey�s hair though he couldn�t even begin to think of the future. His wife was the furthest thing from his mind. It was at this time he should have realised nothing would ever be the same again.

 

READER'S REVIEWS (1)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.

"This was very well written. I 've actually lived thru the same nightmare. It really touched home. Excellent!!!" -- D.Valentin.

TO DELETE UNWANTED REVIEWS CLICK HERE! (SELECT "MANAGE TITLE REVIEWS" ACTION)

Submit Your Review for Carey
Required fields are marked with (*).
Your e-mail address will not be displayed.

Your Name*     E-mail*

City     State/Province     Country

Your Review (please be constructive!)*


Please Enter Code*:

Submit Your Rating for Carey

Worst     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10     Best

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2000 Saskia Dodd
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
May 2000
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2117
 

Copyright © 1998-2001 Storymania Technologies Limited. All Rights Reserved.